You'd think Bernie Sanders had shot Trump himself

Plus: Dexter Reed & pretextual traffic stops [View this email in your browser]( [READER Logo]( Daily Reader | July 16, 2024 Folks, I will not lie to you. When I heard that some then-unknown shooter had taken a shot at Trump, I said a silent prayer . . . Please, please, please: do not let that shooter be Black, Muslim, Hispanic, Jewish, an immigrant who crossed at the southern border, or a Bernie voter. Knowing MAGA the way I do, I realized it would just be a matter of time before they put that shooter’s face on the necks of anyone who shared his race, religion, or background. At which point everyone in those groups would be guilty—as part of MAGA’s ongoing crusade to blame all of our problems on “the others.” Actually, MAGA didn’t even wait until the shooter had been identified before they started blaming lefties, as though Bernie Sanders himself were on that roof. Even Bill Maher, a Trump critic, jumped on the MAGA bandwagon on Saturday. He took the stage for a scheduled stand-up set in Minnesota soon after the shooting and proclaimed, “Whoever did this, whoever was the shooter, has done so much damage to the Left . . . lost a lot of moral high ground in the ‘You’re the violent people [argument].’ You know, liberals don’t shoot people. Liberals don’t solve it that way.” Again, the shooter had not been identified when Maher offered insights. He just assumed the shooter was from the left because . . . Well, I won’t try to read the mind of Bill Maher. But as an overall assessment, it seems to me that Maher follows the Michael Jordan gym shoe-selling philosophy when it comes to his comedy. Republicans listen to talk shows too, so, every now and then, he’ll throw them a bone. As we all know, the shooter turned out to belong to none of the abovementioned groups. Instead, he was a 20-year-old white man who was registered Republican. Once his identity was established, MAGA pretty much forgot about him since he was of no use to their propaganda campaign. Though his identity didn’t stop them from blaming Biden for the shooting. In contrast, Democrats did the right thing. Biden stopped campaigning. Called Trump to make sure he was okay. Gave a speech in which he pleaded for peace and reconciliation. Still extending his hand to the other side. Still having the other side bite it. Being on just about every imaginable political email list, I received emails from Biden and Trump not long after the shooting. Biden wrote, “We must remember that, while we may disagree, we are NOT enemies. We are neighbors, friends, coworkers, citizens, and most importantly, we are fellow Americans.” And he paid tribute to Corey Comperatore, the Trump supporter killed at the rally. Trump wrote: “I am Donald J. Trump, and I will NEVER SURRENDER! I will always love you for supporting me. Unity. Peace. Make America Great Again.” This message was beneath the now-famous photo of Trump, soon after the shooting, with blood on his cheek and his fist in the air. Trump closed with an appeal for money. No mention, by the way, of Corey Comperatore. In short, Biden called for reconciliation and Trump waved the bloody shirt. Dems decide to go high as MAGA goes low. Which has been a successful election strategy in American politics exactly never. Maybe November will be different. [Logo with text: The Ben Joravsky Show. Features man wearing a cap and headphones, and Chicago flag stars.]( 🎙 [Listen to The Ben Joravsky Show]( 🎙 ◈ [I Am Somebody: Why Jesse Jackson Matters]( by David Masciotra: a well-deserved tribute to Reverend Jesse Jackson. ◈ [Cristalle Bowen]( Common comes to Millennium Park. ◈ [Ben Joravsky]( (from 2022): MAGA principles. ◈ Activist and gun violence prevention advocate [Kina Collins]( with a message for white allies. ◈ Journalist and Gilda’s Club Chicago board member [Monroe Anderson]( What’s next, President Biden?◈ Roosevelt University faculty member [David Faris]( Trump’s coattails. [The Damen Silos face the Canalport Riverwalk in Bridgeport.]( [Remembering Jonathan Wilson 1949-2024]( The longtime director and Loyola theater professor influenced generations of artists; the Chicago Theater Bike Ride hosts a benefit, and longtime songwriter-singer-critic Richard Knight Jr. unveils original songs at Space. by [Kerry Reid]( | [Read more]( → [two women laying in the grass]( [Review: Last Summer]( French provocateur Catherine Breillat explores age gap relationships with complexity and truth in Last Summer. by [Kat Sachs]( | [Read more]( → [a man and woman hugging in front of trees]( [Review: Mother, Couch]( Mother, Couch captures something real about family and aging, but it remains unsatisfactory. by [Daniella Mazzio]( | [Read more]( → [Pretextual traffic stops are a poor policing strategy]( One such stop tragically led to Chicago police killing Dexter Reed in March. by [Anthony Ehlers]( | [Read more]( → [LAST CHANCE: ADVERTISE IN THE FOOD & DRINK ISSUE!]( Get the latest issue of the Chicago Reader Thursday, July 11, 2024 [READ ONLINE: VOL. 53, NO. 23]( [VIEW/DOWNLOAD ISSUE (PDF)]( [Donate to the Chicago Reader.]( [Facebook icon]( [Instagram icon]( [Twitter icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( [YouTube icon]( [Website icon]( [Logo] You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from the Chicago Reader. 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