And in local news...
by Tom Sullivan
Well, a few hours' drive east in North Carolina anyway:
HILLSBOROUGH - The Orange County Republican Party headquarters was firebombed overnight Saturday and graffiti was spray-painted nearby in an attack that the GOP called “political terrorism.”Hillary Clinton responded on Twitter:
A flaming bottle was thrown through a window of the office and a swastika and “Nazi Republicans leave town or else” were painted in black on the side of an adjacent building, Hillsborough officials said in a news release.
The attack on the Orange County HQ @NCGOP office is horrific and unacceptable. Very grateful that everyone is safe.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 16, 2016
Some Democrats responded by launching a GoFundMe site to help the GOP rebuild:
The campaign was not an official effort by the Democratic Party, Jeff Jarvis, professor and director of the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism at the City University of New York’s Graduate School of Journalism, wrote on the GoFundMe page.Donald Trump responded:
“It is the effort of a half-dozen Democrats (of which I am one). This is a moment for graciousness, not fractiousness,” Jarvis wrote.
Donations quickly poured in and the campaign’s $10,000 goal was surpassed within a couple hours, Weinberger said. In total, organizers raised $13,167 from 552 donations before closing the fund.
Animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina just firebombed our office in Orange County because we are winning @NCGOP
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016
Because whether he's a winner or a loser is always the first thing on Trump's mind, not people's safety. The GOP's candidate needs no investigation to make up his mind. Just like he needs no classified briefing from professionals to know what's what before he acts. He's Trump, dammit.
I sympathize with the GOP folks in Hillsborough. At least as regards party regulars from each team, whatever our philosophical differences, there's a certain degree of professional respect. We share the same hobby. We're out on the same field, playing the same game, in the same weather, wearing different jerseys. It's the bleacher bums you have to watch out for. Over the years, we've seen intimidation, threats, vandalism (once already this year), and sheriff's deputies stationed at night outside our local Democratic headquarters during campaign season. (The Molotov cocktail is a new twist.) And the Hillsborough attack occurred on a Saturday night during the full moon, the Hunter's Moon. The lunatics are out at this time of the season. People, be careful out there.