But who started this battle? I can say with a straight face that the Republicans who were the one that demonized anybody who did not agree with there principals. It was the plan of Newt Gingrich to implemented the "us versus them" policy in congress, preventing the Democrats and Republicans not only working with each other, but even socializing. When did you ever see a Republican stand up against the Right Wing talkers that call liberals and Democrats idiots, communists and anti-American?
We now have a president that denigrates opponents and calls them names in public like an immature sixth grader? A president that promotes attacks against people he does not like? A president that lies with abandon?
And now suddenly it is "both sides"? I am sorry, the Republican party started the conflict, has supported this conflict and has rewarded the people who have done their bidding in the name of this conflict. And when people fight back on their terms we are called uncivilized? If the Republicans what us to behave, then set the standard by example. Marginalize those who are uncivil. Punish those in the party who promote violence and hatred. Stop trying to prevent change by purposely excluding people from voting. Have people in your party set a higher moral standard and live up to it. Call out the President for what he is.
Until you do that, all you are saying is just empty talk, meaningless, and only proves that the your party needs to be removed from power.
15
Using bigotry as an election tactic is so 1964. Sad.
2
I am now listening to the Hypocrite in Chief bemoaning the divisions he has single-handedly fomented for the past two years. Trump owns this.
12
Netenyahu also threw your father (and all of us liberal leaning diaspora Jews) to the fire with the Hungary campaign. Will his and others' roles in your father's international demonization be recognized or will you just continue to blame it all on Trump?
5
George Soros is one of many billionaire toying with nations’ politics. His favorite flavor is the left, the Koch’s the right.. It’s just a game to these people ...
11
The willingness of the extreme right to fully embrace Trumps strategy of using fear to stoke and provoke feeling of hate. These are powerful emotions which interfere with reason and good judgment, but incite passionate dedication and even a compulsion to act.
This is Trumps fault, but it is also the fault of every republican who traded their in souls, to ride the Trump train. When the Republican leadership lines up to support Trumps racist hate fill rhetoric on a daily bases, they condone hatred and what it yields . And what it yields, is violence of the type we are watching right now.
Our only saving grace is that someone stupid enough to be moved by Trumps rhetoric, is also to stupid to build a functioning bomb.
5
Perhaps the old duffer should cease his meddling in things that don't concern him then.
4
Hate does not help the human race; hate will not make America great.
3
“Bombs sent to my father, George Soros, and to former President Obama and Hillary Clinton are a result of our politics of demonizing opponents.”
No Alexander. They are the result of a leadership in the White House with no respect for what has made America into what it was as a Nation prior to the ordaining of an incompetent fool named Trump president by a mob of impotent malcontents under the auspices of the craven poltroons of the Republican Party.
4
President Trump, his daughter and son in law are strong proponents of Israel and all Jewish people. The conflation in this article to suggest that Trump's opposition to some harmful global policies is a cause of package bombs is outragious. Trump is mentioned because of the hatred by Mr. Soros Jr & Sr.
5
Donald J. Trump, the pretend self-made multi-billionaire, invokes George Soros to lather up his "base".
I think it is obvious to anyone who cares to be minimally observant that Trump is jealous of an actual multi-billionaire who does not participate in his moronic charade.
Truth will ultimately be revealed, in fact, is in the process of being revealed. Donald Trump will have nowhere to hide. Truth is his greatest fear.
4
In classic Trump style, the GOP gins up talking points about the “liberal mob” and heads to Fox News to flog their false story. Meanwhile, Trump’s base sends pipe bombs. The sooner this criminal government is gone, the better.
9
You begin by correctly noting that "hate is consuming us."
Then you treat us to a dissertation on your father's Jewish past during Nazism. So far, so good. While your father escaped, and many of my relatives did not, and your father supports anti-Zionist groups and politicians, and I do not, there is some common ground.
But somehow you are either blind, or purposely ignore, the "hatred from the Left." Not a word in your piece about harassing people at restaurants, their workplace, where they live, just because they are Republican. Of course, the shooting of Republican congressman on a softball field, allegedly committed by a Bernie supporter, goes unmentioned. The recent hate-filled smear campaign against judicial nominee Brett Kavanaugh garners not a word. Rep. Maxine Waters urging people to physically confront people who do not share her political views, is another item neglected in this article. And the tacit Dem support of Antifa on college campuses is non-existent in this piece.
Sadly, the "hate" here is often a two-way street. But I have hope not because we all may suddenly fall in love again, but rather knowing that anyone who would cross the line to violence is usually an outlier with serious mental and emotional issues and not representative of who we are, whether Left or Right.
A first step might be to recognize that we are blameworthy, and only all of us can begin to mend the social compact.
12
"We must find our way to a new political discourse that shuns the demonization of all political opponents." This cannot and will not occur until Trump and his vile personality cult disappears. Trump is not a political figure, he is an authoritarian cult leader with a bumper sticker message of resentment and victimhood that has been embraced by millions. Remember, there are still groups who venerate Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Pinochet, Peron, Mao, Castro, and even Stalin. Trump has those same people.
6
Mr. Soros ......
Stay safe. Keep your family safe. We need people like you more than ever.
9
Mr. Soros himself demonizes those who disagree with his father and him by comparing “the hostilities of those who reject our philosophy, our politics,” to the Nazis.
Indeed he is stunningly self-assured that his and his family’s politics, and their attempts to influence candidates and elections etc. are so correct that only the venal could reject them.
Ignoring the breadth and variety of “causes” associated with the Soros name, he would have us believe that the only thing his father has worked for is “to support those who promote societies where everyone has a voice.” And that those who are hostile to his father and his father’s politics are hostile to that specific proposition . He seems to clearly believed no good person could possibly disagree with their agenda.
This combination of broad confidence of one’s own righteousness and consequent demonization of those who disagree, is at the heart of the Left’s own unfortunate contribution to the current poisonous atmosphere.
9
Trump's cynical and hypocritical condemnation of this spate of bomb attacks boggles the mind. He has repeatedly and unambiguously demonized those who don't buy his world-vision, and is glaringly guilty of incitement to violence. It is time to stop this immature and unhinged individual.
3
This Trump phenomenon is as bad as many are saying. It is not like Trump has a small fringe following. He has a scary number of supports who believe his nonsense and cheer his hate-filled rhetoric. If the GOP maintains control of both houses of Congress, I am afraid we are on a very dangerous path. The similarities to what happened in Germany during Hitler's rise is horrifying.
6
First of all, this is not a time for false equivalencies. Only one party abides by their defacto leader calling the Nazis "fine people, the press "the enemy" and the claiming Democrats want socialism and "open boarders" while alluding to "Second Amendment" solutions. Meanwhile, demonizing the Left has been the stock-in-trade for the GOP, and right wing media outlets like Fox, Breitbart and Tucker Carlson's the Daily Caller. It's reprehensible, and they should all be held accountable by the mass of voters who disagree with their twisted beliefs and attitudes. Instead of calling out these preposterous attitudes, they elected a Birther to the highest office in the land. It's a devil's bargain. And, they told lies for decades. Obama was a Marxist, who'd seek a third term. Hillary Clinton ran a pedophile ring. Soros pays off dissenters and protestors. Seems the Republicans are so bereft of actual ideas and policy proposals that they have to demonize the other side, and gin up the lunatic fringe to the point that people are getting bombs mailed to them. Enough already. Vote Them Out.
9
Just right now, the news channels shared with us the feed of the crowds chanting at a trump rally: Lock her up, lock her up!
And, I realized that what I was really hearing was, Get the Jew, Get the Jew!
What a nasty piece of work America has become.
7
Mr. Soros has my thanks and respect. It wasn't enough to survive the holocaust? He has to be vilified for working to protect and strengthen democratic principles? Democracy takes work and vigilance. Unfortunately and this may sound over the top - I'm beginning to see how easy it was for people to become SS members. Hate is easier to stoke and nurture and it's more mindlessly fun.
5
Brilliant piece that puts me in mind of Martin Niemoller's famous poetic and prophetic words - "First they came for the socialists, then they came for the Jews, and I did nothing ...." all people of good conscience must do something -- firstly vote against those who stoke the hatred for political gain that leads to this grotesque violent targeting . It is a false equivalency to blame those who seek a more open society i.e. Dems - like saying that the "alt-left is as guilty" for the violence of a vicious alt-right racist march. While it is necessary and right to resist the dissent of a society into factional hatred, it is deplorable for a democratic government to stoke racism and violence .
5
Dear Alexander Soros,
Your father is a hero, so are you and so was your grandfather. Sadly, it seems as if there are more cowards and bullies today than there are heroes, more evil than good and more grim reminders of how often and how soon the worst kind of history repeats itself. Particularly for those who choose to gleefully ignore Santayana's warning in order to reinvent it, then make it even worse time after time after time. And while there's no doubt who these people are and what they stand for, there's also no doubt who people like you are and what you stand for.
Sadly, it seems as if the phrase 'Never again' (the one that followed 'The war to end all wars' a generation later) must never be forgotten.
Now more than ever.
The phrase the failed to correctly prophesize the war to end all wars 'Never again
3
Alex let's make no mistake about it, your father is the Democratic rendition of the Republican's Koch brothers. The 1 percenters who want the world to turn on their axis and think by the privilege of their money they can make that happen. No one deserves to be terrorized, yet the world isn't their playground to do with what they wish.
8
Once America got past Vietnam and '60s urban conflagrations, almost all the domestic terrorism is at the hands of militant religious right anti-abortion Republicans and fringe right militia anti-government Republicans. The left wing environmentalist pop up but not in recent memory.
1
When Oprah Winfrey suggested everyone "take a deep breathe and relax" people thought she was being an out of touch billionaire who isn't affected by this administration. But if we don't agree on anything else, we all must conclude Trump fuels hatred and fear. He has incited people to mail bombs and thrown not-so-subtle hints at rallies that violence will ensue if he is not re-elected. Even the rich and wealthy are bruised by his evil. This person is consumed with hate and those who elected to put him in office should retreat, stand down and look at the greater picture. Time will not repeat itself. Blacks will not wait on the rescue by whites. There will be no more Civil Wars. Unfortunately, it appears this is what Trump supporters are hoping. Lest I burst your proverbial bubble, we and others alike, will never be enslaved again. God's wrath will fall heavy on Donald Trump. May HE have mercy.
2
Any essay that invokes John McCain to exemplify fairness or a level head is a lost cause, and/or naive take your pick.
2
Placing what is being described as a bomb in the public mailbox of one of the world's richest men, or of a recent former president, can hardly be described as a "bomb attack." You'd get closer to killing the man jumping in front of his limo in the hope his driver would run off the road.
It is a lunatic's statement of self aggrandizement, and when they arrest someone we'll find out they are of the incompetent mentally disturbed class, not some serious entity with real intent and real goals. There's a big difference.
4
I attended the women's march in 2016, and told my mom who is in her 70s that I had done so. Her immediate reaction was to say some incomprehensible muttering about the march being funded by....George Soros. To any who want to claim that the extremist views are confined to wing nuts, I will merely respond that my mom was a long time Democrat in her younger days, was married for 41 years until the death of my father, and raised 2 kids in a normal suburban setting. Now she watches Fox news, and spouts off crazy conspiracy theories she "learns" about on that sham of a network. The right wing media hate machine absolutely sows the kind of conduct cited here.
1
Starts at the top - our erstwhile President's constant references to terrorists, mobs, rapists, etc and silence or even tacit approval of violence is so many ways and circumstances quite simply gives permission to the 'violent fringe' to do as they will without fear of retribution or even censure.
Your father is a hero to so many more of us because of his principled his willingness to use his fortune for good. Some try to declare the incitement to violent hate on the right as somehow equivalent to protests on the left which is disingenuous at best and serves as a smoke screen for our decline into authoritarianism. There is no equilanence between calling out someone in a restaurant and sending a pipe bomb in the mail. We must all speak out in whatever way we can.
1
The time is past due to push back on the republican agenda of stirring up a pot of hatred and violence to arouse their "base" of deplorables.
Vote. Vote as many republicans out of office as possible. Send the message that we will not just let them perpetrate the power play in progress to enable the rule of a minority through subterfuge.
2
As a grandson of Catholic Irish immigrants, I respect George Soros and all the good he has done for many with his brilliant mind and his vast fortune.
I am grateful that these bombs today did not explode. They hurt our entire nation, but at least they did not explode.
Our President is an awful person. At what point will we demand that he be removed without further delay?
1
Dear Alexander Soros, Your father is a hero, so are you and so was your grandfather. Sadly, it seems as if there are more cowards and bullies today than there are heroes, more evil than good and more grim reminders of how often and how soon the worst kind of history repeats itself. Particularly for those who choose to gleefully ignore Santayana's warning in order to reinvent it, then make it even worse time after time after time. And while there's no doubt who these people are and what they stand for, there's also no doubt who people like you are and what you stand for. Sadly, it seems as if the phrase 'Never again' (the one that followed 'The war to end all wars' a generation later) must never be forgotten.
Now more than ever.
This is what Trump and Mitch McConnell don't get, as they pat themselves on the back for their ill-gotten "wins." Your "wins" are all going to be Pyrrhic victories.
How do you not see that watching the news makes decent people's stomachs churn - for real, not symbolically? That the news now too often makes us cry? That we feel rage in our hearts when you ram through a tax cut or a Supreme Court inJustice? You two are literally making the country sick.
Divide the people at your peril, Trump. People are not going to get over it, Mitch. I can't imagine how you can believe that tacitly encouraging ignorant or mentally ill people into violence while ignoring the needs and wishes of more than half the country - no longer even pretending to care - is going to work out for you in the not-too-long run.
You are playing a dangerous games with American lives and you need to stop.
1
I don't believe that Donald tells a small (I hope) segment of his most rabid followers to harm leaders or supporters of the Democratic Party, but he has frequently ridiculed and mocked his opponents in a way which makes it clear to this small segment that he wishes they weren't around. There was a time that our leaders respected their opponents, even though they disagreed with their policies.
Donald was angered (why) by the handicapped reporter who was trying to ask him a question and told his followers to get him "out". And he ridiculed the muslim father of a fallen marine until he was told about the death of this brave young man. And to this day he ridicules President Obama and tells his supporters to put vice-president Clinton "in jail". And his supporters eat it up because they think he wants them to do it.
Now we're getting into a truly dangerous area because some of his followers may be following his advice too closely and going a fair bit further in an attempt to please him. Sometimes you have to think before you talk, but Donald has never learned this, and now he thinks he can do or say anything because he's the president of the USA. God help us!
The comments to this opinion piece show exactly who is largely at fault for the "hate" in our politics today. Sure, there are nuts on both sides of the political aisle who preach hatred and intolerance. However, it is the left who have taken it mainstream. The mere fact that I reluctantly voted for President Trump and believe is conservative values makes me a racist, misogynist, homophobic, etc. Those labels are hurled at me and those like me by the people and organizations supported by the Soros family. The "Open Society" envisioned bly the Soros family will be composed of only them and like-minded people.
5
Does anybody ever stop to wonder why these "hordes" of immigrants are dying to enter the US? Most of them are fleeing the violence of gangs in their countries. The gangs primarly make money from selling drugs.Who is the largest market for these drugs?? we are, the USA.
How do these gangs get their hands on guns to help them be violent with? could it possibly be the USA where it is super easy to obtain a weapon?
From what I learn about places that were once beautiful such as the resort cities of Acapulco and Cancun-they are now dead cities because Americans refuse to look in the mirror.
1
Only the right demonizes its opponents. The left doesn't need to-- its opponents are already demons.
2
As long as Trump and his cronies remain in office, it will continue to get worse, especially for women. He has re set the country back to 1964
Of all the hatred swirling about, the demonization of the great Mr. Soros is the most absurd. Conservatives, as anti-communists and supporters of freedom, should be honoring Mr. Soros for championing the open society; and for doing so from his own funds and on his own initiative. Evil is related to ignorance. And this evil is undeniably attached to anti-Semitism. Thank you to the Soros family for speaking truth and modeling dignity.
1
I hope Mr. Trump is happy that someone is actively trying to get these Dems. The Republican part "Vote Republican" ad needs to be pulled from the networks -- along with most of the other ads. (Maybe the name of the candidate and the party should suffice! Seriously.) Enuff already.
I really care not a whit about cause-effect (Hillary/ Pelosi/ Obama made me do it. Enough already. Time for Mr. Trump to vacate the Oval Office - no matter the results of the election. Things have turned ugly enough.
Time for Congress to grow up. Time to make America American again.
1
These are dastardly, cowardly acts. Glad you have security details, guards, security systems.
Now walk in the shoes of people leaving their places of worship, with pick up trucks driving by with menacing people who hold big weapons. Or walk in my shoes as I walk from a rural Walmart to my car, and see and hear what I see and hear. Or come with me to the gym where a guy just gets plain in my face - asking me to go elsewhere.
So I will take a moment to be grateful. Thank you republican voters, thank you for your race based anxiety. Thank you democrat purists who sat out the previous elections or voted for third party candidates to make your point. Thank you young people, for staying home where it mattered (Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Florida). Thank you for your hissy fits, your purity tests, and your support of illegal immigration. Stay home this election day too.
Neither traditional republicans who have embraced this demon out of race based anxiety, nor the whining, non-voting democrats are anywhere near as resilient as the millions of legal immigrants like me. We can take this. We are confident we can build it all again, because we did it once.
Could you?
When Trump leaves us all in shambles, many of us will perish, but many of us will also survive. I will never ever forget the good and decent Americans who stood between killers and my fellow immigrants. If I make it, I won't forget you traditional democrats and republicans either. Make hay.
1
@Conservative Democrat, how did you come to the conclusion that the individual or group that is behind this attack are anarchists?
I agree with everything except the "us" in that headline. I am part of "us" and the hatred is most certainly NOT consuming me!
I would love to see Alexander Soros and Stephen K. Bannon get together for a conversation in a public forum to discuss the pros and cons of their political philosophies. "Open Borders Advocate" vs. "American Nationalist".
3
I am Italian and George Soros is continually mentioned as a sort of puppet master that is somehow conspiring together with Goldman Sachs and I do not know whom to promote left wing causes and subvert democratically elected governments. Many people, not necessarily ignorant or mentally limited seem to be taken by this narrative. What surprises me is that antisemitism is not strong in Italy and who supports these views does not
Mr Soros is being disingenuous here. He knows that antisemitism is not the cause of the resistance against his father’s political agitation - it is antiglobalism. Many have woken to the realization that America’s best legacy is her wholly unique political system and her economic strength. These things were won in epic revolution against distant despots and a century of individual responsibility and hard work - only to be systematically destroyed over the next century by Fabian progressives in the wake of the Communist revolution. The Soros gang is not about “democracy” and open society, but instead are working hard to create a global authoritarian regime that doles out “human rights” in ways they see fit, while dismissing individual liberty and national self determination as outdated. Some of us will not stand for it, and will fight such oppression with every fiber of our being. This is not to condone the recent violence, but to set the record straight for those of us who are pro-American, anti-globalist, educated lovers of liberty.
7
I am deeply sorry for this threat encounter you and your family and the rest of the targets received today. I am deeply suspicious of the Mercers and the Koch's, Putin, MBL, and other billionaires, but rightly or wrongly I have never been suspicious of your father. I have, however, been very aggrieved by Sheldon Adelson. I am a reform Jew. The story of Exodus and subsequent history informs my Judaism, as limited as it is in practice and scope. I was taught "Never Again" and that has been my orientation my entire life. I am really, really concerned that an emboldened far right element is behind all of this for obvious reasons. However, there is something equally alarming to me. Saudi Arabia played a huge role in 9/11, one that has never been made clear. Plenty of Jews and Jewish financiers are willing to play ball with them in light of the obvious. Further, 2008 was not an accident. It was an engineered calamity and coverup of historic magnitude. There were plenty of Jews that were on both the right and wrong side of it all. My question is, how could any Jew 1) ever align with Saudi Arabia all things considered and 2) how could any Jew ever take part in what created 2008. Both events have brought us to these crossroads.
1
Thank you, Mr. Soros, for a fair and balanced discussion of this latest Trump-inspired hate crime. While I agree that the responsibility lies with the individual who sent the bombs, the responsibility for our “new normal” lies squarely with Trump’s celebrations of division, hatred, misogyny, racism, bullying, cheating, lying, greed, and verbal abuse.
Now wait a minute! This hate campaign started during and especially after the 2016 election. Resistant movements started marching outside Trump Tower, designers commented that they would not design clothes for Mrs. Trump (and they didn't even know her!), the Trump children were harassed, and the media has been relentless with anti-Trump messages from individuals who never accepted the outcome of the 2016 election. This is still continuing to this day. Look at the Antifa groups on the west coast. Talk about violence. The left has continued to harass individuals in our government. Members of our government can't even have dinner at a restaurant without being screamed at during their dinner. And it is all due to the continued lack of acceptance of President Trump. No matter how you feel about the outcome of the election, I think that the office of the president of the United States deserves respect. However, that is completely lacking, even within our government itself. I am sick and tired of all the marching and protests since the 2016 election. One of the biggest factors is Hillary Clinton, herself. She refuses to get "off the stage" and continues her vitriol since the day she lost her election. Clinton's ego is huge and she is so narcissistic, she refuses to accept the obvious. Her time if over. The election is over. The country can not come together with the constant negative press, violent marches, and politicians who are no longer relevant.
4
I find the "both sides do this" comments to this excellent article totally outside reality. Who in the progressive community is doing this and worships guns and weapons? These acts are the heart of fascism, plain and simple.
1
Maybe I missed it, but I didn't hear a peep out of the GOP leadership (McConnell, and etc) as regards this act of terrorism. Curious, ain't it.
1
That George Soros is not celebrated nationally as a patriot, and internationally as one of democracy's most generous defenders, says all one needs to know about the impact of lust for power, greed, hate and ignorance, on our world.
This is nothing less than a mass perversion. We will not survive long if we do not extinguish it.
2
My children and their spouses work in NYC, ,my friend works across from CNN. Other friends live nearby. What politicians have wrought with all the lies and the hatred and the vitriol puts us all in jeapordy. Not just the senior members of political party.
It is time for Trump to act like a leader. Stop the hate speech.
2
Actually, we need to find ways to keep big money out of politics. How about this:
If you are not eligible to vote for a candidate, you cannot contribute to their campaign.
Just think about this for a moment, and what it would do to neuter the influence of big money and lobbyists.
4
Yes, politics demonizing opponents, including media such as CNN, who question and criticize, which is their right under the 14th Amendment. Think about Trump praising the actions of that politican for body-slamming a reporter. Can it be true that violence towards political critics and adversaries is condoned by the President of the United States? Yes - and today's actions by some horrible extremists is the result, at least in part, by the unacceptable rhetoric and actions of a narcissistic and immature and dangerous, President. Trump's use of bullying and condoning violence must be condemned in word and deed by the American people and by Congress. And let us pray for the safety of all.
1
Neat. Let's not pretend that both sides are equal. There's one side responsible for this and all the atrocities in American civil society today, and it's the Republicans. They are fully responsible for everything that has transpired in the past two decades that have led us to near-civil war. They've stolen judges, stolen presidencies, stolen the media outrage machine, and continue to destroy America from the inside. This is NOT a Democrat and Republican mess, this is a Republican travesty that needs to be answered with violence.
1
We may be teetering on the brink. We need to open our eye and shout. We need to vote. But most of all we need to declare each and every day acts such as these as heinous. Each time our rights or the rights of others are encroached we need to object. If not our democracy fails. Thank you for your your for your family speaking out even if it has put you in harms way.
This strongly partisan Opinion ignores the hateful political rhetoric of the Left and of many Democrats.
The Democratic party has become the party of identity politics and divisiveness to anger its potential voters for short term political gain.
The animosity that results, damages all Americans.
2
As long as Mr. Trump having fun on Democrats' demonization there will be more of this kind of attack like Pizza gate. When finally he start to understand that he has to be president not a campaigner for Republican only; we will have no peace.
1
Not everone in the ‘we’ of American is divided or full of hate. While I cannot deny we have a left and right, the press loves it all, the protests, bad language, etc. I have frieds on the opposite political divide, and we get along OK, because our friendship is greater than our differences. I suspect the haters on either side are hating a stereotype in their own mind.
1
Thank-you Mr Soros and thanks to your father for all the good he has done in the world.
There is a lot of evidence for what Mr. Soros said in these comments. People demonizing political opponents. We need to be careful that in opposing Trump and his policies that we don't canonize the Democrats. We don't deserve it. Many of the current politicians may be sorry excuses for human beings, but that does not make them the devil incarnate.
"We must find our way to a new political discourse that shuns the demonization of all political opponents." I agree, Alexander, and I wish you and your family best wishes. You are 100% right that people have got to calm down and pull themselves together, but I wish to make one point, in all due respect. I read calls for peace and harmony on almost a daily basis here in the NYT written by Democrats, but they are always laced with criticisms of Trump and always blame him for the political atmosphere. Where I come from, when you shake hands to make peace, you don't spit in your opponent's face while extending your hand. I say this, let's be friends...period. We have a country to run.
1
Mr George Soros has been trying to influence public opinion in the United States by using his money. His is a left wing agenda and his meddling is resented by decent people everywhere. If he is an American citizen he has a vote. He should use his vote to register his opinion, not his money.
Thank you for this important piece. The points you raise need to be said again and again and again. The constant chaos and barrage of lies generated by this presidency obscures the very real threat to human lives and democracies around the world. At the core of all this destruction is bigotry, greed and cowardice. And Congress is fiddling while Rome burns.
But we can change all this, we can overwhelm this hatred at the polls on November 6. We can then set out to make laws that work to prevent the sorry chain of events that led to this dangerous and despicable fool occupying the White House in the first place.
1
Social media has given a voice to everyone,the sane and insane alike. Fox News cables vitriolic and slanted commentators spread the message of hate and our so -called president eagerly,enthusiastically, works up his fans at his endless rallies to frothing heights of hatred and discrimination. Credible news outlets report on trump endlessly, encouraging his twisted,demented ego. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, trump and his cabinet,along with the GOP, are quietly dismantling the progress we were making in education,healthcare, the environment,etc and there are very few in the media reporting this. Read Michael Lewis’ newest book.
I’ve lived through a lot in my 77 years but I have never seen anything like this! I may not live to see all the resulting damage that has been done by this administration but I fear for the children everywhere. If a recovery is even possible it will be a long time coming.
2
Has to be one of the most tone deaf articles I've ever read. I don't know whether to call it ironic or hypocritical, maybe both. Written by the son of a man who is on record, for financing some of the most divisive encounters I've seen in my 40+ years.
I continue to see fingers pointed at the proverbial "right" about hate, and I have to admit, as someone that is pretty liberal myself, the large swath of hate is actually coming from the other side; the media, celebrities, and some very very misguided folks.
This isn't even about parties, it's about principals and right and wrong. We are a divided nation, but once again, it's my fellow liberals that are responsible for this and once again I have to state, this is was a long-time in the works. Once again this is not because of Trump, he's just merely the symptom of a disease -- says a non Trump supporter.
The sooner people like Soros and the Clintons and Pelosi and other 70-90 year old "Democrats" stop speaking for me (I mean seriously, what in the holy heck is going on?) the better. Sadly, they'll triple down and Trump will win 2020 by an even bigger landslide. It's almost a guarantee at this point. Only this time I'll vote for him and so will millions of others that sat on the sidelines last time.
I called it years in advance last time and I'm doing it again. Because nothing has change on the "left" other than more hateful rhetoric. Still waiting for some actual hate from the right that always talked about.
1
Our extremely polarized polity is the result of decades of relentless "us v. them" demagoguery, posing as "balanced" punditry and "entertainment," on Fox News. Creating tribal identities, patriots v. traitors, real folks v. elites, is Rupert Murdoch's way of creating a bloc of fervid voters with which he can intimidate politicians and anyone in his way. He's followed the same game plan on three continents and it's made him very rich and feared. It's also wrecking the democracies that allowed him to build media companies inside their borders. They eventually find it impossible to have a public debate with his audience of chronically misinformed and stirred-up viewers.
2
As much as I oppose Trump, this article suffers from hyperbole and over the top exaggeration. The exaggeration is not Soros’ identification of the escalating political tribalism in America, but his efforts to paint Trump with the same anti-Semitic brush as David Duke and others. This presumably has led us to the despicable acts of the coward(s) who mailed the explosive devices to leading American Democrats. For example, Soros’ specifically mentions Trump’s final TV ad and cites “dog whistles” of anti Semitic. Based on Soros’ Description you would assume that the ad is anti Semitic and supportive of white supremacists. It is neither. The images of Soros’ father (a legitimate target of criticism, just like the Koch brothers) Ms. Yellen, etc. in that ad are clearly minor examples of a far more accurately described theme of anti elitist, not anti Semitic. Such over the top comparisons weaken the writer’s point. The overwhelming — and I mean overwhelming — majority of American for voted for Trump in 2016 are not anti Semitic. Some of them are WWII veterans, who would be insulted by Soros’ claims. Wealthy progressives such as Soros simply do not get it. The Democratic Party today is out of touch with many ordinary Americans. Blaming Trump’s unfortunate election on anti Semitism feeds the partisan divide. Worse, it is yet another court official afraid to tell the Emperor he has no clothes.
Those who write here that both Democrats and Republicans are guilty of demonizing the opposition are right only up to a point. Yes, some Democratic politicians have been guilty of using incendiary language against Donald Trump and his supporters (e.g. Maxine Waters) and they ought to have been rebuked by the party leadership. And Democrats have used harsh language in condemning Republican policies (from Bush II's war in Iraq to the current president's stances on immigration). But criticism isn't demonization. Villifying opponents as "the other" has been S.O.P. for Republicans for years - from the days of Joe McCarthy and the John Birch Society to Cheney's labeling Americans who decried the atrocities in Iraq "unpatriotic," to Trump's birther campaign against Obama and of course Trump's mudslinging insults against not only Obama and Hillary Clinton ("Crooked Hillary!") but also against his Republican rivals for the GOP nomination. When it comes to demonizing, the Republicans win hands down.
Dear Mr Soros,
Unfortunately you are missing a crucial point, hate is not the root cause of these crimes its simply a tool for greed. Your father. Your father's policies makes a lot of the really wealthy people in many countries feel really insecure about their continuing extreme wealth and power. Their strategies are quite simple, fan the flames of hatred towards him and those who agree and further his vision. The worlds problems require a reorientation of the world order that threatens the masters of the present order, first and foremost, the fossil fuel industry and secondly the global religious establishments they are hitting back with all the tools they have available. Tribalism, nationalism and racism are all part and parcel of how to divide and conquer handbook.
1
Now US is in the "Brigate rosse"/"Rote Armee Fraktion"/"NSU"(Nationalsozialistischer Untergrund)" phase. No surprise.
This is not a matter of political discourse, Mr. Soros. This is all too naive and counterproductive. Yes, political discourse is derailed. No doubt about it. This is to fix. Also no doubt about it. But this pipe bomb effect is simply to fight anyhow. By authority means and not by waffling about any favorite issues. No option for everybody. In Germany and Italy WWII-experienced young front-line officers were in power when they had to cope with Brigate Rosse/RAF threat at that time. They knew what to do and so they did.
Yes, you should discuss all the issues you have raised here. It has to be done thoroughly. I fully agree. But it takes two parts to get this stuff fixed in future and your simplified approach in this op-ed (to be clear) is not helpful at present.
Even if political discourse is not going your way - I don´t think it will - this terror threat to face has to be cut out without any buts and maybes by ALL. It´s not depending on YOUR worldview. Some crucial issues are not allowed to depend on any kind of worldview. This had been the lesson of both world wars to be learned by all and it had been the message for any potential terrorists.
I´m afraid you have to learn this lesson first. So please step aside and let US officials do their way first. They will do it the same professional way as their European counterparts did. I don´t have any doubts.
When Mitch McConnell made his declaration that Barack Obama would be a "one term president" and then defied the will of the American people by refusing to show respect for him and refusing to work with him, that was the beginning of the end of democracy and the beginning of raw "in your face hate" for the democratic process in America. Then President Obama was elected a second time and McConnell kept up his defiance and his hatred of the will of the people. But an even greater injustice is the loss of opportunity that befell our country as a result of this. President Obama's election was an opportunity for the whole country to move beyond race, but because of the vitriol of a few, the vitriol of the many has been kindled and stoked. These are sad, sad days indeed.
3
Mr. Soros talks about how something changed in 2016, including David Duke making an endorsement. In retrospect, it is interesting that Trump at least strongly disavowed the support and endorsements of psycho racists like David Duke; but Hillary Clinton did not disavow the support and endorsements of the intervention-first, neo-con war hawks such as Max Boot and Bob Kagan who helped cheerlead for and orchestrate the Iraq War.
People like Boot and Kagan led to the rise of Trump because they helped destroy the "normal" brand of the GOP by unleashing the horror and lies and wasted trillions and wasted human lives of the Iraq War. Bush-Cheney, Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld, Boot, Kagan, etc. so thoroughly destroyed the credibility of the GOP that they provided the opening for Trump to eviscerate the "normal" candidates during the 2016 primary, most of whom, Rand Paul aside, carried Iraq War baggage.
It is not a surprise to hear that they are now leaving the Republican Party since the GOP is finally listening a little more to the Rand Paul wing & rejecting the messianic, regime-change, Wilsonian "democracy" interventionism that characterized the Bush-Cheney years.
Whether it is David Duke or the Iraq War architects and apologists, neither should be welcome in Washington, DC nor in the pages of respected news media nor as commentators on TV. The Democrats would do well to strongly disavow support from the likes of these folk.
1
This column was compassionate about Republican Congressman Steve Scalise, reminding us of the actual injuries sustained by him during an assassination attempt on Republican representatives. He was injured - though not as seriously as the writer's father George Soros. Or maybe Mr. Scalise's injuries were in fact more serious - but only barely.
An important and necessary piece by the relative of a genuine victim. The attacks against Soros have always had an obvious anti-Semitic character, even if there is room to disagree with some of the causes it has funded the far-right attacks have echoed Nazism. "Nationalist" Trump appears to be tuning back in to the Breitbart/Bannon crowd (days before Trump's speech, Bannon appeared on a far-right YouTube channel and said that saying the word nationalism is "important!" The responsible right-wing press such as the WSJ and National Review panned the influence of these violent ghouls throughout Bannon's tenure. Hopefully they can reign in some of the hate from the more rabid Limbaughs and Alex Joneses of the world. So tragic.
3
An excellent, timely commentary.
There are far too many mealy-mouthed comments on this thread that claim both sides of the political divide, both parties, are guilty of the vicious, hateful, demonizing rhetoric, the reflexive lies and the pandering to the most extreme and ignorant elements of the populace that has now become normal.
Don't blame liberals and Democrats for the the toxic, mendacious stream of bile, bigotry and conspiracy theory that issues from the mouths of Trump and his followers on a daily basis, and is amplified by Fox News, Alex Jones and the rest.
Liberals who respond to the provocations and hatred that have become the mainstream stock in trade of the GOP are not guilty of lying and slinging dirt like Republicans are. They are speaking up - as they should.
What are reasonable people supposed to do in the face of the current insanity - say nothing? Give up?
Dozens of members of the Trump campaign and administration have been indicted and even convicted. Many more, including Trump's own children, may yet be indicted. Several cabinet officers have been forced out due to their corrupt acts. This newspaper exposed massive tax fraud on the part of the president's family mere weeks ago. This degree of corruption is without precedent in American history, and the danger it poses to the future of American democracy is palpable.
Liberals are NOT the problem.
1
When people spread lies and threaten others, IMHO I think a police report should be made and slander charges should be filed. When someone threatens, for example CNN by saying they are fake and openly hopes for harm, CNN should not take it, they should bring their entire legal team down on that person. When certain people slander Mrs. Clinton, she should file a suit for slander, drag them to court and make them prove what they are saying or pay up. There should be consequences that are long over due.
1
The more undermining occurs by demented individuals to the institutions of our democracy, the stronger it gets. It is unfortunate, that even in a well educated society such as the USA, there are still individuals left who cannot differentiate between liberty and libertinism. Sad.
1
Thank you Mr. Soros.
The ugliness of hate that is dividing the country has pervaded even basic family structure. I have beloved siblings that I can no longer talk to who feed on that constant diet of divisiveness and plain ignorance. Forget the holidays anymore.
Chillingly, I have never heard so many people wishing that the president would die. While I agree he is a waste of space, truly, what have we as a nation become?
But we all owe your father a great debt of gratitude for believing in and supporting the principles that actually did make our country great once upon a time. I fear it was all a fairy tale and the evil trolls will win.
1
My heart aches for our southern neighbours. But to say, or imply, as President Trump did in Charlottesville, that there are people (equally) to blame on both sides is beyond the pale.
2
It all started a long time ago. The news media used to have a news division that, theoretically, would report the news in a totally objective and unbiased manor. And there was an editorial division, where the media company expressed its political opinions. These were clearly marked “Editorial” and those editorials and opinions were ALWAYS in a separate section (or at least a page) from the hard objective reporting.
Well, over the years, opinion pieces would appear on news pages. Now opinion has actually worked its way into articles that are supposed to be objective reporting.
To cut to the chase we now have large organizations like Fox News which doesn’t even try to hide its bias. Result...intolerance and incivility has poisoned our land.
Sadly, without an objective news media, returning to fact based civil discourse will be almost impossible to resurrect!
1
Mr. Soros appeals to our better angels. Donald Trump does not understand that concept. He throws red meat to his followers. As long as that works to fire up his base, Trump will continue to lie, insult, disparage and exhort to violence. As long as Republicans get re-elected, they will support Trump. If the Dems retake the House in 2 weeks, Trump's stranglehold will be reduced. The House investigations will commence along with Mueller's "witch hunt" and SDNY investigation in Trump's activities.
2
I have never been so scared for my country as I am now. Yes, many terrible things have happened in this country. But this time we knew better. We know how Fascism rises. We had safe guards in place: financially, legally, socially, economically, etc...What happened? Why? For What? I am sorry Soros family, fellow citizens and global citizens.
3
I'm on your side Alex, but what do you suggest? Turn the other cheek? Love thy enemies? It's too late for that.
3
Yet, voting them off won't make them disappear. They will hide and strike in other ways. We should do anything to keep an eye on them everywhere we think they are.
George Soros is certainly the go-to bogeyman for the right. They accuse him of funding every anti-Trump activity -- including the migrant caravan. Try talking to a right-winger sometime and asking how Soros could possibly be rich enough to foment all this anti-Trump feeling and activity. You'll get the knowing nod that means "yep, you're one of them".
As for being more civil or "calling out" Republicans for hate speech, it won't work. You don't stop a despot with newspaper editorials and hrrumphing. When has that ever worked? As we discourse here, the right is figuring out ways to blame this on the "libs". In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if right now, on alt.right sites, they are already backhand-praising the clever Soros for bombing his own house.
2
Thank you for your insights into the important work your father has done and into the deeply disturbing rhetoric used by President Trump against anyone he deems a threat. Every voice that is raised against bigotry and fear mongering is a beacon, a light exposing the darkness of ignorance and malignant actions.
2
That's a scary situation for your family. Your father has done incredible work to give voice to freedom, a true American hero. All I would say is such a crime is the result of his success. There is fear on the side of those who want to demonize; they know they're losing.
He would not be their enemy if he weren't getting it right. I have always admired him, from early years of knowing hate into fighting for democracy. Those who demonize others try to destroy but it's people like your father that improve society.
99% of the hate is on one side. For a long time, the Republican Party has sought votes by demonizing others (blacks, immigrants, gays...) while the Democrats have tried to win elections by earning support for their policies and beliefs. Democrats still do this, but at this point, Republicans seem to stand for and voice only one thing – hatred of Democrats/liberals/the "Left." I would say that this column will fall on deaf ears, but really there will be no Republican ears to hear it.
1
Thank you Mr. Soros, for this piece and for what you and your father do.
1
From your mouth to God’s ear, Alexander. How horrifying that your family is so deeply affected by the political climate in our country. Your father is a truly good man and on the right side of history. Wherever these conspiracy theories come from - Alt-right, Trump, Russia - they come from an evil source.
We must vote Democratic this election. Our country needs balance. We are losing our way with Trump at the helm. We must have a course correction before we are lost entirely.
1
The Trump Show will be in Charlotte, NC this Friday. He is coming to stump for Mark Harris of "Servant Lover" fame. The Charlotte Observer is alerting citizens to be aware that his visit might create traffic problems. WAKE UP MEDIA! Traffic problems are the least of our concerns. How about a reminder that he spouts hate and incites violence, and that listening to his spew will be damaging to your mental health and the health of our democracy.
2
You can take this to the bank, this will unleash the politicians to unleash what George Orwell warned about.
I agree there is too much hate filled talk and actions. But to imply or limit that to Trump outright or by innuendo is to be a part of the problem. One sidedness is fake news and a form of censorship. No mention of the democrat who gunned down GOP representatives playing softball? No mention of "let's kick them" Eric Holder? No mention of HRC inviting uncivil discourse, or "activists" shouting and intimidating GOP senators, or WH officials? The so called "resistance" is taking a page from Trump and going lower, going public, and going to the streets. If no democrats try to reign in that mindset, we can expect far worse than poorly made pipe bombs in the future. It IS time to reign it in... on BOTH sides Mr. Soros Jr.
1
Hopefully, people won't just be frustrated by the hate that will follow the new conservative Supreme Court, but will use this second Dark Ages to address the real problem facing the human species, the belief system. In the near future, we will program the human mind in the computer based on a "survival" algorithm, which will provide irrefutable proof of how we have tricked the mind with our ridiculous beliefs on what is supposed to survive. When we understand this, we will begin the long trek back to reason and sanity. See RevolutionOfReason.com
1
Trump is akin to the mythical Pandora and her fateful box, to the point where political historians will refer to it as Trump’s box. Republicans have spent decades villifying their opponents and creating a narrative that only wealthy conservative white males are the true face of democracy, but they stopped short of encouraging violence.
Donald Trump changed all of that in his run for president. We have a man who opened that box of deceit, racism, misogyny, and greed. He spreads these each and every day through his tweets and mindless interviews - and he now has a very vocal but ignorant following.
I don’t know how or when this will end, but I would think that Republicans in power would have realized by now that they’ve unleashed an evil force that not only affects politics and democracy, but the every day lives of people living in the US and abroad. Life isn’t getting better under Trump. It is getting worse. The question is whether Mr. McConnell and his peers will sit back and watch this civil decline, or do something to end it before it is irreversible.
The political rhetoric since 2016 regarding minorities, women, immigrants, religions, the 'democrate mob,' etc. is so inflamed that it's no wonder that a militant individual with a grievance (or a band of such individuals) would take the step of planting pipe bombs targeted at their political 'enemies.' Pipe bombs! We are at a sad pass, and I only hope the November 6 election will begin to rectify the dangerously out-of-whack politics engulfing our nation.
1
I am so sorry for our nation.
Sorry that Mr. Soros and his family were attacked.
The political discourse on both sides is terrible.
I was watching CNN when the smoke alarms went off this morning, they went to break, however, when the information about several of the bombs were announced, CNN was quick to blame Trump.
I am not a Trump apologist but where was the evidence to pin it on Trump when CNN should know that this bombing episode perhaps was part of a conspiracy to disrupt our election.
Was it foreign actors?
Fool me once.
What a horrific day. So sad, and at the same time sobering. Let me start that I had been a Democrat since becoming a US citizen in 1990. I have always been at the center, and allow me to share some thoughts. While Trump rhetoric is abhorring, unacceptable and must be changed, one cannot and should not forget that since day one, he had been viewed as a joke, a laughing stock on all nightly shows. We should not forget that his supporters had been called a basket of deplorable, and that from day one of his administration all efforts of the opposition was to literally destroy him. So when Linda Sarsour calls for Jihad against Trump, no trace of a push back can even found. When Congresswoman Maxine Waters stands with Farrakhan and uses viral language, calling to physically attack Republicans in their homes, to through them out of restaurants, and more, no word of rebuke from Democratic leadership. When Nancy Pelosi talks about collateral damage to Republicans if Democrats take the House, when impeachment is their wish, when the Kavanaugh confirmation hearing has exposed the hypocrisy of the left, as when a leftist is accused, all of a sudden innocent until proven guilty reappeared, when Eric Holder can say "when they go law we kick them", when the rhetoric is a collusion with Russia before the special prosecutor published his report, one cannot and should not accuse only one side. If we really want sanity and a united states, civility must be on both sides.
1
As much as I condemn anyone who would send bombs to political figures in an act of domestic terrorism, Alexander Soros does not do anyone any favors by describing his father, George Soros, as not partisan. Soros also does no favors to the fight against anti-Semitism by assuming that antagonism towards his father is rooted primarily in anti-Semitism. It is not.
Soros' OSF funds causes and persons it favors, both in the US and abroad. It has an agenda that is not universally supported. Just as none of us voted for the Koch brothers, none of us voted for George Soros. No one, I repeat no one should be sending him a pipe bomb. But George Soros is as partisan as the day is long. And animosity towards the press is inflamed and exacerbated when what is objectively true is rejected because it is politically inconvenient.
1
Alexander Soros is right when he says, "But with Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, things got worse."
For long years, the hate was all one way: the Left hated and demonized the Right. It was said, "The Right think the Left are wrong, the Left think the Right are evil."
With Donald Trump, the Right finally, finally started hitting back, and the Left are gobsmacked.
I am gratified.
If the dictators of WW2 would have been recognized sooner, when they had not gained critical traction, much suffering could have been avoided. Once again we have such a figure on the world stage, It is not correct to say "we all do it"
The neo fascist right does it, and some, very few Democrats try to rise up to the occasion, giving tit for tat but they are not good at it. They need to get much better, if they want to stop this tsunami. The media does not help, they are willfully blind and deaf to huge gaffes, brain malfunctions, (countries south of South America) and the rest of the litany of horrors this misshapen personality is unleashing on the public. His base cannot/will not see it, they did not see it ever, those that applauded and cheered every move of unhinged dictators who channeled their inner demons and castigated their perceived enemies.
The politics of appeasement and looking the other way have failed, as they have always failed, everywhere.
Mr. Soros is incorrect, and dangerously so. We need to gather the courage of our convictions and articulate what we see, clearly and without a self imposed censorship that only helps the other side.
When Trump can withdraw from an arms agreement with Russia, without consultation or research, and there is no public outrage; or roll back 57 pieces of legislation protecting the environment, or ignore the requirements of the Paris agreement, we have to increase our outrage, not moderate it further.
Lots of comments here calling for looking in the mirror and acknowledging both sides are to blame. Funny how such sentiments only seem to come from certain quarters when egregious action is clearly associated with 'their side.'
I keep thinking of this entire situation (and by that, yes, I mean the Trump presidency) as a playground bully scenario. What happens when the bully eventually goes too far, and beats some poor kid to point of needing a 911 call? Oh, I have seen this happen, let me tell you how it goes: the teachers, who should've prevented the beating, get all the kids together and sincerely pronounce how "there's a lot of blame to go around here, and everyone is guilty of pushing buttons they shouldn't be. I think we all need to take this as a learning opportunity for how we all can try to learn to work out our problems before they boil over." And that is that, wipe hands clean of culpability, blame everyone (else), and move on... until the next kid gets hospitalized, at which time this nonsense can be trotted out again. Phew, close call for the bully!
This is effectively what we are seeing here: just as "you also had some very fine people on both sides," we now must claim (cough cough) that "both sides must tone down the rhetoric."
No.
There is one side here that is inciting violence and openly promoting hate. There is not equal blame on both sides. That is what people on the side at fault will say, of course!
We know who is to responsible.
1
" A genie was let out of the bottle, which may take generations to put back in, and it wasn’t confined to the United States."
You have it wrong. One cannot put the genie back into a bottle as it will just get opened at some time.
We are in a clash of world views. Those of the enlightenment and its prodigy the US Constitution and the Scientific Method versus the narrow mindedness of Religion and the philosophy of "The Different" and "The Other" and their New Dark Age.
It was whittled down after 1945. It only stayed beyond the radar until now as the majority of people in the USA were doing ok. A bit of luck in the sweep of economic history and not likely to be repeated soon.
Now with the problems of Capitalism not being addressed with courage to morph it to fit the current world, all the vitriol from the genie is coming to play.
There is no reconciling the two world views. That means one of them has to go. It will not be pretty.
1
While the malign spirit Mr. Soros speaks of is widespread around the world, we must not forget that the leaders directing the strategy of one of our two major parties spent over a half century making a home for it through what was referred to as the Southern strategy. The current Republican Party is the result of that.
4
I'm surprised at how many comments talk about the rhetoric on both sides, and how discourse needs to be more civil.
We have always had vigorous and raucous debate and personal attacks and attacks on the media in politics but what is new is we now have a President indulging in the worst form of it.
The President is supposed to be a leader, and there are many who will follow his example. It really matters that he advocates and excuses violence, but would hardly matter if Rep Waters or Gomhert did.
Pres Trump is using his power irresponsibly and we are all paying a price.
7
While the bombs may be the work of a single individual or a group of individuals, let’s not forget that the violence such as the body slamming of reporters is widely cheered at Trump rallies on an everyday basis.
3
Alexander,
I put all of this — all of it — at Trump’s door.
He has unleashed forces of evil in the US and across the planet that will literally destroy the human species, if we do not immediately put a stop to it.
This election is critical, but if it accomplishes nothing, what then? I agree; there is not much time left.
There is a long road ahead; zay gezunt, and keep safe; and hope for the best.
6
If every one of us stop watching TV (specially news channels) and stop reading social media outlets (such as facebook, twitter) for a few months, peace wll prevail and differences will vanish.
2
Today, President Trump condemned the attempted bombings and said that violence has no place in American society. At the next political rally - as he has done in the past - he will encourage violence against protesters, cheer the physical assault of journalists and use rhetoric to create fertile conditions for political violence.
3
Anti-Semitism differs from other types of prejudice because practitioners of it have convinced themselves over the course of centuries that Jewish people are smarter and more financially astute than they are.
That is why it has persisted so long over time and that is why it appears in odd places like Poland, Japan, Greece and Botswana, where not many Jews live.
The fact that Jewish people occasionally are smarter and more financially astute than other people compounds the difficulty of dealing with the issue.
http://global100.adl.org/public/ADL-Global-100-Executive-Summary2015.pdf
1
It is not a long road between Trump's Red Meat filled Hate Speeches at his Rallies and Terrorism and the Terrorist Actions that happened this week. Trump's vile, Racist rhetoric has its fingerprints all over this Terrorism. New Yorkers are living with Terrorism all of the time, Trump is pouring gasoline on that every day he Tweets, Rallies, Speaks. He is handing the Terrorists within his MAGA Movement the fuses to ignite Fear and Terror while he divides the Nation to achieve his own Political Objectives. This man needs to be held accountable, and held accountable now. No more Coddling the Terrorist in the Whitehouse.
1
To those who daemonize the political right:
You have missed the point of this piece.
We need to stop blaming those with whom we disagree.
Their is no absolution in condemning the political opposition.
And, their not even your enemies.
Trump is a symptom.
Your hatred of his supporters feeds the disease.
1
I am a 1st generation American born to ethnic parents who emigrated as children from Yugoslavia. They faced descrimination but eventually assimilated and were accepted. My family is not Jewish and I cannot understand the ongoing hatred and persecution of Jewish people. It takes a particular kind of ignorance to have this mindset. To those guilty of this, I ask "what have these people ever done to you to make you hate them so?" I would venture that you are just hateful people who finds it convenient to scapegoat a group of people who have been persecuted for centuries. The kind of sickness being manifested in our country will come to no good. A house divided against itself cannot stand.
1
Alexander, it's not fair to put you and your family through this kind of terror. Your family has been nothing but supportive and encouraging and has been responsible for so much good in this country. Don't despair because the angels are on your side.
We are rapidly becoming an uncivilized third world country.
3
I feel that I must agree with everything you say. There is an insidious force that has been let loose upon this country through vile propaganda, violent discourse, voter suppression, outright racism and anti-Semitism. I wish the media would make these issues the thrust of their daily stories because our democracy is being threatened from the inside out. Your father and grandfather sacrificed too much. I would like very much for a courageous press and media be the spear that lances the poisonous boil of White Nationalism and creeping fascism. I would like to see the electorate rise up and vote out those who would tacitly condone these cowardly acts of violence.
2
I don't hate liberals, Democrats and other leftists. I am surrounded by them and many of them are my friends, and my family.
I just think most are dumb, or unthinking, or can't be reasoned with, or all three. The rest are well-meaning true believers with whom I disagree.
The last group is easy to deal with, since they have a point of view. The first group is not worth talking to - it's like trying to have a discussion with someone who puts both hands over their ears and shouts "lalalalala". In other words, a five year old.
2
"On Monday afternoon an explosive device was delivered to my father’s home north of New York City"
It only took one sentence for the deception to begin. The use of the phrase "my father's home" is quite the stretch:
"Billionaire Soros' company co-owns the house at 168 Cantitoe St. in Katonah"
"Soros has owned property in Bedford since 1993, when he bought a home on a 35-acre lot on Cantitoe Street for $10.5 million. In 2003 he bought a Katonah mansion from Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton for $19 million, and later purchased two more adjacent parcels from Crichton.
Soros Fund Management LLC, his company, co-owns the 4-acre property at 168 Cantitoe St. where the explosive device was found on Monday. His company also holds partial ownership of three neighboring parcels on Cantitoe Street totaling 68 acres, as well as three properties up the road on Girdle Ridge Drive in Katonah, totaling 23.19 acres, according to Bedford's assessment roll."
Just the typical American "home"...where Alexander and his father must have played catch in the front yard.
@rfmd1. Okay, I’ll take the bait. Having grown up in Bedford off of Rte 22 I am familiar with the large estates and significant wealth of our neighbors. Soros is just one of many. These are people’s homes. If I had Soros’ wealth and notoriety, including being on the receiving end of such negativity, I too would be scooping up property to ensure privacy and security...for the very reason we are reading about today.
What is your point ? That Soros is rich? That the bomb doesn’t matter because Soros is rich?
1
Yes, and it comes directly from Donald Trump.
My heart goes out to George Soros and his family. So cruelly vilified by Republicans for years...and such a generous man. His son writes a heartfelt article, very powerful. I too am a child of survivors and I know how painful being hated for who and what you are is....and how terrifying...Trump is a dangerous, destructive person, who must be impeached.
1
@Bruce Rozenblit nailed it:
We now have millions of Americans who can no longer be reasoned with because of the constant propaganda from Trump and Faux News.
An acquaintance of mine made a stupid claim about Hillary Clinton when we were at Starbucks. I bet him $20 he was wrong and vowed to bring him proof. The next time we met, I had researched the facts which indisputably established my acquaintance was wrong. I showed him my sources, including the NYT, WaPo, and Snopes.
But Ed refused to cede! He insisted that some alt-right rag had proven his version was true. It was some e-magazine I had never heard of which was crazy on its face.
I was taken aback. I realized when this happened that Ed was not willing to listen to reason. He clung to his disreputable source as if it were reasonable to do so.
It is downright baffling.
It is the effect of nonstop propaganda from Trump and Fox.
9
We all know this was caused by the incitement of violence by our President. At what point will both parties decide to impeach him? How many journalist have to be cut up into little pieces with a bone-saw before those in power who are supposed to PROTECT us, will PROTECT us and not using this for their advantage. This is why John McCain was a hero in a sea of cowards.
1
Thanks to your father and family for all you have done and do for humanity and America!
I voted early today. I did not vote for one single solitary Republicon because I also place Country above any Party.
The only Party which places country first in the USA is the Democratic Party. It was an easy choice for me.
(This election is too important not to vote!)
2
This has all been made possible courtesy of Mr. Trump.
Oh let's all jump on the "both parties are to blame" bandwagon!
WRONG!
Trump and his supporters are to blame. Period.
2
The hate that is consuming the GOP. and fueled on purpose by Trump.
There, fixed it for you.
Let's get something straight. This isn't a situation where both sides are to blame, not in the least.
With the direct encouragement of our deranged president the alt right has proceeded down a path of racist, anti semitic violence that will only increase as it did today.
No-one is sending bombs to the Bushes, Ted Cruz or Mitch McConnell. Just to Democrats. Encouraged to do so by Donald J. Trump. Are we clear on that now?
1
Ballots are stronger than bullets. WE will prevail. Get out and vote this unhinged and deplorable administration out.
PS. I am so sorry Mr. Soros for your suffering. Our hearts are with your and your family.
1
What ideology you contribute and what are the consequences of your actions in real life can be absolutely different and as I see this is the case in György Soros activities at least related to European migrant crisis.
It's fairly clear where the problem lies and what the motive is when it gets to the point of MAGA pipe bombs sent to:
2 Democrat former presidents;
1 Democrat Secretary of State who ran for president;
1 Democrat former Vice President and Senator;
1 Democrat former U.S. Attorney General;
1 Democrat current House member and former DNC chair;
1 Democrat current House member;
1 Independent former CIA director;
1 Democrat businessman supporting global democracy;
1 Democrat NY actor and longtime party supporter.
All with the return address of that Democrat current House member and former DNC chair.
Mr Soros makes the immediate assumption that this act is the act of someone who is an anti-Semite and a conservative, and makes the assumption that any who disagree with him is against Democracy. Look in the mirror Mr Soros, no one is more anti-democratic than you and your family. Your families actions against Mr Kavanaugh were just the latest in your attempt to get your own way at the expense of ruining anyone's life who does not have your political philosophy. We have met the enemy, and it is you.
3
Demonizing and, don't forget, lies - constant, purposeful and omnipresent, lies.
We must vote in 2018 and 2020 to correct our current affairs. We are witnessing how fascism starts and how a democratic society is easily overtaken by those who are determined to undermine the very freedoms that helps spread their poison. Make no mistake we are at the first steps toward fascism. The very same leaders who feed fascism are playing both sides by condemning it. Make no mistake, just as Trump praises white nationalists and Nazis and equate them to those protesting them, it is nothing by a green light to commit heinous acts as we are witnessing today. Trump over and over has directed his venom and anger against Mr. Soros, President Obama, Secretary Clinton, the press, etc. He also admires Putin, Kim Jong-Un, MBS, etc. His continual encouragement of the mobs is intentional and planned to inflect the kind of damage on our democratic values. Vote in 2018 and 2020- vote to stop fascism before it takes hold over us. It is that important!
1
Thank you Alexander for your thoughtful column.
1
"Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?"
("The Second Coming," by William Butler Yeats)
In these mad times it seems there is a proliferation of righteous indignation among "all the lonely people" yearning for their 15 minutes of fame as Armeggedon-preaching messiahs.
Some shoot up pizza parlors because they've been riled up by lies...some do far worse.
Hardly anyone believes in the possibility of persuading others by civil discourse any longer...in part, because the limits of public discourse seem over-determined by powerful interests.
Which leaves us where?
Posting
2
Enough with blaming the left, too. The headline should read: “The Hate That Is Consuming The Right”. So tired of the “both sides” meme. The piece excoriates the far right; the headline doesn’t match.
3
Mr. Soros, Joaquin Castro accused Jared Kushner of handing the leader of Saudi Arabia a "hit list", including Jamal Kashoggi. Blood libel. Again. Your family has the right to spend their money any way they want, but as a loyal American, and and as a Jew who wishes to see one Jewish refuge survive on this planet, I wish you would think about the needs of your own people with the same energy you use to tell Americans what they need to think.
Surely George Soros knows how very fortunate he was to have survived the Holocaust in a country that turned over its Jews in 1944 to the Nazis, even when the Hungarians knew the war was all but lost. Irrational hatred is a powerful, virulent force and whenever it has sway, we will see evil triumph. The Nazis came to power by means of such hooligan acts and murders, under the cloak of Nacht und Nebel (night and fog) as the criminal behavior became the norm. The rest, as they say, is history. Let's not repeat that aspect of it here...
5
Tribalism is toxic. Like what Mahershala Ali said, what divides us is minutiae. Human mature is universal.
Both major political parties are guilty of many of the same divisive tactics.
But I’m not aware of Democrats embracing bigotry, anti-Semitism and racist dog whistles.
The recent fear-mongering, outright lying and record-scrubbing about healthcare, immigration, Medicaid and Social Security is also a Republican strategy.
I’m not aware of Democrats borrowing from the white supremacist playbook. Let’s not equate restaurant heckling with embracing racism to win over white voters. One is bad, the other is depraved.
6
Yes, I do blame Trump and other Republicans for fostering an atmosphere of hatred; but, we also need to look at the role of the Russians in this. They want us weak. They want us divided. They want us in civil war. They will feel stronger if we are weak. They are like a poisonous snake infesting our social media.
1
Your column is right on the money. Thank you and thanks to your father for his support for causes that put people before power. The US has devolved since the 2016 campaign and the blame can be laid at the feet of Trump. He is crass, anti-intellectual and has none of the qualifications in knowledge or character to be POTUS. However, he is a grifter of the first order and has been stunningly successful at appealing to the worst in people. Each time he is in trouble, he creates a new outrage and distracts our attention and that of the press writ large. I hate comparisons to Nazis as nothing really compares with that evil, but his manipulation and bold lies so willingly accepted by his followers have created an alternate universe in which lies and falsehoods are alternate facts and real news and reporting are fake news. Arguing against the lies brings incredulity and conspiracy theories in response. Was it not Goebbels who said that if you repeat a lie long enough and it becomes truth.
The midterms can be the first step in ending this nightmare. Americans have to work mightily to take back the Congress, perhaps the Senate, and state houses. The Democrats must find courage to stand up for civility and decency in American life.
Each time I think that things cannot get worse, they do. Trump actually charged that George Soros is financing the caravan from Central America through Mexico and that Democrats are behind it and will give those refugees driving licences and cars. Crazy.
For decades I had to endure the scornful comments about places I left behind to be an American.
Not anymore.
That's the sad truth: the USA is now like any other one, or ... was always as such and effective advertisement sold me a lemmon?
2
Hatred is the poison that this President injects into his public political discourse that unfortunately inflames his simple constituency for purely malicious purposes.
Sorry, but this is not a "both sides" issue. One side has a President that refuses to speak out against pipe bombs, congratulates Congressmen who body-slam reporters, sends pipe bombs to opponents, marches through the streets chanting "Jews will not replace us", chugs milk to prove their white European bona fides, sponsors meetings featuring so called "proud boys" who openly advocate for a white-only nation and the oppression of women, lies repeatedly about the former President's birthplace, refuses to play fair on the Supreme Court, etc. etc. etc.
Until Republicans can address their own moral corruption, we are at a stalemate.
1
This type of polarization and hatred is nothing new. It existed for a long time in the nineteenth century, before the Civil War. Preston Brooks beat Charles Sumner with a cane, severely injuring him, on the floor of the Senate in 1856.
And then what happened? Oh, right, a bloody war that cost 600,000 lives.
Never mind.
Very well said.
They hijacked the DNC party turning into a laundry mat, and stole the primary nomination. They just got done maligning and destroying the rep of an innocent man. They are trying to orchestrate their once global revolutionary coups on an American President, and now they pretend to be victims? This is serious gaslighting abuse on national level. It’s so ridiculous, its funny.
Simply yet so beautifully said.
The proof is fully in the pudding, as the younger Mr. Soros states.
Prior to the 2016 election, I was generally not very familiar with the elder Mr. Soros.
Mr. Trump’s 2016 GOP nomination altered everything. I was profoundly disturbed the hatred & intolerance he expressed. I was greatly concerned that his brand of vitriol found such an eager audience. I feared he would win the election, but my concerns fell mostly on deaf ears.
Now I am quite “familiar” with George Soros. Though unfortunately, not the gentleman champion of progressive causes. I am but sadly acquainted with Soros, the malevolent bogeyman,
endlessly demonized by the radical right.
I am disgusted that this Jewish Holocaust survivor, devoted to progressive causes, has become the reflexive, go-to Scapegoat of typically White, Nationalist (often Christian) forces of hate here & abroad.
“When will they mention Soros?,” I ask? This routine would almost be comical if it weren’t so sick.
I left “lesser Katonah” long ago. I‘ve never thought to return until I learned that the Soros’ safety had been threatened, somewhere in that small town.
Now, I feel I must make a pilgrimage of sorts. There is a debt I feel I must pay to Mr. Soros & all who are somehow suffering under the weight of the current hateful regimes. I must pay it on behalf of at least my own ill, intolerant & increasingly malignant nation, that harms so many of its own very best individuals.
4
My comments continue to be removed..I said nothing wrong.
1
While hate may percolate and rise from the bottom of society, hate is legitimized always from the top down.
Trump says and means what other Republicans/conservatives have merely alluded to.
61
I fear our national identity is at stake in the November election: whether America will become a nationalist country (“America First”) or return to its role as a globalist nation, promoting democracy, welcoming immigrants, ensuring the stability of the new world order.
Greed, narrow self-interest and xenophobia will not make America great again. Only as a beacon of hope and freedom can America retain its greatness. “With liberty and justice for all.”
3
Those who blame only Trump fail to recognize the violent actions of Antifa whose members have destroyed property, attacked those with opposing views and denied them the right of assembly and free speech. There has been little condemnation of Antifa by Democrats and those on the left. Rather there has largely been silent approval.
1
Alexander, your father deserves the Noble Prize for spending democracy and using his wealth to make the world a better place. Most people in this country are good, BUT NOT ALL.
The elections in 2 weeks will tell a lot of our future. Will there be vote tampering, election rigging? I have always thought Trump would stage a coup d' tete when facing impeachment. I still do. Since we know the GOP is guilty already , and the courts are under attack, we have really the military to support us.
I wish I had more confidence in the American voter , BUT I DON'T.
1
In all my years in politics, I have never heard the word “hate” used as many times as it has in the last year, entirely from Democratic and other left leaning commentators and organizations. This article is a case in point. It is always about the other side, imputing hate to the motives of Trump and his “base,” but the word itself has been invoked repeatedly, lavishly — exclusively — by the left.
1
@PL
Tip:
Calling out those who hate is not the same as calling FOR hate. The former is the center/Democrat realm. The latter is the right/Republican realm.
Because it IS hate. Do you hear the words of your leader? It’s hate for the “other,” self-absorption, and insular blindness to what makes for a decent world. Hate must be called out. If you don’t see it, study harder.
Changing the narrative begins with leadership.The Republican establishment must accept some responsibility for todays debacle. They allowed their nominating process to debased by name calling and buffoonery.The result is a Republican party that is not able or willing to repudiate this kind of behavior. It has now escalated to the point where lives are being threatened.The republican leadership is willing to accept this Faustian bargain
with the President as long as it suits their political agenda.
6
What kind of "democracy" we have that permits money power to wield so much power? and the mega voice? Will anyone listen to Mr Soros if he did not have money to throw around? Such concentration of money, power and voice works for Mr Soros, and it is not democratic in any decent sense.
1
Before it is too late? The cynic in me says it is already too late. As the writer stated the genie is out of the bottle. Societal polarization is well underway for having been kick-started by Trump and his minions. We are now right back where we have been any number of times in history. Human beings never, ever, learn. The extremists always rise to the top of the sewer like.....
In any case the outcome will most probably be the same as it always is; the only mediating factor will be the level of violence associated with the convulsive catharsis of the final stage. I only hope we have at least learned enough, while struggling for a new political and social equilibrium, to keep that violence to a minimum.
Towards that end this latest attempt with pipe bombs is not the least bit hopeful. So my question to history is this. Are forces even now setting up to have their own version of the Night of the Long Knives? I guess we'll find out, won't we?
John~
American Net'Zen
3
In my heart, I prepare for war. I don’t want to see it, but look. Members of a political party have been attacked with bombs. Systematically, strategically.
Aug. 20th, 2015 - After a Hispanic man was badly beaten and urinated on by two Boston men, one of them told the police that he was inspired by Donald J. Trump’s anti-immigrant message. Mr. Trump responded by telling reporters that his supporters were "passionate", adding: "I will say that people who are following me are very passionate. They love this country and they want this country to be great again.”
What more needs to be said about Mr. Trump and his complicity in this?
6
It is my opinion that making a profit on currency manipulation and collapsing economies has contributed to the ultright streak in Europe and elsewhere.
Try to be bipartisan or apolitical when writing about economics.
2
Hatred begins on the periphery and moves into the core of a society, from the extremities into the bloodstream of a people. This may or not be a precursor of things to come, but a far more consequential thing has happened. What has been exposed, and recognized as such, is nothing less than the so far covert racial foundations of American nationhood. It is out in the open now. The tragedy of this country is that it is recreating on its own soil, and each time with greater intensity, precisely those conditions in Europe that Americans of European origin have fled from.
1
Mr. Soros,
I applaud your column.
And could NOT agree more - that we "must find our way to a new political discourse that shuns the demonization of all political opponents."
Happily, right there, we have found the important common ground of open discourse (i.e. civil discussion of any issue important on either side of the aisle) free of fear of any reprisal or censure. Emphasis on 'Civil'.
MOST importantly in the instance of these devices - find their creators and colleagues, and bring them to justice - let NO impediment slow the wheels of justice. Further, anything that could impede the open discourse of reasonable minds in the pursuit of our individual freedoms enumerated under the Constitution, should be brought to justice. Yes?
I am less certain of your following comment that... "a first step would be to cast our ballots to reject those politicians cynically responsible for undermining the institutions of our democracy." While I surmise from your opinion that you are generally referring to Mr. Trump and his supporters. I fear that this indictment cuts deeply, indiscriminate of party. See most recently our Congressional approval of a Supreme Court Justice. Have you ever seen anything more ugly? Clearly that table was set and served by Democrats with hate and partisanship? No?
Who otherwise do you hold responsible for that ugliness?
Yes, there is NO room for anti-semitism. There is also NO room for anti-Republicanism (or any other creed, ethnicity or faith).
2
No one sent bombs during the hearing. The hearing was painful, not ugly. What was ugly was our presidents mocking of a sexual assault victim (after confirming her believability). To bring up that hearing is a sad digression. Stick to the issue: bombing our critics.
Trump has openly and unapologetically encouraged violence against his political opponents and the media, specifically singling out the press, which is so vital to a free and democratic society, calling them "the enemy of the people." His remarks today saying that "we need to unify," and that "acts or threats of political violence have no place in the U.S." were the height of hypocrisy. It was only the other day that Trump praised congressman Greg Gianforte for body slamming a Guardian reporter, calling Gianforte "my kind of guy." That reporter, Ben Jacobs, remarked the other day in a CNN interview that, “My concern is not about my situation as much as it is about Jamal Khashoggi and everything going on in the world. That the signal this sends about how the United States and how the president of the United States views journalists, when 44 journalists have been killed this year.”
3
Mr Soros, thank you for sharing your thoughts. First time I heard the name Soros was in the 80s when as a fresh immigrant I have met a number of people in the Boston area studying or doing research on a "Soros grant".
As a Hungarian refugee from Transylvania, the extreme nationalism and right wing politics of today's Orban administration fills me with extreme sadness. As for the US you are right, a dark cloud descended on the US in 2016. But despite this week's despicable and cowardly act of sending a pipebomb in the mail, I have faith - if not in the people who follow president Trump and loudly cheer at his rallies, but in the people who, like in the 1940s, quietly and resolutely stood their ground, and stopped another evil cloud from spreading.
I urge you to look at this week's events as the side effects of your work well done. There is always the one or the other who wants all the power in their own hands. That is why the world needs more Open Society Foundations than it is ready to admit.
2
Based on some comments, few understand the ugly specter of nationalism infecting the Republican Party. Americans fought two World Wars against it, to preserve democracy.
Forget about blame. Holding both parties accountable will not solve the problems created from political division growing in the country for decades. The biggest problem as a consequence of such division is the rejection of American, democratic, and human values and the embrace of anti-democratic nationalism by the Republican Party. Americans who wish to preserve our democracy must stop nationalism at the ballot box.
2
Trump has openly and unapologetically encouraged violence against his political opponents and the media, specifically singling out the press, which is so vital to a free and democratic society, calling journalists "the enemy of the people." His remarks today saying that "we need to unify," and that "acts or threats of political violence have no place in the U.S." were the height of hypocrisy. It was only the other day that Trump praised congressman Greg Gianforte for body slamming a Guardian reporter, calling Gianforte "my kind of guy." That reporter, Ben Jacobs, remarked the other day in a CNN interview that, “My concern is not about my situation as much as it is about Jamal Khashoggi and everything going on in the world. That the signal this sends about how the United States and how the president of the United States views journalists, when 44 journalists have been killed this year.”
6
Very well said, and I hope more of our elected leadership heed this warning. The path of hatred leads to destruction.
2
Your father in my eyes is a Patriot. Thank God no one was hurt and God Bless your Dad.
2
Taking years to move public ideas to legal reality is NOT the same as using immediate social media forua to incite a specific public reaction.
Positions require th.ought. Reactions do not.
Our current socio-political context elevates reactions...and denigrates positions.
9
I am hopeful that 2020 will bring a change. "You are fired" from the top job must happen soon if we want more decency, equality, compassion and civility in our country. I am equally sceptical that voting in a Democratic president from current "talent pool" (except maybe Bernie) will bring this change about. There will be enough strong emotions still cooking and sizzling and the vicious partisan politics will continue. How about we think more in the middle for the love of our country even if we feel we are betraying some of our principles? Could Mayor Bloomberg fulfill it? BTW I sent in my overseas ballot a while ago. I hope it is counted. There seems to be a way to track overseas ballots on line. will check. All absentee ballots must be postmarked by November 5th. All at home or scattered outside the country please vote this year and always!
5
I have no idea about the motivations that led someone to send these dangerous packages to certain individuals. But I do know that we need to move beyond partisan hatred. If 80% of the of the country says “we want health care with no penalty for pre-existing conditions,” then our democratic society must accept it. If 80% of the country says “we want to own guns,” then our democratic society must accept it. Majority rule is the foundation of a democratic society, with acknowledgement that the minority is not to be persecuted. If these professed desires are made on good faith, free from manipulation, they must prevail. Nevertheless, threats of violence made by those living in fear of not having their desired outcomes realized can never be condoned and must be view as fundamentally against democracy.
2
Actually, this isnt 100% true. The Founding Fathers foresaw that a demegague could sway the masses into following them. That was the original purpose of the Electoral College, to have a check on emotions of rhe masses. So while as a general principle your words are true, reason and wisdom must prevail if the most popular course isnt the most beneficial. That being said, the issues you list are good examples where elected politicians ignore the wishes of their voters to fillfill thw demands of their donors. Most want health reasonable care. Most want gun ownership with sensible controls. In borh cases, these wishes are overrode by the money spent by those that benefit from not following the wishes of rhe majority.
13
I don’t think majority rule is the answer, nor was our country designed to accommodate majority rule. It was designed to ensure that majority was not the only consideration in the making of laws and election of leaders. Majority plays a big role, but if you have a majority of wrongdoers, there needs to be a remedy inherent in the system. We theoretically have that in our country, but it is not free from corruption. It’s the corruption that needs to be removed.
To see your way through the haze, ask yourself: who benefits from the internal political chaos that's slowly but surely putting American life in a vice?
Just read a bit of history. Coups, revolutions and civil wars are always supported by external forces that take advantage via a divide and conquer strategy. From French support for the U.S. War of Independence to American covert efforts during the 1953 coup in Iran, there is no shortage of examples.
Currently, the U.S. is in a death grip with both Russia and China.
America has been in a de-facto information and proxy war with Russia in Ukraine, Syria and eastern Europe for years. At the same time, ever since Obama's TPP trade initiative, the U.S. has been overtly attempting to stifle Chinese growth and power - an effort that has increased 10-fold with Trump's military and economic policies directly aimed at choking Beijing.
Both Russia and China know exactly what's going on, and they're doing what they can to retaliate. This isn't to say they had a hand in today's events - they most certainly did not - but they are doing what they can to stoke this growing fire.
We are living in extremely dangerous times, from Trump pulling out of Reagan's nuclear deals with Russia to the public comments today from the former commander of the U.S. Army in Europe that a war between China and the U.S. is likely within 15 years.
Arm yourself with information and think critically; the future of your nation may depend on it.
7
The character of a democracy is determined by its voters, not its population. To not vote is to let others decide what that character will be.
16
I agree with Mr. Soros, Jr. that this political hatred must end and I have much empathy for his family in this terrible situation. The anarchists who plotted these bombing attacks need to be caught and severely prosecuted.
The politics and gargantuan spending of Mr. Soros, Sr., on his personal political agenda, however, are fair game for civilized debate.
Soros, Jr. writes that Hungarian leaders and others in Europe are “falsely accusing my father of wanting to flood Hungary with migrants.” But the author provides no factual rebuttal to the fact that the practical effect of the hundreds of millions of dollars his father has spent encouraging migration, has in fact helped flood Europe with immigrants.
Having billions of dollars does not give one the moral right to override or marginalize the will of a majority of a nation’s citizens. There is nothing remotely democratic about such outsized spending by one individual to further policies he believes are in the best interests of a country or continent.
15
@Conservative Democrat
George Soros has used his money to help the oppressed. His Foundation has never promoted migration but has helped the many refugees throughout the world who find themselves in this predicament. It is rather strange to read that you question his "policies," as you don't seem to know anything at all what his Foundation does.
Those that want to spread hate call his philanthropy leftist. However, he uses his wealth to try to make the world a better place. Oh, just to name a few: Early childhood education, human rights, the Algebra Project, a U.S. national mathematic literacy effort, Health and Rights, Higher Education,Justice Reform and the rule of law, etc., and the list goes on. He believes in humanity.
Spending money to advance one’s beliefs is perfectly moral, as long as it is transparent. You know, like Open Society Foundation. Soros funds what people believe. Not everyone has the funds to promote what they believe in. Acquiring funding to do so is indeed democratic.
@Conservative Democrat Personally, I would rather take my chances with the political agenda of a Jewish billionaire who personally witnessed events we're told must never be repeated; who saw how easily a totalitarian regime can gain traction (in Hungary) and donates to causes which are counter in every way to those reprehensible examples of human behavior. The alternative is an escalation of self-glorifying rallies around a demagogue with a penchant for disdain for democratic principles. We're banning books from libraries; can book burnings be far behind?
No one can rule the world with one ideology. No one can think that there is a new world order. It is myopic. The world is created with diversity, each country is great not one country is great alone. Human life can never be controlled but rather be respected. Money will never buy a human mind spirit and goal. So to say that the mind can be groomed to a specific thought process for supremacy is a really bad idea. No one will buy it. The Democrats has had their ideas for some years now. Republican ideology by a specific president is different.
3
When people make any threats directed at a sitting President, they are taken seriously and investigated. The same standard should be applied to any President: they have great influence and ability to address large audiences. Presidents should be censured when they incite threats against any group of or individual citizens.
My brother had the honor of interning at the Open Society Foundation 2 decades ago. Please thank your father for his work and philanthropy.
24
I am thankful that the first comment that I read here explained, quite eloquently, that both parties have created this atmosphere, and that both parties need to police themselves. However, it is not just politicians who are whipping the crowds into a frenzy, it is the media.
Earlier this week in New York, Ronald DeRisi was arrested for threatening to shoot Senators Chuck Grassley and Susan Collins because they voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh. In June of 2017, Congressman Steve Scalise was shot by a man that newspapers described as "hating Republicans", and attempted to kill Scalise and congressional staffers while they were playing baseball.
Is it Trump who motivated these actors? Or is there a larger problem with our news organizations putting out news as entertainment that is more polarized than it is true?
20
@Middleman MD You blithely blame "the media" for every single one of these attacks without a scintilla of evidence to back it up. NYT, WaPo, Eco"st and other responsible media aren't "putting out news as entertainment."
I agree with you whole heartedly. How can any of them call themselves journalists. Any unbiased report would show all violence and/or attempted violence toward anyone from any party. This behavior is abhorrent in any democracy. We centrists and moderates must fight this polarization our country is at stake. We must speak out.
I am sure no one wants to take the time to understand this, but the divisiveness in our country is a direct result of winner-take-all electoral system. In Europe, there is a lot of discussion, but the divisiveness is less because the electoral system allows many different parties to enter the Congress, who then vote on the President.
14
Thank you for speaking out clearly and forcefully. Those Americans who value their freedom and democracy must rise up forcefully and tirelessly to confront the rage filled rhetoric, and now violence being promoted by the increasingly extremist right wing.
Your family's experience and history underscore the points that a) Those who are not willing to defend their democracy are destined to lose it, b) Once lost it's almost impossible to regain it.
14
I have been a Republican so long I remember when George Soros was viewed as a key ally, helping to consolidate gains for democracy in Eastern Europe. His "Open Society" philosophy had aspects that led to some disagreement on specific issues, but his fierce commitment to human liberty and anti-communism was respected and even viewed with some affection.
George Soros has not changed much since then, but the GOP certainly has. The new "nationalism" leaves little room for the liberty to be an individual or to think differently. Many of my fellow Republicans would be offended by my statement, but that is just because Trumpist nationalism has not yet found any reason to say that they are not real Americans.
54
@Mark R. So why do you remain a Republican? You cannot fail to see that the agenda of the GOP is to destroy American democracy, not to mention the planet itself.
The truth is that in their wisdom, the voters should of voted in term limits at both the federal level, and state level, for all those elected decades ago, and no legislation would be passed, that didn't have attached funding for all of it, by taxing. Then, and only then, would we of done thinking about which war, how long, how much we were willing to spend on programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, and hopefully, we would of decades ago, come up with a single Payer health care system on a sliding fee schedule. The government we have had for decades is not really working well both fiscally, and policy wise. Look at immigration, all the issues, and Congress since Reagan has failed to address all the issues.
3
Thank you, Mr. Soros. This is one of the finest, most .important clolumns I have read in the Times.
And it is a strong argument for voting against the administration and against all the Republican candidates for state and federal office, almost all of whom enable the vitriolic speech and the prejudicial actions emanating from the White House.
30
My thanks to you and for the wonderful work of your father over the years.
My wife and I will be filling out our absentee ballots tonight with your essay in mind.
36
I have the utmost respect for your father's good works! Keep it up. Tyrants come and go. Trumpism too shall pass.
I hope the pessimism reflected in so many comments is wrong.
I am reminded of the Israelis and Palestinians. Neither side can sit down at the negotiating table, in part because past grievances cannot be left outside the room. Neither side wants to make peace. In their case, the Israelis currently dominate on the basis of force (and I understand the moral dilemmas). In our case, there is no way to see a definitive victory.
The violence that concerns Mr. Soros will not abate and is likely to escalate, particularly with the legacy of people like Pat Buchanan and Newt Gingrich--so manifest in the belligerent and bombastic behaviors on display in our current president.
There have been historic ups and downs in our national tolerance for one another, but the intolerance has always been there. It is now facilitated by technologies that allow hair-trigger grievance to be spread in an instant, by technologies that can twist and distort more than ever.
The other day the senate voted 98 to 1 to pass a bill helping to address the opioid epidemic. And then our charming leader complained for the cameras that the Democrats were being obstructionist in the process. The minions cheered.
So much name calling, so much finger pointing, so much blind allegiance--and no effective fire extinguisher, only accelerants. It is hard to be optimistic.
25
Absolutely, and it must also start with each of us refraining from the ever increasing temptation to respond in kind. It takes determination and maturity to resist the temptation to fall into the sneering and name-calling which are the mildest levels of this horror show which is our current political life.
22
No. It is not the result of "our politics of demonizing our opponents." It's the result of Trump and Trump worshippers demonizing everybody else. I say everybody else and not just Democrats because that's Trump's MO - see the Republican Primary, where he demonized Cruz, Jeb and others. I'm getting tired of press coverage that normalizes or equalizes everything Trump is doing. You might as well publish the lede then: "good people on both sides," and be done with it.
56
So, the combination of fake news on social media (which can publish anything without regard to proper sourcing and corroborating evidence) along with Trump’s suggestions that physical retaliation is an acceptable action against all who disagree with his world view has produced the logical consequences - assassination attempts on the lives of those Trump has vehemently attacked.
21
Sadly, almost all from your grandfather's generation have passed on. They had witnessed hate and vitriol at its worse and many gave their lives to defeat it. They brought us out of a shadowed era and into one that struggled to keep democracy as a guiding light despite our own domestic differences.
Now as this same evil infects us nationally, we can see firsthand how the roots of it get started. In 2018, our foe is within our borders and thus makes the fight for democracy even more difficult. Where our fear used to unite us, we now have those who embrace it and use it as a wedge. It's a shameful turn of events given your dad's and our own ancestors' sacrifices.
24
It was an early start from here in Hove to go with seventy others on a coach to London to be among the 700,000 who marched (though that is not exactly the verb for the shuffle, such was the press of numbers) to try to stop Britain leaving the EU. An amazing time. As so many have said, it brought together people from various Parties, views, and there was a great, heartening good nature about it - with much wit on the placards (and support from an array of dogs). There was no violence, no arrests. Democracy in action, talk amongst people who had never met before. It gave us heart at a time when the world has never seemed so fractious.
17
Thank you for your insightful and heartfelt op-ed. Hatred of "the other" has always been a catalyst in inciting the most horrific events in history. It was not accidental that your father was among the targeted victims along with another Jew and three African-Americans. May God bless you and your father for all the work you do in the Open Society Foundations to build tolerant democracies and hold governments accountable around the world to all citizens without regard to race, color or creed.
24
Evolution seems to have favored the optimists and the risk takers. Maybe even those with a sense of humor. Let's work for a United States of America. A functioning democracy. Let's work for peace on earth. As an admitted Star Trekkie, it does appear to be possible. In my little town, folks who vote Republican and folks who vote Democratic volunteer together. Drink beer together. Have fun together. Laugh together. I see it every day.
18
@Stephen Armiger
And body slam together ,What fun!
The Nation will change when we get the Multi-Millionaires out of the Congress and Senate. They allow the Corporations to control their decisions in their policy making and enforcement.
22
@Abdul The thinking of the Ultra Rich, whom most in politics belong to that clan, is the same as the corporations, no difference at all, since the Ultra Rich are the same people who Own the Corporations and sit on their boards, and the laws that they will create for themselves will reflect the thoughts of that class.
And for the most party they are psychopathically greedy, instinctually dishonest and think that everybody else around them is faking it too.
They do not understand that, no, that is just how it can look when people are defending themselves from those predators around them, because they are Not all predators themselves.
We DO need to have a better representation of those who ARE poor, who DONT have the millions or a Billion dollars to run for high office. We NEE to have Competent people at the reigns of Government, intent on Helping the People, instead of considering The People as Slaves and Tax Base of Labor for their own enrichment.
Political Advertizing needs to be reconsidered under 'free speech' as that term is being used to debase the argument. That and the money spent on Political Ads needs to be taxed at 200%, if they have THAT much money to throw at TV and Media ads, then they can send double that to the Government in Taxes for Our troubles in having to listen to them.
Not all of us hate, one can be upset and alarmed at what is going on without hating. We need to work together to fix what is wrong and hatred has no part in that.
4
This could happen if we shift our representative structure to one of SORTITION, a randomly selected, but truly democratic governing body.
I think the tumultuous times suggest we are at the end of the Post-War WWII period we have inhabited since 1945. The transition to a new equilibrium, whatever it may herald, is not the result of Trump or Obama or Soros but of larger human forces. This is vague but in ten years when we look back, it will be much clearer. Change is hard and uncertain.
8
An enlightened view of the state of things. Thank you Mr. Soros. I hope we can turn this state of things around. I am saddened by it. My condolences to you and your family.
22
Thank you Mr. Soros- you and your father have attempted to add a measure of grace to the world. I have seen many years of competition, but never has the madness been so relentlessly broadcast- nor used to such advantage. I try to stay in the real world where people give up seats on the subway, smile at children and care for their neighbors.
It may be prescient to look to William Golding's Lord of the Flies as the example of a society that once chose a good leader only to have power seized through fear, power and appetite- I hope your words help us see this for what it is and avoid the fire that may become only way to realize that the beast is within us.
15
More proof that the true patriots of a democracy are the ones working for democracy. Bravo to George and Alexander Soros.
35
My mother's recent death was an opportunity for my brother, two very religious, Trump-loving sisters and I to pull together. It was not easy. One sister made end-of-life decisions that made no sense to at least two of us or to an Alzheimer's specialist that I consulted. For the most part, we avoided politics, but my sisters slipped at times into preaching. And yet we found a path forward. Together. In the end, my siblings reached back to me across the religious and political divide. They asked me to deliver our mother's eulogy. I was honored to do it.
How common is my family's experience? How do average Americans breach the gulf every day? Why can't we get our elected officials do the same thing?
12
Thank you Mr. Soros for speaking for your family and for so many of us. The politics of fear, stoked by the man who now sits in the Oval Office and condoned by his Republican friends has no place in this Democracy, this country of immigrants that your family chose after being disparaged in Hungary. I became myself an immigrant to this country by marriage, not by force. The country I emigrated to more than 30 years ago is not recognizable. I have never seen nor heard such divisions. Unfortunately when we as a country mention having conversations on how to remove divisions and work in a bi-partisan fashion, like the one advocated by Senator McCain and President Obama, the stakes get higher, the fears get stronger and the divisions remain. Why? Because we have a man in the Oval Office who is supposed to be a healer of a sort. This President is not a healer. He divides people, he stokes fears, he spats lies all day long and says those who don't agree with him are the enemy of the people. What country have we become? The Republicans are no where to be seen, they are afraid of losing their seats and they are afraid of this monster at the helm. The only voice We, the People have is to vote and we will vote the ones who are suppressing us out. Go Dems, Resist, Persist and VOTE!
37
A major reason why this country is in the mess we are in is because of the lack of results in our attempts to help the poor and needy.
The citizens paying for the efforts to help minorities and the needy are saying enough is enough. For over half a century we have thrown money at the problem and it still exist.
At the same time taxes continue to rise while nothing is solved. The resono is there is a lack of monitoring. controlling and adjusting.
In the private sector once a plan is established and implemented someone is watching and making adjustments to the plan as needed.
There's no such function in the public sector, which in turn causes poor results.
Until this is corrected progress does not occur and frustration grows. Change is needed.
7
The infection of fear: of the truth, of change - whether environmental, demographics, culturally, socially, geopolitical power shifts, globalization, equality inequality - is I believe inherent within our human genome, it is as natural as love, our emotional attachment to our loved ones, our desire for recognition and dignity.
We have seen this fear manifest itself most recently in fascism and the ugly side of communism, before that the French Revolution, looking further back I would guess that the German tribes that Rome continuously tried to conquer were fearful of having to live like romans. I have no inclination to condemn those who want to retain there way of life - the farmer who wants to continue to have lifelong friends as neighbouring farmers, the communities that they have grown up in being foreign is a scary thought, it would disrupt there identity of how they perceive the world and changing that without there consent being told from on high that it is the right thing, without asking there opinion or listening to them - I cannot be angry with anyone who wishes that. However if there are those who have serious need, whose dignity has been stripped, those who are treated like less that human then we must fight because we value our fellow man, we must because if we do not we sink backwards in time. Do not fear change, you must understand it, accept it and only then can you control the outcomes.
4
As described in A Course in Miracles, there are two states of being, and all other conditions fall under these two states. They are LOVE and FEAR. Simply put, it is Fear, of which Hate is a condition, which has consumed us. We have absurdly become frightened of each other.
15
The GOP owns this. For years many people have been afraid of Trump’s stoking of violence. We have seen the evidence from his “rallies”. The GOP has been complicit in their silence as he calls the media “the enemy of the people” and now one unstable follower has reacted to every one he has lied about, sought extrajudicial jailing of, and mocked and labeled as enemies. Trump bears responsibility in all this. And so too does the GOP as they are silently complicit.
36
@BiffNYC
Margaret Atwood has it way over on Ayn Rand , Sorry Biff.
When the truth no longer has a place in a society, then those that speak the truth or attempt to speak it become the enemy. There are many in this country that need an enemy, real or made up, to exist.
26
The force equivalence of blaming both sides is unfounded. Liberals typically never condone violence and there is no leader on the liberal side who has advocated for violence or anyone except for Trump and if there is one, name them and I will be the first to shame them. Remember when Maxine Walters made unfortunate remarks, there was a swift backlash from Democrats even though she never advocated for violence.When they block your rights to vote, people organize and fight. When your rights are threatened through an unpopular Supreme Court Nominee you fight to win the seat and when you lose, you move on and we don’t send bombs. Look at the statement of Mr Trump, he could not even name Obama, Clinton or Soros as victims. Those in the middle of the debate need to weigh their comments carefully because this is what we saw in Charlottesville and Mr Trump stayed, there was blame on all both sides.
23
I am terrified. Each day I hope to see some compassion, some humility, some humanity come from the current occupant of The White House; each day, I am disappointed.
41
Let's stop equivocating and say clearly that attempts to silence those whom one disagrees with are WRONG and have no place in a robust democracy. No matter whether from the left, center, or the right, vilifying and attacking is wrong. It is possible to disagree strongly and civilly. Our current political climate, it must be said, is notably poisoned by our President, who instead of acting like a leader in a free land is all too prone to fan division and grievance. But, it's not just Trump. This insanity must stop and anyone perpetrating overt attacks like this is a terrorist and should be tried as such. America is better than this!
12
On today's NYT Op-Ed page in an article by Alexander Stille, we're reminded of Benito Mussolini's activities in pre-WWII Italy. Now, bombs are used today in New York City and Washington, D.C.,as a terror threat. Mr. Alexander Soros and his family speak from history, they know how to identify the evildoers.
Is anyone awake out there? Is anyone seeing a parallel between the run-up to WWII in today's world?
It's foolish to dismiss these incidents as trivial. They're serious.
It looks like a slippery slide we're on toward a terrible calamity.
24
It cannot be said often enough, both sides do NOT do it. The demonization of opponents is a Republican feature, not a bug. Look at the vitriol and hate directed at, in no particular order, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters.....
The hate is coming from the right and it is tearing the country apart. And to make it that much worse, it is amplified by Trump at his hate filled rallies. And now someone or someones have taken the message to heart and started mailing bombs to Trump's opponents and antagonists. Can we even imagine what will happen when the Democrats take control of one or both Houses of Congress?
41
These bombs are more of the same evil we keep seeing over and over again characterized by an atmosphere that encourages blind and foolish hatred and a willingness to use violence.
This is a nation steeped in war crimes that have been perpetrated around the world. WE have destroyed the lives of literally millions with no thought or concern for consequences. WE have abandoned our own most vulnerable citizens. WE have been dividing our cities into war zones. WE have been creating disturbed beings that have no hopes or goals except blind destruction. WE have lost our grip on common sense and common humanity. WE have a body politic that no longer represents the goals and aspirations of the majority and instead slavishly defends itself with attacks on decency.Even the self-preservation of seriously addressing environmental catastrophy is disregarded.. Our high tech broadcast media cannot bring itself to address serious issues on serious matters yet WE own the airways we allow them to operate on.
This misdirected approach to life is not just a shame...it's a disaster.WE have willingly become a sadly self-destructive country. It's particularly tragic because our difficulties in almost every instance come by choice rather than circumstance.
11
Beyond concern for the well being of the targeted individuals, these disturbing events are a matter of grave concern all citizens with respect to having a civil and stable society. My sympathies for his father being targeted. At the same time, I have to note that instead of calling for lowering of the temperature, Mr. Soros (son) seems to have taken to heart Rahm Emanuel's dictum to not let a crisis go to waste.
6
This piece is correct and will fail. Why? Because Dems only think Repubs do this, and Repubs only think Dems do this. Each will demand the other change unilaterally. Anyone who points out that both parties are profoundly guilty in this mess will be dismissed as a what abouter. But the necessary change will not come from the demands of the other party. Each party must police itself and show principle. When Waters says harass the opposition, she needs to be sanctioned, by Democrats. When Republicans call a candidate evil, Republicans must sanction. This is about principles, not parties. Remove the mote from you own eye, before you can see the mote in your brother's.
198
@TD: false equivalency. Dems are the hippy version of Jesus, GOP is the fire and brimstone of the old testament. "Lock her up" is not something heard, yet, by Dems.
The seminal and very accessible book "The Evolution of Cooperation" by Univ. of Michigan Economist, Robert Axelrod, investigates the question - under which conditions does it pay to cooperate?
Cooperation is the best strategy for two or more parties locked in an "iterative game" (thus the name "Game Theory") with no perceivable end (a seemingly a perpetual relationship).
Axelrod then proves that the second best strategy is "Tit-for-tat".
These are all very simple strategies, in fact they are more like tactics than strategies.
It's worth pointing out that Trump adheres to Axelrod's thesis like white on rice. Cooperate with him, and he cooperates back. "Tat" him and he will immediately "tit" you back.
He's not a genius and Axelrod points out, he doesn't have to me.
Now the worrisome part.
Axelrod points out that if one learns that the perpertual nature of the relationship is ending, even if "many moves from now" (in the distance in time) it pays to stop cooperating immediately.
I say this because before the Gingrich/Reagan revolution the 2 parties worked together in congress to find compromise. The Senate was especially collegial. The GOP's abandonment of civility means they foresee an end to the relationship, which really means the end to our constitutional system. Very disturbing.
13
@TD . The difference between Republicans and Democrats is the former will make up false charges to persecute their opponents (read-enemies). Look to Benghazi. Look to the birther movement. Democrats want to investigate legitimate accusations to find the truth. Note Russian and Trump campaign election collusion.
The GOP no longer has any principles, other than to win at all costs. There isn't a mote in their eye; they only see what they want to see anymore.
16
@TD
Democrats are much more ready to sanction other Democrats than Republicans are to sanction other Republicans. They rarely sanction Trump; they should have hit him on the size of his inauguration crowds. The necessary change for Republicans is just not going to come. They dont do it. They wont do it. Instead they are falling in line or being ejected from any power in the party.
So where do we go from here? The party that refuses to sanction its own members must be driven from power, and the party that is willing to sanction its own members must stop doing so temporarily unless sanctioning gives a tactical advantage. This is war.
If someone is making war on you, then you are at war whether you want to be or not, and you fight to achieve whatever will stop the war. In this case, the other side has no likely path to reforming itself, so to stop the war it must be defeated. If the prospect of defeat produces reform in it, then the war can stop, but if it doesnt (as it didnt for Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan), the war must go on to victory.
The sides are not equal. What Democrats want to do (finish the New Deal) is fairly popular, although Republicans have managed to create doubts about its affordability. What Republicans want to do (ease away from the New Deal) is fairly unpopular. They have to, and do, lie about and conceal what they are up to, and demonization is a very good smoke screen. The belief that both sides demonize is a victory for them.
4
Well, Mr Soros, sorry for your pain. Honestly sorry, and I like your father, but he is a billionaire do gooder, and that strikes many people as the height of hypocrisy, and it strikes them in a visceral way.
The right wing terrorists who have targeted him are vile people and hopefully they'll be found and imprisoned in a general population who will know what to do with them. But if Mr. Soros wants immunity from this targeting, he's going to have to give up his day job speculating, put ALL his money in a trust and take a salary to make his real work of social change more palatable.
2
@Wah: I honestly don’t understand what you are implying.
It is perfectly possible to make billions honestly using your brains and not much else, an then give money to causes that matter for the health of a society. It is rare but can be done. Soros is a superb example. His work both in this country and Eastern Europe is exemplary. He died not have to sell his business (not much to sell given what he does) and put the proceeds in a trust fund to achieve your vision of “no hypocrisy.”
1
@Wah
What? So now we are going to berate a billionaire who spent his fortune trying to better things for 'the world' rather than line his pockets. Baloney. Why aren't the Koch animals hounded or the Mercers who gave us Bannon or Adelson?
Thank you Mr. Soros and thank you to your father for his service to humanity and to our country. These are indeed dark times brought out by Trump and his relentless spewing of hate and lies.
16
Here's the problem: I don't believe Mr. Soros. Of course, it's possible that he lives in such a bubble that he only hears about the demonization of the left by the right, by white supremacists and nationalists agains the Forces of Good. But where I live, I hear about Republican senators getting shot up at softball games by a Sanders supporter. Or Republican Shane Mekeland in MN punched into concussion by yet another violent leftist. Or Pelosians who all think its OK to trail Trump officials and other Republicans into restaurants to shout them into abandoning their meals.
But Mr. Soros sees fit to mention none of these or many similar incidents. So no, I don't believe him one bit. What he wants is what the rest of the left wants, harangues instead of conversation, capitulation instead of compromise.
And all the demonization they can muster.
12
@HMI The violence is mostly on the right, there is a president who last week was praising a Montana congressman for assaulting a journalist AND who, during his campaign offered to pay the legal bills for those who would assault anyone protesting at his rallies! Clearly the Conservatives have a problem with hate!
27
@Mari
I'm guessing you've been out of town during the various antifa-led riots, such as Portland. And you were incommunicado while various campus mobs shut down speakers by force, as at Berkeley. And, of course, you no longer remember the attack on Olivia Corn of the Cornell College Republicans. Or the arson against the Republican Party office in Wyoming. Or the Republican congressional candidate stabbed in Castro Valley CA last month. And have already forgotten who James T. Hodgkinson was. And there are literally hundreds more of these incidents. Of course, you might not read about these in the NY Times—they don't fit the narrative, as we say these days.
1
@HMI Here's the problem: you need facts. Listen to or attend a Trump rally and listen, really listen. Check the facts.
And by the way, ahem ... the Congressional ball player who was shot was a House member, not a Senator.
You het the point.
This editorial shd be printed in Breitbart and the WSJ and shd be read on Fox News. Printing it in the NYT is like preaching to the choir.
7
Evil is back hate lies racism and misoginy fuels Mr Trump campaign and consequently anti smitism wake up
5
Sorry, but as a longtime news consumer, thi is simply too fake to believe. I actually think this is setting up that ''Boys'' group that showed up at a progressive event this month.
Good to see they have MNr. Soros up and mobile. We also hear from hisprotoge' Barack the Cool. Trump is doing suh a awful, wasally job that Barack is back to claim CREDIT for what had to wait until after his departure before it could happen.
I'll pause here to give you a moment to process that one.
3
The fish stinks from the head.
Let there be no equivalence.
The fault here lies with Donald Trump who embraces hate and ignorance. His followers are acting upon it, much as storm troopers did.
When he stops inciting people, when he speaks like an inspiring president and not some loon or would-be dictator. perhaps sanity and civility will be restored.
11
When will the New York Times stop calling Republicans "conservatives." And when will the Times stop calling Trump evangelicals "Christians." Using those terms to describe these groups is "fake journalism."
29
The Republicans will start shouting that the Democrats planted the bombs themselves. Not all of them, but it will be whispered loud enough on Fox. Give t a day and that's where we'll be next. This is a death spiral and many of the Republican's devoted base are out for blood, but will never take responsibility for spilling it , just like the NRA.
6
We can lay the blame for this current scourge squarely on President Trump; however, we shouldn't fool ourselves that this is anything new. Back in the 20s and 30s, it was the KKK. Back in the 50s, it was the John Birch Society. In the 70s and 80s, it was white nationalist groups like the Aryan Brotherhood.
What makes today different, though, is that the president of the United States himself is out there propagating and congratulating violence and thuggery, fear and intimidation. He's a most ugly man - something of an Anti-Christ. He's aided and abetted by a silent, docile, compliant Republican Party. This is terrible for our country and the world, and it needs to be stopped NOW.
Good thinking people everywhere - Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike - who disagree with the kind of mob violence Trump likes to encourage - need to boot Republicans out of office in the upcoming midterms. It's that simple. You won't see these kinds of horrific acts perpetrated by Democrats. You just won't.
10
The right hates the Soros and the left hates the Koch brothers. For all the good these many mega billionaires do its hard to believe they haven't earned their reputations of stirring up problems here and abroad. They have to much power and influence in the world. If only they stood out of our business.
What's worse is a lone terrorist who thinks he can save the world with a pipe bomb and the wide spread belief of politics represents good and evil. The stuff of religious fanatics.
What perfect timming the march to the border. Do yo think they'll make it by election day? Maybe not but close enough.
1
@JoeG Christopher Hitchens wasn't a religious fanatic. There has been a lot of fancy footwork between evangelicals and atheists. The rest of us are caught in the middle.
It's the Republicans led by Trump's recent Blitzkrieg of lies and calling democrats the evil ones. We gave this unworthy person the bully pulpit and he is using it in the most vicious self-serving way. I blame Trump.
4
And where are Trump's comments on this aborted attack this morning? Silence, absolute silence.
4
@Birdygirl that is absolutely false. Watched it myself.
The hatred directed at George Soros is indisputably and deliberately anti-Semitic.
26
@Kip This is an economic discussion. Not all economists agree with springs that cause worse regimes and economic conditions.
Excellent post!
1
The whole liberal game plan is demonizing their opponents! Get real!
6
@bill t
Maybe because they are.Demons that is.
There are ultra-nationalists who hate the Soros family here in the South Caucasus [Georgia] too. Last summer, they marched to the Open Society office in central Tbilisi with lit torches and shouted hateful epithets.
Sad.
7
The Times should reprint "God's Country Cancer, " Chapter 12 of Timothy Egan's book The Good Rain.
3
This piece was written before the event.
1
@rex reese..What??
4
@susan mccall He's intimating that this is just another facet of Soros' (supposed) plan for world domination and the subjugation of all mankind.
Just how big a sociopath is Trump? If the bombs had detonated would he still "sleep great"? Does he finally realize that the bully pulpit must be used carefully?
Yes and no.
3
When someone publically warns “before it’s too late,” it is too late
7
This is what happens when an out of control president incites his faithful to chant "lock her up" and spews hate in his rallies.
A nation divided.
The creatures come out of the woodwork emboldened by his cry.
We told you he was unpresidential.
Words matter.
9
Trump's ascendency and his platform of hate has unleashed the id in people. Now the id has been given implicit permission to spew forth hateful words that once might have stayed unspoken inside a brain and worse yet to commit acts of violence. How will this end?
7
"If you can get them to believe your lies, you can get them to commit your atrocities." - Voltaire
25
On Fox News a few weeks ago during one of my monitoring visits to the hate station of the 21st century I was shocked to hear the former DA from Westchester County, Jeanine Pirro, say (I'm may be paraphrasing here) "The Democrats are not even human. They're Rats ... They're Demon Rats ... that's what they are ... DEMON RATS!"
To me it's pretty close to shouting fire in a crowded theater or calling Dr Tiller the since assassinated abortion provider "Tiller the Baby Killer." Thanks O'Reilly
28
Sending bombs to people who have another view of things, is simply ill-minded and sick, and shows that people should slowly wake up. But, unfortunately, Mr. Trump's followers are so full of hatred that they won't ever listen to or read any other views, in my opinion they are small-minded folks, who follow like sheep the person who makes the most noise, and they are not smart enough to see when they hear blatant lies. We know how it ended with H. in the 1930's. But that's apparently what they want? Watching the crowd in the background, while D.T. is speaking, should make everybody scared and frightened. They don't really hear what he's saying, just waving their flags or signs and have an oblivious, scary grin on their faces. The way this unhinged president conducts himself is affecting the world, not only the USA.
13
Yes, hate mail and bombs in the mail are of course horrific, and it happens to the left and the right.
Kavanaugh was vilified by the MSM and received death threats. He also was falsely accused purely for political reasons. His crime? Being guilty of being a conservative judge who was nominated to the US SC.
It was Hillary Clinton who said that you cannot be civil to those who do not share your values, and that the Democrats will only return to being civil when they are back in power. Huh? But you blame Trump for the current state that we are in?
And don't paint Trump as anti-Semitic – he has been courageous to relocate the US embassy to Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Israel. That is not what anti-Semites would do. And he had many critics for doing so, all Democrats.
6
@Philly
Go back two and a half decades: the GOP under the leadership of Newt Gingrich set about vilifying their Democratic opponents as evil, unpatriotic, etc. And I remind you: Hillary Clinton LOST the election. Trump has continued his uncivil behavior unabated.
Go back two months: Christine Blasey Ford received death threats and was vilified by Fox News and the right wing media because she dared to bring an accusation against Brett Kavanaugh.
And moving the embassy to Jerusalem was condemned by many Republicans as well because it is seen as undermining the US as an impartial broker of Middle East peace.
10
@Philly
Relocated US embassy after getting mega millions form Sheldon Adelson.
1
This piece intimates Trump and supporters are somehow responsible for encouraging violence without mentioning actual incitement encouraged by Democrats/leftist.
Maxine Waters gets a pass.
Shooting of Republicans at baseball game,one of several incidents by known Bernie supporters... Bernie and Democrats get pass.
Violence perpetrated by Occupy/ Antifa get a pass.
Pointing out some rapists murders are included in the illegal immigration flow, name calling such as Lying Ted, Pocahontas, Crazy Bernie by Trump is one thing.
Name calling such as Nazi,fascist white supremacist and such by Democrats is another.
so is actually encouraging confrontation as various Democrats have done.
Republicans don't encourage or stand to benefit from this.
Evidence indicates Democrats actually do!
10
It's truly sad that liberals like this still don't see that they are the ones spewing the hate.
Who violently protested the Kavanaugh hearings?
Who attacked people in the streets in Portland?
Who is on TV station after TV station saying that anyone who does not believe the same way they do is a racist, vile human scum?
Who burns American flags and demonizes anyone who says that they love this Country?
Who tries to split people into as many marginalized groups as possible in an effort to convince them that they are all victims of "the rich"?
Who wants to "resist" everything?
Even now, you are blind to the hatred you are causing.
Make no mistake, there is a problem here, but it's not who you are continuing to blame... It's YOU.
9
@Mac
Your jihad against Democrats is not accurate. You seem blind to the provocations and excessive violence coming from your allies. You assume that the "evil" Democrats are all the same but ignore that your colleagues are doing much worse things. I don't blame you for them, and you should not blame me for a few extremists.
I suggest you go read the Gospels and follow Jesus. Killing people is wrong.
21
@Susan Anderson
Sorry, I should not have assumed that you call yourself Christian. I use the Gospels as a shortcut to recommend the Golden Rule:
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
and to recommend that people not use god to justify the least in themselves, the violence, victim blaming, and cheating, and the worship of wealth even when its victims are obvious and lies are wholesale.
5
@Mac Who yells "rough him up" at their rallies. Who body slams journalist? Who celebrates it? Who yells "Lock her up" at their rallies. Who has street marches, torch light campaigns in Charlottesville? Who ran over a progressive resister at Charlottesville? Who claims the other party is inviting crime into the country?
19
Since you don’t know who sent the bombs, you have no way of knowing that they were sent because opponents were demonised.
4
Thank you, Mr. Soros, for such clear thought.
How deep the proto-fascists must dig to malign your father who grew up with rising Naziism to survive and spend his life and fortune promoting democracy and human rights. How sad that near the end of his life he sees our country, that sought to be a champion of the oppressed and of democracy, evolve into an undemocratic state ruled by a president who is a caricature of villainy. How horrible that America now supports and exports fascism, autocracy and targets the Press worldwide?
Those of us who do not know, wonder if these terrorist acts were abetted by the president's rhetoric and Republicans' support of his words. The very fact that we consider it possible is damning support that this is true.
It is not difficult to know that one cannot sanction, let alone encourage, violence in a game, a group, a kindergarten or a country without knowledge that it will escalate. "Soros is funding terrorists. Democrats are traitors! Dems support MS-13. The Press is the enemy of the people."
What do they expect?
6
Tiny (trump) has been poking a stick in this beehive for years now. The GOP aids and abets by their silence.
The bulk of Tiny's supporters show all the acuity of that guy with the assault weapon on a mission to take down Hillary's pedophile ring in a pizza parlor.
It's here. It's bad. The US may have already passed the critical mass of stupidity.
8
I'd like to thank the Soros family & their foundation for keeping the faith & pursuing progressive causes all over the world despite the hateful & desperate opposition. The nasty & illegal responses we have seen suggest that what you are doing is working, so please keep at it despite the vitriol & now worse being directed at you.
8
while the overall political climate is not helpful, this sort of thing can only be attributed to the psychopathy of a given individual.
116
@randy Kilmon The problem is the President of the United States holds hate rallies at which he whips up the partisan sentiments of his followers with hate speech that characterizes his political opponents as criminals ("Lock her up!") and demeans the press as the enemy of the people. If there is a single individual behind this, it is Trump and his inflammatory rhetoric.
9
@randy Kilmon, actually, I disagree with your point. The political climate revs things up and enables political violence that otherwise would be less likely to happen.
As an example, you can read the studies about the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin in Israel. Studies show that the extremist incitement that was tolerated by the Israeli right wing mainstream political groups, and from which they benefited, was a major contributor to enabling Rabin's murder.
See below article, there rae others:
https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/incitement-similar-to-trump-s-led-to-...
1
@randy Kilmon: Wrong! When the President of the United States publicly call s his opponents traitors and runs a campaign and Administration based on hate, his supporters understand that he approves of violence against the opposition. As far as has been reported, even bu Fox News ther have been no bombs sent to Trump supporters, only those people who are anti-Trump.
1
Let's not forget. Fox News is complicit. Where does Trump get his megaphone and unconditional love? Go look at their site right now. There's nothing on there about why someone sent bombs to Trump's enemies list.
The good people of the world who still believe in decency and the golden rule need to get out there and vote. I'm looking at you millennials....
13
Like so many issues now, this has been investigated, tried and convicted in the media before a single fact is revealed about the perpetrator and his/her/their motives. So many issues are merely pawns in this larger game of power, one that tramples on the common people of this country. I do not believe that this terrorist event will change the mind of single voter, whether it is successfully hung on the neck of Donald Trump or anyone one else.
4
To all the people writing here and placing the entirety of the blame on Trump, Republicans or simply all Americans who don't fit the ever evolving definition of "liberal", while ignoring the actions of the media, and the entire apparatus of "progress" that piles on any and all disagreement of Whats Right, let me tell you, you are as much part of the problem as they are.
If despite your disagreement, you cannot see any validity, or even attempt to understand the reasons and emotion behind "the right", you are as much responsible for sowing division and the current climate of discord can be blamed on you as much as anyone else.
If your concern is for Our Democracy (TM), understand the real Threat To Our Democracy (TM) is not discourse, but the inability to engage in discussion and debate and the reduction of whatever you disagree with to catch all phrases and words.
8
@Luke
So sending bombs to Mrs. Clinton, President Obama, Mr. Soros and the CNN newsroom is acceptable because we fail to understand the reasons and emotions behind "the right"? I'm sorry, but there are no reasons and emotions that make sending bombs an acceptable course of action.
8
@Luke
‘My kind of guy who can body slam another’!
3
The best thing that the Democrats could do now is flood the networks with a minimum one-minute commercial containing Trump spouting out one lie after the other, with the actual truth on the screen under each one - and then close with a warning against voting for any Trump supporter, and a pitch for a 'Return to Truth' in the battle against the Trump Republican policy of 'Public Service for Private Enrichment' and their desire to kill Obamacare, Social Security, and Medicare, to pay for their own budget-busting tax cuts.
GeneGrossman.com
17
@Gene Grossman...a long overdue ad.
6
Our country is gone insane. There is not a day goes by without Trump doing something crazy or something that is related to politics.
Trump was voted by the uneducated, desperate people to become a voice for them. In turn, Trump and the GOP do the opposite by giving trillions to the upper 1%, attempted to take away Affordable Healthcare Act (3x), giving huge corporate tax cuts from 35% to 15%, cut education & EPA funding, etc.
And yet Trump voters who are mostly underprivileged, have absolutely no clue that they are just puppets who helped the Republicans to be elected.
Furthermore, since they are less educated, the vicious circle continues. Another sad in the country and a happy day for Trump and his mafia.
12
This will be demonized as a “ploy by Dems” from conservatives as it is just before the election…same for the caravan—even though it would benefit Republicans.
The GOP handlers can propagandize just about anything to their benefit with reasonable success. It is an eerie super power.
2
As one reader just stated hatred or invective is omnidirectional and everyone is going to look to Trump to lead the way through this. Words matter and I hope he now knows this.
Thank you Mr. George Soros for all your humanitarian efforts on behalf of the human community. I am so sorry that this happened to you and so many other patriotic Americans including our former president.
I am praying for peace for all of you and the rest of us. Peace is a bipartisan ideology.
4
I remember when there were editorials on television. Harry Reasoner and Howard K. Smith would usually have something to say at the end of the evening broadcast on ABC. I remember when there were some meaningful documentaries on commercial television. I remember a time when politeness was expected whether you liked the person or not.
Today, even a simple request not to walk on the flowers at a public place garners one a nasty look and equally nasty comments. I don't know if it's because we're that unhappy with life in America or if it's because of how our leaders treat us. But it seems to this citizen that the amount of intolerance has increased greatly. It started ratcheting up after 9/11/2001. It's worsened with every public shooting.
We seem to have forgotten how to live with each other and our differing opinions. We cannot even agree to disagree in a civil way. Respecting diversity sounds wonderful on paper or in speeches. It'd be even better to see it in action. If all any person running for office or occupying a high office can do is call others names, endorse body slams, and then whine about how misunderstood he is, he needs to find something else to do. Life is too short to spend it listening to threats of bodily harm and other nastiness when there are more important problems needing our attention.
9
And just who are the people espousing hate? Tяцmp is far from the only one. They are people like Rush Limbug and all the nasty bloviators on Fox. They twist the truth into conspiracies and fear. They deliberatly exploit the uneducated and the ignorant with half-truths and outright falsehoods, and get away with it everyday. Free speech is not free. It comes with a heavy price. One should not be able to espouse hateful rhetoric so routinely as they anymore than one should be allowed to yell "FIRE" in a crowded theater. They must be held to account.
7
It is not surprising this is happening during the Trump regime. He stokes hate, division, and lack of civility It has emboldened right wing extremists to resort to violence. Expecting any change in Trump modus operandi is absolutely ridiculous. I don't believe a word he says.
6
This is what we meant when we called out Trump for his “scorched earth” strategy.
He just wants to win. He will sow fear, be divisive, foment hatred... anything to win.
We must bring some checks and balances to this Joker presidency...
5
CNN is the enemy of the people and MSNBC is fake news except for Fox. My question is simple. We know this guy loves attention. Why don’t these networks stop giving him a voice especially at campaign rallies with exclusion of maybe official press conferences? I’m not dying to hear anything he says, I tune out. The media brought him up and covered him so much during the primaries as he was a rating booster. In one way, the chickens are coming home to roost. Don’t put him on TV you are private organizations and not state TV!
9
That experience is close enough to martyrdom for "government work" in this horrible political movement in power in America today, to reach the throat of any of us, anywhere, any way, anytime. Who is not powerfully sorry that this menace has come so close to your family? Who is able to resist your conclusion? Who dares to refuse your advice?
1
Your family knows, very personally,
that hatred unleashed can become
an epidemic that leads to murder,
wars and genocide. The highest levels
of our government, business, academic,
religious, medical and social action
communities must address this issue.
With the vitriol that has been spewed
in recent years, it was a matter
of time until overt acts were manifested
as we have seen with the incendiary
devices. I am thankful that no one was injured.
Let’s hope that this will be a wake up
call that anything is possible, terrible
things can happen. We must curb
the evil that has the power to devour us.
Leadership makes a difference, words
matter.
4
I'm sorry Mr. Soros.
You can't have it both ways. You can't demonize those who want secure borders, intact national identities, law and order, and then cry foul when you are demonized. The leftist organizations supported and financed by your family were the first to demonize Trump, LePen, et al.
You, again in this article, claim moral superiority, tries to link the President to criminal acts (pipe bombs), and try to incite people to vote against conservatives.
Sorry. You don't get a free pass from being demonized, after being behind those who started it.
8
This is all part of the hate, anger, trans-phobia, racism, sexism and just plain lying of the Trump Administration. His signature feeling is anger. He only hurts people and takes services such as health care away. This is the mob mentality fostered by Trump and his thugs. This violence was created by Trump; he stokes the fire and flames of hate very night when he continues to showcase his campaign rallies. Kinda (sic) like when Trump brought the knife to high school, but there's no Daddy anymore to send Trump away to West Point. Remember, there are terms limits, Trump, and we will return to the rule of law.
3
So beautifully said. It is horrific to see the U.S. descend into a morass of lies and fear-mongering under the "leadership" of Putin's puppets.
5
Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters: "And if you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd. And you push back on them. And you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere"
Democratic Presidential Nominee Hillary Clinton: "You cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for, what you care about ... if we are fortunate enough to win back the House and or the Senate, that's when civility can start again, but until then, the only thing that the Republicans seem to recognize and respect is strength."
Public statements like these from the Democratic leaders are calls for violence if elections are not won by Democrats. They deeply undermine the core of our democratic institutions. So, Mr. Soros, will you follow your recommendations, and cast a ballot against the party that calls for violence and undermines our institutions?
7
The attempts at assasinations are terrible and should be condemned. But let's not throw free speech out the window. My comments were not unreasonable. Mr Soro's father was threatened and fortunately was not hurt. For this, I and others are of course, grateful. But I have a right to discusee in this public forum the exact nature of what may have led up to the present horors. Power and money always lead the way.
4
Why does not one article in the NYTimes ever recognize the irony?!?!
Literally the subtitle says "...are a result of our politics of demonizing opponents."
Let's say it again: "Politics of demonizing opponents". Both sides, conservative and liberal, right and left, republican and democrats, are guilty of this, and this is the problem. Both are equally responsible as well... no one wants to admit this! It's really frustrating.
122
@bunotti,
sorry, no. NOT "both sides" again. that's how we find ourselves in the mess we are in now.
2
@bunotti
Be careful. You are correct, but you will be accused of not thinking with what-aboutism. But this is exactly right. Until Democrats rein in Democrats and say enough, and Republicans rein in Republicans and say enough, nothing will happen. All we get is one party calling for the other to unilaterally change and political point scoring.
4
@bunotti
I disagree completely. It is NOT both sides. Go back and listen to Rush Limbaugh and Senator McConnell on day one of the Obama presidency when, in the middle of the worst recession in 50 years, both men emphatically stated that they wanted President Obama to fail. When did anyone ever hear a candidate personally berate other candidates as was done by Donald Trump. When did anyone ever hear a Democrat berate the parents of a fallen soldier, a war hero or a handicapped reporter. To say that both sides demonize opponents is inaccurate and wrong.
12
Thank you. I'm sorry your family was targeted, along with former President Obama and former Secretary Clinton. It has felt very dangerous in an existential way, ever since Trump took office. He is an extremely negative force in our country. I agree, we must vote out the incendiary elements that really do not represent America.
I can't help thinking these are the last (I hope!) desperate acts of the shrinking former Republican party, which now is unrecognizable. It's really so sad.
Vote Blue. Up and down the ticket.
9
I know that times are hard and it would be easy to give up, but we can't. To help me through this, I look at the amazing candidates that have emerged to run for Governorships and Congress. There is Native American Paulette Jordan in Idaho, who seems to be an electric, transformative candidate. And there is Beto O'Rourke in Texas, who may not win this election but who seems to be someone who will be around for future elections. Those are just two out of a field of many who have decided to enter politics in order to save our democracy. We need to support them and others who care deeply about our country.
This is too important. Don't give up.
7
Thank you, Mr. Soros. I'm a great admirer of your father and applaud all the good work he promotes.
While the obvious and "most likely" perpetrators of these bomb threats to prominent democrats come from extreme right-wing activists, considering that we're coming up on an important election let's not rule out foreign actors. Putin and your father aren't exactly BFFs. I've already heard musings on MSNBC that the perps could be extreme left-wing activists trying to implicate right-wing activists! The Russians have got to be loving this.
5
Much appreciate this editorial. And I am reminded that those who wield corrupted power are desperate to maintain the status quo. While no threats as these should be tolerated, they reveal a corrosive system in its death throes.
4
I am in my 42nd year of teaching high school English, and since 2016 I have become increasingly worried about what our students are learning from our leaders; thank you for writing such a powerful opinion piece. Thank you for writing about your loyalty to your father, your family, your faith, and your country; thank you for standing up for what is right; and thank you for your eloquent writing and powerful prose.
11
I think the attitudes and dialogues that permeate this administration has so poisoned our public discourse that extremists will resort to even more violent actions. In time those who simply standby and allow such actions to take place will not be moved until bodies start piling up in their front door. In the last midterm election in 2014 100 million voters did not show up at the polls. In such an indifferent culture the poison comes out in numerous ways that can bring down our democracy.
5
The Blame starts at the top and flows downhill from there. Donald J. Trump is responsible for setting the deteriorating moral tone of the country in 2018. He may not have sent the bombs, but he certainly has encouraged their manufacture. This is how Trump is making America Great Again.
11
The contrast between Alexander Soros's measured, rational appeal in the face of deadly violence and the president's fear- and hate-mongering vitriol on social media and at his "rallies" (remind you of anyone?) is stark and painful.
We need more such beacons in the darkness. Thank you, Mr. Soros.
9
This was all too predictable and predicted. The level of political vitriol cannot be ramped up for free. Deranged individuals or groups will take it as a signal that action against their enemies must be taken.
Regardless of who is responsible and what their motivation or intentions were, they need to be identified and punished severely.
Politicians and other public figures need to be aware that their words have influence and can serve to make society a better place, or nudge it in the direction of more division and violence.
3
For many years now I've been telling anyone who would listen that we were heading towards fascism; that the legal, technological, cultural, and communications infrastructure was being planned, built, assembled, all around us. And that once this infrastructure was put in place, there was no doubt a fascist demagogue-type "leader" would one day arise, and "activate" this (turn-key) fascist State.
I saw the process advance in the aftermath of 9/11, with the PATRIOT Act being a kind of "accelerator." Once the government claimed the right to detain people indefinitely, without trial; to assassinate people extra-judicially; to deploy a "total information awareness" (illegal, warrant-less) surveillance system, I knew then that a fascist state wasn't too far ahead. I was right.
But throughout all these years, regardless of whom I talked to, whether average people, social justice activists, folks on the Right or the Left, Democrats, or Republicans, I always felt these warnings were never taken seriously. Some people were polite in their disagreement, while others called these warnings a "conspiracy theory."
Being a 'student' of history, I knew the drill; a strongman fascist demagogue would emerge; right wing extremists would raise their profile (vigilante groups, etc.); and violence would eventually break out.
Trumpism is not the only cause of the current situation. It represents a symptom; a symptom of a deteriorating system. A condition aided along by corruption.
11
No violence is justified in any democracy, especially in United States. We need to vote against Violence.
10
When I was young, we lived through similar times. I remember watching the smoke rise during the race riots, the violence of the Weathermen, The Chicago Seven, Black Panthers, etc.
Trump is as much a reaction as the cause. Black Lives Matter, Gender politics, Immigration, #MeToo, Occupy Wallstreet all share a foundation of change and important societal debate. However, they also approach the problems with sharp edges that prompt sharp responses. Violence is never the answer but predictable when change is done with verbal spears and pitchfork populism
5
@Chris,
non of those movements you list are violent. they march, and chant but they do not set off bombs.
6
@Chris
Respectfully, the key word is "verbal" spears as opposed to brandishing weapons. And while I don't know about "pitchfork populism," I know what manner of populism brought out the torches in Charlottesville.
This is all to say that the "sharp edges that prompt sharp responses" argument does not really hold water. People trade sharp words over things like abortion or race relations, but there is a side that makes that all-important jump from harsh words to, say, bombing clinics or shooting up a black church.
5
@Chris
If we're to be honest, we're a violent country. The number of guns in American hands, the fact that we've been at war for all but 21 years of our existence, only two examples, should be more than enough proof for anyone.
Now just look at us; we're at war with each other. Until this population comes to value peace and universal brotherhood, and then elects leaders to reflect that understanding, civil behavior and self discipline will continue to degrade.
We, and this country are now wearing our sins on the outside for all to see. What happens next is up to me, and you.
4
I'm sorry that this has been directed at your family. I'm very aware of the Open Society Foundation and it's work. I'm also very aware of your fathers appreciation of the philosopher Karl Popper and his book; "the Open Society and its enemies." I know that your father studied under Popper at the London School of Economics and the very name of the Foundation comes from that book. I cannot for the life of me grasp where the hate and vitriol comes from that is directed at your father, who has devoted his life and fortune to the furtherance of democracies not only in the former Soviet Union, but all around the world. That hatred must also be directed at the philosophy of Popper as well, which must explain the hatred for your fathers work. The enemies of the Open Society are the enemies of reason, rationality and critical thinking and objective truth. These are the identity soldiers that believe the words of the identity philosophers that tell them that solidarity with the tribe is more important than the truth.
15
The only question was when Trump's violent hateful rhetoric would lead to assassination attempts against those he repeatedly vilified and dehumanized. Now that it's happened, expect Trump to blame everyone else for it, especially your father, Obama, and Clinton, and any of the "mob" who support them.
You say: "We must find our way to a new political discourse that shuns the demonization of all political opponents. A first step would be to cast our ballots to reject those politicians cynically responsible for undermining the institutions of our democracy. And we must do it now, before it is too late."
It's too late. Trump has not acted alone. He gladly embraces White Supremacy, demonizes all who disagree with him, undermines all the institutions of our democracy, and the Republican Party and his enormous base support it. Some Republicans may issue meaningless platitudes sparing Trump any responsibility for this, more of his supporters will justify it, many are thrilled at the prospect of your father, Obama, and Clinton being murdered. Trump supporters not blatantly spewing hate in public will say their support is based on economic issues, but multiple studies show that's untrue, so they're lying. They support Trump because of his hate, not in spite of it. Trump's popularity is rising because of the terrible things he does, not in spite of them.
Republicans are now gaining ground in the upcoming election, not losing it. It means America has reached a point of no return.
4
Your views become all the more poignant when one considers the possibility that, like the Russian hacking of our elections, this is an attempt from abroad to divide and conquer.
We must resist hatred with as much resolve as we resist other threats to our country. President Trump has for once taken the lead on this, just now. We should take advantage of the opportunity to stand with him on that, united.
This was inevitable from the moment Trump began fanning the flames of hatred of the "other" several years ago.
Despite today's crocodile tears from the White House, Trump cannot escape the judgement of history. Particularly when his recent campaign rally rants feature fact-free, wild accusations against Democrats.
We bought and paid for this with the failure to reject Trump in 2016. Now, in the words of the old testament, we reap the whirlwind.
5
Unfortunately the Hate is being driven by the Democrats as it really serves their purpose to have power. I was sickened in Chicago to see online adds for Pritzker, supported by his campaign, saying directly the blacks and browns of America have been trampled by Trump. That was a pure racial based attack. It did not speak one single thing Trump did, only mentioned skin color and how Illinois should be a fire wall against Trump. But this is how Democratic candidates run. The throw out to the voters how "X" is against you or "Y" is out to harm you. And after Hillary lost to Trump and conservatives took over more state governments than in the last 100 years, they ratched the hate in their messages up. Is it any wonder that when all the Democrats do is push over and over and over that you are a victim of "X", that eventually those on the "X" side may react to that hate and respond in kind? I in no way support such actions but it's human nature to react to hate in the same way. Perhaps they should first look in a mirror before tossing more stones in their glass house.
4
@Ken
How many people have left-wing domestic terrorists tried to kill in service to their purportedly hateful agenda? Is there some hate-filled left-wing version of, say, Dylan Roof that I just haven't heard about? I'm also not sure how many left-wing groups are stockpiling weapons and forming militias, but I'd wager it's less than the number of right-wing groups.
8
“ I feel that Fox News is assaulting our constitutional order and the rule of law, while fostering corrosive and unjustified paranoia among viewers.”
"People that only listen to Fox have an utterly skewed view of reality,"
Ralph Peters, retired US Army lieutenant colonel and longtime Fox News analyst who resigned from the network this past March.
Let us not casually dismiss the role that Fox News plays in all of this. I am sure one does not have to convince Soros, Obama or Clinton.
13
The simple truth is that Soros funds leftist or liberal causes, but seems to genuinely think he is doing something that is at its core apolitical. His son claims to feel the same way, because he thinks it is political insofar as wanting everyone to have a voice is political.
It's very convenient for those on the left to claim the same and pretend he's just apolitically supporting and defending democracies, and that's lamentable.
5
@Reasonable Guy
Read it again. Neither one denies that their foundation is political.
6
@Reasonable Guy: Do you think for a moment the Koch brothers, Sheldon Adelson, Foster Fires, Robert Mercer and the rest of the right-wing billionaires are doing anything different to support their political views?
Put another way, I have far less concern about "left-wing" billionaires like George Soros, Bill Gates and Tom Steyer spreading money around to promote the spread of democracy around the world and greater equality and opportunity for the masses.
But what our president is doing is fanning the flames of hatred and intolerance. That's not just bad, it's wicked. It's evil. And he must be stopped in his tracks.
People who love the democratic ideals underpinning our country need to vote like their future depends on it, because Trump and his ilk want to tear down democracy and replace it with authoritarianism.
14
@Reasonable Guy
Say, for the sake of argument, I accept that Soros funds leftist causes. What is the relevance of that to the issue at hand? The political or apolitical nature of his activities doesn't move the needle one way as far as bombing attempts are concerned.
6
Democrats need to get up to speed on the 2nd Amendment--just in case they need to defend themselves when the police will not help, and those who Trump labeled as enemies of the state may see some bad times ahead.
3
The best defense that human beings have ever developed is an orderly, just society. No gun works half so well.
6
@Robert, I'm afraid that justice is in short supply in this society, praying that it gets better next year...
Two weeks before the election ?
How convenient for the Democrats to have such a thing happen.
Those of us old enough to remember the Turner Joy, Maddox, and Democrats all together at the same time, snicker quietly....
2
@Objectivist
Even though you're deflecting the blame onto Democrats, you are at least showing that you understand terrorist activities are bad. Some comfort I suppose.
1
We cannot have a "nationalist," biased propaganda news network, FOX. It does not serve the public interest. We can not have our media making up lies or repeating lies as if these lies were the truth. This includes the deplorable fact that the lies are coming from our President and his spokespeople.
It is very sad that we have a President that is corrupting the country and what it means to be American. Putin must be very pleased, even though John Bolton won't give him credit.
5
Meanwhile, in the comments threads on Breitbart, every single commenter is proclaiming that the "Left" did this to gin up hate for Trump before the midterms. That, folks, is what Trump's base thinks. God help us.
15
Not surprised of the intended targets of the mailed pipe bombs. Our authoritarian President continues to spew rhetoric to his base and continues to raise or should I say lower the standards of decency in America... The base of his rallies count him as a supporter of second amendment rights. I guess violence with pipe bombs fall under that right... The election is now 13 days away, not surprised by this at all... VOTE ON NOVEMBER 6 TO END THIS INSANITY...
9
And when do we Dems begin insulting and degrading Sheldon Adelson and Carl Icahn? Soros has another enemy, a buddy of our fake president: Viktor Orban, PM of Hungary. Soros, a native of Hungary, endowed a university in Hungary to aid their young people's educational pursuits. Orban has ordered it dismantled. Orban is a Nationalist, at least as Trump defines it. He's authoritarian in the face of what had become a fledgling democracy. Trump is behind all these attacks and his apology are as thin as his brain.
6
To Mr. Alex Soros:
I am one of the recipients of your father's far-sighted financial help to my former communist country of birth, Albania.
In May of 1992, I entered the halls of the Open Society Foundation in Tirana and got a seat in that year's SAT and TOEFL exams which ultimately landed me one of the six Soros scholarships to attend the American University in Bulgaria. This liberal arts university was created and supported by your father to prevent the massive brain drain in the region and to promote cooperation among students from countries who previously fought in wars against one another over the centuries. It was my one ticket out of a ravaged economy and life that gave me hope, a fulfilling career, and a fulfilling life.
To date, I have friends who like me, were recipients of the same generosity, and farsightedness who are working to improve the region and our society with an open mind and with tolerance. All of that financial help and career advice from your father and his foundation came with one stipulation: pay it forward to your country and the human race by promoting democratic principles, tolerance and acceptance and by helping those in need. Just that....no interest rates, loans or stipulations beyond make the world a better place.
I am saddened and deeply disturbed to hear that in the USA of 2018, the beacon of freedom of democracy, we have veered away from constructive debate to delivering death instruments anonymously to kill opposing thought.
26
My profound thanks for your wise and courageous observations, Mr. Soros. We forget all too easily how soon and how subtlely a culture, and a government, based on hate can creep into our lives. We pray that the good American people will rise up against that poisoned atmosphere.
6
The method I choose to effect change is voting and advocating positions and candidates I believe in to whomever will listen to me. I was raised to abhor violence and I still do. I recognize that ours has become a polarized society, a process facilitated in large measure by Reagan's destruction of the fairness doctrine, which ensured at least a modicum of even-handedness in media -- where most people historically got their information about public affairs. Reagan and his cronies took it upon themselves cynically to impose upon us a media that, instead of being the free press that the founders envisioned, became a corporate profit center, resulting in large sectors of our population becoming brainwashed by right-wing talk radio and Fox News. We've created a generation that is unable not only to distinguish fact from outright lies, but not even to know when they're being fooled into opposing their own self-interest. The Republicans have made it their fetish to destroy Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell have done their worst to get this done. They may succeed. My predisposition against violence remains fully in place, but I still hate them. I hate them and Trump. They're trying to ruin our lives. They see this visceral impulse to take away what the middle class has fought so hard to achieve as a necessary predicate to making the ridiculously rich even richer, which is their real holy grail. So I hate them.
9
Your father has been one of my heroes for many, many years.
10
The effect of Trump's Presidential Permission is degrading our country abroad and at home. People aren't Bad or Good, we are a mix of both. We look around us to see how to behave. The President is an example of a winner. President Trump is a terrible example, an enabler of cruelty, bullying and corruption with no respect for others or for the truth. An heir to millions, he was never held accountable. Money was his enabler and measure of success. When he bankrupted his casinos the appearance of being rich substituted until Russian money saved him. Appearance worked as well for him as "truth" and it's easier to manufacture. The title for his bio should be "The making of a con-man, the poisoning of American Politics and the fall of the American "Empire".
1
Hate's not consuming me. I'm a Democrat and a proud American. And for the good of the nation I'd like to see all the right-wing hate-mongers and Russian collaborators striped of their citizenship (if indeed they are citizens) and shipped off to Moscow.
We could start with Donald Trump.
8
Seriously?
Obviously, I don't condone a bomb being sent to your father or anyone else. But to pretend his aggressive use of virtually unlimited amounts of money to manipulate American political culture -- in ways that benefit him financially -- is not part of the problem is beyond disingenuous.
4
@PhilboydWho do the Koch brothers and other right wing billionaires send their money to?
4
@Philboyd
I agree with this point, but only when it is made by pointing fingers equally at the Kochs, Mercers, Trump family (especially Kushner and his father), Saudis, Russian oil money, etc. To single out Soros makes your comment , and your motives, very suspect.
2
What we are witnessing I am afraid is the tyranny of the minority. Republicans and Trump know this or why else would
they constantly concoct voter suppression plans. Seems if you knew the majority supported your policies and party you would do all you could to get more people voting. Alexander I support all you and your father hold dear and wish you success.
5
Asking the White Evangelicals Americans: Is this what you want? Why do you still support a man who made racism , tax cheating, sexual abuse and extramarital affairs socially acceptable? Why are you still silence?
3
Beautiful and very touching piece by Alexander Soros who wrote about the hatefulness directed at his father. He wrote:"But something changed in 2016. Before that, the vitriol he faced was largely confined to the extremist fringes, among white supremacists and nationalists who sought to undermine the very foundations of democracy." Just yesterday our president declared at a rally that HE is a nationalist. That is because he does not understand the history of the word, that it was first associated with the socialist Nazi party. I'm so troubled by what happened to George Soros, the Clintons, the Obamas and CNN. It seems that this level of hatefulness and the acts of terror today have become the new normal since 2016, but I pray I am wrong.
7
trump lies again when he just stated that these bombs were despicable & that the country should unite & come together over the violence. Who wrote that & who made him say it? Where is djt & what have you done with him? These are just more trump distractions from the mid terms, his lies, & his chaos.
2
My only hope is that now that the hate is out in the open a leader will emerge who can help us confront our demons, heal as a society, and emerge better and truer to our founding principles than we were before.
1
In 1968, the Chairman of the History Department at SUNY/Buffalo, CK Yearly said, "The United States is two and maybe three countries." As a naïve 20 year old, I discounted Professor Yearly's comments. Other than language, I am not sure that the citizen's of our country have enough in common to maintain a single nation...In reality, we have been fighting the Cultural Wars for almost 150 years and it may, indeed, be time to separate into 2 or 3 nations. Yugoslavia comes to mind.
184
@gerald if this could be done peacefully, such as the separation between the Czech and Slovakian Republics, that would be cool. But I don't think that would happen without a civil war. Can you imagine if the east, and west coast were two countries who shared passports and the middle and south were another country but had a different passport? It would be very strange. It might make transportation and movement extremely difficult.
@gerald I would endorse a Nation where California, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Washington State and DC, Vermont, Delaware, New Jersey, Rhode Island, CT, Northern Virginia, (and Cities in Michigan Flint/Detroit, Minn/St Paul, Cleveland, Portland Or, Austin.. Separate from the rest of America. Form a more perfect Union. Other consideration could be Rural vs. Urban. Anything to get out of TrumpUblican Autocratic rule.
2
I could not agree more. We have at least two polar opposite visions for the future of this country and I no longer see how they can merge.
1
its a little late to bemoan the absence of civility in political discourse. from pipe bombs, to screaming at politicians in a diner enjoying their BLT, to releasing personal data of politicians, to politicizing both the IRS and FBI, to demonizing supreme court candidates, civility left the house a long time ago. enjoy the whirlwind.
3
I just want to say thank you to Alexander and his father for the incredibly important work you have been doing to promote democracy and humanitarian principles. You are a beacon in the darkness. I am so, so sorry this has put you and your loved ones in danger and subject to unfair attacks. Please know this is one voice, one person who is deeply appreciative for all you are doing for us today and for a better world tomorrow because I know you have a choice and could so easily choose to stay on the sidelines. Yet, you have chosen a much harder path. The world is a better place because of you. Thank you.
4
Amen. Vital, eloquently delivered message.
5
This is what happens when you have a president who is applauding a man that 'body slammed' a member of the press on the very same day the heinous murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, is being investigated, encourages his followers to 'punch in the face' people who speak out against him, and even encourages police to be rough with their prisoners. Although the public verbal attacks on politicians is perhaps beyond the pale, encouraging violence should be unlawful. However, Trump has suggested violence many times and his protestors have indeed been 'punched in the face.'
Those that think there are no repercussions to the lack of civility and decency that has become common in the last few years of non-stop race-baiting and fear-mongering are sadly mistaken. Thank you Mr. Soros and I'm glad your family is safe.
8
Just remember this, my friend: your father is a great and brave man.
10
Thank you Mr. Soros to you and your father and family for being a beacon of light in these troubled times. Every time I hear your family name it gives me hope that there are wealthy people who fight dark money and the dark side. Please be encouraged in your work for the good of democracy. I have enjoyed reading your father's words in the New York Review of Books.
9
Mr. George Soros was instrumental in facilitating Hungary's transition from Communism to Democracy by donating thousands of computers to Hungarian universities and giving out scholarships for Hungarian students to attend Western universities. He got slander and opprobrium from the right-wing Orbán government and its friends in the West for his efforts. He deserves our gratitude and respect for being a true champion for democracy.
19
Thank you Mr.Soros, for speaking out in such an eloquent way.You and your family are patriots and you have every right to be proud of them.Please do not let ignorant bigots taint the good will so many of us feel for your family and others who have escaped tyrannical regimes and been so generous to worthy causes in our country.
6
We have reached a point in politics where we claim our opponents are EVIL. But evil only exists in religion where there is a deity with a pronounced GOOD and anything opposing it is evil. One cannot oppose a good and not be evil in religion there is no compromise available.
We have brought the deity into American politics reducing democracy to a zero sum game.
When there is a Societal Right and Wrong then compromise exists and scientific or cultural evidence can alter the definition of a cultural problem from one category to another. Such as Slavery or voting rights and other items like that. When we introduce a deity then compromise cannot exist without the deity agreeing.
Religion has killed more people than it has saved because of its uncompromising positions when faced with other uncompromising positions. Take the deity out of American Politics and let us get back to deciding as a society what is right and what is wrong in the United States.
6
Mr Soros! Please keep going! I have been supportive of your ideals for a long time and I cannot grasp the West is suffocating itself in hatred, Anti-Whatevers and divisive agitation. Where have all the good people gone? You are in my heart.
3
You say Soros is for giving everyone a voice. That is hard to believe when all of the protests he advocates are nothing but hate and violence and silencing conservatives. If he himself fled from a communist nation why does he want to create a communist society in the U.S. I just dont understand why the Democrats want to create a country that is going to be a bunch of unhappy people being controlled by some elites. Why is this a better way of living. A one world order is unattainable in our society it will never happen. It will bring about the end of the world as we know it. It will bring about EXTINCTION.
3
This comment reflects all that is wrong with much of the right-wing support. It is simply the result of an entirely false narrative spun by FOX News and its ilk. Soros does not support violence, nor does he support communism. Those are lies spread by the GOP. He supports human rights and freedom and the rights of the oppressed. If you think the GOP supports the common man, ask why none of their actions to date, legislative or executive or judicial, help the little guy and instead help the wealthy. This brainwashing must stop and an honest understanding of our economic and political situations must occur so that citizens can vote with their eyes open. Only a few weeks for that to happen, not holding my breath.
8
@Donna Gegeny
You know what is likely to bring about "EXTINCTION"? The proliferation of ever more powerful weapons, erosion of diplomatic relations, rapidly changing ecological conditions, and the elevation of unapologetic nationalists with authoritarian "tendencies" to positions of supreme executive power.
Or maybe it's regulations that will wipe us out.
2
I used to be inspired by Obama, and even by Bush, to hope and work for better times for all Americans. Now, Trump just speaks to inspire hatred and division and violence, and by doing so he's dragging all of us down into the dirt with him.
The "norm" of having a president who tries to bring Americans together has been completely trashed, and now we're reaping the results.
It's just heartbreaking to see what the GOP and their undisputed leader and Chosen One have done to our country, and I have never been so worried about our nation's future.
I've never felt such anger and hatred in my life as I do for Trump, his GOP, and the mindless crowds who unquestioningly believe whatever he tells them.
9
Global leadership has long been the hallmark of our unique American democracy. What we've let out of its cage in the persona of Donald Trump, has proven to be the definition of the low road to power which has undermined democratic societies through the ages. Donald Trump and his kind stand for nothing that benefits any democracy that really cares about all of its citizens, and not just those who seek to exploit, divide, blatantly lie distort and conquer all that they simply disagree with. My heart aches for America and my children right now. We must change course. Now.
8
Imagine how things would've turned out if Jefferson Davis, not Abe Lincoln, been elected President of the United States. With the installation of Trump by Russia, we don't have to imagine.
2
The enemy is not found on the other side of political disagreements. Enemies are those who believe bombs--literal or rhetorical--are solutions to disagreement. They are true opponents: not of a political ideology or a policy preference, but of society as a whole. Those enemies deserve demonization and ostracization.
7
I have feared this kind of violence for months. Now, with crucial midterm elections only days away, I wonder what kind of violence we will have at polling places. Will we see explosive devices detonated as a means of halting our most sacred democratic process? Voting stations are (and should be!) soft targets. The idea of a heavy law enforcement presence at polling locations is what I would expect in Iraq or Afghanistan. Yet, the right wing extremists who stockpile guns and ammunition pose a very real threat to our democracy. I will be voting this election no matter what. No cowardly group of right wing militias can change that. They only serve to add weight to the argument that no private citizen should be allowed to accumulate enough firepower to threaten the rest of us.
7
I fear, sir, that your patriotic zeal would be lost on much of America, mostly on Capitol Hill, the lair of “We, the People.”
For it is, Mr. Soros, there, in the foul-smelling pits of partisanship, where the origin of the pipe bombs lie: the Tea Party; the Freedom Caucus; the admissions of roughing up reporters who are (or should be, if we had a working society) the bulwarks and guardians of our freedoms; and a poor excuse for a president who goads on goons to violence.
And this is just the start. Trump’s nation won’t stop now. He has their backs; they know it.
9
While one obviously must strongly condemn the despicable act of sending anyone a pipe bomb, if anyone should not be surprised at being the target of a such a crime (and is able to protect himself from such a crime) it is George Soros who has not hesitated to throw his considerable financial weight around when it comes to political matters and knows full well what he is getting into. Your column which appears to be seeking readers' sympathies sounds like a new version of The Soros and the Pity.
6
@Jay Orchard
"... it is George Soros who has not hesitated to throw his considerable financial weight around when it comes to political matters and knows full well what he is getting into."
What on earth does that have to do with pipe bombs? Even if one gets into politics, does it follow that one's opponents will surely consider killing them? Do you think the Koch Brothers worry that some pro-choice group might bomb them or that anti-gun activists will start shooting?
5
Remember when republicans complained that Obama was "too decisive"?
3
Mueller....I believe it's time!
5
All the comments from Trump, his family and cronies are too little, too late. It was always predictable that when leaders in power praise violence and push lies and fear, someone will eventually be moved to bad acts. Last week there was the groper who said it was fine since this President said it was. Where was the condemnation from the Trumpists for that? Now bomb attempts cross another line. We have to vote the liar-and hater-in-chief - and his supporters out.
3
"They" have their guy in the White House and they believe there are others waiting to say me too. These bombs are meant to be the spark that ignites a brown shirt esque revolution. No time like now for voting and hedging against the rise of hatred and violence. The passive response by the Democratic Party to what was surely a death wish to Soros has already emboldened the same terrorist. The Dems have been just as passive about immigration with their heads in the ivory tower clouds as they spout about abstract American values when they should be staking out a pragmatic center that does not include open borders. It’s all related and I fear the consequences of loosing the House, again. All hands on deck under new leadership. Now!
2
Bill McKibben in his Sunday Op-Ed said it best" Let's all agree not to kill each other" . https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/20/opinion/sunday/lets-agree-not-to-kill...
He points out in his writing that the ignoring of on-line life threatening comments is no longer permissible. All the media needs to do a better job in that regard.
2
At what point does ‘rhetorical hyperbole’ cross over to hate speech? Is it when the man who swore an oath to preserve and protect the Constitution praises a man convicted of body slamming a reporter? When that same man tries to intimidate voters with false claims of voter fraud? Or whips up fear of terrorists overrunning the border with bald-faced lies? Or soaks it in as his crowds chant "Lock Her Up" while complaining about the lack of due process? Or encourages his supporters to physically harm reporters?
Donald Trump swore an oath to protect the Constitution. So far all he's done is to use his position to lie, sow hatred and division and make a mockery of that great document and the principals it is based on. He, and those who enable him or stand silently by, need to be removed from office as quickly as possible.
5
Republicans have long had a series of people they use a signals, as dig whistles to excite their followers. For at least 25 years George Soros gas been one of them. We all know the others. Fox news have hundreds of pictures they can use at any moment. All part of the game
Sadly the best advice is to have Soros go live somewhere else.
Trump is absolutely committed to driving us at each others’ throat. Deaths of politicians and journalists are the steps Trump will take to dictatorial power.
And we will all sit by and let it happen
Godspeed Mr Soros.
3
Soros is a self-made man. Agree with his views or not, He has donated his money to causes he believes in. Trump on the other hand was born into a wealthy family. There is no history of philanthropy and his family foundation is a sham and is being sued by NY state for fraud among other complaints. Whether you agree with him or not Soros is a man of ideas and Trump is a man of Ego. Yet Trump is president and Soros receives verbal threats that have now escalated to domestic terrorism.
7
The greatest casualty and irony of our modern information age is honesty and the death of truth, respectively. A moribund truth-scape will do more to advance hate then any pipe bomb ever will.
You can thank the vitriol that Trump drums up with his rallies , thoughtless remarks on Twitter, and general abuse of all that is good, truthful, and decent.
6
This is a well written article that could have been published even without the recent pipe-bomb atrocity. There is a “....new normal of political demonization that plagues us today.” It has plagued us since Trump took office.
Politics has always been bitter, but never in my long life as pathological as it is now.
We’re being torn apart from the inside, thanks to Trump and his GOP enablers. Please vote this hatred out of office in November and again in 2020. Do whatever you can, no matter how small the gesture may seem. Our existence as a democracy, where every voice is heard, depends on it.
9
Why haven't our congressional leaders (so-called) held a joint news conference or provided an Op-Ed disavowing this behavior, and taking some responsibility for the situation we find ourselves in. Why do they continue act as Trump apologists, and avoid criticizing his abhorrent behavior? Until the leadership of our nation changes their behavior, you cannot expect the situation to improve. I'm not holding my breath.
6
George Soros. Hillary Clinton. Bill Clinton. Eric Holder. Debby Wasserman Schultz. CNN.
Trump has called out each one on Twitter and declared each to be an enemy of the people. He may not have told his followers to send bombs, but he has declared each “the enemy”, not just people/press with whom he disagrees. And the Republican leadership stood mute while he did it, silently endorsing this demonization.
This is not reality TV. This is reality. Don’t support the corrosion of decency that Trump and the Republicans in Congress are selling. Vote them all out. Every. Single. One.
7
One either believe in Democracy, with all its imperfections, or not. And if so, recognizes that Democracy means compromise. To see how many do not agree with that, just skim 1,000 Breitbart comments. You will realize how sick the American politic has become. And Rush Limbaugh is not correct that the root of this sickness is the American Hollywood Media left.
4
It is NOT too late. We are but one or two elections away from returning to normalcy. No, I don't live in the clouds. No, I am not a professional pollyanna.
I am just observant.
What is happening right now is a collective housecleaning of our national soul. Every dark thought, prejudice, hateful and negative emotion that we ever kept stored in the attic of our mind is being aired out. As the rooms get opened up, the light comes in and the floors are shined. But for a moment, all of the vitriol lifts off the ground and spreads.
Don't inhale.
Remember that this is good.
For every crazy person out there, there are 3-4 more people who were just standard vanilla bigots. Maybe they didn't realize it but now they are having to face their reflections. We have to give them a minute to gather. We have to give then the grace period to evolve, for they will.
One by one bricks are falling on prejudice. We need to be patient, we need to stand firm, we need to call it out, but we must put the fear aside. They are wrong and we are right. Little by little, people are waking up. Progress always wins.
You know who is watching?
Our children. This problem will be solved with demographics. Our task in the meantime is to hold firm and to not inhale the smoke of vitriol. Every great social change wrecks havoc upon crashing on shore--but then the waves recede and calm returns.
VOTE.
....and personally I think we need to keep talking to all the crazies. Feed them facts, stay calm.
7
@GWE
Who has time for "talking to all the crazies" when we each have to work two jobs to keep food on the table, health insurance that actually covers something, and college tuition paid?
Last time I tried it was like talking to a brick wall. And just as productive. But I agree that when we talk, it can be calm and factual.
2
Of course: the vitriol put forth by our president has encouraged these crimes. They are a deadly symbol of the mean-spirited nature of Donald Trump and his followers. Too many Americans have fallen for the twisted, dark, disturbing story line of this administration. We are not well.
5
It's a pattern---
The racism we've seen increased.
Plus the voter suppression, intimidation, gerrymandering.
Plus the unbalancing of our economy in favor of elites and against ordinary citizens.
Plus the demonizing of the media from the president.
It's all self reinforcing --- to legitimize DISRESPECT for the citizen majority and our democratic rights. This enflames and motivates the acting out of hostility by unbalanced extremists susceptible to going too far. People and groups translate Trump's destructive talk into destructive actions.
In a less hostile political culture they might not act out their warped destructive fantasies.
We saw news of the violent fight that broke out in NY's upper East Side street last week after a speech at Manhattan Republican Club by the leader of the 'Proud Boys' rw white nationalist hate group. Arrests were finally made after much media publicity. Why did a hate group get invited by the GOP Club?
GOP/Trump are intensifying economic polarization, setting the stage for political hostility to blow up. The GOP congress has reinforced it----the rw GOP dominates our 3 branches and uses it's FOX News media to enflame hostility.
To stop violence, start 1st to solve the economic unfairness that's at our political center. Resentful groups compete for crumbs, acting out resentment and scapegoating. This escalates, progress is blocked. Rule by economic elites, prevents fairness and cooperation---this sets an unhealthy role model.
3
I'm sure Ben Sasse will assure us that's it just light hearted fun. That's the way he justified Trump's violent rhetoric.
10
Thank you, Mr. Soros. Well-expressed and cogent. The only way the horror ends is if everyone votes and if Trump is removed. It's now up to voters -- and Robert Mueller.
5
I'm actually becoming quite fearful that we're going to vote in the midterms and the status quo will hold. This, in turn, will give rise to the notion that the current state of affairs is somehow acceptable and this is what our America has become. It's not a good feeling.
Hopefully this bomber will be arrested and dealt with in fairly short order and both parties will tone down the hyperbole.
Thank you Mr. Soros for your commentary. Sad days indeed.
6
@Phil
Next hance you get, ask Mr. Soros why he had the Obama USAID and other agencies assist Soros' people in setting up to politick in elections in Hungary and other countries.
Millions of taxpayer money went into that effort.
3
I'm happy your father is safe. He has survived so much and is a truly admirable person.
This attack is a result of over a decade of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Matt Drudge, FOX News, and the rest of the right wing media demonizing George Soros. He is blamed for everything and anything. We have a President who calls the press the "enemy of the people." All sane individuals need to call this out and push back against it.
8
What Trump and his fellow travelers are engaged in is formally called "stochastic terrorism." Stochastic terrorism is publicly dehumanizing and vilifying a person or a group, calling them "enemies of the people, etc., thus making violence against them acceptable without publicly calling for a violent act. The violence is predictable, but leaves the speaker plausible deniability, since they didn't directly call for violence, they just provided it with "moral" license.
It is common for the speaker to then deplore the violence - at least in public - as if there were no logical connection between their irresponsible, inflammatory rhetoric and the violent act. Once Bill O'Reilly began referring, before an audience of millions, to Dr. George Tiller as "Tiller the Baby Killer," his assassination could be easily foreseen. After all, what do you do to "baby killers?"
Or, "enemies of the people?"
11
There are many good comments here that capture much of what I think and feel about our current political maelstrom. I can't add much to what's already here, but would like to refer people to a book about authoritarianism available for free. An understanding of authoritarian followers, who are strongly attracted to leaders like Trump, clarifies so much of what has been happened throughout our history, especially over the past few 30-40 years.
theauthoritarians.org
Select "Options for getting the book"
Be prepared to enlightened and frightened.
3
The acts of (probably) one single person, who seems to be also very incompetent, do not say much about anything.
41
@GS This is especially true when you don't want it to say anything. We'd rather not learn from all of this the hard way, in hindsight, as your country has.
2
@GS You're wrong about that. It very, very MUCH says something about the cultural and political climate, where taunts against an opponent on the campaign trial of "lock her up!" trigger this kind of violence.
4
@GS
The next one may not be so incompetent. Exhibit A: Oklahoma City.
2
Thank you!!!!
I particularly liked the final forgiving, tolerant paragraph of Bill McKibben's plea - ***Let's Agree Not to Kill One Another" along the same lines this weekend:
"I don’t want this website shut down; I don’t want the people who write on it prosecuted. I definitely don’t want them murdered. I just want — as the very beginning of some kind of return to the gentler old normalcy — for people to stop making death threats. That seems to me the least we can ask of one another."
An eye for an eye does not work.
Consider the real Jesus, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Mandela, Buddha, and many others. If you believe in god, please leave the punishment/judgment to the deity.
8
I was deeply saddened by this news on Monday, and again today. These are extremely troubling times and I'm grateful to all of those who stand up and fight for all that is positive and good in this world. Thank you to George Soros, the Soros Family, and to the Open Society Foundation.
14
My greatest fear is that 2nd amendment "patriots" will show up at polling stations and terrify people from voting.
Make no mistake: the Fascists are in complete control, and will do ANYTHING (purge 50,000 new voters in MI), buy a Senate seat to keep power. The only thing that keeps Trump from declaring Martial law is that the military despise him. They believe in a clear chain of command, not chaos in the WH, and the military code of conduct says that even a General can disregard an order for the good of the nation. Scary days ahead.
8
The writer writes: the bombs "are a result of our politics of demonizing opponents." How does he know? The bombs are "consistent with" demonizing opponents, but are they definitely the "result of" demonization? Were bombings by the Unabomber the "result of" demonization? Or were other casuses at work? There have been high profile bombings in the U.S. for maybe 150 years; my guess is that there's never just one cause. I think Alex Soros and commentators should take the day off and maybe revisit this when more is known.
4
So shocking to have Americans be the ones trying to silence a pro-democracy voice. This hatred didn't start the Donald but he does fan the flames to preserve his power. Donald needs to the one to go away, via the ballot box - VOTE!
7
These mail bombs are the true symbols of the Orange Excrescence, his GOP lackeys and their plutocratic puppet masters. Independents, Democrats, and decent people of all persuasions should not lament the lack of strong progressive leaders and use that as an excuse not to vote. Because we now know for certain that unless we turn these people out in November, we are finished as a country, and will dissolve into violence. Progressive leaders are out there, and will become bolder as they see we, the people, demand it and real change.
The racists, reactionaries, deplorables, and yes, the quiet well-educated middle and upper middle class supporters of our neo-fascist regime have to be repudiated at the polls next month. If not, ours is not a country worth saving. We will descend into an every person for him/herself situation, and the only truly happy people will be the leaders of the NRA, because gun sales will soar.
Hate, fear, rancor, misery, disrespect, distrust, coarseness, crudity, bigotry--these are the things the current pestilence ruling our country has used to divide us and assure their own fraudulent and criminal prosperity. It HAS served to make me religious, though, in part because I have lost all faith in humanity, and only have hope because I believe in an ultimate and permanent Judgment Day where the evildoers, which is to say most "leaders" of humankind through history, and the wealthy, will get their appropriate eternal rewards.
7
Others have stated much more eloquently below, but this is heartbreaking. It will take a very long time for our country to heal...if we can stop the abrupt slide into fascism that we are all witnessing.
I would like to donate to The Open Society Foundations in support of George Soros. Will NYT post a link for people interested in doing so?
9
Fellow readers: I follow the right wing media professionally (as a researcher) and I can tell you that they are claiming these attacks are "false flag" events.
4
Why did we go to war in Vietnam, wasn't it to protect democracy ? So what is trump saying, doing to those men who died for this cause? We don't want to protect nationalism, we want to protect democracy. Is trump a traitor ? You bet he is!
5
@Jackie
No. We went to Vietnam to assuage the military industrial complex and delusional power dynamic of the US. Just like we executed manifest destiny.
I was an epic fail, as have been our adventures in the Middle East. We have delusions of grandeur, when we should have been and continue to need to put our own house in order and care for each other and our communities. It's damned expensive too!
For a sad look at history, check out Mossadegh, whose replacement by the Shah, the genesis of modern problems, defeated a democratically elected power on behalf of big oil - BP (remember the gulf oil spill?). So stupid (yes, I know it was complicated).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Mosaddegh
Choosing people like MBS and the Saudis (despite 9/11 etc.), Netanyahu's Zionist conquering Israel (yes, again, it's complicated), and the mess we made of Iraq makes us unpopular with people in their own countries who are just like our own revolutionary rebels.
6
@Susan Anderson
No, we went to Vietnam stop communism.
@JoeG
And did we succeed? No. We made things worse. But the hidden history of that war reveals a lot of lies and manipulations, and the whole enterprise was corrupted. I suggest you study the history.
2
I've followed the messages from Soros's Open Society with gratitude for that great endeavor. The seemingly obvious attack by right-wing, dictatorial sources on Soros and his efforts is disgusting. I'm glad he and the others are safe. Let the Trump-ridiculed justice department and FBI, et al. get the culprits, exposing the spider instigator at the center of his web.
8
I really do not think the "pipe Bombs" are from a nut job or from a conservative. I think they are sent by Antifa types right before the election to energize the Democratic base. Come on, a mail bomb sent to anyone in power? Who opens their own mail? Why did none of them explode? This is just an extension of the people mailing corn starch. People trying to disrupt the day and cost corporations money.
7
@Mark
Soros cash is working overtime.
2
Violence or potential violence such as this is despicable. And I agree that the demonization of political opponents should be toned down. In BOTH directions. I don’t like Trump, but he is demonized as much if not more by the left than any figure on the left is by the right. The labeling of everyone on the right as ignorant, sexist, racist, bigoted, or in Hillary’s words, deplorable also needs to be toned down.
7
@Jon F
I'm sorry, but false equivalences won't due.
I've yet to hear a democrat applaud or celebrate violence the way the de facto leader of the republican party has been doing for two years. I read articles from every political persuasion and I've yet to read comments from liberals calling for violence the way conservatives often do.
It won't help anything to squelch dissent in some half-baked effort to generate shallow civility. We can't stop pointing out facts in the hope that the other side won't send us a pipe bomb. The consequences would be worse going down that road than the current one.
7
Let’s be honest. This violence is a symptom of a Democracy that is dead. It’s been dead for sometime. Sure, we still hold elections to appear like people have a choice. So does countries like Russia, Brazil and China. Few people bother to vote anymore, because the government does represent them. They are disenfranchised with a two party system, that acts the same. Voting for Trump was giving the middle finger to both parties. Now that Trump proved to be an even worse swamp monster than his predecessors, the few who bother to vote ,now want the lesser evil , the Democrats to keep Trump in check. For those that can still critically think, and not on opioids they realize that Trump is dangerous. It’s ok to rip infants from mothers arms and put them in cages like animals. But make no mistake, Mr never went to bed hungry, will find it just as easy to rip their social security disability and Medicare checks from their hands. At the end of the day, Trump and his 1 per cent , view us all as animals , to be controlled or caged.
7
Algeria. Yugoslavia. Rwanda.
Three radically different countries whose populations descended into senseless and avoidable bloodshed for the most mysterious of reasons.
Time has taught me to no longer view humanity as the pinnacle of creation. We hardly much farther removed from impulsive apes prey to instincts which they cannot master.
6
Mr. Soros,
What has changed has a name, trumpism. It is hateful, divisive, ignorant, racist, sexist, false, selfish, fearful and insecure.
Democracy can't work if we can't communicate, if we can't be civil, and if we can't compromise. Trumpism is the antithesis of all those. His own cabinet members are engaging in wrestling matches, a man on an airline accused of grouping a woman used argued the president says its OK. Children reprimanded for inappropriate language argue that's what the president says.
He is denigrating our society, bringing out our worst impulses. He is an pitiful insecure person. With all his wealth he is empty devoid of empathy. He can never become more of an actualized human than he is now. His response is to bring us to his level. Only when we lose our humanity does he win, unfortunately that is what is happening.
We have been poisoned, leaving us two hopes.
Will our own immune system attack the poison? "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" Will the good people make their voices heard, or are those voices all buried with Senator McCain?
Or
Is their an antidote? Can we hope for another Roosevelt, Lincoln, or King to trump this insanity.
What is happening is only a start, do we have to see the Reichstag burn or Kristallnacht before we come out of this malaise?
Your father lived through this once and it is sad that he has to experience it again.
11
If you really want to know the mindset of the people who not only would plan something like this but also tacitly endorse it, go visit the comments section for sites like The Wall Street Journal or Fox News. Here are a couple of examples, verbatim...WSJ: "Democrats will do anything--including sending themselves bombs--to get their way. What horrid, un-American people." Fox News: "i hope they didnt forget iguana kamala." This is what Trump has created: A free market for hatred.
19
@JHG
Yes. I have seen the same in comment sections of Breitbart and other white nationalist publications. There is a group of people who think violence is justified by their side. This group is growing. They won't hesitate to threaten someone's life.
2
I'll go out on a limb and say that trump and his supporters and the GOP don't care, in spite of what they may say publicly. You have a POTUS who thinks it's OK to grab women's genitalia, who applauds congressmen who body slams journalists, and openly welcomes dictators and autocrats around the globe. Sure today, they'll condemn whoever is responsible in the same manner they condemn mass shooting gunmen. Tomorrow, they'll go back to their hate-filled rhetoric that leads to this violence.
13
So the shooting of Steve Scalise is an act of valor? Didn't the left called civility should be frowned upon before they win back the House and the Senate? The left now believes in harassing their opponents as a political strategy. Don't you think that is an extremist position? But without any evidence, we have to believe Soros & Co.'s accusations. How do we know that is even a political threat? Give me a break.
7
@Hobbes
These are not equivalent, and no, Democrats did not approve of that shooting. There's something called proportion. Multiple shootings and bombings are not the same as isolated incidents.
7
The shooting of Steve Scalise was an American Tragedy that pushed a strong message front and center deep into the GOP: Anyone in America can grow up to get shot.
9
@Hobbes
Stop it. No one applauded the shooting of Steve Scalise so don't pretend that they did. Did you even read this article?
5
I want whomever planted these bombs to be caught, tried, and if found guilty, given the absolute toughest penalty that is available.
Most importantly, along with that penalty, I want our current "leader," Trump, to denounce him emphatically. (A man can hope, can't he?)
As for this:
"It is now all too “normal” that people who speak their minds are routinely subjected to personal hostility, hateful messages on social media and death threats."
That is so true. And let's please not imagine that this is just on the "other side," i.e., the right wing. Threats to free speech, and contempt for the habits and informal customs of civil society are being eroded by both the left and right fringes of our society, and gaining traction.
It is not just the tiki torch crowd, which is threatening us. The toxic, authoritarian left-wing streak found on college campuses and much of the entertainment complex and now even in high tech industry, is growing exponentially.
This is a rough time for democracy. We need to be dedicated more and more as individual members of our society right now.
3
This is third world Indira Gandhi, silencing dissent, radical stuff...
Attitude reflects leadership.
This is us now. We're best friends with dictators. We're anti-democracy. We have a state media and we harshly silence criticism.
I didn't vote for it. I don't want it. But the history books aren't going to know how I felt about it...
Alexander Soros assumes, without evidence, that the pipe bombs are the work of Trump supporters. However, a pipe bomb also was delivered to Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who was forced to resign her position as chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee when purloined email published by WikiLeaks revealed the DNC had rigged the Democratic primary against Bernie Sanders. Subsequent disclosure revealed that the DNC and Hillary Clinton had signed a letter of agreement that gave Hillary control of DNC finances. So one could suppose the pipe bombs could have been manufactured by disgruntled Bernie Sanders supporters upset any dirty dealing within the DNC. After all, it is Sanders and Clinton supporters who are angered by 2016 election results, not Trump supporters. The bombs also could have been delivered by someone with a personal grievance. In accusing Trump supporters without evidence, Alexander Soros stokes the type of partisan animosity he pretends to abhor.
4
Although the Trump Admin has made a mockery of civil discourse, there were recently editorials in the liberal Santa Fe newspaper that called for the city to purge from any official capacity anyone with NRA affiliations. Demonization cuts both ways, and is mutually reinforcing. We need to stop this kind of rhetoric. Once your political adversary is your mortal enemy, the pipe bomb or bullet is only a short thought process away.
2
I notice there is no mention of the leaders of the Democratic Party calling for violence against people that disagree with them. I am not alone in this comment but I feel neither party represents me. Both have lost their mind. As a life long democrat, I look at my party and feel there is no place for me and my moderate views. But the leaders of my party need to stop advocating violence and calling for collateral damage to opposing views. I sadly have to say for the first time since 1988, I will not vote in this election as I can’t support either of these groups. Maybe it’s time to start a third party, the “we have not lost our mind” party
7
Trying to speak as a political scientist and not be partisan, I do think it is time for a 3rd and 4th or more party(ies). Our Constitution attempted to institutionalize compromise. Violence is a part of our heritage-Hamilton-Burr duel, Lincoln, JFK, MLK, etc. But now our elected government doesn't work and compromise is a dead concept, for many of the reasons mentioned in these comments. If some third or fourth party politicians got elected, especially with each house of Congress so closely split, maybe we would see more reasoned debate and some leadership. @Jack
What I sense from many who comment here is a sense that the turning point has passed; that the results of November 6th will
not change anything nationally. The bluest of waves may not be enough to stop the beast that has been unleashed, nurtured, managed and manipulated by Trump and his minions. Congress may get some leverage, but wiill Trump's followers become more extreme in their reaction to their ‘leader’ being even slightly diminished?
I know that watching this travesty unfold leaves the rest of the world in fear of what your country is becoming, and who the majority truly represent because all we see is Trump, every other voice seems on mute.
This spate of violence against Mr. Soros, the Obama’s and the Clinton’s may just be the beginning. The republicans have to remove Trump from office, I cannot see any other way to stop this insanity, only they can save your country.
8
So much for political incorrectness....
it is time for Trump's party to stand up and call him out for his rhetoric, his behavior and his treatment of the press.
This idea of doing the "old soft shoe" when asked about what Trump tweeted or said makes you complicit in what has happened today.
To stay silent or argue that Trump "has gotten things done" is to make a deal with the devil. It is time to come to terms with it and tell him to stop stoking racism, hate and scorched earth on the other side.
Thee ends do not justify the means.
Yes, Rome is burning but who cares?
4
Folks, what else do you expect when the likes of Maxine Waters encourages people to confront conservatives, Republicans, etc.?
8
@SpotCheckBilly
Are you saying that a conservative's natural response to non violent confrontation will naturally be to resort to violent terrorism? If that's your point, I think most conservatives and liberals would take issue with you on that one.
5
@SpotCheckBilly:
Ah, so you think confronting someone with words, with speech, is akin to sending people pipe bombs?
Hmmm. Logic much?
7
Political demonization began in the 90s when Bill Clinton had the nerve to run for President and win. Republicans went off the rails. It wasn't enough to take issue with Democratic policies--you had to question Democrats' patriotism and motives. You had to build a political base on hate and fear. I remember Newt Gingrich in particular as one of the chief practitioners of personal destruction. He once cited the tragic suicide of a mother and her children as evidence of America's moral decay under Democratic leadership.
As Mr. Soros so eloquently wrote, today's pipe bombs are the predictable culmination of years of racial dog whistles, hyperbole, fear mongering . . . and lies. No on was hurt--this time.
6
There is no “our. ”
This is about trump, who admires putin, erdogan, Kim , all people who believe murder is an appropriate tool to maintain their dictatorship power AND the people who support trump. trump has been this way all of his life and its been obvious to most people, obvious on his tv show, his bankruptcies and his campaign speeches.
As Woodward reported, trump’s self proclaimed single criticism of his presidency was that he wavered in his support of a white supremacist, who upon hearing words from trump, got in his car, drove south and murdered Heather Heyer. When erdogan visited the US he sent his thugs out to beat up Americans on US soil and trump, instead of having them arrested, sent erdogan a letter admiring his leadership qualities. trump has openly called for attacks on his critics and trump supporters have responded positively and enthusiastically.
6
I hate to see this is what we have gotten to, but Trump's language and support for hate groups makes none of this surprising.
4
I'm sorry, but the party that does nothing but hurl insults at both Trump and at all the people who ever even considered voting for him shouldn't be complaining about "demonizing opponents". Who called who "deplorable"?
8
Hurling insults is free speech, which despite trump, is protected by the Constitution. Hurling bombs and shooting is not any kind of speech. These are acts of cowards
4
@Me: "Who called who "deplorable"?" Answer that question for yourself truthfully, and you'll be in a better place.
If anything, these bombs that were mailed out will make Americans see even more what profound damage Trump and his brethren are doing to this country, and will come out in droves on November 6th to vote and put an end to Trump's chicanery.
4
Two words for Mr. Soros - Thank You.
690
@Karen huh????!!!!!??
@KarenYes, Karen, that's all that remains to be said.
Thank you, Mr. Soros.
3
So heartfelt and real. Mr. Soros is a survivor and hero.
8
And the war begins…
What has been (somewhat) covert is now overt.
Scary times we live in and it's only getting worse.
9
Thank you for this informative and thoughtful opinion article. When people attempt to inflict violence on others, the result may be a hardening of attitudes and less and less likelihood that we will create a stronger and kinder nation and world. The article ends with a reasonable suggestion -- let us all vote and support candidates who are thoughtful, kind and progressive.
7
I had planned to comment. No need, Mr. Soros said it eloquently:
"We must find our way to a new political discourse that shuns the demonization of all political opponents. A first step would be to cast our ballots to reject those politicians cynically responsible for undermining the institutions of our democracy. And we must do it now, before it is too late."
Please vote.
12
We live together in voluntary peace.
Those who offer alternatives, particularly violent ones make it more and more difficult to walk it back to civility and security.
How many times must human beings learn the lesson?
6
"Open Society Foundations, played a leading role in supporting the transition from Communism to more democratic societies in parts of the former Soviet Union and then expanded to protect democratic practices in existing democracies."
This sounds like a kind of "Marshall Plan" that 50 or 60 years ago might have been handled by the Federal government. It certainly sounds like it supported American foreign policy through the Reagan years.
Alexander Soros confirms what so many of us thought when we first heard the news. There has to be another way to conduct politics without demonizing opponents or resorting the violence.
Debate the issues, not the person. A democratic society, which George Soros and all Americans support, should welcome respectful and open debate on controversial issues.
The fanatic or fanatics who sent the bombs didn't just attempt to attack President Obama, Secretary Clinton and George Soros. They also attacked American values that even many Republicans share.
I'm relieved that no harm came to any of the people targeted and anyone else for that matter. We are all lucky that no one was hurt. The alternative would have been sickening.
9
Sadly, anyone who didn't see something like this coming is blind to the current reality. It comes from both sides and unfortunately there will probably be something tragic before it comes to an end. It is not unique to Trump or the right. all it takes is to remember Madonna and Ashley Judd immediately after the inauguration. The rifle attacks on the Republican baseball team. We can all count on the passionate, pained faces issuing blanket condemnations of the other side from Fox, CNN and MSNBC tonight since that, in their views drives ratings. That does not help. Somewhere in this Country are leaders on both sides who can step forward and turn the tide. Maybe Trump can learn, maybe the Resistance can learn. Both sides seem to feel civility will only return when they get their way. Government by temper tantrum is not helpful. we can only hope and pray that this stops before it gets truly tragic.
5
I'll add my voice to the comments already entered, everyone of which has already said it for me: this is an opinion piece that came from the heart, it touched me deeply, I admire the ethics and goodness practiced by George Soros. May we commentators be only a few among millions of us.
I mourn the current times and fear we will not be able to fight our way back. I suspect the longer Trump and his equally amoral enablers, most notably Mike McConnell, hold reign, the more difficult it will be to return to the goodness of the country we once had. At some point (are we there now), we will reach a point of no return.
I am also a WWII refugee, escaping occupied China as a very young child. We left on foot from Shanghai, headed for India. I know caravans; we often walked along in columns with other refugees escaping on foot. We were not making our way to terrorize America.
Americans were highly regarded by the Chinese as the most friendly and kind of all the Europeans we encountered. There were no bad Americans (except for the gangsters in Hollywood movies that really scared me as a child).
We arrived in the US after 12 months of travel, all of us became law abiding citizens, earning graduate degrees, contributing to our society.
I will be helping out to welcome new citizens as they leave their swearing in ceremonies. In the few days remaining until the election, I'll be canvassing in California's red CD.
May goodness win over evil.
16
"...demonizing our opponents"
NYT, please stop with the false equivalency.
The Dems aren't perfect, but the aggressive hatred on the right is now on steroids, thanks to a very toxic president.
24
We now live in a fascist country. Democracy fails when government fails to protects all people through its laws and ideals. Trump and his fascists have seized control of our country by casting aside all pretense of mediating among all minorities who make up our country. Instead, they are trashing our courts, laws, media, voter rights and institutions of learning using wealth and propaganda to erode the values that enlightened the experiment of democracy. When this fascist phase of American history begins to threaten the world with unlimited nuclear forces as Bolton and Trump have vowed, what idealistic countries will be left to check our threat as did the Allies in 1945? What countries will accept our people’s pleas for asylum as they seek another country “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”
14
If we can just destroy the Republican Party, drive Christianity out of our public, alter the 1st amendment, get rid of the 2nd amendment, make 'hate' a crime, and give all of the power the federal government we can overcome this terrible demonization of our opponents!
3
... and “our politics of demonizing opponents” is a product of...
The Republican Party.
6
I weep inside everyday for the state of our world. I was born in 1990, in India. My lifetime, up until 3 years ago was a period of remarkable peace, albeit the constant issue of terrorism. The world, I felt, was going in the right direction except for the usual bad actors - fringe groups - who are always there, always trying to cause chaos. Bad actors like terrorist groups, etc.
But now, for the first time in my life I am concerned about humanity. Now, it is no longer just bad actors, fringe groups that are trying to actively destroy the fabric of our society. It is mainstream politicians, the entire Republican party and their counterparts in EU and middle east, and all their supporters - average, everyday people - who are actively promoting the destruction of the fundamental values of our shared society!!
This is saddening. I hope this can be corrected before it is too late. We've been through too many such phases in the past (Nazis, genocides in Africa) to just sit on the sidelines and watch our fellow humans go down this path of madness!!!
We must stop this and, figuratively, slap some sense into these divisive people! I don't want the world to go down in flames because we cannot see sense. And then, hopefully we get some sense to work on climate change with haste!
7
At FOX there falling all over themselves to avoid the elephant in the room. "No obvious ideology" said one guest. "We cannot speculate as to motive" said the female anchor. Bet they'd speculate till the cows came home and see an obvious ideology if these bombs had been sent to Republicans. Fair and balanced?
Don't kid yourselves.
9
@J Burkett Don't be surprised if the perpetrator is from the Left. Great way to build up the anti-Trump consensus.
2
The 'Fake News" peon-sident continues to drive a massive and destructive wedge in this beautiful country.
3
Even Trump supporters will say they sometimes wish he would temper his remarks. But he's not of presidential caliber so he isn't able to do this. All he can offer is "hitting back" and now we see where that leads.
But that shouldn't stop the rest of us from acting with human decency.
8
After weaponizing health care, immigrants, tax cuts, fake news and more, it is not a stretch to imagine weaponizing a mailbox. All it takes is a leader that is eager to fan the flames.
Vote 'em out.
10
This president reminds me of a pair of bellows. He fans the flames of hate to make them larger. It is a sad thing to watch this happen. The people of this country can change this. I know I am simplifying this, but the answer is true. We have to act by using our most precious tool: Vote. If everyone in this country is old enough to vote registers to vote, and then does so 13 days from now on November 6th, we can take a huge step in the correct direction by getting these haters out of office.
8
I am totally against violence and the threat of violence as it corrodes our democratic ideals.
Having stated that, let me remind others that violence and bombings are not the exclusively limited to conservatives or right wing lunatics. The FALN bombed and killed innocent civilians (and pardoned by outgoing President Bill Clinton), the Underground Weatherman and Black Panther Party also engaged in targeted and indiscriminate killings.
Demonization occurs when one party thinks the other half is "deplorable" and "irredeemable" The aggrieved party then believes that it can do everything and anything to win, even fabricating 30+ year old claims of sexual assault, actually denied by supposed "witnesses". The rhetoric and threats rise.
As much as we like to blame Donald Trump for everything, we need to realize that far right, nationalist, nativist parties are on the rise everywhere. Whether Germany, England, Austria, Brazil, Hungary, this is a global trend. The Gucci loafer wearing, Mercedes driving, $6 latte crowd has totally abandoned the working class. There is nothing but contempt for gun-toting, bible thumping, opiate loving "others"
Wall Street got bailed out, Main Street is dying. Believe it or not most Americans don't care about transgender bathrooms. Most Americans do not support illegal immigrations and resent it when you call them racist for holding this view. Do not fool yourselves into believing your side is all wonderful and totally innocent.
5
It concerns me that these acts of political terrorism come just days after President Trump claims he represents "Nationalism." Trumpism has gone off the rails. But this is no fluke or accident.. The patterns have been established: project on to your adversaries the very actions he foments. Trump uses brazen terms, screeching about the press as the "enemy of the people." The midterm elections appear as the fragile front we now need to arrest the rapid political rot we are now facing... And regaining the House is only the minimum needed...
13
@Telly55 Nothing wrong with putting one's country's interests above other countries's interests. That's the definition of Nationalism. It's not what you want it to be.
2
Hear, hear! It is indeed a pleasure to hear such wise words from a man in the Opinion section of the Times, which, unfortunately, is crowded with white nationalist conservatives who attempt to defend the violent actions and rhetoric of Trump and his fascistic followers, who twist themselves into pretzel shapes to hector others to prefer violence to democracy and equality.
2
Excellent article, plain and to the point. ALL politicians and leaders MUST come out and denounce this type of terrorism. If they do not, more will come. The president should hold a special briefing on this. We are literally tearing at the seams.
5
Meanwhile the GOP and Trump claim the Democrats are the angry mob. There is no difference between these domestic zealot conservatives who try to harm and/or murder people in the name of law and religion and those who are from other countries.
9
Hate is one of the easiest emotions for a person to feel and act upon, often violently. It takes civilized norms around us to inhibit hate and ensuing violence. We in the USA, for the most part, have been able to embrace civilized norms. Their erosion in the last few years is quite troubling. We can disagree all we want but we have to stay civil in doing so. The price for not doing so is steep and sustained.
6
If those engaging in this vicious rhetoric and 'whistling' can't see what's resulting from their behaviour, then this should help them open their eyes.
If they can, I have to ask: what's the end goal here?
2
There is no place in civilized society for acts such as this. I am horrified at the thought that a fellow American could act in such a manner. We must reject division and remember that we are all equal regardless of our differences.
8
The more I think of this article the more I need to write something more than I already have.
I started and ran the largest human rights NGO from Poland for my parents told me history is often written by "winners". They were holocaust survivors from Poland and I was born in Canada. They told me to go back to a Poland they loved, to help all the good people with all the bad people who became to powerful for the everyday person was not doing enough. Not enough were doing enough. Mr. Soros was so welcomed and always will be in Poland. Yes, money is vitally important (we need to eat), but even more importantly his heart was always where the hearts of my parents were. You do not forget, you forgive knowing nothing is ever one sided. I only ask that each person do what they can for their community which needs political involvement if democracy is to work. I just a few hours ago voted in Canada and I ask a people whom I respect, our American friends, to learn as much as you can about who to vote for and then vote. We are so much counting on American democracy to work which right now more rights AND DUTIES are being lost than most realize. Yes, we need jobs but we also ALWAYS need to be human for otherwise the jobs are for nothing. Kennedy said, I remember, " ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country ". My daughter is a USA citizen and I am proud of that. I need to continue to be proud of the citizenship she has and its more than about money.
11
In an article published in The Atlantic in August, "How This Will End," Eliot Cohen, Professor of Strategic Studies at John Hopkins, gives what I find as the most likely scenario of where this is headed, and it's not good for Trump.
Cohen begins his argument with the factual statement that the fealty being shown to Trump is not based on admiration but on personal interests. "I have to do this to get what I want now." But then Cohen posits the inevitability that allegiance to Trump will shift to a negative, preventing bootlickers from gaining their desired ends, and they will disappear in droves. Cohen predicts a "sudden, epic desertion."
I see this as more than a momentary assuaging of the horrifying trepidation I've felt for three years now. This really is the most likely scenario.
The genie is out of the bottle, folks, and he ain't going back in. The Confederacy is over. Yes, we still gotta deal with the legacy situation we've inherited from the monsters who preceded us, but we will. Because we want to. Because that's who we are.
We don't want the America that Trump's promoting back again because it never was great. It progressed forward under the guise of greatness when all the while an oppressive evil operated beneath the public zeitgeist. But no more. It's been exposed. And in the process of seeing who we were we're becoming who we should be. And will continue to do so. Leaving our sordid past behind will be a "sudden, epic desertion."
Make America Great Finally.
7
Mr. Soros, please note that it is my clear observation that intolerance of differing opinions is most definitely fueled by predominantly the Democratic camp. Free Speech for all who agree with our Democrat opinion. We only need to look to the Kavanaugh confirmation to see this confirmed. By no means am I suggesting the Mr. Trump is not co-responsible for the tone, but failure to recognize the lack of respect of different opinions is systemic in virtually all political camps these days, and I agree with you: It has to stop.
6
From Tom Nichols, Twitter: "If you want to restore norms to American life, you have to observe the norms that you want restored, even if the other guy isn't."
"If you decide it's okay to violate those norms because *your* cause is so important, you cannot complain when your opponents do so as well."
5
We Americans over 18 have a chance to say "no" to this horrid ramping up of violence, anti-semitism and conspiracy mongering: vote on November 6 against every Republican running for office.
36
An excellent analysis of our country's current situation. No candidate should be demonizing other candidates. No candidate should be calling for violence (even if only in jest) against those who disagree with them or who are different. No American should be marching behind well recognized symbols of hate such as a Nazi flag. It is the job of the president to bring people together, not to inflame hatred and sadly the current occupant of the White House has failed to do so.
24
The truth is, three attempts to do harm, we assume to the political leaders that they were sent too. We assume the perpetrator is a Trump follower, and in some way looking to fight their cause, like a revolution. We don't know who is behind these acts, but we do know the target is democracy.
26
We are living in much more dangerous times than most of our populace knows of or recognizes. I'm afraid this is the tip of the almighty iceberg. There are a lot of very disgruntled people out there. Could it be whiffs of revolution in the air? Stay tuned and fasten your seat belts. We're heading into potential, heavy turbulence.
15
@MS I agree. I thought the apocalypse would happen in my lifetime (50s now), due to climate-related changes, perhaps, but now I fear a revolution or something ugly, nasty and close to a revolution.
4
@Jane Bond,
The future is most certainly not what it used to be.
1
The hate that George Soros, the Clintons, Obama, and CNN face is reminiscent of the earlier hatred that Jews, and other immigrants faced from white Christians who were anti-Semitic and populist during the populist/ progressive era. They were anti-Semitic and hated wealth and corporations. An anarchist/populist sent a bomb to Henry Clay Frick, the manager of Carnegie's steel works, that severely injured him.
In the 1950s, a group of historians said Americans were a consensus society, which adhered to Lockean liberalism, but an earlier generation of historians, including Charles Beard, argued that America was rife with conflict--adherents of the Declaration of Independence challenging those of the Constitution, southern slave owners against northern anti-slavery proponents, labor versus capital in the Gilded Age.
There are no lessons to be learned from history, but it can give us a broader, more humanistic perspective on our own troubles, which are as bad as any in our past.
3
>>>"An anarchist/populist sent a bomb to Henry Clay Frick, the manager of Carnegie's steel works, that severely injured him."
Yeah, well . . . that was after the Homestead strike. You might want to review Frick's action in sending 300 armed Pinkertons to confront the striking workers, setting off a riot that killed nine of the workers and injured dozens more.
Bad example.
5
I don't have anything against Soro's family and I think they're doing great things. I would probably do the same in their healthy situation, supporting my idea of the world trying to help educating people, etc.
I'm curious though to understand if it is true Mr G. Soros funded the separatist politicians in Catalonia's Spanish region and if so, if he recognizes it as an error now that we see the consequences of thinking democracy is just voting at whatever price.
3
First of all, Alexander, I'm glad your father is okay. We share this world with crazy people.
Second, this newspaper, and the majority of the mainstream media, has done more to demonize and fuel hatred for this President than any President in my lifetime, a considerable timespan. He's a brash individual, embarrassingly so at times, but he was fairly elected and fulfills what every parent has told their kids: in this country, anyone can be President. Well, he's living proof. Yet, day after day, on TV, radio, the web and especially here, the invective heaped on him is unprecedented. So it's rather ironic for this newspaper to print The Hate That Is Consuming Us. You could easily be referring to yourselves.
5
The news media is just reporting what Trump says, which is filled with hate & violence. He insults people in a vile way, especially women. He encourages violence against the press. He praises dictators- our enemies, and insults our allies-Canada, England, Germany. We need these countries. And he dislikes any person of color. And what about that tax cut for the very rich. How’s that going for you? This is the truth and the press prints it. Are you against the truth?
@Teller Unfortunately, this President is the dark side of that same statement. When parents and teachers tell kids anyone can be president, the sentiment was clearly that anyone, no matter their economic or social status, with hard work and determination, could reach the highest job in the land. I doubt anyone was thinking of the entitled and super rich, insulting women, minorities, and almost everyone with a conscious and still getting elected... Trump is a constant talking point of all those concerned about our democracy, the "mainstream media" of course being included in that group, because his very words and actions threaten those democratic ideals.
3
@Teller Trump brings every single syllable of it on himself. Enough with the pity party, he's a grown man and his actions and words have consequences. Outside of the opinion pages, the media does no more than report what happened, as is their job.
1
I'm a native born U.S. citizen with Middle Eastern ancestry. My skin color is fairly light for someone with my background. Much of the time, I get to "pass" for the average white person here in the U.S.
So let me tell you what I'm hearing from these whites, since the rise of Donald Trump. They have no intention of letting brown-skinned people share power with them in this country. They will support the most loathsome human being as long as he tells them that as whites, they are the "real" Americans. And this is exactly what Trump has done.
I hear things about minorities that most darker skinned people never hear, or rarely hear. And these comments have gotten exponentially uglier in the past two years.
At a political gathering last year, I made the mistake of telling a white person where my family was originally from (I, however, was born in Chicago), and he screamed that I had no place here, and should go back there. But before I said that, I had a complete pass. He had absolutely no problem with me.
It is all about race, people, all about race. Trump voters don't hate us because of our political views. They hate us simply because of who we are. They want an all white America, and have shown that they will do literally anything to achieve this. I'm in my seventh decade and have seen a lot of changes in America. So understand this - the threats in restaurants aren't the end of this story -- they're only the beginning. Every one of us who isn't white is now a target.
25
George Soros and the Koch Brothers are mirror images of each other, and none of them are good for American Democracy. They use their billion of dollars to wield out-sized influence in a way that ultimately benefits them but forces the rest of us further apart.
Soros' money has absolutely been a significant and malignant part of weaponizing politics in America; of ending tolerance for the other guy's point of view. Those women who hysterically harangued Sen. Jeff Flake in an elevator -- they were empowered by Soros' money -- he funded their organization. That is true of many of the left-wing radicals who have added to the notion of aggressively reacting to every political occurrence one doesn't agree with. It's a deliberate step from that to the violent antics of Antifa or the right wing nuts on the other side.
11
@Philboyd Your own hatred is reflected in your word choices. A moment of reflection may be in order. Please explain how Soros has personally benefited from his charitable contributions, unlike the Koch Brothers' who lobby for things like tax cuts that benefit them personally. Please also show the proof of a link between Soros and protesters and recall that the NYPost and InfoWars are not academically acceptable source material. I would ask that you take a good look at who this man really is before you condemn him.
11
@Philboyd FACT: The overwhelming majority of extremist-related U.S. deaths are caused by the right. In a ten year period, the left accounted for just 2%, the right 74%. (via ADL)
2
I wish you and your beloved father peace and happiness.
I agree, shunning the demonization of all political opponents is the road to travel.
By the way, did you see our governor in the gubernatorial debate last night?
1
"We must find our way to a new political discourse that shuns the demonization of all political opponents."
Yes, but it must be understood that the demonization goes both ways. To wit, in this very article:
"A first step would be to cast our ballots to reject those politicians cynically responsible for undermining the institutions of our democracy."
Oh, come on. Donald Trump is a liar, but is he an anti-Semite because David Duke endorsed him? And is he letting the anti-Semitic genie back out of the bottle because of campaign ads with questionable overtones, while at the same time his most trusted senior advisor and son-in-law is an orthodox Jew? (which no one seems to notice, much less object to). Come on. This whole article is blanket demonization of Soros's opponents, and is part of the problem.
7
@Steve
Yes, but Trump has spent the past several weeks running around the country spewing and encouraging hatred — not necessarily of Jews — although liberal Jews such as Soros might be "subtle" targets — but at Democrats, liberals and "others," both black and brown.
Now, similar to Pizza Gate, crazies feel encouraged to act out. Accident?
11
@Steve Soros is a private citizen, not a politician. The word "opponents" seems unnecessary and incorrect given the context. Also, having jewish friends or even family members doesn't mean you don't pander to an antisemitic base, the same way having a black friend doesn't mean you aren't racist.
5
@Philip S. Wenz
Yes, Trump is demonizing the Left, as the Left is demonizing the Right, particularly in the left-leaning media. Rich white males, trying to maintain their monopoly on power. Not a decent one among them, right?
"crazies feel encouraged to act out. Accident?"
And? So crazies are acting out. Is the sky falling? Are you not deducing from this that all Republicans are demons who must be voted out of office "before it is too late"?
It's become a culture of demonization and counter-demonization. That's what needs to be recognized by both sides, if there is to be a return to civility.
Are these bombs the result of the extreme right? Perhaps they’re the work of The Russian attempts to sow extreme discord in our country just prior to our elections. Whoever is manipulating America is doing a good job of bringing us to the brink of a 2nd civil war.
7
@Ken Absolutely so. Unfortunately, the person currently occupying the White House is aiding and abetting the effort.
4
This speculation about Russian involvement is unfounded, silly and dangerous.
There isn't the tiniest shred of supporting evidence and no history of similar behavior.
Please stop encouraging unnecessary animosity toward a nation with nearly 8,00 nuclear warheads. It's a really bad idea.
2
President Trump has stoked the hatred of the far right and recently called himself a "nationalist." I don't think he is responsible for these attacks, but he inspired them, fueled them and gave them motion.
30
>>>" I don't think he is responsible for these attacks, but he inspired them, fueled them and gave them motion."
Surely, that entails considerable responsibility.
5
Real conservatives are about law and order. Whoever did this was not a conservative.
6
All of these bombs were sent to leading Democratic figures, including two former presidents, and a leading media organization (CNN) that is being constantly criticized by President Trump. It is quite apparent that this is a fear inducing tactic of the most repellent and horrific variety – was it an attempt to suppress voter turnout on the Democratic side? Let’s hope the president denounces and rejects this cowardly and callous act in the strongest possible terms with no equivocations as he has in the past (re: Charlottesville).
12
We have fallen so far so fast. I know these kinds of actions, and worse, have happened before but with a president literally encouraging bad and dangerous behavior and lying at every turn, things feel different now. I wish news organizations would stop even showing clips of his rallies. I wish they would stop reviewing all the outrageous things he says over and over again. I wish they would never show the people, inexplicably, standing behind him clapping and laughing. The time could be must better spent concentrating on what is really going on, what the real consequences of his presidency, his policies and his lies are having around the country and the globe. I also wish there were billboards or websites or something that would show real time what the deficit is, how many rallies he's attended, the cost of those rallies to taxpayers, how much Mexico has paid for the wall (zeros of course), how many golfing trips, etc., etc. Trump has ruined everything he has ever been involved with and our country seems doomed to be his next failure.
40
Before we can expect Republicans to tone down the hate, we have to do the same in our own house. This column is a message to all of us, not just the Trumpists and the other haters on the right. It is indisputable that we are in a vitriol arms race, with predictable - and predictably violent - risks and consequences. We are better than laying the blame solely on Them. If we don’t look inward and make changes where we can first, then we are merely part of the problem.
10
@MWR i agree w you brother/sister; but check out all the rest of the quotes. you are a voice in the wilderness...
2
Thank you for your Opinion article. Thanks for all your family does that contributes to all of our being free!
16
This harsh reality stems from Republican Trump's violent reaction to anyone who disagrees with him. He condones, even cheers, the violence. Don't be so eager to blame both sides. One can turn the other cheek only so often before finding it necessary to fight back.
20
The President of the United States promised his supporters that a political rival would be "locked up". He has called into question the citizenship of his presidential predecessor. He has declared that the media with whose views he disagrees are "the enemy of the people". He has praised a Republican Congressman for assaulting a reporter. And now someone has made what amounts to an attempt on the lives of Mr Soros, Secretary Clinton, and the staff of CNN.
I spoke today with a concerned American friend. He said, "The world needs to know that this is not who we really are."
To which I replied, "Then show the world who you really are".
33
Presidental candidate John McCain’s correction of a supporter parroting the racist taunt that President Obama was not a native-born American is remembered for one reason.
Senator McCain was the candidate of the Republican Party and was a ranking member of the U.S. senate. When he insisted that President Obama was a gentleman and loyal American, he officially denied racist white nationalists a place in his party and his campaign.
Look to President Trump, the Republican Party, and the party’s control of the Senate, and House of Representatives to see how far into the chasm of nativist racism the “Party of Lincoln” has fallen.
The fault lies not with Mr. Trump. His values and moral compass were set long before he was elected. This American tragedy rests entirely with the Republican party. The Republicans of the House and Senate by their silence and by their refusal to repudiate Mr. Trump’s racist rhetoric confirms their full throated support for their President’s race tinted politics.
If President Nixon’s Southern-Strategy of dog whistle racism and criminalization of dissent resulted eventually in the violence of Kent State, it will not surprise us when Mr. Trump’s Republican party’s current strategy of overt racist rhetoric also results in violence.
34
I profoundly admire Mr. Soros for his vision to promote civil societies in Eastern Europe in the immediate aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union, thereby significantly facilitating Eastern Europe’ transition to democratization. Mr. Soros dedicated massive financial resources to support building of civil society and democracy infrastructure; constitutional democratic movements in Eastern Europe owe him a debt of gratitude, as do those who believe in liberty.
I also admire George Soros on the good work his foundation has done to support the civil society infrastructure, especially regarding women voter turnout in Afghanistan. When I was in Afghanistan in 2006 I witnessed it first hand. The recent Afghan voter turnout in parliamentary elections appears to be higher than the projected US voter turnout in November, and women turnout was especially high, in spite of Taliban’s brutal attacks. Soros foundation good work laying the foundation years in advance deserves generous credit for this outcome.
Tragically, Trump’s add, laced with latent antisemitism says all you need to know about how Trump portrayed political opponents into evil enemies conspiring with a ‘global Jewish cabal’. (Link in the article). The doublespeak in this add eerily reminds of George Orwell’s prophecy. And I am saddened that Trump’s reckless hate rallies can fuel such outcome. We are better much better than that.
14
My great grandfather left Mexico as a 14-year-old orphan in 1870 and settled in West Texas.
Over the next few decades, all of my ancestors would leave Mexico and make their homes in Texas.
Our narrative is like that of most ethnic Mexicans who have made their lives in the U.S.
There have been abundant opportunities. But they have come with a steep price.
Virulent racism, lack of equal opportunities, marginalization and even intermittent demonization by much of mainstream America have been the cost we've paid for a shot at a better life.
So, this hatred the author recounts is not new to us.
All that's changed is its intensity and greater acceptability as normal.
32
Ricardo Chavira...you and I, and all of our friends and family and acquaintances must vote in record historic numbers on November 6 2018.
Change is possible.
Votemos juntos !
10
This vitriol has permeated to mainstream Republicans. Just recently Senator Grassley agreed with Trump's assertion that Soros paid the Kavanaugh protestors. We must recognize now, that our Country has already crossed the line.
Sen Grassley:
“I have heard so many people believe that. I tend to believe it,” the Iowa senator said in response to his thoughts on the Soros rumor in an interview with Fox News. “It fits in his attack mode and how he uses his billions and billions of resources.
24
Mr. Soros, I offer you my perspective from a vantage point of being alive for 74-years. I want you to feel comforted by what I am telling you right now. Hate is not consuming us. It only consumes the haters and they are a very small minority of people who are getting the lion's share of media attention.
We human beings have a natural desire to support one another because it is trait of natural selection. We survived over the millennia in groups, not by ourselves.
So when we look at ourselves in the long view we must realize that we are here TOGETHER to support one another and that whatever political differences exist between us do not amount to a hill of beans in the aggregate.
Here's to the survival of the species and of our need to love and support one another no matter what. And that goes for Mr. Trump too. In fact, I wish it even more for Mr. Trump because God knows he needs all of the help and support he can get.
10
Thank you for writing this article. Our democracy was shattered when O'Connell said: "No matter what Obama proposes, we will vote against it." Compassion, empathy and kindness are disappearing rapidly. The writing on the Statue of Liberty is no longer viable. If the "leader" of our country can call people names, all sense of propriety is gone. I grieve for the country that admitted refugees, that helped people to find a better life and that made me feel I lived in the best country in the world.
33
Alex Soros is right, but let's call it what it is - Trump and the GOP are engaged in the politics of the Big Lie and they are using hateful rhetoric, dog whistles to white nationalists, and the demonization of liberals like George Soros to sell the Big Lie, i.e. that immigrants, minority groups, and Muslims are responsible for all of America's problems, and that liberals are enabling these groups.
The Big Lie is premised on the theory that people will believe anything if you repeat it enough and those who don't believe it need to be demonized.
Pundits wrongly downplay the risk of the GOP and Trump succeeding (as the Nazis did) with the Big Lie because ONE - our system is built on checks and balances. But where are those checks and balances - the GOP now control all three branches of government and most statehouses in the nation. TWO - the strength of American civil society and the influence of the media are supposed to act as checks on the Big Lie. But Trump and the GOP undermine civil society by demonizing anyone with alternate views and casting the media as Evil and Fake for giving time and space to dissenting views.
Hitler gained more power as everyone under-estimated him. They even called him a clown. But he had a plan and so does Trump. It's time that everyone stops deluding themselves that this is just another political bump in the road. Start with voting, but don't stop there. Speak out every day against hate and recognize the Big Lie for what it is.
68
It's not a result of our politics. It's a result of Trump politics.
43
My heart breaks for these times, once far from perfect, but with hope for a more humane society and world. And that this hope has been vociferously replaced with the hate with the election of our current president, a man whose platform is one of hate, is painful. My heartache is for all of us, including those who follow Trump. Hate feels awful -
566
@Emily Lewis will voting places be endanger in Democratic leaning areas? They are trying to scare Democrats away from voting.
1
@Emily Lewis
Understood. Obama was not perfect... but we never heard the profoundly negative adjectives we hear about Trump.
2
Thanks you for this excellent article. I believe we can all have our opinions but need to tolerate dissenting ones as welll. We must demand civility and tolerance in our society.
23
@Jennifer But, but wasn't it Hillary who said a few days ago, that there will be no civility until the Dems get back power. Talk about stupidity.
3
@Chris: I don’t think Hillary meant to say it was okay to put pipe bombs in the mailboxes of political opponents. I think she meant to say that it would be okay to voice strong condemnation of Trump’s lies and calls to violence and demonizing of Democrats and minorities, and not having the discussion rules be dictated by Republicans anymore.
4
The Republicans have made one of, if not the primary, centerpiece of their mid-term campaign the immigrant caravan. They suggest that the Democrats and George Soros are behind this because they want open borders. I have not heard a Democrat support unlawful immigration. On the other hand, the Republicans can rally their base as they are doing with this curiously timed caravan to push their candidates into office.
When will someone investigate the support provided to these people. They didn't get organized without leadership. They are poor and unable to afford weeks of travel through foreign countries. The person or group that would gain the most by this investment at this time is the Republican Party and its candidates. And one cannot rule out the Russians either as this is entirely in keeping with their program of disinformation to create conflict in the American public.
The continuing unaswered accusation that the Democrats are behind the caravan begs for for the counter argument and investigation. Follow the money.
18
Thank you Mr Soros. Where are our political leaders? They should be speaking out vociferously right now. The fact that no Republicans seriously condemn the vitriol spouted on a daily basis that leads to such acts means that they condone it. Of course I'd also like to see the Democratic party leadership out there as well. It's hard to get excited about supporting the Democrats when no one is acting like a real leader.
857
@Shirl
VP Pence just said Venezuela paid to send the migrants north to the USA. This makes no sense since using the migrants to scare Republicans to the polls is how Trump is using the migrant parade. But now lying by both top leaders of the USA is OK. The end of all decency is nigh.
9
@Shirl - This is exactly what I have been thinking. Democrats have an incredible, daily opportunity to fact-check and expose the Trump administration for what it is. And they have failed to do so. I have been wondering why for quite some time now. Cynically, I wonder if Democrats, too, are benefitting from this current hate-filled administration.
You are so right - "no one is acting like a real leader."
@Shirl
“It's hard to get excited about supporting the Democrats when no one is acting like a real leader.”
That's exactly the problem, yet Democrats seem to be perfectly happy with their entitled leadership, who are leading them into the showers.
1
Perhaps it's time to look in the mirror and tone down the rhetoric. Hate is omnidirectional in it's scope, and affects everyone on both sides of the aisle.
192
Sky, are you seriously equating the inflammatory things Trump says every day to the world to anything elected Democrats say in their political roles?
Trump is directly fueling mob mentalities with his words. Has Mr Soros ever done anything like that? No.
37
Sky, I’m sure Democrats have said inflammatory things too. The difference, as DJT himself would point out: he’s president and they’re not. Every word he says is amplified ten thousand-fold. Past presidents have been mindful of this and weighed their words carefully. This president uses the bully-pulpit purposefully to sow division, confusion, outrage and fear. That is why there is no equivalency. There is NOTHING any Democrat of stature has said or done that rises to this level. I defy you to dig up an equivalent example.
8
@SkyBird It is not helpful in this critical debate to offer misleading false equivalencies. Yes, our political discourse needs a re-set. But to say "hate is omnidirectional" is very close to Trump's "very good people on both sides" of the Charlottesville demonstration (at hate rally). We all need to be civil and respectful. But we also need to face the reality of the hatred and divisiveness that was the core of Trump's campaign and is a key element of his ongoing effort to hold on to power. We need to face this reality in order to change course. Look at Trump's statements, his actions and his policies.
8
The harsh reality is that out society is becoming ever more unequal and polarized.
Wealth is exacerbating this harsh reality.
One person's Soros is another person's Koch brother.
Wealthy individuals, whether Bezos, Gates, Buffett, Soros, or Koch should not be promoting their causes or designing our health care.
Societies should decide through modern democratic means the paths they will take.
That will produce forward movements and broad consensus.
We need much more progressive taxation and the end of Citizen United.
There is no other choice for our society to defuse the rising tensions.
13
@Bohdan A Oryshkevich
It is common and very misleading to say "One person's Soros is another person's Koch brother." One advocates for policies that would hurt him personally (Soros for higher taxes, for example) while one advocates to help himself (lower taxes - Koch). False dualities are a constant problem in today's dialogue, and we should be careful to avoid them.
52
@Bohdan A Oryshkevich If concentrated wealth is the problem, then I believe you ought to applaud the efforts of Soros, Buffett and Gates, who promote societal changes that directly or indirectly support the modern democratic governance that you and I both support. Please go to the Open Society Foundation and Gates Foundation webpages to understand their philanthropic aims, and compare those goals and acts with the Koch's efforts to perpetuate wealth accumulation through the establishment of one party governance in the US. Now that our society is where it is, I am glad that Soros, Buffett, Gates and now Bezos are spending their excessive accumulated wealth to make the world more, not less democratic.
12
History is a good teacher for all of us. I never thought that a situation might repeat my dad was talking about. Then the holocaust happened. My dad was the only survivor. Hate, Lies, Fear and Inciting Violence are not attributes of a functional Democracy and Society. All of us - including the medias (!) - have to step up and point that out. But there is more on that - our corporate environment has to make clear, there is a red line! That is also a lesson learned from history - being silent makes haters, liars and populists more powerful. We need civic lessons for everyone, we need to address a painful topic of our society - namely - what we do with a substancial amount of the population that is being left behind? Everything starts with education. What happen right now in our country reflects to a certain degree also the status of our educational system. We can be better than that!
19
Trumpenstein's 'Philosophy of hate' in action. It doesn't get more UNAMERICAN than these actions nor the divisive words that caused them.
Would you ever hear Presidents Eisenhower, Truman, Roosevelt or even Nixon inspire this with their words?
We've entered uncharted territory and our country is at risk due to excessive disrespect over political differences - exactly what Czar Putin wanted.
22
This is an important message -- low-key & moderate -- pleading for fairness, inclusion and open discourse. It is also a stark contrast to those who fan the flames of intolerance, deflection and innuendo. Thanks to the Messieurs Soros, young and old, for supporting democracies. Please keep up your essential work -- more important now than ever.
31
Let’s make it clear that the Republican Party starting with Donald J Trump is the leader of this demonization. One party is the party of cruelty and hate. One party that lionizes the beating of journalists.
Even abroad it is not generally the left. And most of the first world liberals and socialists speak out forcefully against the regime of Maduro in Venezuela. The closest thing to a rare exception.
I think Mr Soros knows this. But if the belief is that everyone is extremely cruel, that cruelty will be, and largely has been, normalized.
It is not normal, and both sides arent doing it.
19
Well written and very true. The irrational rants against George Soros on Facebook are scary. I’ve seen them from conservative friends of mine, and they’re very scary. I remember when the Oklahoma City bombing took place, and my thinking then was that extreme Republican rhetoric was the direct and proximate cause of that domestic terrorist attack. The rhetoric now is worse and it’s not consigned to a few right wing crazies, but a substantial number if not a majority of the Trump deplorables. It’s truly sad that it looks like our dear republic is heading toward a violent and unstable political situation that I’m sure will be used to justify rule by a strongman. Funny how closely this resembles the Russian/Putin playbook.
20
I don't know if others have noticed it; but these bombs, presumably the work of the same person, are unusual and unusually telling, because they were sent to people who are out of politics. Obama and Clinton are not in office or running now, never likely to run again. Soros is old and not a politician at all.
These are pure expressions of hatred, fomented by the right-wing hate machine.
102
Welcome to the America that black Americans have known for generations. Churches and Civil Rights leaders were targeted for bombing with impunity. We won't turn back and we won't let this stand. Courage and righteousness will win in the end - as usual.
52
Let's just see how interested Trump is in finding the terrorists who have planted these bombs against American citizens. Of course, it's pretty likely that they are home grown, and not in some caravan or sneaking in from "the middle east," so I'm sure he and his ilk won't even consider the perpetrators to be "terrorists." It might even be that Trump sees "good people"on both sides.
43
The conspiracy story now being told on Fox is that this is all being done by the Democratic Party as a means of getting out the vote. With the death of truth this is as true as the real story ...all truths become the property of Trump thought. This is what is left of this country.
29
It's a sad commentary on our country how the ignorance and hate of some US citizens who believe every word our dystopian President says are inspired to harm people they don't agree with on the basis of lies. Possibly the perpetrators have no idea about the history of your fathers escape from Hungary's adoption of Nazism, followed by communism, and only connect with the President's remarks about him. In any case it shows the incendiary nature of awakening nationalism as the President flails away at anything he can grab to save himself from a divided government; a portion of which will try to hold him accountable for his actions.
19
Thank you for your comments and your call to action. The Open Society Foundations have done so much good in the world, it is tragic and absurd that your father has been made the scapegoat of so many divisive politicians and the crazy people who follow them. Here's hoping that the people of Europe and the United States find the wisdom and strength to overcome this century's dalliance with fascism.
21
Isn't what Trump is doing is hate speech? Inciting to violence? Conspiracy? Isn't this criminal behavior?
Trump won the election yet he has demonized Hilary way past the norms (I use that word loosely) of a hateful rhetoric of an election campaign. This behavior is truly scary to me.Quite honestly I have no idea why Trump is attacking Barack Obama, or George Soros because this is crazy. Way beyond crazy.
Someone once told me the craziest person in the room rules.
21
The point is provocation. They need the "violent left". Don't. It is that simple. Just let them hang there and watch it backfire. Already they are conjuring up a socialist, communist menace, threatening "liberal capitalists" and poor millionares, who have to resort to tax heavens for a "level playingfield", as outlined in the paradise papers, which doesn't exist. Mountains of evidence to the contrary and all that. If they stirr up foam they should be the ones eating it. Just watch - get a few drones if you have to. No action taken could be more effective than what they do themselves. Yes, i am serious. That being said, be on the lookout and report anything suspicious to the police. Enough people got hurt already.
6
Before Trump, we knew about the authoritarian, proto-Fascist, and clerico-Fascist strains manifested by a great many Americans. The election and presidency of this person have given permission to lots of people to crawl out from under the rocks and this threatens the constitutional order. The gullibility and greed of too many voters makes them enablers.
16
This is exactly the result of this president and his hateful messages since 2015. The country saw this coming, yet enough Americans gave this man and his hatred a pass to govern the country. The president sowed theses seeds of hate and now the country is reaping that harvest.
62
@silver vibes I think that the seeds were there. DJT watered and nourished them. He emboldens all that is wrong in this country.
9
Please don't generalize. This is more than likely one sick individual, who obviously, needs to be stopped as soon as possible.
13
Mr Soros,
"It seeks to support those who promote societies where everyone has a voice."
Your position promotes group thinking...the very thing that went wrong with the organizations you mentioned (Nazis, Communists).
New mission:
It seeks to support everyone by promoting free thinking and individual responsibility.
When people think for themselves evolution happens.
9
@Paul Evolution or development? Evolution of species has nothing to do with thinking, free or otherwise. Evolution is the result of genetic mutations that spread in numbers thus creating a new species--which survives by finding a niche for which it is fitted.
2
When it takes a hero, not merely a man in the street who may not have courage enough, to stand up for democracy, democracy is in trouble. It's most dangerous attack in the US is from the minority party who can't get what they want by ordinary political means, so in the pay of their donors they cynically gamed the system to gain power, wrecking forever the outcome of the system - if it can be so easily purchased, and gamed, perhaps it's not as good as we thought it was.
It could also be that both parties in a two party state have to want government to continue, and one of them, say the perpetual minority party, staring at the coming demographic steam roller, realizes that it is never going to get what it wants through the system, cynically subverts the system to get what it wants while it can, let the chips fall on any constitution.
12
The feelings against progressive forces have always been there and will always be there. The difference is that the rhetoric has elevated to hate. The the leader of that sentiment is sitting at 1600 Penn Ave. Whether or not he is truly a racist or anti semitic is not the point. For political purposes he gives a voice to those feelings by encouraging violence against those "enemies" and by raising the temperature of his crowds to hateful language. It is only natural that some people go a step farther and carry out acts of violence. But make no mistake-he is the cause-the impetus. And the Republican leadership does not stand up for peace and virtuous acts. The Trump way is to divide and get 50.1% of the vote. Only Democrats are speaking about bi-partisanship and working together.
Frankly, the whole thing is scary. The rhetoric is consistent with those autocrats like Hitler. Find the scapegoat(in this case Soros, or Obama or the Clintons) blame them for everything ("lock her up"), turn up the temperature of hate and destroy democracy.
35
This is where the Democrats get it wrong against Trump and his whacked out group of supporters every single time. Rather then confront, the Dems try to figure it all out in polite, coffee table conversation, how to make things better. Let's remember -- Someone took steps in the hopes that he/she/them could MURDER Mr. Soros, the Clintons and the Obamas. This is not the time for weakness disguised as rationale, polite behavior.
This is no time to go on some philosophical journey about the existential definition of hate and its causes. Now is the time to grow spines and attack the bully on the throne that is causing the hate.
Donald J. Trump has caused this. His hate, transferred to the brainless sheep who support him, has posed a real and present danger to our society.
Let's stop the useless rhetoric of how bad hate is and how we need to grow past it somehow. Instead, let's terminate our acceptance of and response to the Hater in Chief, and all those like Fox News who support him.
32
And before we are deluged with a round of false equivalencies and "balance" for the sake of balance -- and not because there is any basis whatsoever for comparison -- let's just make it clear that this demonization emanates from one side. The GOP has, for decades, fed and fostered and encouraged the monster than has now been unleased in the person of the current so-called president and his "followers". The Dems, by and large, do not call for the silencing of their critics by whatever means. Nor do they encourage violence against those who hold different views. That is the exclusive domain of the GOP. And while even a few years back one could hope for some cooler heads, voices of reason and sanity from people like John McCain, those days are over. Even among those in the GOP who continue to fashion themselves "leaders". The time is now for any real "leaders" remaining in the GOP to step up and condemn not just these acts of this individuals, but the behavior that incites these acts. Just as the First Amendment does not protect someone yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theatre, it does not protect the vile, unrelenting demonization and call to arms spewed by the so-called "leader" of this nation. Time for the GOP "leadership" to say, ENOUGH. And if they don't, they are complicit in whatever comes next -- whether it's the next civil war, WWIII or the death by explosive devices or otherwise of innocent people who had the temerity to disagree with the "King".
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The fact that bombs are now being sent means that it is already too late. I am sure that 37% of the people (Trump’s base) is unhappy today that the bombs did not find their targets. As long as that spirit is not only alive in this country, but is being fed in the name of partisan expediency, we are in the soup.
Political leadership and the power it brings must come with the restraint of responsibility. Unfortunately, we have a President who knows no restraint, has never had to act restrained by a sense of responsibility and so this scourge has been let loose already on the country.
15
"When the President of the United States is the primary source of this societal pathology, who is there to override him? There is no one in our society who has a more powerful platform than the president. He is at the top and he is spewing the most vile poison of all."
I agree with almost everything you have said, but not with the above paragraph. Trump may be at the top, but there are many others who could have a voice, but don't speak up. There are republicans in the house and senate who could say something, but they don't. There are democrats who could speak up and call out Trump for what he is, but don't. The silence is killing us.
33
A useful way to approach the present moment is not to deplore the fact that "getting a tax break or getting their person on the Supreme Court is more important than human decency", but to ask in what other circumstances human decency goes by the board.
Shipwreck? Flood? Hurricane? Plague?
Not to excuse, but when you see humans acting in desperate ways you can either judge them evil or, as I prefer to do, simply judge them desperate.
Then a whole new horizon of questions opens up before you: Why desperate? Why so desperate? Why these tactics? What's the point? What do they aim to protect, achieve, salvage?
The people on the opposing side from you have two fundamental attributes.
Sing them along with me:
Americans.
People.
3
Mr. Soros, I'm sorry for your anxiety, and for any potential danger your family may face. However we have no idea what the motivation of the perpetrator might be. Were potentially explosive devises mailed or delivered to certain high profile individuals and organizations, yes; why, there is no way of knowing that at this time. Heightening tensions by presuming such doesn't help anything. Historically you may be proven right, but not yet.
3
I want to thank the Soros Open Society Foundation for their support of progressive causes around the world and locally in my home town of San Antonio.
You are to be commended not vilified.
27
George Soros is a humanitarian and an American hero. Thank you and your family.
32
We must forcefully reject the politics of hate. Make no mistake about it friends, this is the harvest from the seeds of hate sown by Trump and his ilk. For the sake of our country, or neighbors and our friends, vote on November 6th. Drive neighbors to the polls, volunteer at call centers, send donations. We need to send a crystal clear message, "Not in OUR country!"
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This election is the moment, the last moment, at which we can save freedom in America. Hats off to the Soros family for supporting democracy, rationality, equality and education - the things that extremists hate.
39
It became clear from "birtherism" and the racist chain emails and jokes during the Obama presidency that the culture had gone beyond policy disagreement. Having a philosophical objection to Obama Care is fair; dehumanizing its author was something else entirely. And in contrast to the conventional depiction of the Trump voter as down and out, the people I know who screamed loudest about Obama Care are themselves comfortably situated in plus-size houses and plus-size clothes. It's like a Simpsons parody of American greed. The past decade has left a sour taste.
22
Where are the leaders of the opposition?? The DNC and elected Democratic leaders are conspicuously absent on setting a policy to correct the current policies that are raping our country--morally and physically. The conman president is getting a free ride by all politicians and the free press.
By picking up on all his outrages statements and ignoring the critical parts of his actions we have allowed Trump and the GOP is coverup the extreme harm they are doing to our country. A outrages tax cut for the rich that the Democrats refuse to offer a policy of repeal and replace with a fair tax system. Are there any leaders left that can steer our country back to its democratic foundation?
6
Have you not been listening to Joe Biden, Senators Feinstein, Warren and others?
6
George Soros has made the world safer, healthier and more democratic. Thanks to him and your entire family.
22
This makes me even more fearful that when the caravan reaches the border there will be shooting. Trump has sent the military down there. Will they hold their fire?
3
The majority in this country must persist in upholding truth, decency, and the rights of all citizens. We must support democracies throughout the world against threats from despots, whether they be mad Saudi princes or enabled white nationalists.
To protect the freedom of the press is tantamount to defending our constitutional republic.
To those who want to silence voices of opposition to make their own dominant in order to oppress others, listen to the vo
14
Having worked for the Open Society Foundations for over 10 years, I am filled with deep respect and gratitude towards George Soros and am devastated that someone would try to harm this man who has rescued countless of individuals (including conservatives). During my time at OSF, we witnessed ignorant totalitarian leaders from Georgia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Russia denounce the work of OSF and Mr. Soros, perhaps because they wanted to keep their people frightened and uneducated. Why else would you demonize programs that support universal early child education, or unbiased media/journalism, or public health, other than wanting to lead a population of sheep while a select few pocket public revenues? Does any of this sound familiar? Yes, Trumpistan is here and the ignorance continues to spread like a disease. The vaccine lies somewhere in the midst of finding truth & respect for one another, and voting on Nov 6th.
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@ck
I agree with you, but you’re ignoring the Elephant in the Room: Illegal Immigration.
The European right that daemonizes Mr. Soros has ridden this issue to electoral triumph.
It’s the issue that elected Trump.
The fascists will lose their Trump card when the Left starts advocating border enforcement.
Yes, quite true regarding demonization of opponents ... I often feel demonized as an old, " straight ", Vietnam War veteran, white guy, in a 50 year marriage, with happily married adult children who are raising their own children.
7
I fear if we don't create a blue wave in two weeks, we will drown in more violence here and abroad.
15
The comment section is very revealing in that so many people are appalled at this level of violence, at hatred mongering of this or that entity, party, organization etc. It's appalling because it reveals an absolute absence of 'mea culpa', of self-awareness, of an understanding that this situation is the result of a complex process, of several patterns coming together, not of the actions of conservatives, racists, right-wing or whatever culprit one may come up with. This very fact is the most compelling evidence of this sheer blindness that affects our societies.
4
I applaud the NY Times for rushing this very important and well-written piece to publication.
God, I'm glad that my parents who lived through the depression and wars (my father serving in the south Pacific, shot down by enemy forces) and of course McCarthyism, aren't here to experience what it means to be an American in 2018 .living under this hateful, fear mongering administration.
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@JARenalds My father was also a life-long Republican in the Eisenhower mode. He passed in 2001. He would not recognize the GOP today, nor its platform.
5
I agree 100% with the author. This violent turn in our political culture can by attributed to the man occupying the Oval Office. The most declaring deficiency with this President is his lack of understanding that he is the leader of all Americans, not just those who put him in office. Wouldn't it be wonderful if he quit campaigning for just a bit and truly began to bring the country together? ENOUGH of the hate speech, Mr. President.
21
If, has been estimated by pundits, roughly 10% of voters are fringe or extremists, that is to be tolerated only if they contain themselves to writing and speaking. It's a free country - as long as you don't yell "fire" in a crowded theater. But if some of these people are violent and hurt others, then the other 88% must treat them as criminals and threats to society.
9
And now do we all have to worry about voting locations? To all of the "hold your nose" Trump voters: Is your tax cut/break really worth this? Is your stock portfolio more important that American lives?
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@CarolSon
"Do we all have to worry about voting locations?"
Only in heavily Democratic areas, apparently.
5
@CarolSon It's not their stock portfolios...those are taking a beating now that Trump has embarked on his trade war...
@CarolSon
The stock market is collapsing as you write your note. I mean, REALLY collapsing!
1
It’s disgusting what republicans have done to our country. This is what happens when ignorance and extremism meet at he highest levels of our government. The president is an open nationalist, and most of know what that means. Patriotism at its ugliest.
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Yes, demonizing opposition, plus an overall fear, even among many comrades, to agree to disagree or argue constructively about politics. And the worst: in many cases a clash of different ideas result in brad and enduring schismatic social situations.
3
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Alexander. I am so sorry this happened to your father, and to Hillary Clinton and President Obama. I am sad and angry that this is happening in our country, instead of civil discourse and ethical, vigorous debate and competition. I voted yesterday, and hope that all Americans will do so, and be allowed and encouraged to do so (such as Native Americans in North Dakota). We need to be evolving, not DEvolving into the ugly historical contexts you mention. May all who are passionate about our true democratic ideals stand strong, vote, and support each other.
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@Brian in FL
In the current American and global communities, growing and far reaching, unchecked hatred toward "all of them" who are not like "all of us" has created an inverse relationship with our ability to see the bigger picture.
Statements such as, "just the way it is" succinctly captures the stultifying effect that hatred has on our ability as human beings to envision, name and transcend what is now for something better.
Thank goodness for the visionaries such as George Soros, who have risked their own lives to bring peace, well-being and safety to those who have none.
We navigate narrowly close to losing our ability to think, improve, include, unite as the human race that we are born to be. We have a choice to expand our minds and hearts or shrink them and our visions for "what is possible" in light of "how it is".
The great movements of society that moved closer to our shared humanity rather than its destruction have always started with "the way it is" and continue to guide us toward "what can be."
We can stay mired and constricted in this current state of abject hatred and intolerance or move forward together. With such defeatist statements is pretty clear which outlook humanity needs to embrace to save itself, all of itself, from itself.
17
People get ready and pay attention. There is already talk — from the White House — of Trump trying to nullify the midterm results should the Democrats win. (He's being backed by Russian trolls who are already calling the election results illegitimate.)
His plan is to say swarms of illegals voted, then declare victory for the Republicans. In the ensuing constitutional crisis, he would try to completely reverse the election results.
This doesn't come from me or some online conspiracy theorists. It comes from veteran White House reporter Carl Bernstein:
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-2018-election-illegitimate-democra...
What can you do? Send this information to everyone you know. Expose it now, so the White House will have to go into bunker mode and abandon its plan.
23
George Soros is an incredible man, with an incredible history of advocating for democracy. Thank you Mr, Soros, you are a true hero.
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We can all thank Trump and his equally lunatic minions for this. Let's not kid ourselves. Rhetoric counts. Talk has consequences.
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From Nixon to Trump the constant thread is Roger Ailes and Fox. They sell malignant propaganda and call it news. The current president is barking to their tune, back and forth with Hannity and friends. We would not be where we are now were it not for the influence of this television station.
25
I remember hearing right-wingers on the radio snarling the name Hillary Clinton. No real content, just the snarl triggered derisive hate. I am so fed up with commentators, even on MSNBC, attacking the rights and dignity of this woman who would (and should) be our president now were it not for the Russian attacks on FaceBook.
The violent, unhappy people who will place bombs don't have to know anything about the values and work of Mr. and Mrs. Clinton. they just know that that funny Papa Trump expresses contempt for them. We have heard the snarling hate-language toward Mr. Soros and Barack Obama.
If Trump had a heart he would tweet,"I am sorry that I have led these people to violence." He will continue to reflexively lie. We, including many Republicans like the Bushes and the McCaines will continue to tell the truth and to get out the vote.
25
My thoughts are with your father, Alexander, as well as to President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and the journalists at CNN. But what can we expect from a president who himself espouses racism, hatred, implicit violence, and nativism? What can we expect from his followers who reflect the worst of us, and I include his GOP Congress and Cabinet?
Rather than grieving a Washington Post journalist who was murdered atrociously, rather than censuring Saudi Arabia, rather than aiding those oppressed victims in Central America, Mr. Trump traverses this country promoting thugs and nativists and corrupt politicians to maintain control in our executive and legislative branches. And we are letting him!
If ever there is a reason to save our democracy, it is now. In fact, it is in a matter of one day short of two weeks. The only power we have is right there in our hands, for heaven's sake. It is called voting, among our most sacred of rights. If we don't get out to vote, we can only blame ourselves for this road to the abyss Mr. Trump now has us on.
67
I fear it is already too late for civility and respect to return to our once-great nation. Our loss is the world’s loss. We used to be aspirational and now we are aspirational only to dictators and thugs. I weep for America. I weep for the world.
18
Why is it so many public figures spout false equivalency??? Let's say it - Trump, his followers, and those that enable him in order to get their tax cuts are responsible.
You can't compare the messages heard from Democrats with the violent, misogynist, bigoted rhetoric streaming from the right.
Now they are bombing individuals - even the dangerous leftist Weather Underground attempted to avoid bombing buildings when occupied by people.
How's that for a comparison.
26
trump is the person to blame for the hostile environment we live in. He is out to destroy everything many of us love about our country. trump is happy to incite the sheep that support him. Any shock or dismay that may be issued from the White House rings very hollow today.
29