It’s probably human nature to seek logical, sensible explanations for shocking, inexplicable events.
Maybe it’s the idea that if we can understand the things we fear, things that make no sense, we can somehow prevent them. Government, in particular, is structured with orderly, standard, uniform rules and methods. Rules are fine for setting the speed limit on a road or the curriculum of a school, but they aren’t much use in figuring out what would make an odd young man climb up on a roof and try to kill the leading candidate for president.
Sense and logic can’t explain senseless, illogical acts.
As this is written, platoons of investigators are trying to figure out why Thomas Matthew Crooks nearly killed former President Donald Trump. We may never know his motive, but one likely reason stands out.
In layman’s terms, he was crazy.
No sensible, well-grounded person—even someone ready to die, as Crooks did—would shoot someone in front of a crowd. Especially not a national figure with security guards all around him.
Conspiracy- mongering and finger-pointing began on both sides immediately. The Secret Service has some dreadful explaining to do, and congressional committees will hold hearings on this total security failure. At first glance, the only explanation seems to be that somebody screwed up beyond belief.
On the left, skeptics began littering Facebook and X/ Twitter, with loony ideas about a set-up, a staged fake by the deep state. Oh yeah, right, Trump (or maybe the CIA or some other denizens of the social-media fever swamps) would hire a gunman who would fire within an inch of Trump’s brain and then be instantly killed at the scene.
Or maybe someone in power wanted Trump dead. What’s the going rate for a hit like that? Do our deepest, darkest agencies employ reallife 007 agents “licensed to kill” like James Bond?
“Joe Biden sent the orders,” Georgia Congressman Mike Collins quickly theorized, without evidence, in an online message. Another Georgian, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, claimed “the Democrat Party is flat out evil and yesterday they tried to murder President Trump.”
Even U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, who was about to become Trump’s running mate, darkly claimed, “Today is not just some isolated incident. The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”
There were many, many others. On both sides, famous politicians and ordinary online lurkers tried to out-do each other at wild speculation.
Biden and Trump called for everybody to cool it—and never mind that they’ve both spoken recklessly at campaign events. Trump has called illegal immigrants “vermin,” for instance, and Biden said Democrats need to put Trump “in the bullseye” politically.
Candidates and various campaign committees ought to stop the Hitler comparisons and groundless rumormongering out of common decency.
It’s doubtful that even the most hideous name-calling and groundless accusations will motivate someone who is still in touch with the real world. But the guys who carry out these shootings aren’t like you and me.
John Hinckley shot President Reagan to impress Jodie Foster. Lee Harvey Oswald considered himself an undiscovered genius, so killing JFK was one way to get into the history books. Mark David Chapman was an obsessed fan who killed John Lennon to draw attention to “The Catcher in the Rye.” Arthur Bremer couldn’t get close enough to Richard Nixon, so he settled for George Wallace.
There’s no predicting what motive might be found for Crooks’ horrific actions. But it’s a good bet that if they ever find one, you’ll shake your head and think, “What a nut. How could he believe something like THAT?”
Bill Cotterell is a retired capitol reporter for United Press International and the Tallahassee Democrat. He can be reached at wrcott43@aol.com.
