Now we’re really fucked.
And not because the image of a bloodied Trump, fist raised in defiance, is the kind of iconic moment, already etched into American history, that could well secure his victory this fall.
We’re fucked because this type of heinous political violence, following a failed insurrection less than four years ago, signals that America is primed for a serious schism.
This isn’t post-assassination attempt hyperbole, people.
Trump’s most ardent supporters, whose core beliefs hinge on perceived existential threats from “The Other,” were just fired on at a Trump rally, making real their most paranoid fever dreams.
And these folks are often armed and extremely paranoid… even before their beloved leader was winged by a lunatic with a gun.
[By the way, does anyone on the right want to talk about gun control now? I didn’t think so.]
So now, we’re going to have countless heavily armed and paranoid Trump lovers roaming the streets, sensing perceived threats behind every backfiring truck and political disagreement.
This is the kind of escalating tension I’ve seen lead to widespread violence in other countries.
And don’t think for a second, “What happens over there can’t happen here.”
As evidenced by events in Pennsylvania, on Jan. 6 at the Capitol, in Charlottesville in 2017, etc., we are not all that star-spangled special and certainly not immune to the political unrest that’s undone other democratic countries.
Hoping to quell tensions exasperated by the attack on Trump, President Biden addressed the nation, calling for unity and a thorough investigation into the shooting.
“An assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation,” said Biden from the White House, adding“there is no place in America for this kind of violence or any violence for that matter.”
And goddamnit, why did this have to happen deep in the heart of Postindustrial America?!
We’ve already had our reputations dinged repeatedly by the overwhelming number of Jan. 6 participants from our region.
Before that, a plot to kidnap Michigan’s Democratic governor didn’t exactly do wonders for PI America’s reputation.
Now this? An assassination attempt in our backyard is not a good look for us. In fact, it’s downright disgraceful.
On top of that, a rallygoer has been killed, adding to the death toll caused by political violence in America. At least two others have been wounded.
I’m embarrassed and ashamed that this happened just miles from where I grew up, in a similar, rural community as Butler County.
Meanwhile, President Biden addressed the shooting, using the moment to call for an end to the escalating political violence in America.
“There is no place in America for this kind of violence,” Biden said. “It’s sick.”
I agree with the latter part of Biden’s statement. This is sick, and we should all be nauseated by what happened, no matter what our political affiliations may be.
However, Biden is wrong about the former. There is, most unfortunately, a place for this kind of extremism in an increasingly polarized nation.
It’s the extremely dangerous space we collectively created over the last few decades by turning American politics into a winner-takes-all bloodsport that has crossed over from inflamed rhetoric into deadly action.
And now, we find ourselves mired in the same chaos and fear that marked that period in American history when President Kennedy was assassinated, and Lincoln was killed after a devastating civil war that nearly ended our union.
Following the attempt on Trump’s life, news media pundits immediately sounded the alarm that America is teetering on the “abyss” of another irreconcilable difference.
To all those breathlessly warning that the political sky is falling, I say save your breath.
The sky has already fallen, and we’re all the more fucked for it.
How quickly and effectively we can work together to prop it back up will determine whether we can unfuck ourselves before something even uglier happens.
