Originally Posted by
boozehound
I'm all for personal responsibility, but I don't think you can follow it off a cliff.
Do you hold historical Dictators responsible for what they did? In Nazi Germany was Hitler responsible, or was every German who participated individually responsible. Both? How does that blame get split?
A lot of the people who stormed the Capitol appear to be people that aren't of the highest intelligence, and are probably susceptible to being misled. What does holding them accountable look like?
Here's an extreme example: If I convince a mentally retarded person to kill someone, is it my fault or theirs? How does the blame work in that situation.
I think there is a place to blame both the individuals who participated and the public figures who misled and incited them. Legal precedent would agree with that, since you can be charged with inciting someone to commit a crime.