Bombs: Mr. Trump, Own Your Role In The Terrorist Threat
By
Leonard Zwelling
It’s all very nice that the president acknowledges that bombs in people’s mailboxes are bad. It rings hollow, however, when those people potentially victimized by the bombs were all people he named in his speeches as his enemies or those he derides as antagonists of the American people. Now he adds to his culpability by blaming the “fake news.” It’s not fake when the news reports the stupid things the president says.
Mr. Trump has no political opposition. He has enemies. These people who were targeted October 24 and 25 are on his list. He has named them as being “enemies of the people” and someone actually believed him. What a surprise! Not!
Inevitably, thugs like Mr. Trump will incite others to do their dirty work. That is what bullies do. That’s what appears to be happening now. Mr. Trump has to do the one thing he seems constitutionally unable to do, take the blame.
He comports with dictators, vilifies those with whom he does not agree, and wants to lock up many of them. His supporters, not surprisingly, take him at his word. What did he think would happen when he speaks from the largest platform in the world, the one with the presidential seal on it? The direct cause of the threats on the Clintons, the Obamas, CNN, Vice President Biden, George Soros and others is coming from the Oval Office.
If Mr. Trump really wants to make lemonade out of these lemons, he will admit what he has done, own it, and disavow any future association with such talk about his opponents in the political arena now that he has seen the potential threat his words pose to others.
Mr. Trump has still not learned how to be president. He still thinks he’s on a reality TV show where he can say and do outrageous things for their entertainment value without considering who he might hurt. The moment he took the oath of office, that ended. Everything he says is news and many people are listening. If he spouts off lies and threats as he so often does, he shouldn’t be surprised that those lies and threats have real life consequences. Presidents have the power to hurt people with their words and with their deeds. That includes Mr. Trump. It’s about time he acted like he recognized that fact and cleaned up his act.
If he doesn’t, it should come as no surprise if someone gets hurt because of something he said.
Mr. Trump needs to apologize to each of these targets by name and pledge to stop his confrontational talk on the campaign stump. He also needs to stop his incessant lying. He can’t get through a sentence without a whopper.
Finally, the press needs to be far cleverer about reporting on the president. Calling attention to his faults and his lies are not doing anything to dissuade his supporters. Rather, the press needs to report on the candidates who have genuinely good ideas to address the major problems facing the country and give Agent Orange a little less air time.
