OPINION:
Last week in Washington might as well have been scripted by an overzealous Hollywood writer. What started as business as usual in Congress, trying to once again pass a budget at the last minute, quickly devolved into something far darker and emblematic of a divided and increasingly unrecognizable America.
For months, Republicans and Democrats have sparred with typical political theater. Loud debates, performative outrage and cordial handshakes behind closed doors were de rigueur. But the facade of civility last week came crashing down, leaving lawmakers and constituents grappling with the gravity of events.
Last Thursday, a viral video of Sen. Alex Padilla, California Democrat, confronting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a press conference erupted like wildfire across Capitol Hill. The senator, apparently dissatisfied with how the department was handling recent protests in Los Angeles, inserted himself into the briefing to demand answers. The scene escalated quickly as a clearly agitated Mr. Padilla was forcibly removed from the room, handcuffed and held at gunpoint.
While Republican leaders sidestepped condemnation, the Democratic caucus exploded in outrage. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the treatment of Mr. Padilla “sickening,” and others passionately rallied on the Senate floor. Even some Republicans expressed shock, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska calling the footage “horrible” and “unbecoming of democracy.”
Then it all went further. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat, said, “This is a deeply alarming escalation in the violence of the Trump administration.” To try to inflame the situation even more, her fellow New York Democrat, Rep. Adriano Espaillat, declared to reporters, “Let me warn you, the press: You won’t be spared. You won’t be spared, either.”
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, always one to pour gasoline on a fire, wrote on social media, “This assault is not only on @SenAlexPadilla, but on freedom of speech and expression in our country. These actions taken by Trump’s DHS communicate a message to all Americans that none of us is safe.”
Mr. Padilla, the main actor in the political theater, said, “If this is how this administration responds to a senator with a question, if this is how the Department of Homeland Security responds to a senator with a question, we can only imagine what they’re doing to farmworkers, to cooks, to day laborers in the Los Angeles community and throughout California and throughout the country.”
It was, of course, pure grandstanding. Democrats have been busy getting themselves arrested at anti-immigration protests, so the next natural step was for a U.S. senator to crash an official government briefing to demand answers.
As if the Mr. Padilla episode wasn’t already a reaffirmation of our crumbling political framework, the news out of Minnesota over the weekend sent another devastating jolt through the nation. Melissa Hortman, the former speaker of Minnesota’s House of Representatives, and her husband were assassinated in their home on Saturday.
The suspect, identified as Vance Luther Boelter by police, has been arrested, but the chilling reality of politically motivated violence is undeniable. The Hortmans’ murders, along with the shooting of another Democratic state senator and his spouse (who are expected to survive), awakened a rallying cry across party lines in Minnesota. Lawmakers, both Republican and Democrat, united in condemning the violence with a rare bipartisan statement.
The sharp juxtaposition of bipartisan solidarity in Minnesota against the dysfunctional chaos in the Capitol underscores something dangerous. Conflicts within Washington are escalating toward real-world consequences. And perhaps this isn’t just an exceptional tragedy but a new normal in an era of unresolved tensions and inflamed discourse.
Americans are left to watch as their leaders fail not just politically but also morally. When lawmakers argue through closed doors or parrot divisive talking points, it’s unserious but benign. But as confrontations like the Padilla incident rise and politically motivated attacks like the Hortman assassinations unfold, the consequences of tearing at the fabric of our institutions grow clearer by the day.
For Democrats, the task ahead involves turning outrage into meaningful action beyond mere statements and symbolic marches to locked office doors. For Republicans, it’s a moment of reckoning. They must decide whether to prioritize governance or fuel the flames of performative outrage.
The stakes extend far beyond the Capitol. If Congress remains unmoored and violence continues to pervade America’s political processes, what inevitably follows will be even worse. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill would do well to consider their role in steering the nation away from such a future. Whatever legislative agenda items we debate, one thing is clear: We need leadership, civility and accountability now more than ever.
• Joseph Curl covered the White House and politics for a decade for The Washington Times. He can be reached at josephcurl@gmail.com and on Twitter @josephcurl.
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