October 25, 2018
Could the bombs that targeted Democrats win them the midterm elections?
by W. James Antle III
WashingtonExaminer.com
Democrats are gearing up to use attempted bomb attacks on frequent objects of President Trump’s criticism, including the Clintons and former President Barack Obama, as part of their closing argument less than two weeks out from the midterm elections.
Although Trump denounced these “despicable acts,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said his “words ring hollow until he reverses his statements that condone acts of violence,” listing his reaction to Charlottesville, praise for a congressman who body-slammed a reporter, description of media outlets as the “enemy of the people,” and encouragement of fights at his raucous campaign rallies as examples of his coarsening of the public discourse and incitement of a violent political culture.
It’s a tactic that has worked before. Then-President Bill Clinton struck back at anti-government rhetoric in the aftermath of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and eventually used a heroic survivor of that attack to rebuke congressional Republicans for government shutdowns. “I challenge all of you in this chamber: Never, ever shut the federal government down again,” he said in his 1996 State of the Union address.
Some have credited Clinton’s response to Oklahoma City with saving his presidency after the 1994 elections dramatically handed Congress to Republicans for the first time in decades. “The haters and extremists didn’t go away, but they were on the defensive, and, for the rest of my term, would never quite regain the position they had enjoyed after Timothy McVeigh took the demonization of government beyond the limits of humanity,” he wrote in his memoirs.
Others later invoked the 2011 shooting of then-Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., to discredit the burgeoning Tea Party movement, which also used rhetoric sharply critical of liberals, politicians, and the federal government, though no link was ever found. Giffords survived the assassination attempt and became a gun control advocate.
Arguments about right-wing extremism and Trump's incendiary rhetoric will be easily made now.
Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary, along with progressive benefactor George Soros, former CIA Director John Brennan care of Trump’s least favorite network CNN, and Barack Obama were among the recipients of crude mailed explosive devices Wednesday morning. No one was injured in the attempted pipe bomb attacks, but Trump’s intense criticism of these individuals and the media was frequently noted in the aftermath.
"Unfortunately, I think Donald Trump too often has helped to incite some of these feelings of anger, if not violence,” Brennan said Wednesday.
For his part, Trump gave himself credit for restraint at a rally for Republican candidates in Wisconsin on Wednesday night.
It’s unclear whether already energized Democrats will need any extra motivation to turn out and vote against Republicans under Trump. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., was severely wounded by a gunman last year and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was seriously injured by an attacker.
But after months of speculation about a “blue wave” washing Democrats into power, momentum had shifted ever so slightly in the Republicans’ favor in recent days. This has given the GOP new hope for the Senate and even, to a lesser extent, the House.
At the very least, Wednesday’s events undermine the message that Republicans create jobs while Democrats produce mobs. Protesting politicians at restaurants will look less significant and the pipe bombs will help shape media coverage of Trump as voters head to the polls.
Late-breaking events like the suspicious packages sent to Democrats can help tip an election more decisively in one direction or the other. The perpetrator has not yet been caught nor has any motive been established.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/could-the-bombs-that-targeted-democrats-win-them-the-midterm-elections
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