The age of political assassinations is here. Our leaders are no longer safe
As political assassinations rise, what does this mean for the safety of our leaders? Armstrong Williams explores the alarming trends in political violence following the tragic killing of Melissa Hortman and her husband.
Image: IOL
By Armstrong Williams
Political assassinations are in vogue.
Over the weekend, former Speaker of the Minnesota State House and current representative, Melissa Hortman, along with her husband, were shot and killed in their home after a masked man disguised as a police officer convinced the couple to open their door.
The arrested suspect, 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, was a home grown American. Officials report that in Boelter's car was a roster of dozens of names, including Democratic lawmakers (but no Republicans) and supporters of abortion rights and sister liberal causes. Were they his next targets?
Boelter also shot (but prayerfully did not kill) Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife.
In April, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was targeted for assassination by arson. The Baltimore Sun Editorial Board asked with clairvoyance: 'What will happen if this conduct spills into state legislatures, too? They have modest protection.'
Since 2017, assassination attempts against elect officials have climbed, including then presidential nominee Donald Trump. Americans have not become more violent.
Murder rates reached their high-water mark decades before. Gun ownership has not spiked.
A 2023 University of Chicago paper which sampled surveys from 2,100 adults found that 9% of Americans agreed with the following statement: 'Use of force is justified to ensure members of congress and other government officials do the right thing.' That percentage translates into 23 million Americans endorse or condone political violence—indistinguishable from domestic terrorism. Of that number, approximately 46% were from the right, 21% were independent, and 33% were from the left.
Elected officials and social media echo chambers are inciting the violence. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has called Trump a 'tyrant'. He has accused Trump of 'trampling rights and undermining the rule of law'. He has called Trump an 'existential threat' and a 'wannabe dictator,' and has called on democrats to 'bully the s—t' out of the president.
It is very difficult to find another governor — even those like Gavin Newsom of California and Kathy Hochul of New York, two governors of the largest far-left democratic states — who have indulged in such incendiary political rhetoric.
Trump is no choir boy. Among other things, remember his complacency with the MAGA chant on January 6, 'Hang Mike Pence'. Threats of violence against federal judges, including the Justices of the United States Supreme Court, are also worrisome.
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