Crooks and Liars

(By American Zen's Mike Flannigan, on loan from Ari)

First off, there's no dancing, no champagne cork-popping, no snark. What happened near Butler, Pennsylvania yesterday was something that should never happen, anywhere, to anyone. Out of 46 presidents, four have been assassinated and several others, going back to Andrew Jackson, had had attempts made on their lives. That's a horrendous number and a shameful part of our history.

     We now know that the shooter was one Thomas Matthew Crooks, a quiet 20 year-old nursing home kitchen worker who lived in the quiet town of Bethel Park, PA. He was a registered Republican, according to county records and, three years ago, donated $15 to Act Blue. He was fascinated by history and government.

    What we don't have is a motive. When Trump was running for reelection in 2020, Crooks wasn't even remotely old enough to vote. Yet, this quiet, academically competent loner (They all seem to be quiet loners) somehow got his hands on an AR 15, the preferred weapon of choice among American mass shooters.

 

     Two rally attendees were critically injured and a man, Corey Comperatore, a volunteer firefighter, was killed while trying to shield his family. After Crooks was killed, they tracked down his car and found what appeared to be incendiary devices. Considering the location of his sniper's nest, he'd planned this out in advance. Amazingly, it was the one roof on the grounds that the Secret Service didn't occupy.

     Those are the who's, whats, wheres and whens. What we now need is a why. We're still waiting for the usual manifesto. Maybe this time, there won't be one.

     Trump was shot at just two days before the start of the Republican National Convention, at which he will obviously be made the GOP presidential nominee. The timing cannot be ignored. It's possible that Crooks was alarmed at the thought of Trump getting back in the White House and, in his misguided way, elected himself to do something about that.

    Don't forget, if he'd succeeded in killing Trump, it would've essentially handed the presidency to Joe Biden (which would've further bolstered the image in right wing circles that Biden is an illegitimate president). As Trump has yet to name a running mate, that means no one in the country would've been legally able to make use of his campaign funds. The RNC would've been forced into a brokered convention with no nominee and they would've been forced to nominate someone with no war chest at all. 

    But, as unforgivable as Crooks' actions were, what's at least as unforgivable if not moreso, are the Republican liars (pardon the tautology) who are eager to place this on the doorstep of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue like a flaming bag of dog shit on Halloween. 

The Usual Suspects

Let's start with the usual suspects. There was the ultimate Junior, Don Jr., who went on Newsmax to say he didn't "want to hear another word about January 6th" and seemed to lay the blame for the shooting on Democrats (Again, Junior, the gunman was Republican and Republicans are the ones who've been feverishly trying to put AR 15s in the hands of everyone who wants one).

     Then there are two Republican lawmakers from Georgia, Mike Collins and the always-dependable Marjorie Taylor Greene. Greene stated that "Democrats wanted this to happen" and VP suckup JD Vance wasn't too far behind in also blaming Democrats. In fact, Vance said, “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.”

    Maybe someone should take the junior senator from Ohio aside and remind him of his boy's own  rhetoric against Joe Biden.

    Then there's Mike Collins, a typical product of white affirmative action one always sees in great abundance in the deep south, who'd literally accused Biden of ordering the hit on Trump. And then there was Tim Burchette, another right wing rodeo clown, who blamed the head of the Secret Service, calling her a "DEI initiative person". And, in the most insane conspiracy theory of all, Ron Johnson blamed Critical Race Theory for the shooting.

     We'll be hearing more of the same from the right wing in the near future. What we won't be hearing are calls for meaningful gun control even when Trump actually is, for the first time in his life, a victim and a victim of gun violence. About the biggest change we'll see are fewer AR 15 flag lapel pins.

     And then there are the grifters. Within 12 hours of the shooting, there were already souvenir tee shirts commemorating the assassination attempt. One asshole put out an NFT going for $30. This company, Proud Patriots,  naturally puts forth an image of being, well, proud patriots, saying on their website, 

     "We won't stand by and let these crazy woke liberals destroy our country. We're a group of patriots just like you who love God, our family, and our country! Our collectibles are more than just items; they're symbols of our deep-rooted patriotism." And, of course, who can object to them making some coin on the side while fighting the woke liberals?

     Of course, it wasn't a woke liberal who tried to blow Trump's head off with an AR 15, it wasn't Democrats who put that gun in that kid's hands and it's not the left who've been calling for Civil War.

     Not to be outdone, and to the surprise of exactly no one, Trump wasted little time in fundraising off his own shooting. That fundraising actually began moments after he was shot at. Ever the opportunist, with a predatory genius for visuals, Trump grabbed his reverse Greg Stillson moment and tried to project strength and defiance before being helped down the steps and his waiting limo by four agents.