Who holds the blame for the events in Chicago?

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Come on smilo, you know as well as I do that Trump knows how to play the media, and he knows how the media (including social media) will interpret his statements. It's perfect verbal choreography to divide and stir, while leaving enough distance to not be directly implicated in the consequences.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

So the Europeanisation of American politics continues: we now have American antifa.

Bash the fash!

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Come on smilo, you know as well as I do that Trump knows how to play the media, and he knows how the media (including social media) will interpret his statements. It's perfect verbal choreography to divide and stir, while leaving enough distance to not be directly implicated in the consequences.

It shouldn't result in divisiveness. The way he plays the media should immediately win anyone over. He slams them at every turn, and their dishonesty is horrifying. I've been disgusted by him on multiple occasions yet never as disgusted as I have been with Ted Cruz on all occasions.

[Statilius the Epicurean]

lol @ all this "free speech" bullsh**t. ing cowardice. No free speech to the enemy.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

lol @ all this "free speech" bullsh**t. ing cowardice. No free speech to the enemy.

Correct. Bernie Sanders people should be rounded up until we can figure out what is going on.

[Stranger in a strange land]

The responsible thing to do in a situation like this is to cordon off the protesters in some sort of free speech zone where they can make their point while Trump makes his. This is what's done at most rallies and big events.

Trump is a showman, and the protesters are part of the show. Trump knows this, which is why he lets them into the events and eggs them on from the podium. The problem is that the Donald Trump for President Reality Show is actually real, and people can and do get hurt.

[Frodo]

Interestingly, Republicans are primarily blaming Donald Trump for the protests and violence:

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Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/03/marco-rubio-donald-trump-gop-nominee-support-220664#ixzz42iVzpu1O

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

The responsible thing to do in a situation like this is to cordon off the protesters in some sort of free speech zone where they can make their point while Trump makes his. This is what's done at most rallies and big events.

Trump is a showman, and the protesters are part of the show. Trump knows this, which is why he lets them into the events and eggs them on from the podium. The problem is that the Donald Trump for President Reality Show is actually real, and people can and do get hurt.

Sadly, the "ironic" Trump supporters on the forum don't care as long as it isn't affluent, white suburbanites who are getting hurt.

[Stranger in a strange land]

The responsible thing to do in a situation like this is to cordon off the protesters in some sort of free speech zone where they can make their point while Trump makes his. This is what's done at most rallies and big events.

Trump is a showman, and the protesters are part of the show. Trump knows this, which is why he lets them into the events and eggs them on from the podium. The problem is that the Donald Trump for President Reality Show is actually real, and people can and do get hurt.

Sadly, the "ironic" Trump supporters on the forum don't care as long as it isn't affluent, white suburbanites who are getting hurt.

Ironic Trump support is pretty much the classic example of Atlas taking a somewhat funny meme/joke and beating it to death. And I can certainly see why it's a lot less funny if you aren't white, native-born, or male.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

The ironic Trump support should've ended once Trump went from a gadfly eviscerating the other candidates to the actual frontrunner.

[RI]

How much ironic Trump support is there on this forum, really? I don't think it's that much.

[IceSpear]

The ironic Trump support should've ended once Trump went from a gadfly eviscerating the other candidates to the actual frontrunner.

Wouldn't the natural conclusion to ironic support be when he clinches the nomination? I've never been much of an ironic Trump supporter, but I do love seeing him destroy the GOP.

[Suburbia]

It's Soros founded, and the protesters have the same Al Sharpton mentality. This is what causes tension.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

My goodness. I have to laugh at the people who are forcing the argument that protesting a Trump event would be the same as protesting a Sanders event.

It has been clear to anyone with more than half a brain that everything about Donald Trump's campaign and candidacy has been unconventional. It's unlike anything we've seen in modern times. The guy says whatever he wants with no regard for the consequences. He calls Mexicans rapists, associates women who dare to think critically with menstruation, deems all Muslims a terrorist threat, insults prisoners of war who have made huge sacrifices for their country, calls on his supporters to rough up protesters, hurls every kind of bad name at his political opponents, offers zero substantive plans for the country... and we're supposed to treat this man like he's just the same as any other politician? If that were true, he wouldn't get the support he's been getting; it's obvious he's different. His rise has caught everyone off guard.

What makes Donald Trump different is without a doubt the incendiary nature of everything he says. People are shocked at what comes out of his mouth, and there's entertainment value in that. The thing is, it makes him completely different from someone like Bernie Sanders who does have some tact and respect. Accordingly, protesting a Trump event is fundamentally different than protesting a Sanders event; the protestors would be protesting completely different things. Trump protestors protest obvious hate and divisiveness (for proof that this hate is there and being dredged to the surface by Trump, see every Trump event ever). They protest dangerous rhetoric. Sanders protestors would be reacting with revenge to the legitimate Trump protestors (they are legitimate because Trump has threatened the very core of their identities), or responding with bombast to a controversial but tame and detailed set of policies. The reaction would here not match the initial action from Sanders. So Trump protests and Sanders protests are apples and oranges. Actually not even that, because there are good reasons to eat both of those. It's like apples and veal. Eating apples make sense, but eating veal is pretty senseless when you realize there's no need to kill a baby cow 'cuz you can just have steak.

In other words, Bernie Sanders has established himself on policy grounds, which means that the best way to protest him is to dialogue, because dialogue is actually possible. Trump is just a pathos candidate, which means the only way to protest him is to send a counter charge of emotion. These are the terms he's established, and being so inflammatory means it will be worse. This is why no one will protest the other candidates like what we saw yesterday: The other candidates have set different rules for engagement (this is also why yesterday's events are Trump's fault). Since these rules of engagement are different, it also means that it probably will be the protestors' fault if something similar does happen to the other candidates. Yes, it's a double-standard, but it's one that has come directly from the candidates themselves.

[Dr. Arch]

My goodness. I have to laugh at the people who are forcing the argument that protesting a Trump event would be the same as protesting a Sanders event.

It has been clear to anyone with more than half a brain that everything about Donald Trump's campaign and candidacy has been unconventional. It's unlike anything we've seen in modern times. The guy says whatever he wants with no regard for the consequences. He calls Mexicans rapists, associates women who dare to think critically with menstruation, deems all Muslims a terrorist threat, insults prisoners of war who have made huge sacrifices for their country, calls on his supporters to rough up protesters, hurls every kind of bad name at his political opponents, offers zero substantive plans for the country... and we're supposed to treat this man like he's just the same as any other politician? If that were true, he wouldn't get the support he's been getting; it's obvious he's different. His rise has caught everyone off guard.

What makes Donald Trump different is without a doubt the incendiary nature of everything he says. People are shocked at what comes out of his mouth, and there's entertainment value in that. The thing is, it makes him completely different from someone like Bernie Sanders who does have some tact and respect. Accordingly, protesting a Trump event is fundamentally different than protesting a Sanders event; the protestors would be protesting completely different things. Trump protestors protest obvious hate and divisiveness (for proof that this hate is there and being dredged to the surface by Trump, see every Trump event ever). They protest dangerous rhetoric. Sanders protestors would be reacting with revenge to the legitimate Trump protestors (they are legitimate because Trump has threatened the very core of their identities), or responding with bombast to a controversial but tame and detailed set of policies. The reaction would here not match the initial action from Sanders. So Trump protests and Sanders protests are apples and oranges. Actually not even that, because there are good reasons to eat both of those. It's like apples and veal. Eating apples make sense, but eating veal is pretty senseless when you realize there's no need to kill a baby cow 'cuz you can just have steak.

In other words, Bernie Sanders has established himself on policy grounds, which means that the best way to protest him is to dialogue, because dialogue is actually possible. Trump is just a pathos candidate, which means the only way to protest him is to send a counter charge of emotion. These are the terms he's established, and being so inflammatory means it will be worse. This is why no one will protest the other candidates like what we saw yesterday: The other candidates have set different rules for engagement (this is also why yesterday's events are Trump's fault). Since these rules of engagement are different, it also means that it probably will be the protestors' fault if something similar does happen to the other candidates. Yes, it's a double-standard, but it's one that has come directly from the candidates themselves.

[ProudModerate2]

[°Leprechaun]

Trump goes out of his way to incite protestors and violence. It is true that he was wise to cancel this event. That doesn't vindicate him for all the violence at his events, however. His supporters are all nuts as far as I can tell, but he is 100% responsible for what happens at his events. He is clearly the worst kind of demagogue and very divisive, more than we have seen for many decades.

[Higgs]

Trump goes out of his way to incite protestors and violence. It is true that he was wise to cancel this event. That doesn't vindicate him for all the violence at his events, however. His supporters are all nuts as far as I can tell, but he is 100% responsible for what happens at his events. He is clearly the worst kind of demagogue and very divisive, more than we have seen for many decades.

He is 100% responsible for black lives matter protesters blocking an ambulance?

[jimrtex]

* There are many other large venues in Chicagoland suitable for a rally with 10,000 people.

Why would the campaign pick the Pavilion, and once they did and saw signs of trouble why not switch to a different location well in advance of the event?

Bulls were playing at United Center.

Rosemont Horizon (Allstate Arena) had a Wolves match on Saturday. It it had been available, it might have been a better location.

Sears Centre is 25 miles from Chicago and barely even in Cook County.

The UIUC Pavilion is adjacent to an expressway, and only peripheral to the campus. The only university events it appears to host are basketball games for UIUC. Is south of the expressway a No Go area?

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Trump goes out of his way to incite protestors and violence. It is true that he was wise to cancel this event. That doesn't vindicate him for all the violence at his events, however. His supporters are all nuts as far as I can tell, but he is 100% responsible for what happens at his events. He is clearly the worst kind of demagogue and very divisive, more than we have seen for many decades.

He is 100% responsible for black lives matter protesters blocking an ambulance?

When and where did that happen?

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

The Hitler comparison in inflammatory and definitely unhelpful for the non Trump factions of the US in that Hitler's rise was built on the failures of the left and the outright collusion with the establishment right.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

The Hitler comparison in inflammatory and definitely unhelpful for the non Trump factions of the US in that Hitler's rise was built on the failures of the left and the outright collusion with the establishment right.

That is true. You could probably find a different fascist leader that would work though.

[Mr. Reactionary]

I apportion the fault as follows:
Protestors - 51%
Trump supporters - 19%
Trump - 30%

[Lyin' Steve]

I apportion the fault as follows:
Protestors - 51%
Drumpf supporters - 19%
Drumpf - 30%

Could you do the rest of us a favor and change quotes to use Trump instead of Drumpf?  I don't like seeing other people misquoted or being misquoted myself by your little John Oliver extension.

[RightBehind]

This poll and thread alone shows how divided we are by this man. He will bring great destruction to the land if president.


Reagan started America's decline.

Bush 43 put us on life support.

Obama did his best to heal us.

Trump would be the death of this country.