Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
I don’t condone political violence, and I don’t think I know anyone who does.
Or at least – let’s be honest – I don’t know anyone who comes out and admits they do.
But as we consider today’s assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, let’s not delude ourselves that the recent attempts on the lives of politicians and activists are some kind of aberration. Political assassination has a long history in America, just like in lots of other parts of the world.
Well, OK, Only 8.9%. But Still.
Right here at home, four out of the 45 men (only men, so far!) who have served as President of the United States have been assassinated. That’s almost 10% of sitting presidents.
And that’s only the successful assassinations.
There’ve been quite a few tries in the 20th and 21st centuries alone, many in living memory. Donald Trump was shot while campaigning for his second term. A gunman fired at the White House while President Bill Clinton was inside.
There were two attempts on the life of President Gerald R. Ford. Ronald Reagan was shot during his first term and almost died.
George Wallace and Robert F. Kennedy were both shot while campaigning for president; Wallace survived but was disabled for life, and RFK died.
Going a little further back, FDR was a target of attempted murder, and his distant cousin Theodore Roosevelt took a bullet after he was president.
A World of Political Violence
Many presidents and prime ministers of other countries have been assassinated just in my lifetime, Indira Gandhi, Yitzhak Rabin, and Anwar Sadat come to mind. There are lot more less prominent ones on Wikipedia’s list, which actually goes back over 4,000 years, and seems to go on forever.
So the next time someone tries to take out a president, governor, or political activist, as you listen to all the condemnations of political violence from all sides, don’t be shocked, and remember: This is a violent country, in a violent world, and leaders, hopefuls and rabble-rousers alike have to know they might be the next target.
