The zeal in attacking Trump has not been well explained. That might be due to a lack of recognition that the passion itself is based on what amounts to a religious belief in the ideology of the left and the legacy media.
After the shooting attack on Representative Scalise and others on June 14th there was a flurry of responses to the violence. Governor Terry McAuliffe of Virginia immediately took to the airwaves and used the event to press for gun control ( feverishly claiming 93 million incidents of gun violence daily twice before slowing down and correcting himself that is was only 93). A great many politicians used the occasion to call for bipartisanship and civility. Some pointed out that the handguns used by Capitol Police were the only reason that there were not more injured. Yet the incident shows clearly that the level of frustration and hatred in our society has now reached a boiling point.
For years the specter of the right wing (and Christians in particular) imposing their moral values on the nation has been drummed up by the left to motivate their base. That intensified after Donald Trump was elected. President Trump’s refusal to go along with the Paris Accord on global warming. created a gigantic outcry by the left condemning him. Trump is killing people, was just one refrain. He is killing the world was yet another. (This came while skiers took advantage of snowfall in the sierra mountains of California that may allow ski resorts to stay open for the first time ever until the 4th of July. ) Sane observers could see that the hysterical reaction to Trump’s action was way over the top. If you realize that the true believers of manmade global warming have faith that they oppose an evil that will bring massive disasters to our planet. This is a threat, an evil, built mostly upon the excess and greed of the United States. They are horrified that anyone could possibly oppose or question their deeply help beliefs. It isn’t an accident that non believers are labeled as “deniers ” and that some have called for drastic measures to be imposed so that the heretical opponents to salvation (the Paris Accord in this case) can be stopped. Their faith in this belief is far closer to a religious belief than a political one. Of course political beliefs may be challenged, but not the religious beliefs of the faithful. Opponents therefore may be attacked as evil and unworthy of existence.
Every action on the right appears these days to be seen by many on the left as racist, homophobic, imperialistic and evil. The left cannot logically argue these issues so they attempt to simply shut down public discussions and debate by screaming down opponent or claiming the issue “is settled” (as they try to do with global warming). Legacy media sets the talking points of the day. Is it any real surprise that some on the left are listening and demanding action to what they see as real evil? Or worse that they are taking matters into their own hands?
You can make an argument that Legacy Media is to blame for the rise of the level of hatred and intolerance. When they started to lose control of the news flow and could not maintain their ideological narrative they gave up any pretense of being objective and now only raise opposing points of view so that they can shout them down. In part the religious nature of their widespread belief in “shared values” allows them to deny the legitimacy of opposing viewpoints (see the rise of intolerance on college campuses). This explains in part the passion and intensity of their beliefs, they are fighting evil and every day the Washington Post, the New York Times or CNN tells them just what evil is threatening them today.
Fortunately legacy media is cloaked with its own legitimacy and can safely ignore any challenge to them as they are armored against all opposing viewpoints with the faith of progressive “truth” . Thus reinforced with being virtuous and the correctness of their views they can simply dismiss anything that doesn’t fit their narrative as “fake news”.
Some on the left are not so dogmatic, they do listen to opposing viewpoints and have respect for the rights of others and their right to hold different opinions . Those voices are being lost in the daily legacy media crusade and drumbeat trying to denounce, delegitimize and remove President Trump while actively fight the “good” fight to prevent him from being accomplishing anything. Anything he might “accomplish” is to their eyes, evil after all.
Every time they fail to stop President Trump, as they have so far, the frustration level rises among the “true believers” . The intensity of hatred continues to grow to a feverish pitch. Just consider Kathy Griffin’s posing with “Trump’s” severed head and the look-alike “Trump” being assassinated in a Central Park theatrical production. What is the message that is being sent ? is it one of tolerance and compassion? Or is it one of intolerance and that violence is ok? Intolerance and frustration have reached such high levels now that it appears it may have driven one individual past his own breaking point. Can it really be that surprising that someone actually acts on the “message” that some have been sending?
It is past time for legacy media to regulate its own hate speech. In reality the crusade against Trump has crossed over the line of political discourse and gone into the realm of what is essential hate speech. They hate President Trump with a passion that appears to pass rational boundaries but squares nicely with the zeal of someone fighting “evil.” Could the shooting of Representative Scalise shock the legacy into recognizing that they were possibly implicit in creating the hatred that inspired the attack? Or will legacy media prove that it is obsessed. Determined to bring down President Trump with all the deeply held passion of a religious conviction; that Trump is evil and all that oppose him are good.