Trump got shot.
I don’t really know how to feel/think about the situation other than to be sad that political violence is such a strong thing now. I realize that this is not the first time it has happened in recent history. Two years ago a far-right conspiracist bashed Nancy Pelosi’s husband’s head in. Two years before that there was a plot (foiled) to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer. All of these examples come from “the right” While I understand recency bias and high profile action, I want to say that the shooting of Trump is neither new nor worthy of more coverage than either of these acts, but I know it is going to get a lot more. Already the blame engine is churning out the smoke of disgust and vitriol and victimization, claiming that “the left’s” rhetoric caused this. All those who are representative of that side can do is say this should not happen as they quietly watch the blame cloud the vision of voters.
Did Trump actually get shot? Not that it matters (because the facts do not matter) but he likely caught shrapnel damage as opposed to being directly plinked in the ear by an AR-15 round, which is large to say the least. At that velocity, a graze would do real damage.
Anyway, the real problem is optics. This is the central tenet of Trumpdom. He is a very visible individual whose quippy nature draws and riles up his followers. This is going to really get them going. More and more it feels like the election is slipping away, and as a result the country I love is moving backwards and sideways in time.