‘Hate will not prevail’

In the wake of another mass shooting on American soil, the nation is once again rocked by the senseless act of a domestic terrorist. Upon the arrest of the alleged shooter, law enforcement found a 180-page document citing the “Great Replacement” theory, which has gained popularity in white nationalist circles. The racist views expressed by the shooter are a microcosm of the domestic terror problem plaguing America—that is, how to combat an ideology that not only runs rampant through the dark corners of the internet, but also has made the leap into more mainstream right-wing rhetoric. From Pittsburgh to El Paso and now Buffalo, a growing list of communities has suffered at the hands of domestic terrorists, in places that should be safe—churches, schools, festivals, grocery stores. The fear felt in Buffalo is not limited to Western New York; it permeates the entire country, as people wonder if their town will be next. Calls for action have reverberated throughout the nation since Saturday’s tragic event. After 9/11, Congress and President Bush sprang into action to declare war on global terrorism. Now, in 2022, the war on terror has come home, and it deserves equal and immediate attention from lawmakers. It’s time to send a clear message that racism, bigotry, and white supremacy are not welcome in the United States of America. We must not wait for another individual to become radicalized by far-right rhetoric to pick up arms and open fire in a community. It’s time to win the war on domestic terror by voting out those who embolden such actors and peddle extremist rhetoric to stoke hate, fear, and anger. Our families and our nation deserve better. —Mary Anna Mancuso, National Spokeswoman, Renew America Movement

• U.S. deaths from COVID-19 hit 1 million, less than 2 1/2 years in —The Buffalo News

• DeSantis signs ban on protests in front of homes —The Hill

• Ukrainian troops evacuate from Mariupol, ceding control to Russia —Reuters

• Spanberger, Rice urge House leaders to bring bill to increase police pay to floor —Augusta Free Press

• Supreme Court sides with Sen. Ted Cruz in campaign finance case —NPR

‘In America, evil will not win’

President Biden visited the grieving city of Buffalo, New York, today, the site of a mass shooting that killed 10 people on a weekend punctuated by gunfire across the nation. Biden and First Lady Jill Biden paid their respects at a makeshift memorial outside the Tops supermarket where, on Saturday, a young man armed with an assault rifle targeted Black people in the deadliest racist attack in the U.S. since Biden took office. The president delivered remarks exhorting the nation to reject what he called the poison of white supremacy. “The American experiment in democracy is in danger like it hasn’t been in my lifetime,” Biden said. “It’s in danger this hour. Hate and fear being given too much oxygen by those who pretend to love America but who don’t understand America.” —Associated Press

• Three shootings, three different targets, one theory. The Buffalo shooting, like the Pittsburgh and El Paso mass shootings before it, is linked to a belief commonly known as the “Great Replacement” theory. The theory purports that Western elites, sometimes manipulated by Jews, want to “replace” and disempower white Americans—and has become an engine of racist terror, helping inspire a wave of mass shootings in recent years and fueling the 2017 right-wing rally in Charlottesville, Va., that erupted in violence. —The New York Times

• “A permanent election insurrection.” The theory has gone mainstream, promoted regularly by Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Republican candidates. Even House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik has used the rhetoric, claiming that Democrats have a “plan to grant amnesty to 11 million illegal immigrants [to] overthrow our current electorate.” —The Washington Post

• Liz the Lionhearted. As per usual, one of the few remaining clear-eyed Republicans is Renewer Rep. Liz Cheney, who called out her party on Twitter yesterday. “The House GOP leadership has enabled white nationalism, white supremacy, and anti-Semitism," she wrote. “History has taught us that what begins with words ends in far worse. GOP leaders must renounce and reject these views and those who hold them." So far, no one in GOP leadership has repudiated their rhetoric, choosing instead to double down or make excuses for it. —The Boston Globe

MORE: The 'Dark MAGA' movement uses 'meme warfare' to mainstream extremism, say experts —Insider

O’Dowd: Racist dog-whistling has consequences

“Trump and [Fox News host Tucker] Carlson are enabling and encouraging hate speech in America. The consequences have now struck home in brutal fashion. When you play with fire, innocent Americans get burned. There are 10 dead in Buffalo; we may only be at the tip of the iceberg.” —Niall O’Dowd on IrishCentral

Niall O’Dowd is an Irish-American journalist and author. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by University College Dublin for his work on the Northern Irish Good Friday Peace Agreement.

MORE: What role did right-wing media play in the Buffalo shooting? —Poynter

Ackerman: Time for a reinvigorated NATO 

“The United States and Europe are understandably wary of engaging in direct conflict with Russia, but they can still do more than provide short-term assistance to Ukraine. Now is the time to start taking steps to establish NATO as a credible force for the defense of Western democracy in the 21st century.” —Bruce Ackerman in Politico

Bruce Ackerman is Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University.

MORE: Biden to meet leaders of Finland, Sweden to discuss NATO applications —Axios

Focus on the Pennsylvania primary

Five states are voting in primary elections today, and while they all have their share of extremists, Pennsylvania tops the list as the most consequential from a national standpoint. Why? Because its leading Republican gubernatorial candidate, Doug Mastriano, who has been endorsed by Donald Trump, is the ultimate proponent of the “Big Lie.” As a state lawmaker in 2020, he tweeted shortly after the election, “There is mounting evidence that the PA presidential election was compromised. If this is the case…the state legislature has the sole authority to direct the manner of selecting delegates to the Electoral College. Therefore, we are introducing a Resolution to exercise our obligation and authority to appoint delegates to the Electoral College.” He then was present at the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol to see the alternate electors plan through. —The Hill

• In the U.S. Senate race, Kathy Barnette, a surging candidate who has been described by far-right strategist Steve Bannon as "ultra-MAGA," hasn't been as lucky as Mastriano. Trump, who has endorsed her GOP challenger Mehmet Oz, says she would be unsuccessful in the November general election. Like Mastriano, Barnette was at the Jan. 6 insurrection, which she called “our 1776 moment.” —Newsweek

• Two of a kind. Mastriano and Barnette held a joint campaign event outside Philadelphia over the weekend that many local and national reporters were prevented from covering. Grant Clarkson, a Mastriano campaign staffer, helped block media access to the event. Not surprisingly, Clarkson was photographed at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, smiling and laughing as rioters smashed media equipment on Capitol grounds. —NBC News

• A bridge too far? According to an Emerson College poll, Mastriano is 12 points ahead of GOP opponent Lou Barletta, but some Republicans, spooked by Mastriano’s far-right ties, have begun a last-ditch push to elevate Barletta. Some prominent Pennsylvania Republicans are even considering publicly supporting Josh Shapiro, the presumptive Democratic gubernatorial nominee, if Mastriano wins the primary. Stay tuned. —Politico

MORE: Margaret Sullivan: Democracy is at stake in the midterms. The media must convey that —The Washington Post

WaPo Ed Board: Vigilantism threatens democracy

“There are many ways U.S. democracy could fail. A 2024 presidential candidate’s political party could use cockamamie legal arguments and anti-democratic procedural maneuvers to overturn a legitimate election or throw the results into question. A more chaotic scenario is also possible, in which vigilantes whom politicians have whipped into a frenzy take drastic action on their own. Both could happen simultaneously. Not only would the Donald Trumps of the world bear blame but also those who have enabled the spread of his election lies—by sowing doubts about the 2020 results, talking about how voters have lost trust in ballot integrity, pressing for unnecessary new election laws, objecting to swing states’ 2020 Electoral College votes, or simply saying little as the rest of the Republican Party has embraced Mr. Trump’s fiction.” —The Washington Post

MORE: Trump-appointed State Department official met with election deniers on Jan. 6 —CNN

Seattle Times Ed Board: Take a stand

“Republicans of conscience can either take their inspiration from people such as Mark Esper, William Barr, and John Bolton—all Trump aides who stood quietly by his side only to rebuke him later—or someone like John McCain. The late U.S. senator from Arizona famously pulled the microphone away from a woman to defend his opponent, Barack Obama, from racist claims during the 2008 presidential race. McCain, of course, lost. But he stood up when it mattered, regardless of the consequences. Republicans cannot wait for the next Pittsburgh, the next El Paso, or the next Buffalo. They need to stand up now.” —The Seattle Times

MORE: Kathleen Belew: The Buffalo shooting and the danger of white replacement theory —The New York Times

Reading the piece about the Republican candidate for Senate in Ohio made me feel a bit sick. How far will it go before “normal” Republicans finally feel the need to repudiate and disown people like JD Vance? Camps and re-education? Pogroms and witchhunts? Or will they just keep pushing the “R” button regardless of the reprehensible insanity that candidate espouses? —Ted O., Massachusetts

Ken G. of Colorado makes a good point. I suspect Mike Lee will try to paint Evan McMullin as pro-abortion. I recommend he turn it into a healthcare issue. How is the country going to pay for maternity care, OBGYN, adoptions, foster care, maternity wards, child care, excess hospital emergency care...without vastly increasing the social safety net (especially considering most abortions are sought by poor women)? Are the evangelical churches going to foot the bill? I'll bet Mike Lee hasn't even thought of that yet, but then, the party of Trump tends to have a hard time coming up with any creative ideas. Comes from having their heads in the sand. —Dave M., Colorado

The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff, the Renew America Movement, or the Renew America Foundation.