Trump’s Dog Whistle

The only thing nearly as outrageous as Donald Trump's thinly veiled calls for the assassination of Hillary Clinton is the deafening silence of Republican leaders.

They seem oblivious to Trump's dog whistles about killing the Democratic nominee for president.

Trump's running mate, Gov. Mike Pence, dismissed talk of assassination as "nonsense" while at the same time their campaign was posting a video of rocker Ted Nugent saying Clinton and President Obama should be "tried for treason and hung," reported Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank in a column about Trump and violence.  

Trump likes to boast "I bring rage out in people." He encourages violence at his rallies.  He once praised a follower who cold-cocked a protester and offered to pay his legal fees.

Trump's assassination talk doesn't end with Clinton. He also spoke about how "Second Amendment people" could stop Clinton, as president, and any anti-gun judges she may try to appoint. He's talking murder, but, what the hell, the GOP leadership is so beholden to the NRA that it dare not criticize.

His latest is a call for Clinton's Secret Service detail to disarm.  "Take their guns away," he yells to cheering supporters.  "Let's see what happens to her."

You don't have to be a graduate of Trump University to know what he means.

The National Rifle Association knows.  It is backing Trump with a  $5-million anti-Clinton attack ad campaign pushing the same theme:  she wants to take away your guns and repeal the Second Amendment.

Of course that's a lie and they know it, but so what if it sells.