What happened at the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, has shocked and appalled although even a cursory look at the rhetoric preceding it should have signaled danger.  Among other assertions by senior Democrats, he was accused of being a fascist who would destroy American democracy.

That kind of accusation might be taken literally by a 20-year old who would not remember the Trump administration prior to Biden with an adult perspective.  It is speculation but with the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, shot dead by the secret service one will never ascertain his mindset.  An irony of sorts is the fact that this presidential election would have been the first for which he was eligible to vote. 

He worked at an old folks nursing home and was described by a colleague as “the sweetest guy” and particularly caring.  His classmates at school, where he was bullied, just could not believe he would do something like that — too timid to do anything bold they said.  His parents were social workers. 

So the incident is a tragedy — a tragedy for the Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park where Crooks lived; a tragedy for Butler where the rally was being held; a tragedy for the Crooks family who have seen their sweet, quiet, helpful, shy son turned into a would-be assassin and killer.

What went wrong?  Unfortunately the real answer will be buried with Thomas Crooks.  And in the U.S. where mass killings are more common than one would realize, it will happen again.  Last year (2023) there were 656 mass shootings.

What can candidates do to prevent a virulent political climate?  In the first place direct personal attacks by candidates leave little space for, say, laying the blame on an all-too-eager staffer.  Mudslinging might be part of the political game but is unseemly in a potential president. 

There are also ads, placed not just directly by candidates themselves but by supporters, by groups and organizations that favor one or other of the candidates and so on. 

There may be four months to go until the big day, but the party conventions are upon us:   

The Republican National Committee (RNC) commences its convention in Milwaukee on July 15 and all eyes will naturally be on Donald J. Trump, who survived an assassination attempt a couple of days ago.  The major question of interest is likely to be his choice of vice president, and some are openly vying for the job.

Melania Trump is already there as are other members of the clan, all now worried that much more about security given what has transpired.  The family will be there then to cheer him on when he delivers his acceptance speech on Thursday, 

Let us together hope and pray there are no untoward incidents, and the same holds true for the Democrats and their convention a month hence in Chicago.