3 ms·

> Keep in mind that "the right" is now split into pre-Trump conservatives and "Trumpists" Trump has been leader of the Republicans since the shooter was twelve

> Keep in mind that "the right" is now split into pre-Trump conservatives and "Trumpists" Trump has been leader of the Republicans since the shooter was twelve years old... In any case, you've weakened your claim from the shooter being right wing to it being "entirely conceivable" that he's right wing. Well, fine, many things are conceivable, but what's the positive reason for thinking that it's true? And does it outweigh the reasons against thinking that it's true? The fact that he registered as a Republican for reasons we don't know, and that he's wearing a gun-themed t-shirt (I hink we can assume he's not against guns on principle), seem to be substantially less weighty data points than the fact that he's just tried to kill Trump.

dragontamer 2y ago
Libertarians would be pro-gun, Republican registered, and feasibly hate Trump. Not saying this guy was Libertarian mind you, but... its not very hard to come up with Right-wing people who match this profile. Maybe with a bit more data / investigating we can come up with more information. But the left is not exactly known for being gun nuts or bringing AR15 rifles to places.
- griffzhowl 2y ago
  Yes, Libertarian could make sense. There are some reports now from his former classmates that he took conservative positions in school debates. This makes the motive all the more enigmatic.
- collingreen 2y ago
  I don't think there is value in this kind of argument. Yes, some folks on the hard right in the US like to brandish weapons as political speech and use the implied threat of violence to make people around them feel intimidated. However, this has nothing to do with one attempted murderer or the political party he most associates with. I find this kind of finger pointing speculation unhelpful and divisive and I think we should be more actively aligning on "people shouldn't murder people they disagree with" which is a value everyone should be able to openly agree on.
  - dragontamer 2y ago
    Bullshit. If this were a leftist, the Right would be talking about the evils of the socialists or something. Its all cute and "please don't talk about the Republicanness of this guy" the minute people realize he was Republican and a gun-nut. I don't like leftists or socialists either mind you. But its pretty despicable to expect Americans to rise to the challenge. Americans failed to rise every other time, its not fair for Republicans to get a free pass on this one.
    - collingreen 2y ago
      I think it's fine to attack a group's ideology but I don't think it's fine to say "that group I don't like does this so that person who did the same thing probably is in that group"

dragontamer 2y ago

Libertarians would be pro-gun, Republican registered, and feasibly hate Trump. Not saying this guy was Libertarian mind you, but... its not very hard to come up with Right-wing people who match this profile. Maybe with a bit more data / investigating we can come up with more information. But the left is not exactly known for being gun nuts or bringing AR15 rifles to places.

griffzhowl 2y ago
Yes, Libertarian could make sense. There are some reports now from his former classmates that he took conservative positions in school debates. This makes the motive all the more enigmatic.
collingreen 2y ago
I don't think there is value in this kind of argument. Yes, some folks on the hard right in the US like to brandish weapons as political speech and use the implied threat of violence to make people around them feel intimidated. However, this has nothing to do with one attempted murderer or the political party he most associates with. I find this kind of finger pointing speculation unhelpful and divisive and I think we should be more actively aligning on "people shouldn't murder people they disagree with" which is a value everyone should be able to openly agree on.
- dragontamer 2y ago
  Bullshit. If this were a leftist, the Right would be talking about the evils of the socialists or something. Its all cute and "please don't talk about the Republicanness of this guy" the minute people realize he was Republican and a gun-nut. I don't like leftists or socialists either mind you. But its pretty despicable to expect Americans to rise to the challenge. Americans failed to rise every other time, its not fair for Republicans to get a free pass on this one.
  - collingreen 2y ago
    I think it's fine to attack a group's ideology but I don't think it's fine to say "that group I don't like does this so that person who did the same thing probably is in that group"