Democrats must define democracy in economic terms that appeal to middle and working class
Last Saturday, a 20-year-old, registered Republican grazed the right ear of Donald Trump when he fired multiple rounds from an AR-style rifle. The shooting caused a minor injury to the ex-president, but at least one fatality. The shooter was killed on the scene by Secret Service officers.
It goes without saying that no one should be celebrating gun violence that results in death or injuries to others. President Biden and other elected officials have all denounced what happened as shocking, horrific and “un-American.” Denounce they must, but this is no kumbaya moment.
There is no reason to conclude that the near fatal attack on the ex-president is going to change the trajectory of the election. Trump’s support is baked in and so is Biden’s. No Democrats or independents concerned about the Republican’s stance on abortion, the environment or democracy woke up Sunday after the shooting and said, “Now that Trump nearly got his ear blown off, I’m going to vote for him out of sympathy.”
Nor will that bloody photo of him, clenched fist and all, standing in front of an American flag, do much to motivate anyone other than those inclined to support him in the first place. If anything, the entire tragedy shows that Trump is vulnerable like the rest of us. That that carefully cultivated image of an adored tough guy who says he could kill someone on Fifth Avenue for sport and still be worshipped by legions of admirers has been flipped on its axis as a gunman from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania turned the gun on Trump.
Democrats had nothing to do with that tragedy and must not allow the media and Republicans to lay blame on them and push out that narrative. There is no moral equivalency between the mean-spirited, racist, misogynistic, neo-fascist rhetoric of the MAGA adherents, led by Trump and a cast of other Republican operatives, and Biden’s, Kamala Harris’ and other Democrats’ warnings that dangers lie ahead if the convicted felon who first encouraged and then stood by and allowed insurrectionists he urged to descend on the U.S. Capitol, ransack offices of prominent Democrats, attack police officers, and terrorize lawmakers.
Trump and Republicans still today freely use hate rhetoric against foreigners; they make false accusations that Democrats, especially Black ones, are stealing elections from (white) Republicans; and they still pal around with the Proud Boys and other white supremacist groups, referring to them as patriotic Americans. Differences between Dems and Republicans don’t stop there: MAGA voters, the NRA, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court, conservative think tanks and legal foundations have all made it clear that they want to take over the reins of government and instill a leader with king-type powers. Project 2025 is their blueprint (read the link about it if you haven’t).
Furthermore, to the question of who opposes the proliferation of guns in the U.S., it is clear that it has been the Democrats and some independents. They, with limited success, have tried to raise national consciousness on the link between easy access to guns, especially semiautomatic rifles like one used in Saturday’s Republican rally, and active shooter mass murders that have become so common. Republicans, on the other hand, and the NRA and their supporters in particular, refuse to support common-sense gun regulation that would have outlawed civilian purchase of the type of rifle used in the attempt on Trump’s life.
Democrats must not fall for the okey-doke that Senator Lindsey Graham and others are perpetrating. Republicans sent a teary eyed Graham on “Meet the Press” to discuss the violence that Trump mostly avoided, while they deployed Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance and Sen. Tim Scott to exploit the moment to its fullest by blaming Biden and the so-called “radical left” for creating an atmosphere for violence.
And the uncritical and largely incompetent media–which are as responsible as any entity for the rise of Trumpism–participated in the hoax by raising endless what-aboutism questions and repeating false narratives. The media first and foremost must learn that Trump is not “President Trump;” he is the former president. And an assassination is political violence against a leader of the opposition, not any act of violence against a politician. The disturb young man whose bullet glazed Trump’s ear, as far as we can determined based on reporting, was not radicalized toward any particular ideology.
As tragic as the shootings were, the times are perilous and dangerous for those who want a more just, equitable and democratic America. And the stakes are still high for Biden, as he has not arrested all the concerns regarding his ability to lead. That, notwithstanding, as I advised in my last column, Democrats must unite behind Biden and stop attacking his age and cognitive abilities. The presidency is an institution and no one person embodies it all. It will survive.
Finally, Democrats must carefully message the next two weeks, but they cannot retreat. They must be sensitive to the reality that many in the U.S. are in a state of disbelief that a “strong man” who has promoted himself as being invincible and untouchable was nearly gunned down by a 20-year-old novice who has yet to cast a vote in a Presidential election. In the immediate future, it may be difficult for Democrats to attack Trump directly for his misdeeds and autocratic proclivities, but Donald Trump will always be Donald Trump.
Soon he will be out spewing mean-spirited, racist rhetoric, and bullying those who won’t bend a knee or kiss his ring. In fact, he has already released a statement defining “national unity” as a state where he will not be prosecuted for crimes he may have committed. His address to the Republican National Convention on Thursday will surely be full of demands that the “weaponized” DOJ drop all charges against him. If that is what it will take, unity will never be achieved.
What should the Democrats be saying right this moment? Sen. Bernie Sanders did an excellent job last Sunday on “Meet the Press,” defining what the narrative should be for those who don’t want Trump back in the White House. Starting out he said: “Political violence is unacceptable and un-American. Politics should be kind of boring. Our healthcare system is dysfunctional. How do we fix it? We need a healthcare system that guarantees healthcare to all people. We have massive income and wealth inequality. Should three people own more than the bottom half of American society. We have got to have serious discussion of serious issues.”
Jabari Simama Speaks 
Interesting piece. My comment is a question to you. Do you actually believe that he was shot so glancingly, that no part of his ear is missing. I would like to see his ear – NOW. Before they emerge later saying that he has had plastic surgery on it. I think that incident was a Shooter (the movie) scenario. That young man was set-up or promised something; totally unaware that he was the sacrificial lamb for the MAGA cause.
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