“This is not who we are as a nation.” Really, and as Big Bird asked his pal “Snuffy, where have you been?”  This is not only precisely who we are but who and what we always have been, as most high school graduates know.  The salient difference this time is not a product of platitude two: “the violence-laced metaphors and rhetoric employed by both campaigns and their supporters caused or increased the likelihood or made inevitable this happening.”  That violent and inflammatory language, most-likely political speech protected by the First Amendment has other pervasively bad consequences but some good ones, like the fact that it may wake up the otherwise lazy and lethargic potential voters.  The salient difference this time is the ease with which a 20-year-old sick male can get an AR style weapon.[1]  Thanks to Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and other hypocritical and phony “textualists” and “strict constructionists” on the high court.[2]

Robert Kennedy

False platitude three, and likely the most damaging, is “we all are ‘guilty,’ ‘complicit,’ ‘responsible,’ ‘culpable’ in this latest assassination attempt.”  Bullshit.  The falsity and damage inflicted by this trite mantra was best explained to me by, then New York Times Executive Editor in an ex-temp commencement address on June 9, 1968.  It was four days after RFK was killed by Palestinian assassin Sirhan Sirhan, the night Kennedy won the California presidential primary and effectively clinched nomination as the Democratic candidate for that fall.

James (“Scotty”) Reston

After the valedictorian and the class and Phi Beta Kappa speakers had all wrung their hands and beat their breasts about the collective responsibility for Kennedy’s and MLK’s murders, Reston threw away prepared remarks and lectured that those false mea culpas were a way to ignore and avoid responsibility for the many things that could be done in pursuit of that more perfect union.

And not exactly another platitude, but false hope is that this most recent hail of bullets will make either or both Trump and Biden better men, better candidates and/or more fit to govern wisely and well.  With no pun intended, not bloody likely.  Five bullets in George Wallace’s spine in 1972 did not change the hate and racism that was his presidential candidacy – his third one.[3]

William McKinley

I don’t see Trump doing that either during his third – reversing the direction on that Trump Tower escalator to the tune of “give me your tired, your poor. . .”, or rethinking any destructive policies of term 1, that he has pledged to be redouble in T2 or repenting for his insurrection.

And with Biden, it already appears that he, his family and handlers believe the assassination attempt and aftermath will distract from his increasing incapacity and the cascading calls that he step aside in favor of a candidate with a far better chance to beat Trump and far greater ability to fulfill the executive’s obligations under Article II.

James Garfield

I am eager for one national leader to speak truth about what just happened and rally support for addressing the things that need to be done immediately and in the longer term.  Neither candidate is that person.

[1]   Young males are a species that Hertz, Avis and other such companies until recently refused to lease cars to and for well-documented reasons.  But civil liberties lawyers like H.L. put an end to that.  Matthew Crooks was a sick young male.  Not only a guy that tried to kill Trump and killed another person, but one who either knew he was committing suicide in doing that or somehow convinced himself that he would evade the snipers who are standard issue at such events.

[2]   They interpreted the following text “A well-regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed” as not merely guaranteeing Americans, a right to own firearms for protection of home and hearth regardless of Militia or national guard service but to preclude a “free State” from prohibiting or regulating the open and concealed carry of firearms outside the home.

[3]   There is some evidence that after that assassination attempt, that paralyzed Wallace waist down, he became somewhat repentant and sought forgiveness for the sins of his political and judicial careers.