Violence In Congress Is The First Step
Two acts of Republican violence in the Capitol are a harbinger of what is to come.
by Ben Cohen
Consider the political climate in America a decade ago when President Obama had just won an election against Mitt Romney. The election had been a somewhat fraught affair with Obama coming perilously close to losing after getting thrashed in the first debate. But the election was largely civil, no one complained about the result, and the political feuding went back to the usual inside baseball dynamics of “Democrats want more spending, Republicans want tax cuts for billionaires” inanity.
Sure, the specter of Sarah Palin populism still lingered after John McCain’s loss in 2008, and the Tea Party had some sway over GOP policy, but there was no Donald Trump, no organized white nationalist movement, and no sign that political violence could erupt anywhere near Washington DC.
Fast forward to 2023, and this is now regarded as normal in American politics…
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