Ambiguity kills (maybe)

[dreamville_bg]

Most of us may've already heard of the latest scandal (crafted scandal? tempest in a teacup?) where Trump made some remarks about Hillary Clinton intending to stomp upon the precious rights of gun-toting 2nd Amendment fanboys and fangirls. The problem arose from the ambiguity of his words (typical for him), where he made some insinuations, which

Comments

[luvdovz]

Well, either Rush Limbaugh is right and the media are in cahoots with Hillary to assassinate Trump's otherwise stellar character - or - the Secret Service had a very good reason to contact Trump's campaign about those 2nd Amendment comments.

[oportet]

If she gets to pick her judges, I'm pretty sure that means she won - and in that case, there is no more voting...

[htpcl]

So if they don't want her to be able to pick her judges, they're supposed to vote in advance against her and prevent her from getting elected - right?

[oportet]

Eh, I suppose you could read it that way. But, you can only vote in advance. In the hypothetical situation he set up at the beginning of his statement - she has already won, there is no voting left. So, his excuse doesn't really hold up.

I would've just gone with the stupid joke defense.

[mikeyxw]

Well, to be charitable, he could be calling for the assassination of the judges she nominates.

[dexeron]

What frustrates me the most about Trump is that I'd love to see an intelligent, honest conservative with integrity who just happens to disagree with me on the best way to accomplish things like prosperity and peace. Instead, we constantly get guys who aren't merely wrong (in my opinion) about the issues, but who are literal monsters spouting dog-whistles all over the place (or nowadays just outright saying things) and we're left with one party full of the people who actually seem willing to do the work of governing and coming up with solutions to the real problems facing us, and a party full of people whose best ideas are nothing more than fear-mongering and bubbled self-delusion. And it's so frustrating. I want a strong Republican party offering viable solutions. I might not agree with them, but in the give and take of national politics between their good ideas and my side's good ideas, compromises would be reached, and workable solutions that everyone could live with would be put forward, and that's the only way democracy really

[dexeron]

The ranty bit starting at 12:50 is the summation where Maddow really lays out a frustration I too feel.

[garote]

I agree with this - it's very frustrating to see one of the two major parties put up a circus clown as applicant for a job that demands gravitas and sophistication.

But to understand how we got here it's worth pointing out that Obama only beat McCain by 3.9% of the popular vote in 2008, and only beat Romney by 2% of the popular vote in 2012. Two percent

[chron_job]

Me being an outside observer of all this, I'd rather think in terms of LOLs.

I'm seeing a "Did it for the LOLs!" tombstone, attractively perched over a post-nuclear hellscape.

In all seriousness, I have no idea which meaning Trump had in his head at the moment he said the words, but since the idea of "2nd Amendment Remedies" is still floating about in the zeitgeist after the phrase was used by a Tea Party candidate, Sharron Angle, about Harry Reid in 2010, I don't think its in any way weird, or a stretch, for people on the other side of the divide to see such statements as threats of violence in response to political opposition.

[htpcl]

Assuing that there's someone left to make that tombstone.

[htpcl]

* assuming, even

[essentialsaltes]

Patti Davis manages to put together some words nicely:

To Donald Trump: I am the daughter of a man who was shot by someone who got his inspiration from a movie, someone who believed if he killed the President the actress from that movie would notice him. Your glib and horrifying comment about "Second Amendment people" was heard around the world. It was heard by sane and decent people who shudder at your fondness for verbal violence. It was heard by your supporters, many of whom gleefully and angrily yell, "Lock her up!" at your rallies. It was heard by the person sitting alone in a room, locked in his own dark fantasies, who sees unbridled violence as a way to make his mark in the world, and is just looking for ideas. Yes, Mr. Trump, words matter. But then you know that, which makes this all even more horrifying.

[mahnmut]

But, but, whaddabout Freedom of Speech!!!1!