Political violence in America. And an imminent government shutdown

It's been a tragic week, one which saw a senseless assassination of a political commentator, yet another school shooting, the anniversary of 9/11, and an appalling response from our president — who used the opportunity to make unfounded accusations about the "radical left."It’s hard to divorce acts of violence from rhetoric in the current landscape. The way Trump has handled political violence has been selective – avoiding statements altogether when his perceived enemies are attacked; while using aggressive, threatening language when it’s a supporter. Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger was in Congress during the January 6 attack, another act of political violence, and we discussed the lack of political leadership in this time of uneven, selective outrage.And later, Rep. Pat Ryan [16:38], a member of the house from New York, has been on the front lines of Congress in the debate over a possible government shutdown. Jen and Rep. Ryan discuss the need for Democrats to form a stronger platform and play hard ball.The Contrarian is owned by nobody. Your paid subscription helps us bring you the brightest voices in politics & culture and fight every day against the Trump chaos machine. Join us on Substack. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.contrariannews.org/subscribe