I would’ve thought this went without saying, but obviously not.
Donald Trump is a dumb racist. A lot of his supporters are dumb and/or racist. And the rest of us have to tolerate it — not condone it, not ignore it, but tolerate it — because this is the United States of America.
People have the right to be angry and disgusted with Trump. They don’t have the right to use it as an excuse to attack anybody. Chuck Ross reports:
A Donald Trump supporter was attacked from behind and left bleeding after leaving a campaign rally in San Jose on Thursday.
Journalist Tim Poole was filming as a man is seen running up behind the Trump supporter and hitting him on the side of the head with an unidentified object. The victim is seen turning to look at his attacker and grabbing the side of his head, which had started bleeding.
JUST IN: Trump supporters being attacked, assaulted by protestors outside Trump rally in San Jose – @Jacobnbc https://t.co/l7Lrhd7b9a
— NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) June 3, 2016
And then there was this:
Watch: The moment a Trump supporter, surrounded by protesters, is egged in the face, hit by other food. pic.twitter.com/qYFdwJWvrS
— Jacob Rascon (@Jacobnbc) June 3, 2016
Waving another country’s flag and physically attacking the supporters of a presidential candidate is the sort of thing that might just backfire, don’t you think?
But it’s more fundamental than that. No matter your opinion of Trump or Clinton, this should turn your stomach. These people have the right to express their political beliefs. If you condone violence against them because you disagree with them, where does it end?
Trump has been condemned, and rightly so, for saying he’ll pay the legal fees of anybody who beats up protesters at his rallies. But I reject ideas like this:
Trump incites violence. Seems pretty obvious.
— jasoncherkis (@jasoncherkis) June 3, 2016
Against his own supporters? Really, Jason Cherkis of the Huffington Post? Do you dismiss allegations of rape because of the accuser’s choice of attire?
Donald Trump is completely unsuited for the presidency, or any other political office. You can agree or disagree, but the minute you physically attack somebody for it, you’ve lost the argument.
The fact that this plays right into Trump’s hands is secondary. It’s just plain wrong. I condemn it, and if you don’t, I want nothing to do with you.