Politicizing tragedy. Are you a fan of pols who do? Isn't the Law and Order candidate doing so right now? Right this minute? Is politicizing tragedy EVER OKAY with you? Why?

Should presidential candidates remain silent on world events? I know of a certain president who weighs in on everything whether it matters or not. Shouldn't candidates be practicing for their time in the bully pulpit?

Hello there Rosie
We both know that when it comes to this election, I don't have a "Guy, or Gal for that matter.
That being said, I shall comment to the general concept of using tragedy to favor votes. They have to, because we demand it.
They are, we are the opposite sides of the same political coin...Ooops, there goes another tragedy...
one side...SEEE, Its those F'n guns and we need to do something about it....dammit!!!
the other side...AAaarghhh....TERRORISTS, and we better do something about it....Dammit!!!
Neither side wants to really look at the underlying, but very significant causes of said tragedy, and a "tragedy" means we don't have to. Its emotional, its angry and confusing..The crowd wants to scream...
,,,and there they are, our elected officials, cheering us on...." C'mon...you want backround checks...no fly lists...gun show loophole...Follow me...Im on your side,...Im gonna fight for you...",..."We had better be Smart....We better get tough..IT"S ISLAMIC F"N TERRORIST !!!!! c'mon SAY IT......Ill show em...."

and the crowd goes wild...so wild in fact that we forget just who the heck we are cheering...A clown and someone we all think as untrustworthy..

They Pray for tragedy...

I am in favor of it insofar as the degree and method of political figures politicizing tragedies tells you something about their thinking.

When a politician reacts to a mass shooting by a Chicago-born California-raised US citizen (who, admittedly seems to have been motivated by radical Islamic beliefs) by suggesting that all Syrian refugees be banned from the United States, that politician is revealing himself/herself to be a bigoted idiot.

If the politician reacts by proposing fairly meaningless and/or impractical changes to firearms laws which would do nothing to prevent such attacks (since most mass shooters legally obtain their weapons), he or she is demonstrating political opportunism (and arguably a degree of idiocy).

If the politician reacts by noting that, while tragic, such attacks are exceedingly rare, that there are no simple solutions for deterring/preventing such attacks, and the last thing we need is people demonzing whole religious/ethnic groups on the basis of the actions of one horrific individual, that politician is a member of the Reality-Based Community (sadly, there seem to be relatively few of them...;-D....).

I suppose it depends upon HOW it is done Polk. Really sympathizing/empathizing and showing care is one thing. Bragging about how much better you would do things is something else again. I am not a fan of braggarts under any circumstances...especially sad ones. Thank you for your reply and Happy  Saturday! :)

Such a sad reply my friend. Especially because it is so true. Sympathizing/empathizing/showing genuine care and concern is appropriate. But BRAGGING/BOASTING about how much BETTER you would do things? That is opportunistic/cold/unacceptable. I did not know until this election how cruel and ugly and mean-spirited  millions of the American people are. I did not.  I have always known that pols are made up of that kind of crap but the number of  Law & Order candidate supporters has taken my breath away. Seriously .And depressed the he** outta me. I expect Pols to be self-centered/selfish/superficial/egotistical/cold-hearted bas**rds. I never thought in a zillion years that there would be millions of  people  who ADORED such a person and accepted anything he said or did as being brilliant . But here we are. Thank you for your  thoughtful and spot-on reply and Happy Saturday des. I wonder if we will ever sing "Happy Days are Here Again"? Think our happy days politically speaking are behind us? :(

I think what is appropriate is to be sympathetic/empathetic/caring. And completely apolitical. Those who boast or brag about how much better they would do things during tragedies disgust me. The fact that the Law and Order candidate  is a braggart/boaster through and through who has no heart or conscience doesn't bother me so much as the millions of people who adore him, support him, and think he is their "savior". It is shocking to me that in the United States of America there are so many  heartless, conscienceless, uncaring people. I did not know  that before. I know that now. Mahalo for your thoughtful analysis OS. :(