In the wake of any American tragedy, there is a second, subtle bit of awfulness that takes place – particularly in the realm of our national politics.
I’m talking, of course, about the blame game, where politicians will attempt to convince you that they, and only they, can solve the problem. Only members of their political party can bring us peace and quiet once again.
This is as despicable a ploy as one can imagine – well, except for when they outright tell you that it’s the other party’s fault that senseless tragedies occur at all.
Senator Richard Blumenthal had the following to say on CNN, in the immediate aftermath of a grocery store shooting in Colorado:
Blumenthal said, “In Boulder, that shooter is a deeply disturbed man who became a mass killer because he had an assault weapon that can kill people with the efficiency and speed meant for the battlefield. So guns make all these problems more fatally and deadly, especially for domestic violence victims who then can be killed, five times more likely to be killed in those situations. That’s why we need to make sure we adopt these common-sense measures.”
He added, “We should not be putting aside Republicans. They bear responsibilities as well. That was the whole point of my exchange this morning with Senator Cruz because they’re the ones who are ducking that responsibility and become complicit in all these shootings. It is not just Boulder, and it is 100 killings a day and not to mention the emotional traumas and injuries that result, the eight children that are lost every day of guns that are stored unsafely. I think my Republican colleagues are going to be put on record. We’ll have a vote. We have a president who’s committed to this cause, both House of Congress and most importantly we have a popular political movement, a grassroots movement led by a new generation like the Parkland students and March for Our Lives.”
How Republicans bear responsibility for the actions of a mentally-ill individual in Colorado has yet to be explained, and I wouldn’t hold your breath on that one.
