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Faced with two mass shootings within 24 hours, Republicans offered their usual ineffective thoughts and prayers for the victims and their families and resorted to blaming everything but the most obvious source of inspiration for the white nationalist violence that has terrorized the nation.
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As Twitter users posted tweets that directly correlated the language in the El Paso shooter’s misguided manifesto, Republican politicians attempted to shift responsibility to cultural trends rather than President Trump’s hateful rhetoric against immigrants and people of color.
Using the El Paso terrorist's manifesto, I connected the dots for folks still having trouble doing that.
This is just the first page. pic.twitter.com/mQcW3doGNF
— Brandon Friedman (@BFriedmanDC) August 4, 2019
The direct use of Trump’s own words in the white nationalist El Paso shooter’s screed didn’t deter Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick from using the old trope that violent video games rather than the president’s racist bloviating were to blame for the explosion of domestic terrorism.
Completely beyond parody: on Fox & Friends, Texas Lt Gov @DanPatrick blames video games, not guns or racism, for mass shooting in El Paso: "How long are we going to ignore on federal level the video game industry?…I see a video game industry that teaches young people to kill." pic.twitter.com/psxgV2cdLn
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 4, 2019
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Patrick appeared on Fox News’ Fox & Friends to make the tired claim without stopping to ponder why other countries where the same video games are played as much as they are in the United States don’t have the same percentage of terrorist gun violence as we do.
On Fox News, @GOPLeader McCarthy suggests video games, not guns or white nationalism, are responsible for El Paso mass shooting: "The idea of these video games — they dehumanize individuals to have a game of shooting individuals & others — I've always felt that's a problem." pic.twitter.com/tFH58CsUgn
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 4, 2019
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy used the same GOP talking points in his Fox News appearance today as the Republican leadership continued to try to deflect blame from its obvious source to just about anything else.
Try as they may to cover for their fear and hate-mongering leader, Republicans have to make a choice: either continue supporting Trump’s agenda of racial and ethnic divisiveness or denounce the president’s despicable tactics and try to pass the gun regulation legislation that we need and have needed for quite some time.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
