Instigates of Hell

New Yorker editor David Remnick (who has been right about the threat of Trump from the beginning) on the increasingly overt and common calls for, and promises of, violence. “These are not mere anecdotes, ‘colorful’ moments of unscripted temper from a familiar source. (‘Just Donald being Donald!’) No, these moments are the essence of Trump and his campaign. In the coming year, you will rarely, if ever, hear discussion of policy from Trump. You will hear expressions of rage and impulse. It is tempting to ignore them, to dismiss them as inconsequential, repetitious, corrosive. They are so painful to listen to, both in their hatefulness and in their frequency, that some have argued the media should ignore them entirely, the better to avoid elevating them. But ignoring them will not make them go away. They are the center of a candidacy that is polling very highly and that threatens so much of what is decent or promising about our politics. Trump’s rage is the inspiration for everything from the Proud Boys to the mailing of pipe bombs to political targets.” Trump’s Bloody Campaign Promises. (I know, I know. You don’t want to think about this stuff. It’s all too depressing. Sadly, it’s also all too real.)