Half an inch from a civil crisis

(The Center Square) — Had former President Donald Trump tilted his head the other way, the bullet that clipped his ear would have killed him. America was half an inch away from a major civil crisis.

We don't yet know the full details of this assassination attempt, but it is clear that Donald J. Trump has been demonized by his opponents for years.

Of course, in politics, you sometimes say negative things about your opponents. But the rhetoric aimed at Trump has often gone far beyond normal political back-and-forth. Trump's opponents have set out to delegitimize him.

After losing to Trump in 2016, Hilary Clinton described him as an illegitimate president. Spurious allegations emerged suggesting he was somehow a Russian agent. Every effort was made to undermine his administration, often from within.

After losing to Trump in 2016, Hilary Clinton described him as an illegitimate president. Spurious allegations emerged suggesting he was somehow a Russian agent. Every effort was made to undermine his administration, often from within.

Too many Americans are willing to always think the worst of fellow Americans, and it's not just progressives who look for the worst in conservatives.

Take what happened in the wake of the attempted assassination. Many commentators appeared to almost want to find evidence of incompetence, or worse, conspiracy.

An apparent hesitation by Secret Service marksmen in engaging the gunman was somehow sinister, it was suggested. Commentators without much experience of close personal protection were quick to inform us that the female Secret Service agents could not handle their weapons properly.

Really? Why assume the worst? Why not start from the position that what we witnessed were professionals under intense pressure, making life and death decisions and doing the best they could?

I'm an immigrant who sees America as an outsider. Born in Britain and raised in Uganda, I came to America by choice (and good fortune).

I don't look at me trying to find fault in my new home. I see instead an extraordinary country that it is a great privilege to be part of. I see the most hospitable, friendly, and innovative people on the planet all around me. I believe so strongly in the things that make America special so much I even wrote a children's book about it.

Each time I meet an American for the first time, it never occurs to me to wonder if they vote Republican or Democrat. To me, they are just American, and all the better for it.

We need to stop looking at each other through the prism of politics. It's not good for us, for our politics or for America.

Douglas Carswell is the President & CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy. This was originally published in The Center Square.