One of the lingering questions hanging over the news coverage of the rioting in Charlottesville last weekend is this one, "Who ordered the law enforcement stand-down that resulted in the fighting and eventually a death?" It's tempting to blame some police official with no experience in mob control. After all, could anyone really be smart enough to have plotted a political benefit?
When we hear Terry McAuliffe pontificating on TV, it's almost as if he anticipate the result. Remember, Democrats in the Obama administration were famously proclaiming, "Never let a crisis go to waste." McAuliffe is an extremely wily politician, and if anyone is that smart, he is.
By the way, the same Democrats who blamed G. W. Bush for hurricane Katrina are out there trying to blame Donald Trump for violence in Charlottesville. Will they change any minds? That's doubtful. Shrewd observers will probably conclude that Trump's accomplishments will count more in the 2018 and 2020 elections than political hectoring from the left. But we shouldn't rule out the left's posturing all together. It has worked for them in the past.
Post Script: "Thomas flatly denied that he gave orders for police officers not to intervene in clashes between the opposing groups, contradicting reports that said there was minimal police intervention at the protest." However, "Thomas's comments to reporters contrasted with reports from people who witnessed to the clashes." Source: Charlottesville police chief says he 'regrets' violent clashes, but defends police response.
Post Post Script: 8/18/2017. When you're right, you're right! See Virginia Secretary of Public Safety Confirms Gov. McAuliffe ‘Made the Decision…to Shut Things Down’.
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