Jeffrey Blehar of National Review Online assesses the reaction to United HealthCare CEO Brian Thompson’s murder.
In the early morning hours of December 4, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was assassinated in public on the streets of midtown Manhattan by a masked gunman who had clearly targeted him. The gunman sped away on a bicycle and, alarmingly, remained at large until Monday morning. …
… And there is no doubt now that he was politically motivated. Mangione was captured with a two-page manifesto on his person, the full contents of which have not been released to the public but which contain quotes (as reported by CNN) such as “These parasites had it coming” and “I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done.” …
… And for the disaffected Left, reeling from Trump’s reelection and from setbacks both domestically and abroad — Hezbollah fans aren’t feeling great today either, but that’s the subject of a different piece — this was an opportunity to pounce. “He’s a hero, sort of, if you think about it!” was more or less the refrain we heard from one overeducated social media wag after another. Why? Because health care costs too much, we need to eliminate private insurers, something something Marxism and Palestine too. In fact, we were told that Democrats and Republicans alike would be wise to lean in to the message of this moment. Don’t people realize the killer was actually a positive change agent — why, even the good guy?
I wish I were joking about this revolting turn in our discourse, but I am not. One example that can stand in for many, from former Rhode Island state representative Aaron Regunberg: “If your job is to win elections — to judge + channel public opinion — and you’re not taking note of how Brian Thompson’s murder has produced the most potent organic reaction of working class joy and solidarity of any single event in modern political history, you need a new job.” He couldn’t stop there, either, when people correctly pointed out that he, too, sounded like a psychopath.
