Political Violence is Deadly to Democracy | Juan Cole |

American politics has entered the most dangerous phase of its nearly 250-year existence, with the assassination attempt on Donald J. Trump on July 13 in Pennsylvania. As of this writing, the gunman and one audience member are being reported dead, and two other audience members are in critical condition.

One is grateful that Trump appears to have suffered only minor injuries and that his doctors say he is well. Political violence is always fatal to democracy, which is a big political argument. As soon as people get out their guns, it isn't a democracy anymore, it is a war.

The political violence could not have come at a worse time. Although the Right is blaming the political left for the violence, saying that its meme that Trump has dictatorial tendencies is responsible, the fact is that he did try to overthrow the results of the 2020 election, and some of his acolytes, at least, brought guns and ammunition to Washington, D.C, for the purpose, including the Proud Boys. It seems clear that the lives of Mike Pence, Nancy Pelosi and others in the Capitol had been in danger that day, had security not whisked them to safety.