The one about the old guy hit with a hammer

Among today's news is the revelation that Paul Pelosi's attacker is a Canadian citizen who is in the U.S. illegally. I'm sure that will be spun multiple ways -- it is election season -- but, honestly, who cares?

Hitting an 80-something guy in the head with a hammer is simply heinous, and the nationality of the attacker could not be less relevant. 

What is relevant is that a vocal few politicians and pundits have found ways to turn the attack into some form of joke or perhaps even a story of retribution for the evils of Nancy Pelosi and all Democrats.

I have read commentaries about THIS being somehow different, about this attack crossing a line, and about how the ugly comments and memes will make a difference in our national debate. Pardon me for wondering if most people have even paid much attention to yet another act of violence in America. 

I have basically given up on the hope of my fellow citizens getting back to anything resembling civilized debates and returning to what I assumed were shared American values. I am hopelessly naive, I suppose, but I always valued moral and ethical judgment for legislators and judges and presidents. 

I know they were and are human and flawed, but the mere expectation that our leaders should be moral and ethical people was enough to rein in the worst excesses, cause shamed politicians to resign, or prompt voters to issue their own sentences for transgressors.

Now it's tough to imagine anything creating enough shame to force a politician out of a race. I often think about how Al Franken was railroaded out of the Senate by his fellow Democrats. It was rushed and unfair, but perhaps that defines the major difference between the leaders of our two political parties: one group retains enough morality to feel shame, and the other has decided morality and ethics are for losers.

I see that Herschel Walker is counting on white Evangelicals to support his "redemption story" and vote for him despite his many past sins and his clear lack of preparation for being a U.S. Senator. That might mean more if the nation were lacking in any other options than an obviously brain-damaged former football player who has abused and even terrorized women in the past. 

A redemption story might do the trick if Walker were the only qualified candidate for a specific job. But that is a ludicrous idea. We could basically pick any white male in Georgia who is a Republican and is willing to endure the indignities of our elections, and he could win. Notice that I specified a male, which is appalling in it own way while being absolutely true.

My head tells me that the midterms will not quite become Armageddon, no matter the results, but my heart tells me to prepare for chaos that no one wants to seriously consider. 

So we don't.