A Call for True Civility
When you demonize your opponent you risk unleashing real demons.
The assassination attempt on Donald Trump and the murder of one of his supporters was both tragic and inevitable.
They were the direct result of the left’s over-the-top vilification of Trump and his GOP supporters as fascists who pose a threat to democracy.
The reckless comparison of Trump to Hitler became a leftist mantra far too easily.
Democrats have come to use violent and incendiary rhetoric far too casually and all too often.
“We’re done talking about the debate. It’s time to put Trump in a bullseye," said President Biden just last week.
In our overheated political environment, there are unstable zealots who take such words literally.
“On a daily basis, MSNBC tells its audience that Trump is a threat to democracy, an authoritarian in waiting, and a would-be dictator if no one stops him,” wrote columnist Eric Erickson. “What did they think would happen?”
Republican vice presidential nominee U.S. Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio agreed, posting on Saturday, “Today is not just some isolated incident. The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump's attempted assassination.”
It is difficult to conclude otherwise.
The Democrats’ reckless rhetoric in national politics has infected the quality of discourse in Ohio, as well.
Democratic State Senator Bill DeMora reposted this statement from the Biden-Harris campaign on May 30:
“The threat Trump poses to our democracy has never been greater. He is running an increasingly unhinged campaign of revenge and retribution, pleadging (sic) to be a dictator ‘on day one’ and calling for our Constitution to be ‘terminated’ so he can regain and keep power. A second Trump term means chaos, ripping away Americans’ freedom and fomenting political violence – and the American people will reject it this November.”
Democratic House Minority Leader Allison Russo wrote in the Dispatch on May 28, “Blinded by power, Ohio’s Statehouse extremists treat voters like naive children.”
“What Ohioans need to be equally clear on is that extremist Republicans don’t think that the average voter is very smart. They’ve shown over and over that they don't care what your values are and that they don’t care what direction you think our great state should go.”
“They use coded language and dog-whistle tactics as weapons to scare us.”
Democratic State Representative Casey Weinstein reposted this from President Biden on June 13: “There’s nothing more sacred than our democracy. We can’t let Donald Trump burn it to the ground.”
On July 9, he reposted, “Let Us Be Clear: Project 2025 is a Dangerous and Reckless Scheme to Turn the U.S. Military Into Trump’s Personal Revenge Force.”
That same day, Weinstein reposted this:
On July 7, Weinstein posted:
“Fellow Dems: a strong majority of Americans despise the big-government, censor-happy, liberty and privacy-crushing, book-banning, power-grabbing MAGA/Project 2025 agenda. GO. ON. OFFENSE.”
On Saturday, a deranged Trump-hater went on offense.
Words matter.
Left-wing zealots who cannot debate the issues on substance must learn to refrain from their incessant name-calling and figurative calls for violence.
This is the real threat to our democracy.
A perfect example is this unhinged garbage and dangerous fantasy from The New Republic "newsroom":
This is not politics as usual.
This is a public safety issue for Ohioans.
It is about a physical threat to most Ohio voters.
Here's why:
Leftists can wear a Biden hat in public with no problem and with no fear for their safety. The same with posting a lawn sign, a bumper sticker, or even expressing their political views in public.
The same is not true for the average Ohio Republican.
They know that wearing a MAGA hat in any big city is an invitation to anything from verbal harassment to a physical beating.
Why?
For one reason: the left has normalized violent rhetoric against Republicans.
This poses a real and significant danger to millions of Ohioans.
And it will never stop until it is called out and recognized for what it is.
This is political domestic terrorism against ordinary Americans. That includes at least half of Ohio and at least half of the country.
Probably more, but it's hard to tell how much support Trump may have in your hometown when it's too dangerous to wear a MAGA hat.
That must change if we are to remain a truly civil society.
Dr. Terry Johnson represents Ohio Senate District 14
He is a retired physician, retired military officer (including two tours in Iraq and one posting in Kuwait), and a former four-term State Representative. Dr. Johnson served as Scioto County Coroner from 2002-2010.