Oh dear, the violence has started

[Jragon]

The biggest problem is that Trump is already saying very clearly that if he loses the election is rigged, and encouraging his supporters to “watch” polling places. If the seed is planted in their minds that Clinton supporters are violent criminals who bomb GOP offices just to spite Trump, suddenly they have (in their mind) a compelling justification for polling location violence or outright rebellion. Or if not a justification, it at least takes much, much less of a spark for things to get ugly when they can say “they started the violence with that bombing”.

If this were 2012, both candidates would condemn it and move on, and while it would be abhorrent and may inspire some fringe supporters, it wouldn’t be as big of a deal. But with the level of unrest among a portion of the electorate at the moment, this is not a joke. This is how civil wars and violent uprisings start. Of course, this isn’t the first instance of violence this cycle, but it is a significant escalation of degree.

[Morgenstern]

Just wait until Trump loses this rigged election. His knuckle-dragging, unibrowed supporters will teach us all a lesson. Too bad Trump is too stupid to see what he’s doing.

[Jophiel]

@aceplace57

The level of anger and even rage in this election is quite incredible. The Sanders/Clinton supporters got very heated. Now Trump/Clinton supporters are vandalizing property and even some physical violence.

Three men were arrested yesterday (or the day before) by the FBI, breaking up a plot to ring an apartment building full of Somali Muslims with car bombs. Plan was to do it the day after election day, to send a message. At least one of the men is a Trump supporter (Facebook messages, etc).

[Jonathan_Chance]

@Locrian

Again, I don’t want PEOPLE hurt, just the con man.

Locrian - and everyone - it’s very poor form to wish death or harm on anyone regardless of your political disagreements with them. Please, no one do it again.

[asahi]

@Locrian

Bolding mine. No one was injured. Fine. Misdemeanor, $20 fine each. Trumpy Wumpy’s supporters are supporting violence. Tit for tat. All we’re going to hear from the most disgusting man in the nation is that Hillary planned it. More violent rhetoric.

Best thing is to kidnap his kids and watch him refuse to pay the kidnappers.

It’s their Machiavellian hell they created, not mine.

You really are sick.

[asahi]

@Jragon

The biggest problem is that Trump is already saying very clearly that if he loses the election is rigged, and encouraging his supporters to “watch” polling places. If the seed is planted in their minds that Clinton supporters are violent criminals who bomb GOP offices just to spite Trump, suddenly they have (in their mind) a compelling justification for polling location violence or outright rebellion. Or if not a justification, it at least takes much, much less of a spark for things to get ugly when they can say “they started the violence with that bombing”.

If this were 2012, both candidates would condemn it and move on, and while it would be abhorrent and may inspire some fringe supporters, it wouldn’t be as big of a deal. But with the level of unrest among a portion of the electorate at the moment, this is not a joke. This is how civil wars and violent uprisings start. Of course, this isn’t the first instance of violence this cycle, but it is a significant escalation of degree.

This could be the Reichstag fire.

[madmonk28]

@jayjay

I have to admit, my first thought on hearing about this was “Reichstag”. But I’ll hold my judgment until more is known.

Me too.

[SpoilerVirgin]

I work every day in a building partially owned by Donald Trump. The building has no specific connection to his campaign, but it certainly doesn’t make me feel safe to know that *anyone *could be targeting him for violence.

[ThelmaLou]

@Count_Blucher

How exactly does he ‘know’ this? No one knows this for sure. What witness statements do we have? What camera footage exists? What physical evidence has been gathered? What do lab reports say?

‘Cause he knows everything. Don’t need no stinkin’ witnesses, evidence, or lab reports. Those things are for losers.

…Jumping to conclusions before the facts come in is NOT what a president should do.

Well, those gutless Presidents are losers.

[CairoCarol]

Very late to the party here, thanks to living in a far-away time zone, but I wish to add my voice to those saying this was a despicable act, whoever perpetrated it. Hilary Clinton and her supporters do NOT stand for that kind of behavior; I’m sure she’d be happy to call it “deplorable,” because it was.

[Count_Blucher]

@Chronos

A 29% chance is not “no chance”.

Obviously 29% > 0% but we live in a 50.1% winner take all system… and bombings are desperate acts.

If you are above 50% by 20 percentage points two weeks before Election Day, you aren’t ‘desperate’.

The jury is still out on whether or not you are ‘desperate’ when you are below 50% by 20 percentage points two weeks before Election Day.

That Said… we still don’t ‘know’. For all I ‘know’ he could have finally stiffed the wrong contractor…

[skdo23]

@skdo23

I think that HRC is the most qualified presidential candidate in modern history, but I’m also a volunteer firefighter who would proudly risk my life to help if something like this were to happen in my community. Horrible, just horrible.

@SpoilerVirgin

I work every day in a building partially owned by Donald Trump. The building has no specific connection to his campaign, but it certainly doesn’t make me feel safe to know that *anyone *could be targeting him for violence.

I hope that I can help at least a little bit by assuring you that the first responders in your community, regardless of their political views, proudly have your back.

[Morgenstern]

Come to think about it, it was probably TRUMP supporters trying to frame the Democrats. The villains don’t fit typical Hillary’s supporter profiles as much as they do fit those supporting Trump.

[E-DUB]

My first thought was “Ashley Todd”, the idiot woman who carved a backwards “B” on her own face and claimed it was done by blacks supporting Obama. (I was trying to work in a joke about a backwards “T” for Trump but couldn’t make it happen.

[asahi]

@Morgenstern

Come to think about it, it was probably TRUMP supporters trying to frame the Democrats. The villains don’t fit typical Hillary’s supporter profiles as much as they do fit those supporting Trump.

I doubt it’s either Trump or Hillary supporters but more likely fringe elements on the political left, perhaps even people who don’t even vote that much or at all. This reminds me of some of the college mob that showed up at the Trump rally in Chicago and started fighting with Trump supporters to the point where they shut the event down. It’s probably edgy college-age kids who have more balls and passion than brains.

But before Trumpists start trying to use this as a justification for escalating things, it should be pointed out that Trump supporters have already become violent. They’re already out there stalking democratic candidate offices. People need to chill the hell out.

[GIGObuster]

I can say that it can be possible that a nut from the left did it, but we should not forget that indeed the Reichstag’s fire was, based on most evidence available, started by a crazy communist that was not connected to the either the communist nor the socialist parties in Germany.

This is important because even if the arsonists of today were from the extreme left we all have to be looking out to not let our guard down and allow trash like Trump to use this as a reason to set his agenda. What Trump is attempting to do here, with his reckless accusation that the perpetrator is involved with Clinton, actually makes him look more fascist than it could be possible.

[aceplace57]

Classic attack with a Molotov Cocktail. They only needed seconds to throw it and drive off. May be very hard to find out who did it.

Local GOP office in North Carolina firebombed | CNN Politics

A bottle of flammable liquid was thrown through the Orange County Republican headquarters,police said.

[Tzigone]

Classic Molotov Cocktail. They only needed seconds to throw it and drive off. May be very hard to find out who did it.

But there was graffiti on the adjacent building. They’d have had to get out to do that. Presuming the party is responsible for both.

[aceplace57]

I forgot the graffiti, that would slow them down. Sure hope the cops find the criminals.

[Jragon]

@GIGObuster

I can say that it can be possible that a nut from the left did it, but we should not forget that indeed the Reichstag’s fire was, based on most evidence available, started by a crazy communist that was not connected to the either the communist nor the socialist parties in Germany.

This is important because even if the arsonists of today were from the extreme left we all have to be looking out to not let our guard down and allow trash like Trump to use this as a reason to set his agenda. What Trump is attempting to do here, with his reckless accusation that the perpetrator is involved with Clinton, actually makes him look more fascist than it could be possible.

I’m not sure diehard Trump supporters are going to appreciate any distinction between “unaffiliated radical leftists, not supporting Crooked Hillary” and “Crooked Hillary supporters”. To them, it’s essentially just the same enemy, in the same camp, with a slightly different agenda. They still need to TAKE THEIR COUNTRY BACK!!! from both groups tearing America apart.