Several times since the election I have noted that Democrat rhetoric, if they really believed it, would lead to violence. One cannot continually say Republicans repealing Obamacare will kill people without taking action to stop them or inspiring others to stop them. While rhetoric does not necessarily lead to violence and has rarely led to violence in this country, something now is fundamentally different from the past.

Now, we are a more tribal country. Large segments of the left and growing segments of the right no longer have church communities calling them to their better angels. People are now less likely to know their neighbors than in the past. And instead of interacting in their real communities, they have turned inward and built digital communities of fellow travelers.