Opinion
There is a persistent narrative suggesting that both sides of America’s political spectrum share equal responsibility for violent rhetoric and actions. However, this assertion is misleading.
The majority of violent incidents can be traced back to the political left. It was not right-wing individuals who attempted to assassinate President Trump or killed health care executive Brian Thompson in New York, nor conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah.
It was not Young Republicans who assaulted attendees at a Turning Point USA event on the University of California, Berkeley campus last week, resulting in injuries to a staff member and felony vandalism charges against four women.
For years, threats of violence on campuses have prevented students from engaging with conservative speakers and ideas.
Meanwhile, mainstream media continue to perpetuate the myth that all parties are equally culpable. They have described the violent riots following George Floyd’s death in 2020 as ‘mostly peaceful,’ a characterization so ridiculed that The New York Times has since opted for ‘broadly peaceful protests.’
Recently, there has been an increase in threats against lawmakers and discussions about whether the nation is nearing a breaking point. Podcaster Joe Rogan remarked that some liberals celebrating Kirk’s assassination are exacerbating tensions.
‘Charlie Kirk gets shot, and people are celebrating,’ he stated. ‘This might be like step seven on the way to a bona fide civil war.’
I disagree with this assessment. The current conditions differ significantly from those of 1860 when two distinct regions held vastly different views on liberty. Today’s political and cultural divides permeate communities nationwide, even as some states lean more conservative while others become increasingly liberal.
What is essential now is prompt justice for those who resort to or threaten violence to silence their opponents.
A couple of recent media appearances by Senator John Fetterman highlighted the intensity of hostility within political discourse. During an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, he noted that radical factions on the left exhibit far greater malice than their counterparts on the right.
‘The difference is the right will say really rough things and call me names — some I won’t repeat on TV — but on the left, it was like they want me to die,’ Fetterman explained.
Bash referenced Fetterman’s memoir where he stated: ‘I’ve drunk deeply of the venom of both the left and the right. As a connoisseur, I can confirm that the most poisonous, the bitterest, is from the far left.’ This admission from an elected Democrat carries significant weight.
‘It’s just been my personal experience,’ Fetterman responded when asked about his observations regarding online hostility directed at him.
Fetterman revealed that his team identified Bluesky as a platform where vitriol thrives among users supportive of leftist ideologies. Bluesky emerged after Elon Musk acquired Twitter and altered its content moderation policies.
‘They were cheering for my next stroke,’ he recounted. ‘Saying things like, ‘That’s terrible that depression didn’t win,’ or ‘I hope your kids find you.’’
In another notable exchange during her podcast, Katie Couric pressed Fetterman to denounce Kirk’s rhetoric repeatedly implying it may have contributed to violence against him. Despite her attempts to elicit criticism towards Kirk for his extreme language or Trump’s support for him through gestures such as lowering flags at half-staff, Fetterman maintained his stance defending free speech rights.
