#MAGABomber

Just two weeks a crazy Trump fan sent pipe bombs to leaders of the Democratic Party and vocal critics of the President - Obamas, Clintons, Biden, Eric Holder, Maxine Waters, George Soros, Robert De Niro, and John Brennan (care of CNN). This list easily reads as a political hit list of the President’s favorite targets, a President that celebrates violence and encourages the hateful rhetoric of modern politics. While many politicians in the past have played on our differences, dividing Americans, Trump has enflamed those divisions for political gain. 

During campaign rallies, he routinely encouraged violence against protestors - even offering to pay the legal fees (he didn’t end up paying). Trump “joked” about 2nd Amendment solutions should Clinton win After the election, he defended the white supremacists in Charlottesville that not only beat counter protestors with sticks, bats and shields but also murdered a woman by driving a car into the crowd. During these midterm rallies, he has attacked Democrats an a angry mob that will use violence if they win back Congress (which makes no sense whatsoever, but that’s who he is). He still leads chants of lock her up, though exactly who and for what isn’t exactly clear other than political opponents (Ted Cruz also got into this by saying that his opponent Beto O’Rourke should be jailed, I guess for running against him). And just last week he celebrated a Republican representative that plead guilty to assaulting a reporter that simply asked the candidate their position on repealing the ACA. Celebrated him as an American journalist was murdered by the Saudis (who only made the Saudi enemies list when he criticized Trump). As he calls the press the enemy of the people, encouraging despots around the world to imprison and murder journalists without American retribution.  

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I am clearly not saying that Trump built and sent these bombs. That is the fault entirely of the bomber.  But this political environment is entirely the fault of President Trump. Well, Trump and the people that support him. It is no coincidence that racists chant Trump’s name as a they harass people of a darker hue as it elicits a strong feeling of pride in the white supremacists amongst us. And I don’t just mean the frothing MAGA-hat-wearers who cheered on his celebrations of violence in real time.  Republican politicians either completely ignored or mildly rebuked his rhetoric while completely caved to his hate to win an election. It’s also the fault of all of those that voted for him. You had a chance to show him and other hate mongers, that incitement of political violence remains unacceptable in America and you failed spectacularly. He faced no electoral punishment for his behaviors and you rewarded with an unexpected victory.

Yesterday, as events unfolded, the President meekly read from a statement prepared by his staff. He did not stand with the former Presidents that had been targeted. But he read, the absolute minimal statement he needed to. And that lasted for less than a day. As political opponents received more packages, he went back to the campaign trail. While he did not aggressively attack as he normally did, he did demonstrate that he doesn’t care. He mocked the idea of his own statement- saying he can be good for awhile. Then this morning he attacked the mainstream media for this situation. Because reporting on Trump’s hateful rhetoric is their fault, for repeating his words and actions. The Press Secretary (who no longer holds daily press briefings) said that it was CNN’s fault for receiving a bomb at their office.

Trump and the Republicans will not unify the country. The entire Republican platform is about fear and hate. They want to encourage the haters to get out to vote. Those that hate blacks, hate Hispanics, hate Muslims, hate immigrants, hate gays, hate trans people, hate liberals and so on. They have always done this. But now their leader actively encourages the violence that follows. Hate crimes surged in 2017 against Jews and Muslims as the White House said nothing. White supremacists feel entitled to march in the streets, even starting a brawl last week in NYC. The President says nothing, and in fact purposefully describes himself as a nationalist (exactly what those people want). 

The president will not change. We must rebuke him and his rhetoric at the ballot box.  We dod so forcefully in 2018 and we must do so again in 2020.