Sad to say, there’s nothing new about the level of political violence on the U.S. landscape. The public has become inured to bloody conflict, the latest fresh shock dealt as an attempted assassination at a campaign rally Saturday.
Even so, Americans quite rightly feel shaken and sorrowful about the attack targeting former President Donald Trump, who on Monday became officially the GOP nominee for the nation’s highest post.
As the Republican National Convention got underway, the tone of what is normally a gleeful occasion was muted. In the run-up to the event, both Trump and his opponent, President Joe Biden, had exhorted people to turn down the temperature of the persistently inflamed rhetoric that most have come to expect in this fractured society.
How long will that raised consciousness last, though, even among those who do embrace it?
There might be a better sense by the end of the convention on Thursday in Milwaukee, when the candidate will give his hotly anticipated acceptance speech, what the state of the rhetoric may be.
Unfortunately, there are signs from all sides that any kumbaya moment was already dissipating. There were signs that, for some on either extreme, it never existed.
Conspiracy theories sprang up immediately, with charges of the shooting being a setup, somehow, or in any case that it had been the fault of the other side. The truth is that in the present partisan divide, it’s too easy to lay the blame entirely on the opposition when the reality is a shared fault.
The gunman, who was killed by Secret Service, was an enigmatic figure whose profile will require much investigation. If a 20-year-old can come this close to killing a presidential candidate, it’s right to worry that America could be at a turning point. Americans must realize this danger, and labor to turn things the other way.
An innocent bystander lost his life. Among those injured, Trump escaped with a wound to his outer ear, but a fatal hit had been mere inches away.
It was good to see Hawaii’s own political leadership publicly denouncing violence, for their part.
“In moments like these, it is crucial for us to come together as a community and reject all forms of violence,” said Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi. His was among the prepared remarks coming from isle Republicans as well as the Democratic congressional delegation.
“Let us stand in solidarity, offering support and compassion to those affected by this tragedy, and work tirelessly to ensure such acts do not define our future,” Blangiardi said.
That’s an uplifting sentiment. What’s also required at this moment in history, though, is a change in how Americans approach their electoral system.
As the reverberations from this episode wane, as they always do, all people need to focus on the facts. Withholding judgment about the case until more real evidence comes in would be one way to start.
Further, voters must acknowledge that the election of a president demands thoughtful analysis of what each candidate offers his country for the long term.
Do they have credible plans for making life better for all? Have they shown the will and the competence to deliver on these plans? And are they capable of dealing with an increasingly complex and dangerous world, both internationally and domestically?
Hawaii residents sometimes still feel set apart from the worst of the political tempest, but increasingly, they’re swept up in the storm. They also must find a way to deal with one another as individuals rather than combatants.
Politics is the pursuit of power for the common good, but it must not equate with war.
