WASHINGTON,DC – “Hate is not a political strategy,” says Dan Weber, president of the Association of Mature American Citizens. “We need a time out from the political vitriol that has been dividing our nation since President Donald Trump was elected last November. There have been just too many incidents of violent political discord-enough to threaten the future of the country.”
The founder of the nation’s largest Conservative senior advocacy organization said in a statement issued today, “every American, right or left, has a right to voice an opinion, but we don’t have a right to incite riot and inflict bodily harm for the sake of a political viewpoint. The hatred directed against the president has reached a boiling point. It has been palpable and has led to violent protests and mayhem throughout the country. The lone gunman who went hunting for Republican lawmakers in Alexandria, VA is a worrisome example of what can happen.”
The shooter wounded four individuals who were practicing for a charity baseball game. He left House Majority Whip Steve Scalise [R-LA] in critical condition. The shooter had a history of anti-Republican and anti-Trump social media posts, including one in which he wrote: “Trump is a Traitor. Trump Has Destroyed Our Democracy. It’s Time to Destroy Trump & Co.”
The incident showed how out-of-hand things have gotten, so much so that the Justice Department says it would take special measures to address “ideologically motivated” crimes of violence by radical groups and individuals.
Weber called for “solidarity as a nation lest we destroy the future for our children and grandchildren. We should express political disagreement when it is warranted, but let’s keep it civil. We need to lower the volume and tone down the rhetoric. And, it is incumbent on our political leaders and the media to help us to do that. Things won’t get better until all of the people, those who voted for the president and those who didn’t, accept the fact that Donald Trump is the duly elected president of the United States. We need to give him an opportunity to do the job for which he was elected.”
The AMAC chief pointed out that the administration and Congress have important work to do in order to fix the economy and a broken health care system. “These should be our top priorities, not political ideology.
