It was just 10 days ago when a gunman shot Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, and while the shooter’s motives are still being investigated, Republicans responded to the assassination attempt by blaming Democratic rhetoric.
As far as the former president’s GOP allies were concerned, Democrats weren’t just responsible for the gunman, they had a responsibility to “lower the volume” in the public discourse.
All of this came to mind watching a Republican campaign rally in Ohio yesterday. Politico reported:
An Ohio Republican who represents the hometown of vice presidential nominee JD Vance endorsed the idea of a civil war at a rally Monday and walked it back later, saying he regretted using divisive language at a time of political violence. State Sen. George Lang said after the Trump-Vance rally that he and others need to be more careful with their language.
In context, Vance had not yet taken the stage at the official campaign event, though a local state senator was warming up the crowd before introducing the Republican vice presidential nominee.
“I’m afraid if we lose this one, it’s going to take a civil war to save the country, and it will be saved,” Lang said. “It’s the greatest experiment in the history of mankind, and if we come down to a civil war, I’m glad we got people like … Bikers for Trump on our side.”
Republican official introducing JD Vance at Trump rally: “If we lose this election, it's going to take a civil war to save the country” pic.twitter.com/KEH0fTAHBd
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) July 22, 2024
It’s important to emphasize that while the GOP legislator made these comments — out loud, on camera, in front of a large audience — and he appeared to mean what he said, Lang did issue a written statement soon that walked it all back.
“Remarks I made earlier today at a rally at a rally in Middletown do not accurately reflect my views,” Lang said via social media. “I regret the divisive remarks I made in the excitement of the moment on stage.” Nevertheless, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign said in a statement, “Donald Trump and JD Vance should denounce George Lang’s calls for violence and apologize for platforming this kind of violence.” There has been no such apology. “Donald Trump and JD Vance are running a campaign openly sowing hatred and promising revenge against their political opponents,” the Harris campaign added. “That’s why a Republican official was empowered to predict a civil war while introducing these candidates.”
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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