“Time to Put Out the Garbage Fire”: The Week in Review

In moments of national crisis, presidents typically reach for
unifying themes, as Bill Clinton did after the Oklahoma City
bombing and George W. Bush did with the bullhorn on the wrecked
fire truck after 9/11. President Trump on Thursday chose
confrontation over conciliation. Upset that critics linked a
spate of pipe bombs targeting his adversaries to his own angry
messaging, Mr. Trump abandoned the scripted call for national
solidarity he issued the day before and lashed out at perceived
enemies for fomenting the toxic political environment they say he
has encouraged. Even though investigators have not named a suspect,
let alone a motive, the debate that erupted focused new attention
on the contagion of divisive and at times violent language that
starts with the president and filters down to other politicians and
to partisan media. Demonization has become mainstream, and the
events of the past few days seem almost like a predictable but
dangerous outcome of the rage and resentment that dominate the
United States’ political conversation. Read More