What is “political violence”

The attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania along with the death of one rally-goer and injury of several others was both shocking and tragic. Politicians and pundits from both major parties are stepping up to condemn the attack, with President Joe Biden saying the attempted assassination was "sick" and "contrary to everything we stand for as a nation".

Unfortunately, some on the far-right are surely convinced that the shots fired at Former President Trump on July 13th constitute the opening shots of the "second American revolution" that Kevin Roberts of the Heritage Foundation alluded to only a couple weeks ago. The blood seen dripping from Trump's ear likely affirms in the minds of the radical right that the "bloodless" revolution is a foregone conclusion, because "the left" won't "allow it to be".

Outside of this fringe of adventurist lunatics, however, most folks are condemning the attack as an act of "political violence" that should be unacceptable in American politics. President Biden attempted to put this widely held sentiment into words by stating in a press conference that all Americans need "to come together to not just condemn but put to an end political violence in this country".

This unassuming statement probably doesn't strike most people as anything other than the typical response of a rational, well-meaning person with a high sense of moral judgement. However, I would implore readers to ask themselves: Why are bullets fired at a powerful wealthy businessman and politician considered "political violence" while the daily disregard by our leaders for the well-being of working people is not? What makes the one form of violence "political", while the other is not only not considered "political", but often not even considered "violence"?

The corporate price gouging of the largest companies in the country (largest in the world, really) has created a record high inflation that has cut into the savings and paychecks of millions of working-class Americans. We have been forced to tighten our budgets, working the same hours every week for less. Despite this, our leaders have done little to consider the implementation of price controls, rent-controls, regulations, or criminal punishments to curb corporate price gouging. Why isn't our leaders' lack of initiative to bring these corporations to heel a form of "political violence"?

After the Supreme Court overturned the precedent set by Roe v. Wade, millions of women are now faced with limited (or non-existent) ability to seek reproductive healthcare. These women are now being forced to travel long distances to states that have yet to implement draconian "abortion bans", which are spreading through Republican-controlled states like wildfire. Aren't these draconian laws that put women at risk also "political violence"?

Despite the mass movement built out of the George Floyd protests demanding major overhauls of the racist and violent police departments in this country, little of substance has been done. Local police department and "correctional facility" budgets continue to stay apace as before. In fact, a few years after the George Floyd protests, police abolitionists and reformists alike were shocked by the news of a "Cop City" being built in Atlanta, GA to the tune of $90 million dollars. "Stop Cop City" protestors of the proposed facility have been beaten up (or killed) and arrested and are now facing up to 20 years in prison. Are these protestors, abolitionists, and reformers who are facing prison, silence, or death not victims of "political violence"?

Immigrants at the border are facing barbed-wire, armed border guards, vicious dogs, crowded cages, and possible deportation merely for seeking better prospects. Republicans like Former President Donald Trump are calling for even more restrictions and even more severe repressions. Meanwhile, many Democrats appear to be more interested in showing their willingness to be "bipartisan" on the issue than putting up a sincere defense of these poor and huddled masses. Aren't our leaders inflicting "political violence" on the immigrant?

Without overstating the point, I'll sum up with just a few more examples:

What about the never-ending stream of gun violence that thousands fall victim to every year, including school children? What about the lack of accountability for misogynistic violence against women, or the homophobic and transphobic violence that occurs against the LGBTQ+ community every year? What about the widespread lack of affordable healthcare and housing that victimizes millions in need? What about the over-policed black and brown communities and the bloated racist carceral system that disproportionately locks so many up? What about the erosion of social security, workplace protections, and environmental regulations, all while our ever-expanding military budget eats away at our paychecks and spreads death and destruction to every corner of the globe?

Are not every one of these examples, with their fatal consequences for the poor and working class, equally deplorable forms of "political violence"?

I think it's time we accept that they are.

Images: Who's Silencing Whom on University Campuses? by Ted Eytan (Creative Commons).

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