Assassination Sweepstakes: The Shooting of Minnesota Politicians Unleashes Partisan Fingerpointing

It is arguably the most disheartening aspect of the “Age of Rage.” Almost immediately after the shooting of Minnesota politicians and their spouses, the press, pundits, and politicians leaped to capitalize on the tragedy by blaming the other side for political violence. There is a sick, almost hopeful, quality to the commentary as political pundits hope that they win this round of the assassination sweepstakes with a criminal associated with the other party. Initial reports fueled such speculation on both sides. Some are now saying that Boelter suffered from “MAGA disease” while others are claiming that he is a “far left” goon. Still others insist that he is “a far right, MAGA, left wing loon,”

Both sides found just enough to weaponize the shootings. Vance Luther Boelter has connections to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who reappointed him to a state board. He is also someone who reportedly voted for Trump and opposed the abortion movement.

As we have discussed, there is a rise in political violence in this country. From January 6th to attempted assassinations of both President Donald Trump and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, there is a radicalization that is occurring within our society. It is the license of rage that I discuss in my book where unhinged individuals believe that any means are now justified to counter a political threat.

The fact is that rage rhetoric has been common on both sides of the political spectrum for years. Politicians continue to fan these flames, including many who insist that democracy is about to die in this country, or call Trump the new Hitler. Leaders on both sides have called their opponents “traitors” and threats to the nation.

The fact is that we still know little about Boelter. He had “No Kings” literature in his car but that does not mean that he was motivated by those protests. We still do not know what is contained in a reported manifesto left by the shooter.

The only thing that is likely is that Boelter is another unstable loner who took his anger out on others. There are reports that he was in difficult financial straits and suffered a series of setbacks. He was the CEO of an international NGO called the Red Lion Group, which appears to have run out of funding. There are reports that he was holding a variety of odd jobs to sustain himself.

The fact is that we have a significant number of people who are mentally unstable or delusional. Anger in their lives is easily translated into a lethal obsession for public officials or public figures, particularly when leaders call on people to resist opponents labeled as traitors or tyrants.

The rush to claim Boelter as a devotee of the left or right only shows how these critics are engaging in the very rage rhetoric that they are supposedly condemning.

We should know the actual facts soon, including the contents of this manifesto. So here is a novel idea: perhaps we should wait for those facts rather than engage in this frenzy of recrimination and rage.