Be civil, but don't blame incivility for attempted murder

When Rep. Chris Collins, a Republican from New York, learned that a man had shot his House colleague Steve Scalise, he said, "I can only hope that the Democrats do tone down the rhetoric."

Collins clearly blamed fierce dissent against President Trump for the shooting. "The rhetoric has been outrageous — the finger-pointing, just the tone, and the angst and the anger directed at Donald Trump, his supporters. Really, then, you know, some people react to things like that. They get angry as well. And then you fuel the fires."

This is a tempting line for a Republican, especially given the virulence of anti-Trump rhetoric and growing intolerance and illiberalism on the left. Also, many on the right will be tempted to blame the shooter's politics — he volunteered on Bernie Sanders' campaign, participated in Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, and ranted in favor of higher taxes on the rich — because some liberal commentators and even news journalists have played that game against the right.

It's certainly the case that political discussion would benefit from more civility. The tendency to attribute stupidity or malice where there is merely disagreement is widespread and corrosive. But, while we hope that this week's murder attempt on Republican lawmakers will rekindle civilized debate, it is important not to treat violence as an outgrowth of unpleasant rhetoric. Our country wrote free speech into its founding document because, among other things, the drafters recognized the distinction between speech and action. That isn't to say ugly words aren't ugly; it is to say personal responsibility includes not commiting criminal violence because of a culture of overheated rhetoric.

Collins was merely offering the mirror image of what Sanders himself said when a gunman shot up an abortion clinic in 2015. "I hope people realize that bitter rhetoric can have unintended consequences," the senator, then running for president, tweeted out.