“The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” - Winston Churchill
(It seems Churchill never said that but regardless, it is worth remembering.)
If I had to back a conspiracy theory, I would bet on someone in the Republican camp deciding that making Trump a martyr would pull in all the base’s votes without the liabilities of Trump himself.
I did briefly wonder if this would make Trump drop out of the race but I think his ego is just too big. I think he will go with “they couldn’t get me with the legal system so they tried to kill me like they did at the Maralago raid”.
On a more random note, now that Trump has a new cartilage piercing, what jewelry should he wear? A tasteful gold ring? A stud with a tiny American flag?
That is the point I was making. If there was any question about which candidate should consider dropping out, it’s now been answered.
“How’s that absolute presidential immunity sound now, smart guy?”
Biden of course is too classy to say something like that, but I can dream.
Right. He’s been living in a bubble, surrounded by people who tell him that he’s the best, he’s perfect, that nobody is better, and so on. Today, he learned, the hard way, that not everybody likes him. How will he take this? Can he handle it mentally?
As much as I dislike Mr. Trump, I am glad that he is safe. The way to beat Trump is at the ballot box, not by a rifle. Americans, use the ballot box, and not your rifles.
Or a right-winger upset about Trump trying to distance himself from Project 2025, maybe? Hasn’t Steve Bannon been flogging that issue?
PTSD after being shot (at) is no joke.
PTSD Symptoms That May Arise Following a Shooting
In the aftermath of a shooting, a person may experience a number of symptoms that would be considered part of an acute stress disorder response (or if they persist beyond one month, a PTSD response). Some of these symptoms may include:
- Frequent and intense nightmares about the event
- Intrusive thoughts or memories about the shooting that are easily triggered by things in your environment (for example, newspaper articles, television shows, movies, conversations about the shooting)
- Attempts to avoid situations or places that remind you of the shooting or places where you feel you could be in danger of experiencing a similar event again (for example, unfamiliar or crowded places)
- A high level of fear and anxiety upon hearing sounds that are similar to a gunshot, such as a car backfiring or fireworks
- Feeling constantly on edge or always on guard, almost as if there is danger lurking around every corner
- Having difficulties sleeping or staying asleep
The thing is, trump will be in complete denial that any of these “signs of weakness” could possibly happen to him.
Well, perhaps he should follow his own advice to the families of shooting victims and just get over it.
Or perhaps one of the nurses could throw a roll of paper towels at him and tell him to have a good time.
After all, he knew what he was signing up for.
Haven’t you heard? We’re a “constitutional republic,” not a democracy.
Yes turnout is where it’s at but I don’t see MAGAts being any more motivated to turnout by this incident for DJT than they already were. If the assassin had been successful I would expect President Haley would be getting sworn in as POSTUS on 1/20/25.
I also anticipate this being the defining event for the Republican convention starting this week. The hateful rhetoric will be turned up to 11+ in coming days with explicit accusations hurled at Biden and the Democrats by TFG’s minions and possibly from his own mouth. This convention is highly likely to be a full on Hatefest. I don’t see that working out too well.
ETA: A press conference in PA is about to start. They have already said the shooter was a 20 year old male. We may have a name shortly.
C’mon, Republicans. Let the haye flow through you! Use your negative feelings! Show America that you’re a bunch of bloodthirsty maniacs looking to make the streets run red with the blood of their countrymen. THAT’LL win over the undecideds!
Obviously I’m no clairvoyant, but it seems almost inevitable that it will turn out to be a left-winger. Trump is the guy about to bring fascism to America, and his detractors are all freaking out about whether Biden will actually be able to beat him.
I am personally familiar with fantasies of committing violence against Trump. There must be at least a few people with more intense feelings, fewer boundaries, and the skills to think they could pull off an attack like the one today.
So I think it will turn out to be a left-winger, but then liberal pundits will play up the shooter’s mental illness and downplay their political leanings.
Also—and again I could be wrong—I don’t see how this increases Trump’s chances of victory. The sense I get is that everyone pretty much already knows whether and for whom they’ll vote. Even Biden’s poor showing at the debate didn’t have much of a negative effect on his numbers.
Can anyone paint for me the profile of a voter who wasn’t going to vote for Trump before the shooting, but will now? That’s not snark, I’m seriously curious to see if I’m missing something.
They are declining to identify the shooter and basically said they are still trying to confirm the identity before announcing it. They also don’t have a motive.
He wanted to impress Kristen Stewart.
No clue what you are talking about.
The New York Times had a short article saying the shooter was a white male, but when I went back to look for the link that piece had disappeared.
I guess the guy wasn’t wearing a Re-elect Biden t-shirt. Thank goodness.
Likely a callback to John Hinckley, who shot Reagan in an attempt to impress Jodie Foster.
Sorry, yes, as Kenobi_65 guessed it is a reference to the man who fired on Reagan and claimed that he did it to impress Jodie Foster. I thought it would be funny if I updated the name to a more recent queer icon but I think I bombed.
Seems like as good a time as any to remind everyone about Trump’s Twitter crush on Stewart.