Having revealed himself to be the biggest jerk in the world, and getting himself thrown out of the White House, Anthony Scaramucci is casting himself for a new role: moral conscience of the nation. We had thought that the murder in Charlottesville was the work of a lone idiot, who had been encouraged by some Nazi loonies. Ah non, says Scaramucci. Let’s blame Steve Bannon.
Look, I’m guessing here, but from his comments, I don’t think the Mooch and Bannon got along. So I guess I understand it. But when there’s a tragedy, as there was in Charlottesville, we need to step back from weaponizing it through indiscriminate blame.
When that happens, there’s only one criminal. But thinking back to the shooting in Alexandria in June, it’s fair game to ask whether the shooter took seriously Senator Tim Kaine’s call for progressives to fight in the streets. Or Kathy Griffin, who held up a bloody head of a decapitated Trump. Or Stephen Colbert, whose “Late Show” on CBS put Stephen Miller’s head on a spike. Or Sarah Silverman, who suggested the military stage a coup against Trump. Or Madonna, who said “I’ve thought a lot about blowing up the White House.” Or CNN, which speculated about who would take over if Trump were assassinated on Inauguration Day. Or former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau, who tweeted, “I don’t care how many different songs you set (white nationalist) Richard Spencer being punched to, I’ll laugh at every one.” Or the Washington Post editorial board, which compared Trump to Hitler, and carries puff pieces about antifa rioters. Or Hillary Clinton, who announced she had joined the “resistance.” None of these were meant literally, of course, but perhaps the subtleties were lost on the gunman.
Somehow they all get a pass, and Steve Bannon doesn’t. I don’t recall Bannon offering anything like the encouragement to violence that I just mentioned, but that doesn’t seem to matter, does it?
The president, too. Trump clearly and unambiguously condemned the bigotry, violence and hatred which took place on the streets of Charlottesville, and didn’t dignify the names of these groups of people. He didn’t have to. We know who they are.
You know who came up with the slogan, “no enemies to the left”? Alexander Kerensky. We know where that got him, but the Left still hasn’t figured it out. But the Right knows it has enemies on the Right. You don’t have to tell us. We know.
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