Attack on Paul Pelosi should prompt soul-searching on political violence, not more finger-pointing

The home-invasion attack on Paul Pelosi, the 82-year-old husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has brought to the fore the danger of political violence in an angry and polarized America. The fact that many Republicans reacted to the assault by laughing it off or amplifying defamatory rumors makes it all the more shocking. Does this incident point to a problem specific to the GOP, or to a more general danger of extremism? Perhaps the answer is “both.”

At this point, there is no doubt that the attack, in which Paul Pelosi suffered a fractured skull, was directed at the Speaker and politically motivated. The suspect, David DePape, who arrived at the Pelosi house in San Francisco carrying a hammer and zip ties, told police he intended to capture Nancy Pelosi, question her, and break her kneecaps if she did not tell what he considered “the truth.”

DePape’s internet presence indicates he was steeped in far-right conspiracy theories and culture-war battles about COVID-19 vaccines, the 2020 election, and other issues. Some conservative commentators have downplayed the political angle, pointing out that the 42-year-old had once been a leftist and had a history of drug abuse and mental illness.

But that doesn’t absolve the far-right extremism which has made major inroads into the Republican and conservative mainstream. The belief that an evil cabal of politicians and other public figures is using vaccination to poison people, has stolen a presidential election, and harbors a network of murderous child rapists is likely to find fertile ground among vulnerable people with mental illness, giving some a focus for paranoid and violent tendencies.

Conservatives are correct to note that political violence is not a one-way street. In July, Lee Zeldin, who is running for governor in New York, suffered a minor assault during a campaign appearance. In June, Nicholas Roske, 26, surrendered to police near the Maryland home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, carrying weapons and burglary tools, and admitted to traveling from California to kill the justice because of the impending decision overturning abortion rights. Notably, no prominent Democrat laughed it off.

Apocalyptic left-wing rhetoric accusing conservatives of wanting to subjugate women, terrorize minorities, and burn the planet has its own potential to stoke paranoia and push mentally vulnerable people toward violence. Still, this is not a case of equivalent problems on both sides. According to the nonpartisan Center for Strategic and International Studies, right-wing extremists have been involved in 267 attacks and 91 fatalities since 2015, compared to 66 attacks and 19 fatalities for extremists on the far left. It’s hard to know how many of these incidents were linked to mental illness.

Lowering the temperature of political discourse across the board is essential. But there is simply no denying that the extremism problem is worse in the post-Donald Trump GOP. Witness widespread reluctance among Republican elected officials to condemn the mob that stormed Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2021 to undo the results of an election — an attack in which members of Congress fled in fear for their lives and over 140 police officers were injured.

Conservative reactions to the attack on Paul Pelosi point to the same problem. Claims that the attack was a gay tryst gone wrong, spun from misleading tidbits in early reports on the incident, have been picked up by conservative media figures such as Michael Savage and used as fodder for innuendo by Republican politicians — including Trump.

In a saner world, this incident would prompt some soul-searching. Instead, we’re likely to get more finger-pointing.

Opinions expressed by Cathy Young, a cultural studies fellow at the Cato Institute, are her own.

By Cathy Young

Cathy Young is a writer for The Bulwark.