Trump 2024

[Superbone]

Third, I think we can agree that rhetoric glorifying and encouraging violence is bad.

- Kyle Rittenhouse murdered two people he politically disagreed with, and the GOP has largely turned him into a beloved celebrity for it.

Kyle was found not guilty. This is how the rhetoric starts. You are allowed to feel about the incident however you want.

"Murdered" is a strong word by me, but, the dude shows up at a protest with an automatic weapon and starts cruising around looking for trouble. Two guys chase him, so he guns them down and kills them. He was found not guilty, but, so was OJ. To me Rittenhouse is a killer who showed up excited to put himself in a situation where he could find an excuse to shoot protesters dead.

Me criticizing this guy with his gun boner is not "how the rhetoric starts." I'm *criticizing* violence. I'm not celebrating it or encouraging it. I want no guns, no shooting, no violence. I do not want people showing up to protests with automatic guns ready to shoot each other. Can we agree that I am advocating for non-violence here?

He came from another state to participate with his gun and killed two people. Those are the facts.

[Superbone]

This man's last act was to protect his daughters.

[In2ition]

I separately wanted to speak to the post In2 made where he quoted multiple people on Twitter saying yucky things, such as that they were happy Trump got shot at, or that they wished he had been killed. I'm sure you can find some awful people on social media saying awful things about any topic. I don't see any reason to glorify or discuss them. Those are just random Twitter accounts, and they don't represent the views of any political party or mainstream politician. They're just random assholes. I don't see what is the point of reposting their hateful posts. Is it to imply that all Dems think those things? (They don't.) There's really nothing to say about this; the content is meaningless garbage, and the people who posted it don't represent anybody or any mainstream view.

Here is a "random" Congressman.

[Mori Chu]

If "eliminated" is the best you got, better keep googling. Yawn. That GOP guy Mark Robinson last week literally said, "some folks need killing" about his opponents. Clutch your pearls all you want, but your guys use much, much more explicit language of violence than any elected Democrat.

[Mori Chu]

He came from another state to participate with his gun and killed two people. Those are the facts.

Nodding. And it's not just about him, Rittenhouse himself. It's about how he has become a hero in the party, has been invited to countless appearances and interviews and conferences and become a GOP celebrity, *because* he used an automatic weapon to kill two other Americans. They celebrate him for it. Brave Republican using his 2nd Amendment rights to defend himself from evil Antifa liberals, or whatever.

[Kryptonic]

Third, I think we can agree that rhetoric glorifying and encouraging violence is bad.

- Kyle Rittenhouse murdered two people he politically disagreed with, and the GOP has largely turned him into a beloved celebrity for it.

Kyle was found not guilty. This is how the rhetoric starts. You are allowed to feel about the incident however you want.

I agree.... He was found not guilty. You can say he killed 2 people but you can't say he murdered 2 people.

[ShadowHawke]

Third, I think we can agree that rhetoric glorifying and encouraging violence is bad.

- Kyle Rittenhouse murdered two people he politically disagreed with, and the GOP has largely turned him into a beloved celebrity for it.

Kyle was found not guilty. This is how the rhetoric starts. You are allowed to feel about the incident however you want.

"Murdered" is a strong word by me, but, the dude shows up at a protest with an automatic weapon and starts cruising around looking for trouble. Two guys chase him, so he guns them down and kills them. He was found not guilty, but, so was OJ. To me Rittenhouse is a killer who showed up excited to put himself in a situation where he could find an excuse to shoot protesters dead.

Me criticizing this guy with his gun boner is not "how the rhetoric starts." I'm *criticizing* violence. I'm not celebrating it or encouraging it. I want no guns, no shooting, no violence. I do not want people showing up to protests with automatic guns ready to shoot each other. Can we agree that I am advocating for non-violence here?

I think the $50+ million in property damage would classify it as a riot, not a protest.

Both "rioters" Rittenhouse shot and killed had committed assault and battery against him first.

I agree you are using inflammatory rhetoric to advocate for non-violence.

[ShadowHawke]

Third, I think we can agree that rhetoric glorifying and encouraging violence is bad.

- Kyle Rittenhouse murdered two people he politically disagreed with, and the GOP has largely turned him into a beloved celebrity for it.

Kyle was found not guilty. This is how the rhetoric starts. You are allowed to feel about the incident however you want.

"Murdered" is a strong word by me, but, the dude shows up at a protest with an automatic weapon and starts cruising around looking for trouble. Two guys chase him, so he guns them down and kills them. He was found not guilty, but, so was OJ. To me Rittenhouse is a killer who showed up excited to put himself in a situation where he could find an excuse to shoot protesters dead.

Me criticizing this guy with his gun boner is not "how the rhetoric starts." I'm *criticizing* violence. I'm not celebrating it or encouraging it. I want no guns, no shooting, no violence. I do not want people showing up to protests with automatic guns ready to shoot each other. Can we agree that I am advocating for non-violence here?

He came from another state to participate with his gun and killed two people. Those are the facts.

Actually, those are all not facts. It wasn't Kyle's weapon. The man who provided the weapon to Kyle took a plea deal to avoid going to prison.

[Mori Chu]

I edited my original post to say that Rittenhouse "killed" rather than "murdered," because I don't want the conversation to be hung up on that wording. I would like to point out that it was easy for me to find a long list of GOP politicians and celebs using violent rhetoric, which I enumerated in my post. I haven't heard any retort to that. Can you make a similar list of evil Democrats calling for violence? Literally saying their opponents need killing? etc.?

[In2ition]

If "eliminated" is the best you got, better keep googling. Yawn. That GOP guy Mark Robinson last week literally said, "some folks need killing" about his opponents. Clutch your pearls all you want, but your guys use much, much more explicit language of violence than any elected Democrat.

Don't worry, if I wanted to, I could post endless videos of prominent Dems saying things like "going to have to put a bullet in him" and such. This rhetoric where Trump is called Hitler and and existential threat to democracy and whatever, is an attempt to dehumanize him and make the hate acceptable. It's frankly disgusting, but it's so common in the Dem lexicon now.

[JJ Slim]

Melania Trump
July 14, 2024

I am thinking of you, now, my fellow Americans.

We have always been a unique union. America, the fabric of our gentle nation is tattered, but our courage and common sense must ascend and bring us back together as one.

When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of devastating change. I am grateful to the brave secret service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives to protect my husband.

To the families of the innocent victims who are now suffering from this heinous act, I humbly offer my sincerest sympathy. Your need to summon your inner strength for such a terrible reason saddens me.

A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald’s passion - his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration. The core facets of my husband’s life - his human side - were buried below the political machine. Donald, the generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and the worst of times.

Let us not forget that differing opinions, policy, and political games are inferior to love. Our personal, structural, and life commitment - until death - is at serious risk. Political concepts are simple when compared to us, human beings.

We are all humans, and fundamentally, instinctively, we want to help one another. American politics are only one vehicle that can uplift our communities. Love, compassion, kindness and empathy are necessities.

And let us remember that when the time comes to look beyond the left and the right, beyond the red and the blue, we all come from families with the passion to fight for a better life together, while we are here, in this earthly realm.

Dawn is here again. Let us reunite. Now.

This morning, ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence. We all want a world where respect is paramount, family is first, and love transcends. We can realize this world again. Each of us must demand to get it back. We must insist that respect fills the cornerstone of our relationships again.

I am thinking of you, my fellow Americans.

The winds of change have arrived. For those of you who cry in support, I thank you. I commend those of you who have reached out beyond the political divide – thank you for remembering that every single politician is a man or a woman with a loving family.

[Mori Chu]

If "eliminated" is the best you got, better keep googling. Yawn. That GOP guy Mark Robinson last week literally said, "some folks need killing" about his opponents. Clutch your pearls all you want, but your guys use much, much more explicit language of violence than any elected Democrat.

Don't worry, if I wanted to, I could post endless videos of prominent Dems saying things like "going to have to put a bullet in him" and such. This rhetoric where Trump is called Hitler and and existential threat to democracy and whatever, is an attempt to dehumanize him and make the hate acceptable. It's frankly disgusting, but it's so common in the Dem lexicon now.

Please do post "prominent Dems" saying that we "have to put a bullet in" Trump; I have not seen this and would like to see evidence of this claim.
As for "Hitler," I agree that folks shouldn't use that language. It's noteworthy that likely Trump VP, GOP Congressman JD Vance also referred to Trump as "Hitler" in 2016:

Like Vance, Rep. Josh McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs, went to Yale for law school, and the two lived together for a time. Monday, McLaurin shared an apparent screenshot of a conversation they had in February of 2016.

“I go back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical asshole like Nixon who wouldn’t be that bad (and might even prove useful) or that he’s America’s Hitler. How’s that for discouraging?” Vance writes in the message.

https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2022/04/ ... e-primary/

[In2ition]

Just a little rhetoric.

[Mori Chu]

Okay, a bunch of those magazines in that clip from James Woods are from German or otherwise international magazines, so I immediately dismiss those; those aren't the work of US Democrats. Secondly, I think we have to talk about whether correctly calling out someone as a fascist and aspiring dictator counts as an incitement to political violence. Trump has made it clear that that's what he is, and that's what he wants; having a magazine cover that says so isn't the same thing as calling for violence against him. I also think you are conflating various media outlets with the Democratic Party; repeatedly folks here have talked about the Dems and Biden and their rhetoric inciting this assassination attempt. I think Republicans and conservatives too quickly assume that various media companies and the Democratic party are in cahoots and are one and the same. They aren't. I didn't see anything in that James Woods clip that connected to the Democratic political party.

[Mori Chu]

There's a line to be walked here, where it's important to condemn the violence and be grateful Trump is okay, while not dismissing the fact that he is a dangerous unqualified fascist who will destroy the country:

[Mori Chu]

Insightful thread about the reaction to the shooting from Dems and Reps.

[Superbone]

This should be bringing our country closer together not pushing us further apart.

[Mori Chu]

One person who knew the shooter says he was conservative. Take it for what it's worth...

[Cap]

I'll say two more things before I sign off for the night. We might think Joe Biden is a terrible president and all sorts of other rotten things. But we still pray for his health and safety and that he succeeds as President. We would NEVER wish for any harm to come to him.

Secondly if this wasn't a radical hateful leftist that did this then the only other option is that this was a terrorist that crossed our border illegally likely under orders from a country that fears Trump such as Iran, Russia, China, North Korea or Hamas. More likely the former though but we shall see.

Turns out that he’s a native born, white, political conservative, but as usual, reality is simply “not an option” for conservatives.

[Superbone]

And I read that it was a same named 76 year old that made the small democratic donation so that was a red herring.