by Emil Guillermo
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, is the man the FBI has identified as the one who fired the shots at that Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in what law enforcement is calling an “assassination attempt.”
Some news organizations will choose not to say the name of the Trump rally shooter, thinking that doing so would only glorify the culprit.
But Thomas Matthew Crooks is a major part of what happened on Saturday, July 13.
To keep him anonymous is to censor a key fact in this story. We can’t fail to acknowledge what he did.
It was Thomas Matthew Crooks’ shocking actions that sobered America.
We’ve been drunk with ideology and divided for too long.
The Shooter
Crooks was a registered Republican, according to voter records, but so young he’d never voted, according to reports.
Three years ago he made a $15 donation to ActBlue, a political action committee that supports Democratic politicians. The extent of his political activity isn’t known.
But from public photos, he appeared like a clean-cut white kid from a Pittsburgh suburb. Not some radical left winger.
Nothing has been reported about his mental health state. More will be known soon.
What we know at this point is what he’s left us.
Crooks is a reckless firearms owner (shooting into a crowd?) and not very skilled. His shots grazed the former president’s ear, shot and killed at least one person, wounded two others, and stunned everyone around the nation no matter what their political beliefs.
This isn’t supposed to happen in America, where the Constitution gives us the path to solve our differences. The First Amendment gives us free speech and the right to gather and express ourselves, which leads to debate.
It doesn’t lead to gunfire.
Not in a land where politics is decided by the vote, and our voices are heard loudly by our ballots, not bullets.
Quickly after the shots were heard, the FBI reported that Crooks had been “neutralized.”
That’s the euphemism used to indicate Crooks was killed physically and the threat was abated. Gone.
The shooter may have been neutralized, but was America?
This is the opportunity to condemn the shooter and stand up as one country, neutralized from our own divisive politics, and united against the senseless use of gun violence in this country.
Politics can be a matter of life and death, but that isn’t supposed to be literal.
I dare say, after the July 13 shooting, I have never rooted for Donald Trump to live like I did those first few hours after the shooting. He’s an American just like all the rest of us.
President Biden might have said it best. Both the president and Trump reportedly spoke last night for the first time since their June 27 debate. They don’t speak often, but it was important that they did on July 13.
“There’s no place in America for this kind of violence, it’s sick, it’s sick,” said President Biden at a news conference.
“It’s one of the reasons we have to unite this country. We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this, we cannot condone this.”
We can’t. Because we don’t have to go back to the assassination attempt of President Ronald Regan in 1981 to decry domestic political violence in this country.
Think about the right-wing intruder who on October 28, 2022, went after Democratic Speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi, and then used a hammer to attack her husband Paul Pelosi.
David De Pape was convicted on assault and attempted kidnapping charges and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Political violence is a serious matter in the U.S. We saw it on January 6, 2020, with the insurrection of the capital, which ironically, was instigated by Donald Trump.
Let’s use this unfortunate assassination attempt as a signal that it’s time to heal the country from its divisiveness.
Reaching out. Working together. That’s what this moment is for.
We must quickly condemn all those who will use this as an opportunity to instead to fan the flames of division. It’s already on social media.
The images from the scene of blood and the flag are emotionally charged and shouldn’t be used politically to give an advantage to one side or another.
Let’s hope the assassination attempt isn’t misused to divide us. It’s a reminder that politics can use a little aloha right now.
Thomas Michael Crooks was the shooter. And we all condemn his actions, as Americans together.
Biden’s Age
Joe Biden in fine fettle would say, “Look folks, we have reached an inflection point…”
But what kind of fettle is Biden in today? Aging for sure, but it’s not a crime to grow old in America.
If we apply the president’s favorite rhetorical metaphor to his current crisis, is the geometric curve of his presidency headed upward? Downward? Or is he stuck in the mire of the public’s anxiety?
Because that’s the question: Is Biden strong enough to beat Trump and preserve our democracy? Or is the public’s alarm about his increasing verbal imperfections—a result of age—greater than it deserves to be?
Just whose anxiety over aging matters most, ours or his?
After more than two weeks, Biden has yet to extinguish all the questions about his ability to lead the country into the future.
Hawaii’ Rep. Ed Case has come out against Biden running again. It’s Case’s style. Recall how years ago he wanted to stop an aging Sen. Akaka from running again.
But Case is in the minority here. Fewer than 20 of 212 have taken a public stand against Biden.
The president’s age, his mental capacity, and his ability to communicate without stumbling are all legitimate concerns.
But a stumble here and there shouldn’t be a game-breaker. He’s still better policy-wise than Trump.
Still, the misspoken moments have happened often enough to make one wonder if the president is in tip-top shape, more so mentally than physically.
What we are dealing with is a man who is aging, but not necessarily to the detriment of our country.
If aging were a felony, Biden would have 81.
But in this race, only Trump has 34 real felony convictions.
That’s what keeps a Biden candidacy viable.
Pelosi Keeps The Debate Alive
Unfortunately, just when all the leaders were in line, the talk didn’t stop.
Recently, Nancy Pelosi went on MSNBC and her foot wasn’t in her mouth–it was keeping the discussion door open. All while being supportive at the same time.
“It’s up to the president to secide [sic] if he is going to run,” Pelosi said, flubbing the word “decide.”
“We’re all encouraging him to make that decision…I want him to do whatever he decides to do. And that’s the way it is.”
Within hours, the New York Times published an op-ed from Hollywood celeb George Clooney, which signaled that this was the time to air private thoughts publicly.
Clooney was with Biden for a fundraiser just weeks ago but now wrote:
“It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Joe “big F—ing deal” Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.”
A showbiz star breaking ranks may be enough to allow politicos, in the “showbiz for ugly people,” to have the courage to speak their truth. Some did.
Maybe those closest to Biden will help him see that this time things have changed. Starting with Biden himself.
Frankly, if I were Biden, I would tell the public that aging isn’t a crime. An older person can still do the job. This isn’t the 400-meter relay, where Biden is running the anchor leg.
I’d tell people not to relate Biden’s situation to their own guilt in dealing with aging loved ones. He’s not your father who you just took away the keys from.
Don’t be an ageist. And don’t take away his teleprompter. Would you take a wheelchair away from someone who couldn’t walk? Tell a person to read without their glasses.
Biden has already been cleared three times by a neurologist and says he’d take another test.
But he’s right. He’s tested every day he speaks as president.
If Biden can do the job, half a Biden as president, who will preserve rights and our democracy, is still better than a whole Trump, who wants to be a dictator.
It’s something that Biden remains defiant, not giving in to any age shaming. He’s the president who’s earned the nomination. And our respect.
Biden will let us know when we’ve reached the inflection point.
EMIL GUILLERMO is a journalist and commentator who has covered race, media and politics from Hawaii to Washington, DC, where he was host of NPR’s “All Things Considered.” See him on www.amok.com
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