Fear and Violence on the Campaign Trail
Over the past week, there has been a marked increase in the level of violence on the campaign trail with most of it surrounding GOP candidate Donald Trump. There have been death threats, arrests, and fistfights at Trump’s rallies. On Saturday, Secret Service agents jumped on the stage while Trump was speaking and surrounded him with a protective shield. The rising level of violence at rallies and events is something that should be of concern to all Americans regardless of their political beliefs.
According to Newsmax, Donald Trump was assigned Secret Service protection in mid-October. At about the same time the size of the detail protecting Hillary Clinton, who has had Secret Service protection for years as a former First Lady, was increased. The article stated, “It is widely believed ISIS would like to strike a major political target in the U.S.” Mashable reported an increasing number of tweeted threats against Trump and noted that several people who tweeted what they maintained were “jokes” about violence were later visited by the Secret Service. The Secret Service does not comment on its activities, but there is little doubt that there is a heightened sense of concern this campaign season.
Hillary Clinton placed the blame for the violence directly at the feet of Trump when speaking at a rally in St. Louis on Saturday. The Washington Post reported her saying:
The ugly, divisive rhetoric we are hearing from Donald Trump and the encouragement of violence and aggression is wrong, and it’s dangerous. If you play with matches, you’re going to start a fire you can’t control. That’s not leadership. That’s political arson.
For his part, Donald Trump refused to accept any blame for the violence and said that supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders were behind the rising violence at Trump rallies. Trump vowed that protesters would be arrested and that he would not curtail his campaign activities. Appearing on Meet the Press, Trump said, “I don’t accept responsibility, I do not condone violence in any shape.”
Trump’s GOP rivals were quick to assign blame on Trump for inciting the violence. The New York Times reported that Ted Cruz said that Trump “bore responsibility for creating an environment that encourages violence at his events.”
Maybe so, but the bottom line is that any act of violence towards Trump or any other candidate would be an unthinkable disaster for the country. There is a larger issue that should take precedence over the political posturing, and that is the right of all Americans, including Donald Trump, to exercise their right to free speech. Having to cancel to a political rally, as Trump did on Friday in Chicago, is not a victory for anyone. Indeed, it a loss for all of us that Trump supporters were unable to hear their candidate speak.
CNN reported that Bernie Sanders, in response to the violence directed at Trump said, “In America, people have a right to attend a political rally without fear of physical harm.” Bernie was referring to dissenters who were trying to protest inside Trump’s rallies. However, it cuts deeper than just the rights of the protesters. As Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. said, “The right to swing my fist ends where the other man’s nose begins.” Folks that attend a Trump rally have the right to be able to hear Trump or anyone else for that matter, give their message. Protesters can hold up signs, withhold their applause, or boo after a particular statement. However, when their protest turns disruptive, then it violates the rights of those that want to hear Trump’s message.
The publicity given to these events over the past few days are creating a potentially dangerous environment that could threaten the rights of all, whether Republican or Democrat – liberal or conservative. No one should want to see violence directed towards any candidate or any of their supporters, and we should all want to be able to enjoy the rights of free and open political discourse.
All sides need to dial things back. Trump has the right to say whatever he wants at his rallies, but he should avoid inciting the crowd against protesters and let police and security personnel manage the situation quietly without encouraging the audience to get involved. At the same time, politicians who have influence with the various groups that are protesting need to encourage those protesters not to interfere with the rights of those that want to hear what Trump has to say.