President-elect Trump

[DanaC]

The media (as diffuse as that is these days in the internet age) and the political and culture-making class have a measure of responsibility for these outbreaks, and that very much includes Mr Trump.

The tenor of political discourse in America has become more infused with violence and rebellion than it has for a very long time. Politicians have been lobbing social grenades with gay abandon and which have been received and multiplied by an enthusiastic and nihilistic propaganda industry.

Is anybody truly surprised by any of this? Other than Trump actually winning, of course. But the response to his victory? When Obama won his first election, republican politicians stood up in public and said we will oppose everything this president does. They didn't say they would watch him like a hawk and hold his feet to the fire, like a strong opposition - they said they will oppose everything he tries to do. In doing that, they weakened the electoral compact - they gave permission to the American body politic to deny the validity of the electoral mandate.

Coupled with the idiosyncrasies of the American electoral college system, in which someone can win the popular vote but lose the election, that permission is a dangerous thing.

In the meanwhile the level of civil violence has been growing in response to tensions between police and citizenry in some areas - providing a new (or old depending on your perspective) and very visible template for revolt.

Of course the republicans didn't rebel against the political system out of the clear blue - there was a journey to that point. But they certainly bear a large share of responsibility for creating the context for current tensions.