The assassination attempt is already bringing out the worst in some people.

To the false flag conspiracy theorists... come on. It was a Trump rally with presumably thousands of people in attendance viewing the whole thing, there was video and photographs, and two people are dead. As many as there have already been, I'm not sure I've seen any accusations with enough substance to refute, but y'all are embarrassing yourselves.

To the people blaming Biden/Democrat rhetoric who say it's not just loons like Maddow or Keith, but higher ups like Biden who were all hyperbolic about Trump being some danger to democracy or foreign agent or existential threat to the nation. Did they contribute to the over-the-top climate like Sanders/Warren did for the baseball shooter or something? Maybe?

Apparently the shooter donated to Dems through ActBlue once, though registered to vote in the recent GOP primary (presumably to vote against Trump). Let's assume he was motivated by left wing politics and politicians and fearmongers. It's still not the fault of Democrat politicians pretending he was Hitler or a foreign agent or whatever craziness for years, even if they did inspire his TDS. Words aren't violence, even hyperbolic ones, and it's nobody's fault but the shooter. Even during his blood red speech where he was angerly (and ironically) calling Trump a fascist and a threat to the nation, I don't think Biden ever meant to inspire this.

Pointing the finger at the speakers is weak and an attempt to underhandedly score political points in the wake of a tragedy. It's just as ridiculous as saying that Trump was responsible for January 6th just because he insisted the election was stolen or something. It just doesn't pass the smell test of blame in an immediate or direct sense.

Overheated rhetoric is something we have every election cycle regardless of the candidates, even if it may have been ratcheted up in recent years (and yes, ratcheted up by Trump himself in many ways). It may be distasteful, it's not ideal, but it's simply part of the political culture of the nation at this point. I might prefer politics to be less emotional and more issues-based, but it's a reflection of our culture and just can't be avoided if we still believe (as I do) that the value of free speech outweighs it's costs.