When an organization does something that’s totally dumb, tasteless and offensive in one fell swoop during a moment of clear crisis, it deserves condemnation.
But it also deserves to be held fully accountable for allowing that totally dumb, tasteless and offensive act to happen at all.
That’s why the entire leadership team of the Sarasota County Democratic Party should resign in the aftermath of a party social media post mocking the failed assassination attempt on President Donald Trump during last Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, D.C.
During the incident, Secret Service agents exchanged gunfire with a suspected gunman outside the ballroom of the hotel hosting the White House press dinner.
The suspect – identified as Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California – was arrested by authorities while Trump and first lady Melania Trump were quickly evacuated from the hotel.
Given that it was the third documented attempt on Trump’s life over the past two years – including a bullet grazing his ear during a July 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania – exhibiting good judgment should have been a default response from the local Democratic Party, regardless of the Democrats’ obvious political differences with a Republican president.
Instead, a post on the party’s Facebook page appeared to express disappointment and laughing emoji regret – “Well, that sucks” – that the assassination attempt had failed.
Yes, the inappropriate post was eventually removed.
But what “delete” button can erase the fact that the Sarasota County Democratic Party showed a lack of common sense and basic decency during a moment when neither should have been that difficult to muster?
And what kind of apology can truly satisfy the level of accountability that’s necessary now?
Because here’s the bottom line:
If party leaders didn’t know the offending post would go online, they were clueless. And if they did know, they are hopeless.
Either way, it’s time to employ that same delete button on their leadership roles in the Sarasota County Democratic Party.
They should resign. Now.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota County Democrats’ dumb post deserves clear action | Editorial
Reporting by Sarasota Herald-Tribune Editorial Board, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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