Hodgkinson Was Occupy Protester, Attacked the “One Percent”

James Hodgkinson, who shot up the Republican baseball team in Virginia this morning, was a Bernie Sanders volunteer and enthusiastic advocate of the Democratic Party line. In 2011, he appeared on local television in St. Louis at an Occupy protest, denouncing the “one percent.”

We talked about Hodgkinson on the Power Line Live broadcast this evening. I think it is fair to blame the Democratic Party for his violence–recognizing, of course, that the primary blame always rests with the criminal–because the Democrats have deliberately created a crazed climate of hate in order to fire up their base. Which is to say, people like James Hodgkinson.

Has a single Democratic office-holder denounced, or even distanced himself from, the many acts of violence that have been committed in the name of liberalism over the past nine months? To my knowledge, no. In my opinion, leaders of the Democratic Party need to take a long look in the mirror. They have welcomed street violence as a useful part of their “Resistance” movement. Now we are seeing the tragic consequences.

On our broadcast this evening, Paul disagreed. His view–one to which I would normally subscribe–is that those who engage in vigorous but legal advocacy can’t be held responsible for the criminal actions of those whom they may have inadvertently inspired. Legally, of course, that is true. But are the Democrats morally responsible for the excesses of followers whom they have deliberately whipped up into a frenzy with crazed talk about fascism, the destruction of the country, the ruin of the planet, and so on?

You can form your own opinion. But this is the sort of discussion that you can observe and participate in if you are a PL VIP.

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