There are no winners in this.  It's a sad indictment of America's political culture that people like the shooter, come to believe their violence is justified to kill a person with an opposite political view.   We have dehumanized our politics into short tweets and long columns devoted to emotional appeals that denigrate the value of those who don't share our bias.

We keep hearing excuses for unfounded and bigoted statements of hatred for those who are not 'us'.  It's defended as free speech, or justified by self-righteousness.    We've become a society of the self centered.

Word's do count, they create both positive and negative influence on our social consciousness.  And while nothing justifies this kind of violence, we have a President who has lowered the expectations for civility to an all time low.  Leadership sets the tone for the behavior of any organization.   When the standard for civility is lowered, the extremes will turn to violence.    

Prayers go to all those injured.