There are some things on which we all can agree. We should all be grateful no one was injured during the attack at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner. Political violence is wrong no matter who commits it. Violent political rhetoric that can lead to political violence is wrong no matter who engages in it. Beyond that my thirty years in the Marine Corps taught me that modeling the behavior one wants from one’s followers is one of the highest responsibilities of the leadership which sits at the very top of the leadership chain.
A leader who genuinely wants to establish a climate of political non-violence would preach and practice political non-violence at every opportunity. My old Marine battalion commander was fond of saying real leaders point the way and walk the walk.
In light of this alleged attempted assassination of administration officials it is useful to examine how our own highest elected official preaches and practices political non-violence, and how he points the way for the country. Mr. Trump has publicly called for rifles to be pointed at his political opponent (Liz Cheney) to see how she feels about it, has told his supporters to knock the crap out of a heckler and he, Mr. Trump, would pay the legal fees, has suggested National Guardsmen should shoot those protesting against Mr. Trump in the legs, has encouraged a supporter to body slam a reporter, has encouraged jailing a reporter and making that reporter, in his words, marry an extremely, strong, tough and mean prisoner while in jail, has encouraged the hanging of a former chairman of the JCS, has stated that Democrats should be hanged, has called protesters animals and in a truly coup de grace of a man lacking a soul, stated that he was glad Robert Mueller, a former FBI director, is dead.
For those reading this who are quick to cite similar examples coming from the left, please take a moment and attempt to distinguish between the responsibilities and impact of the words coming from the president of the United States and those like you and me who yell from the cheap seats of our political ecosystem. However, if you want to place Mr. Trump in those cheap seats, I am fully with you on that. Such arguments might carry some weight if backed up with evidence showing similar public speech by other presidents. There is none.
Words do have meaning and the words of a president can have life and death meaning. MAGA would love for us to forget Mr. Trump’s words. Do not. The thought is the father to the deed, and these thoughts, and others like them, come from a man MAGA promoted to the most powerful position in the world. Mr. Trump’s administration, like him, lacks any sense of self-awareness which makes it particularly dangerous to our democracy as personified in Mr. Trump’s windup doll of a spokesperson brazenly standing before the country after this latest incident and blaming Democrats for creating a climate of political violence, knowing full well, she works for the Offender-in-Chief, himself.
Leaders establish the climate in the organizations or countries, for that matter, they lead, and Mr. Trump has failed miserably in establishing a climate that tamps down violent political rhetoric in this country. When you preach violence from the bully pulpit of the presidency, like Mr. Trump routinely does, and the evidence to support that is overwhelming, that violence inevitably lands on your doorstep. Fortunately, no one was hurt this time and just as fortunately, this country is catching on to this “lies and more lies” administration and accountability at the polls is fast approaching. Can’t wait. Vote, folks!
A retired colonel with the United States Marine Corps, Thomas Minor is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Army War College and the U.S. Naval War College with a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies. He spent 30 years as a Marine infantry officer with the last assignment as head of the Department of Naval Science and instructor of leadership and ethics at the Virginia Military Institute. He is a resident of Bonita Springs.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Leaders establish the climate for violent political speech | Opinion
Reporting by Thomas Minor / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
