The Left's Latest Recipient of Tolerance
The Founding Fathers, in their genius, designed the American system of government to be contentious. One party might have the White House while the other might have Congress. One party might have both the House and the Senate but not the White House. There are lots of possibilities. But the idea was that the people in Washington D.C. would have differences and fight it out over crucial issues. Sometimes your side would win, sometimes not. But that is how democracy works. It was always intended to be a messy business.
It is kind of hard to put a finger on exactly when it began, there are endless stories of how the Civil War divided families. Brothers fought brothers, and many families were never the same. Thankfully, things have not always been that combative. The Vietnam War divided Americans, but that was an individual issue. It seems that in maybe in the last two decades, Americans have become almost as bitterly divided politically, not just over single issues, but political ideology in general. Now, we are in the thick of another heated election cycle. It is an election cycle like none we have really ever seen. But while emotions are running high on both sides, it seems that one side in particular tends to let their emotions get the better of them, the left side.
Most people realize that if they become a public figure, they are going to attract attention from those who might be described as less-than-stable. Sadly, it is an occupational hazard. On Monday, Outkick founder and radio talk show host Clay Travis became the latest victim of one of those emotionally heightened on the left side of the political spectrum. Travis posted a picture of a crudely written and worded letter that also threatened his radio co-host, Buck Sexton. The scariest part, the letter, with a Minneapolis postmark, was mailed to Travis’ home. The letter referred to the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and read in part, “The two of you need a rearview mirror. We missed asshole Trump, but we won’t miss you two assholes.” The letter was dated July 23 and at the end, just says “10 days,” a possible threat of something taking place on August 2. Travis said he had received threats via email, Twitter, and Instagram in the past, but nothing like this latest threat. He has contacted police about the letter.
Granted, this is something that just happened, and we will assume that police are investigating, but this is just the latest example of the left’s “tolerance” of different points of view. The left’s recent track record is not necessarily a portrait of peace and love, but so far, the incident with Travis might be the least violent. The left is currently busy whitewashing Vice President Kamala Harris’ record, but there are plenty of the left’s conservative objects of rage still around to attest to its existence and its violence.
In 2017, Republicans were practicing in a field near the Capitol for the annual charity baseball game between Democrats and Republicans when a lone gunman began shooting at everyone on the field. He had asked someone nearby the field earlier if those in the field were Democrats or Republicans. He knew who his targets were. Among those shot, now-House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA). Scalise was standing on second base when he was shot in the left hip. The gunman, James Hodgkinson, was a supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders, hated Donald Trump, and was a fan of left-wing political television shows.
In June of 2022, Nicholas John Roske was arrested outside Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home and charged with the attempted murder of a Supreme Court Justice. Roske was upset about a leak of the possible decision in the upcoming Roe vs. Wade decision. He had brought everything with him he might need to carry out his plan including a Glock 17 pistol, ammunition, knife, zip ties, pepper spray, and duct tape. Could the contentious and nasty confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh four years before have also played a part in Roske’s plans and had just been simmering?
Of course, the most recent example, but at this point the least known about, is the attempted assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. So far, we have heard conflicting stories about the shooter Thomas Crooks. During the Senate Judiciary hearing on the massive failures by the Secret Service and the FBI, Deputy FBI Director Paul Abbate stated that two separate and differing social media accounts belonging to Crooks had been found. One contained antisemitic and anti-immigration views, the other contained differing points of view. As the investigation goes forth, Crooks’s motives may finally be known.
When the topic is political violence, the left will automatically jump up and down and yell and scream about “January 6!” Despite their false claim that five police officers were killed that day, the truth is that only one person was killed that day, an unarmed woman there to address grievances against her government named Ashli Babbitt. The left can yap about January 6 all they want, but it is a lop-sided record when we add violent groups like Black Lives Matter and Antifa into the mix. It doesn’t even come close.
The conventional wisdom is that most people don’t start really paying attention to the election until after Labor Day. Will some other prominent conservatives be the recipient of the left’s open-mindedness and tolerance? As Kamala Harris’ honeymoon phase begins to wane, the more unpredictable the less-than-stable are liable to get.