Partisans can make everything partisan.
For example, who causes a standoff?
Both sides.
It takes two to stand off. If either side gave in to its opponent’s position, there would be no standoff.
So who caused the government shutdown?
Both sides, of course. The Republicans were being stubborn on issues that mattered to Republicans. The Democrats were being stubborn on issues that mattered to Democrats. You might agree with one side or the other about whose stubbornness was more reasonable, or which issue better justified stubbornness, but there can be no doubt about who caused the government to shut down: Both sides did.
Here’s an even worse example: Who’s to blame for Rahmanullah Lakanwal having shot two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., last week?
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, of course.
Or maybe you could break it down further. Let’s allocate blame as, say:
- 95% Lakanwal, who was, after all, the shooter;
- 1% Lakanwal’s parents and health care professionals, who probably didn’t raise him right and treated his mental illness poorly;
- 1% the Taliban and the CIA, who together seemingly caused some of Lakanwal’s mental health issues;
- 1% the Biden administration for having allowed Lakanwal to enter the United States in 2021 under the Operation Allies Welcome parole program for Afghans who had helped the U.S. during the war;
- 1% the Trump administration for having granted asylum to Lakanwal in April 2025;
- 1% the Trump administration for shifting its focus from anti-terrorism efforts to border enforcement (if it turns out that Lakanwal was a terrorist);
- 1% the Trump administration for sending the National Guard to the District of Columbia, without coordinating with the local police and over local opposition, for the political purpose of trying to embarrass a city run by Democrats; and
- 1% the Trump administration for sending the National Guard to D.C. despite warnings that the Guard’s deployment presented an easy “target of opportunity” for grievance-based violence.
Perfect! Except that my percentages probably add up to more than 100. But you get the idea.
When Rahmanullah Lakanwal shoots someone, Rahmanullah Lakanwal is to blame. The rest is petty bickering.
Who was responsible for trying to assassinate Donald Trump last summer?
The shooter.
Who was responsible for assassinating Charlie Kirk?
The shooter.
You can quibble around the edges of these things, always assigning blame to the other side for having very slightly contributed to the shooter’s motivations. But that slight blame is nothing compared to where the blame really lies.
Moreover, in situations such as these, it probably makes sense to put partisanship aside for a moment — both to lower the temperature of our country’s political climate and to more accurately place responsibility for atrocities where the responsibility truly lies.
Mark Herrmann spent 17 years as a partner at a leading international law firm and later oversaw litigation, compliance and employment matters at a large international company. He is the author of The Curmudgeon’s Guide to Practicing Law and Drug and Device Product Liability Litigation Strategy (affiliate links). You can reach him by email at inhouse@abovethelaw.com.
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