A man who marinated in the stew of virulent right-wing rhetoric allegedly broke into the San Francisco home of the speaker of the U.S. House, shouted “Where is Nancy?” and then brutalized her husband Paul with a hammer. A nation that’s seen the shooting of Gabby Giffords and Steve Scalise, where threats and intimidation against members of Congress have been rising rapidly, can hardly act surprised, but we must not lose our capacity for outrage.
Nor should we mince words about who is responsible for the current climate. While American politics has been dangerously divisive for decades, it’s Donald Trump who, while holding the nation’s largest megaphone, swaggered about in a tough-guy costume, played coy with the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers and unhinged conspiracy theories like QAnon, called his critics enemies of the state and smirked as crowds chanted to lock up his political opponent. It’s Trump who effectively encouraged, then celebrated the political violence of Jan. 6.
Trump’s kerosene on the smoldering fire helps explain why recorded threats against members of Congress increased more than tenfold to 9,625 in 2021, according to the Capitol Police. Though these were aimed at Democrats and Republicans alike, many were Republicans or pro-Trump individuals attacking Democrats or Republicans considered anti-Trump. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, the only Republican save Liz Cheney bold enough to serve on the Jan. 6 Committee, has released chilling audio of callers menacing him and his family.
Perhaps even more disturbing have been vile attacks on poll workers whose job is not to make tough political decisions, but to fairly administer our elections.
A September speech by President Biden on safeguarding American democracy, which critics wrongly said vilified half the country, gave no quarter to intimidating extremism of any kind: “I want to say this plain and simple: There is no place for political violence in America. Period. None. Ever.”
In the wake of the attack on Paul Pelosi, every Democrat can be expected to repeat that refrain. Every last Republican must join them, and make their voices loud.
