The road to recovery
An ill- equipped president must rise to the challenge
Perhaps the gravest danger in the aftermath of the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton is that these atrocities, far from bringing the country together, will divide it even more bitterly than before.
Don’t dismiss calling for unity at such times as a worthless cliché. If all its people cannot join in mourning the victims of such heinous attacks, and in resolving to guard against future barbarities, the U. S. risks being broken beyond repair.
That’s why one thing is especially dispiriting right now. Bringing people together at times like this may be a president’s most important job — and this president is singularly illequipped for it.
President Donald Trump’s plan to visit both cities was immediately criticized, and the feelings behind those objections are understandable. Mr. Trump has made rage and division his formula for
success. His style of politics inflames — and is designed to inflame — anger among supporters and opponents alike.
It would thus be helpful if the president — not just today, but from now on — would condemn white supremacists in the strongest terms, as though he means it and without the need for a teleprompter script. He should understand that, at times such as this, insisting on justifying himself, failing to accept the smallest responsibility for what’s become of U. S. politics, and refusing to pause and reflect, aren’t just signs of a disordered personality. They’re poisonous to American society.
A lot to ask, no doubt. Here’s another challenge: The president’s critics need to pause as well. If unity in the face of these horrors comes first — and it should — Mr. Trump ought to be granted a chance to play his part. If the president starts, at last, to discharge his responsibility to lead the whole country, this should be welcomed, not deplored.
The practical steps that are needed to protect the country from these horrors, so far as that’s possible, are well understood. Effective gun laws — including universal background checks — are indispensable. The president’s initial comments on this, dwelling on the mentalhealth issues involved, fell way short of what’s required. Mr. Trump ought to recognize that the ground on gun control is shifting, with the National Rifle Association under pressure and many Republicans saying enough is enough.
In addition, to be sure, the U. S. needs better intelligencegathering and more effective pre- emptive action against domestic terrorists and the violently insane. Last but not least, the fury that has infected American politics has to be curbed.
The president’s role in these tasks is paramount, which makes it hard to be optimistic. However he responds, mending this country’s broken politics is no less the responsibility of every American politician, and every American citizen.