Political terrorism isn’t a partisan issue

The acts of terrorism Wednesday targeting CNN, the Clintons and the Obamas are inexcusable and un-American. Unfortunately, they are only the latest in a series of attacks on our political system that seem to have escalated in recent years.

Just more than a week ago, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, received a suspicious letter; earlier this month, President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary James Mattis and Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson were sent ricin (a poison); and more than a year ago, there was an attempted assassination of multiple Republican congressmen during a charity baseball practice. Although these attacks might be predicated on political differences, we need to keep in perspective what this is truly about. These aren’t attacks on Democrats or Republicans; these are attacks on our democracy and our way of life.

Allowing the conversation to skew toward this being a partisan issue is a grave mistake that will only result in encouraging more rogue actors to threaten the very foundation of our nation. Doing so would give these domestic terrorists an excuse to attempt to push us closer toward a modern civil war, where violence usurps free speech and where fear determines how one votes to make decisions for our collective future.

This shift has already begun. Just a little more than a decade ago, a terrorist act on American leadership would have been thought to come from a foreign entity, we now automatically assume it to be from a fellow American. We can’t allow this to go any further.

If you want to stop political terrorism in this country, leadership from both sides of the aisle need to put their egos aside, unite and condemn it together — not in separate tweets or news confer- ences, but actually standing together.

At the end of the day, we can all argue ideas, yell at each other, and vote for what we believe in. The moment we allow political violence to become the new normal and accept it as part of the way we now are, we lose America and everything that makes us great.

WANT TO COMMENT? Have Your Say at letters@usatoday.com, @usatodayopinion on Twitter and facbook.com/usatodayopinion. Comments are edited for length and clarity. Content submitted to USA TODAY may appear in print, digital or other forms. For letters, include name, address and phone number.