Donald Trump is a dangerous man. That's not something new.
Donald Trump incites violence. His supporters take him up on his call. That is not new.
Donald Trump has conducted his personal and business lives as a racist - from being sued by the Department of Justice for refusing to rent to black tenants to gaining the endorsement of of the KKK after refusing to condemn David Duke - and much of the intensity of his support comes from racists who see America changing in front of their eyes.
Neighbor tells me that shooting suspect Scott Michael Greene put this Trump sign in his yard approx 2 weeks ago. pic.twitter.com/8HjtthB51I
— Grant Rodgers (@GrantMRodgers) November 2, 2016
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What is new is today. Today, we sit in horror as one Trump supporter gunned down two police officers in Iowa. Today we reel from the dark soul of a domestic terrorist who burned a black Church and wrote "Vote Trump" on the wall.
Contrast that with what happened when a Republican building was the subject of violence. In North Carolina, Democrats responded by raising money to rebuild their structure.
If anyone still doubts that it is not merely the Republican nominee that is deeply disgusting and offensive, but that a huge swath of his core, intense supporters are too, here is your proof.
These are, of course, not isolated incidents. Incendiary rhetoric and violent language are as much as staple of Donald Trump's stump speech as it is commonplace in the reactions of his supporters.
It is not enough for Donald Trump to send out a tweet condemning violence against cops. Donald Trump and his party must be held accountable for their blatant role in ginning up racism, promoting bigotry, and spreading fear of the "other" to our fellow Americans.
If we want to respond to these horrific crimes, we as citizens must do more than be horrified. We must exercise our franchise and our voice to defeat the deplorable ideology that makes this type of violence possible.