Mail Bombs vs. Scalise Shooting, Conservatives vs. Islamists, What's Next
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| Gary Bauer |
The last time something this dramatic happened with political overtones, it was the attempted mass assassination of Republican congressmen at an Alexandria baseball field. In the aftermath of that shooting, every prominent conservative leader in and out of office said that the attack was a reminder to tone down the rhetoric.
Tough debates were to be expected. But over-the-top, overheated rhetoric needed to stop. There was a brief respite. There were bi-partisan prayer groups. But it didn't last long.
We knew who was responsible. The shooter was a radical, anti-Trump leftist.
In the case of these "mail bombs," whoever did it was not very bright. It's not at all clear these devices actually work or even could work. For example, the New York Times is reporting:
"None of the devices harmed anyone, and it was not immediately clear whether any of them could have. One law enforcement official said investigators were examining the possibility that they were hoax devices. . ."
And we have no idea who did it.
Yet within minutes, the media and virtually every Democrat leader were in full-throated attack mode against Donald Trump. I have heard left-wing commentators blaming Christian leaders, Republicans and the president for whatever these mail packages are.
The president made a very strong statement at the White House yesterday denouncing the package bombs and calling for unity. Democrat leaders rejected his remarks!
Once again, we are seeing why there is such tension in the country. From the Boy Scouts to football, progressives politicize everything. And they do so hoping to drive the country further apart and to their advantage.
Don't think for a second that this is all just about Trump.
Earlier this week in Florida, there was speculation that Andrew Gillum, the far-left gubernatorial candidate, was going to invite Hillary Clinton to campaign for him. Ron DeSantis, the GOP nominee, urged him to do so, saying Hillary would be "the kiss of death" for Gillum's campaign.
Newsweek said that was a death threat against Hillary, and suggested that DeSantis is responsible for a device being mailed to her house.
The left has been demonizing conservatives for decades. Don't forget what they did to decent and polite candidates like George W. Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney. And I don't need to remind you about what the left did to Brett Kavanaugh.
Stop Jumping To Conclusions - No one knows who did this and, as I noted, the devices may be hoaxes. But because the targets are all prominent left-wing political and culture figures, everyone is assuming that the perpetrator must be a right-winger.
But these individuals have been prominent leftists for years. Is it just a coincidence that they are getting devices sent to them now, less than two weeks before a critically important election when they are likely to spark a backlash against the right?
These reasonable questions have some conservatives wondering whether this is a "black flag operation" by someone on the left. And given the growing list of fake hate crimes, I understand why some might think that.
The bottom line is that we simply don't know who sent these packages. But let's review what has happened in recent years when we have jumped to conclusions.
When Jewish community centers all over the country started receiving bomb threats just after Trump was inaugurated, a chorus on the left blamed Trump and his anti-Semitic followers. Trump's evangelical base includes the most pro-Israel Americans. And in case the left hasn't noticed, Trump has Jewish grandchildren.
Eventually we learned that the calls were done by two individuals -- one a progressive trying to get back at his Jewish ex-girlfriend and a mentally disturbed individual in Israel.
This summer, a gunman walked into the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, and killed five people. Immediately, left-wing commentators blamed President Trump for his combative rhetoric against the "fake news media."
We later learned that the shooter had a vendetta against the paper that dated back to 2011. It had nothing to do with Donald Trump.
By the way, when security guards shot George Odemns for smashing through the doors of the Fox News studio here in Washington, did anyone blame the media's 24/7 anti-Trump / anti-Fox rhetoric for the attack? Of course not.
Conservatives vs. Islamists - In recent years, we have witnessed one jihadist attack after another in Europe and the United States. Left-wing politicians and their media allies immediately rush to issue statements saying the attacks have nothing to do with Islam.
The attackers will scream out praise to Allah, quote the Koran, leave video statements of what motivated them and they are found to be members of radical mosques.
But every progressive politician and commentator sticks to the talking points. They tell us not to jump to conclusions or rush to judgment and then proceed to defend Islam.
But the same people today are running to the microphones, without any evidence, to tell us with certainty that the package bombs are the result of the right-wing and Donald Trump.
The contrast is so stark it can't be accidental.
And within days of an Islamist attack in the U.S., our media all run the same story. They rush to the local mosque and write a sympathetic piece about how hard it is for area Muslims. Never mind that one of their fellow co-religionists just shot up a night club, ran down pedestrians or killed his coworkers at a Christmas party.
Would any journalist write a story about how tough it is on Christians or conservatives after an abortion clinic was attacked? Of course not! And no reporter would ever say, "Obviously, this has nothing to do with Christianity or American conservatism."
What's Next? Whatever happens in this case, let's not forget the last two years.
Tough debates were to be expected. But over-the-top, overheated rhetoric needed to stop. There was a brief respite. There were bi-partisan prayer groups. But it didn't last long.
We knew who was responsible. The shooter was a radical, anti-Trump leftist.
In the case of these "mail bombs," whoever did it was not very bright. It's not at all clear these devices actually work or even could work. For example, the New York Times is reporting:
"None of the devices harmed anyone, and it was not immediately clear whether any of them could have. One law enforcement official said investigators were examining the possibility that they were hoax devices. . ."
And we have no idea who did it.
Yet within minutes, the media and virtually every Democrat leader were in full-throated attack mode against Donald Trump. I have heard left-wing commentators blaming Christian leaders, Republicans and the president for whatever these mail packages are.
The president made a very strong statement at the White House yesterday denouncing the package bombs and calling for unity. Democrat leaders rejected his remarks!
Once again, we are seeing why there is such tension in the country. From the Boy Scouts to football, progressives politicize everything. And they do so hoping to drive the country further apart and to their advantage.
Don't think for a second that this is all just about Trump.
Earlier this week in Florida, there was speculation that Andrew Gillum, the far-left gubernatorial candidate, was going to invite Hillary Clinton to campaign for him. Ron DeSantis, the GOP nominee, urged him to do so, saying Hillary would be "the kiss of death" for Gillum's campaign.
Newsweek said that was a death threat against Hillary, and suggested that DeSantis is responsible for a device being mailed to her house.
The left has been demonizing conservatives for decades. Don't forget what they did to decent and polite candidates like George W. Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney. And I don't need to remind you about what the left did to Brett Kavanaugh.
Stop Jumping To Conclusions - No one knows who did this and, as I noted, the devices may be hoaxes. But because the targets are all prominent left-wing political and culture figures, everyone is assuming that the perpetrator must be a right-winger.
But these individuals have been prominent leftists for years. Is it just a coincidence that they are getting devices sent to them now, less than two weeks before a critically important election when they are likely to spark a backlash against the right?
These reasonable questions have some conservatives wondering whether this is a "black flag operation" by someone on the left. And given the growing list of fake hate crimes, I understand why some might think that.
The bottom line is that we simply don't know who sent these packages. But let's review what has happened in recent years when we have jumped to conclusions.
When Jewish community centers all over the country started receiving bomb threats just after Trump was inaugurated, a chorus on the left blamed Trump and his anti-Semitic followers. Trump's evangelical base includes the most pro-Israel Americans. And in case the left hasn't noticed, Trump has Jewish grandchildren.
Eventually we learned that the calls were done by two individuals -- one a progressive trying to get back at his Jewish ex-girlfriend and a mentally disturbed individual in Israel.
This summer, a gunman walked into the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, and killed five people. Immediately, left-wing commentators blamed President Trump for his combative rhetoric against the "fake news media."
We later learned that the shooter had a vendetta against the paper that dated back to 2011. It had nothing to do with Donald Trump.
By the way, when security guards shot George Odemns for smashing through the doors of the Fox News studio here in Washington, did anyone blame the media's 24/7 anti-Trump / anti-Fox rhetoric for the attack? Of course not.
Conservatives vs. Islamists - In recent years, we have witnessed one jihadist attack after another in Europe and the United States. Left-wing politicians and their media allies immediately rush to issue statements saying the attacks have nothing to do with Islam.
The attackers will scream out praise to Allah, quote the Koran, leave video statements of what motivated them and they are found to be members of radical mosques.
But every progressive politician and commentator sticks to the talking points. They tell us not to jump to conclusions or rush to judgment and then proceed to defend Islam.
But the same people today are running to the microphones, without any evidence, to tell us with certainty that the package bombs are the result of the right-wing and Donald Trump.
The contrast is so stark it can't be accidental.
And within days of an Islamist attack in the U.S., our media all run the same story. They rush to the local mosque and write a sympathetic piece about how hard it is for area Muslims. Never mind that one of their fellow co-religionists just shot up a night club, ran down pedestrians or killed his coworkers at a Christmas party.
Would any journalist write a story about how tough it is on Christians or conservatives after an abortion clinic was attacked? Of course not! And no reporter would ever say, "Obviously, this has nothing to do with Christianity or American conservatism."
What's Next? Whatever happens in this case, let's not forget the last two years.
- The left paid thugs to cause fights at Trump rallies.
- Conservative speakers on college campuses have been routinely harassed and threatened from one coast to the other.
- People wearing MAGA hats have been assaulted in public places.
- Conservative officials have been publicly accosted.
- Christian young women who went to Capitol Hill to support Brett Kavanaugh were physically assaulted and the media would not report it.
- Republican congressmen were shot at; Rep. Steve Scalise was seriously wounded.
- Sen. Rand Paul was viciously attacked.
- Multiple Democrats have encouraged aggressive confrontations.
- Normal political views like border security, marriage and gender, defending our founding fathers are denounced as bigotry.
- Multiple Republican congressmen retired this year because the threats became intolerable.
- Multiple conservative candidates have been assaulted.
- Republican Party offices have been vandalized and even firebombed.
Steel yourselves, my friends. And stay focused on winning this November!
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Gary Bauer is a conservative family values advocate and serves as president of American Values and chairman of the Campaign for Working Families
Tags: Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families, Mail Bombs, Scalise Shooting, Conservatives, Islamists, What's Next To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
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