Tragedy and terror have dominated the last 72 hours in American politics. On Friday, authorities charged Caesar Sayoc of sending more than a dozen pipe bomb packages targeted at prominent Democrats. On Saturday, an anti-Semitic gunman killed 11 at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.
And both appear to be products of our toxic political environment. Sayoc was a Trump fan who plastered his white van with Trump and “Make America Great Again” paraphernalia. The accused shooter in Pittsburg posted conspiracy theories and messages about the migrant caravan walking to the U.S.-Mexico border.
But there is a fundamental divide about our current politics — the overheated and demeaning rhetoric, the inability to compromise, partisanship all the time. While most politicians, Democrats and Republicans, see this as a problem, President Trump sees it as an opportunity. CONT.
Chuck Todd, Mark Murray & Carrie Dann, NBC News