Ross: Fundamental division in this country is not between left and right

Right after the Jan. 6 attack a year ago, many people from both parties condemned the violence AND the tepid response from the president.

But since then, we’ve heard more and more excuses from the apologists.

And it goes like this: Dave, you have to understand that this country is no longer free, we’re fed up with the condescension of the elites, the defunding of the police and leftist takeovers.

And my response is – did you pay attention to the last election? Seattle elected a mayor and a law-and-order city attorney who do NOT support defunding the police, and say the tents and the drug markets and the muffler-stealers have to go.

Now – I don’t know if they’ll succeed, but the political system worked well enough to put them in office.

At the same time, I realize there’s no point trying to argue with people who are convinced politics is broken, so for those who still feel that way – I say they should be free to set up their own compound, or village, or even their own state, as long as it’s small enough that we can drive around it.

It seems unnecessary, since we already live in a state where you can buy booze in a grocery store, smoke pot, own as many guns as you want, ignore the speed limit, have sex with any adult who consents, and pile up all kinds of junk in your yard unless it hurts the salmon. But if that’s not free enough for you – have at it. Just don’t force your anarchy on the rest of us.

The fundamental division in this country is not between left and right; it’s between people who believe in solving differences politically, versus those willing to use violence. And I don’t see any compromise there.

I think Rob McKenna put it very well in this morning’s interview: “People who put their political objectives ahead of truth and what’s important in this country shouldn’t be in politics and shouldn’t hold office in my view.”

Amen. The rest of us will try to muddle through without you.

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