Writer Jonathan Chait Wednesday morning used a four-letter word to describe conservative intellectuals' new spin on the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump: "Dumb."
He then shared his latest New York Magazine column explaining in essence, no, it's not hypocritical for Democrats to condemn the attempt on Trump's life.
"This argument may sound so facile that no serious person could possibly propose it," Chait wrote in his column. "But I promise that numerous conservative analysts — professional commentators, not random social-media users — have made this exact claim."
The claim — that Democrats would support murder if they really believed Trump presented an authoritarian threat — has been made by the Daily Wire columnist Matt Walsh, Fox News analyst Rich Lowry and editors of the Washington Free Beacon, Chait reports.
"If Trump is really an evil supervillain dictator who wants to destroy our system of government or whatever then assassinating him would be morally justified," Walsh wrote. "[Democrats] either have to openly defend this assassination attempt or admit that they’re full of c---."
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"If the idea that Trump is just months away from overthrowing the Constitution and establishing a fascist regime in America is taken seriously and literally," wrote Lowry, "it would justify any means of resistance."
"The ultimate dissonance comes from the well wishes of Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and other pooh-bas of the Democratic Party," wrote Free Beacon editors. "'Get well soon, Donald, so you can get back to destroying our democracy!' Either they didn’t actually believe their self-interested talking points about Trump the tyrant or they are coming to the realization that the public doesn’t buy it."
As Chait summarized it, "The conservative excuses for authoritarianism keep getting dumber."
Chait assumes a sighing tone as he sets about challenging the latest theory he admits he finds less than clever. He also notes these conservatives do not deny Trump presents an authoritarian threat.
"Democrats, they propose, can either believe Trump poses a potentially mortal threat to American democracy or believe that gunning him down in cold blood is wrong, but not both," writes Chait. "Luckily, there are convincing replies to this childish taunt."
Those answers include: 1) Liberal democracy would not survive the party's endorsement of political assassinations over fair and free elections. 2) Trump's death does not destroy the threat MAGA conservatism represents.
Chait then suggests readers take a look at Trump's running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH).
"[Vance] has attacked Pence for failing to support Trump’s coup attempt, urged Trump to simply defy court orders, etc," writes Chait. "So there’s little reason to believe killing Trump would save democracy from the right’s efforts to undermine it."
The writer concludes with the chilling suggestion that conservative "intellectuals" crafting the political narrative lack a basic understanding of how democracy is supposed to work.
"If conservatives are unable to understand how anybody can oppose an authoritarian politician without resorting to violence," he concludes, "that says more about their inability to grasp democracy than it does about the objects of their mockery."