‘The beginning of a political movement’: Marjorie Taylor Greene suggests that the UnitedHealthcare CEO assassination is a left-wing thing
Right-wing commentators have attempted to associate the UnitedHealthcare CEO assassination with the political left. It seems that Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (MTG) is jumping to the same conclusion.
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot in broad daylight in Manhattan, New York, on December 4. MTG took the incident—the killing of a health insurance executive—and spun it into a greater conspiracy about socialized medicine. In an interview, she stated, “I believe it’s the beginning of a political movement. What I’m more concerned about is we’ve seen the left push for socialized medicine for years, you know?”
Alleged suspect Luigi Mangione has been apprehended. Despite various online speculations, Mangione’s political leanings are unknown. MTG’s assumptions are not only baseless, but they’re also false. While MTG worries that the left-wing would tout Mangione as “some sort of hero,” there is a notable lack of admonishment for the killer online.
Nothing to do with the political spectrum
Mangione’s action has been hotly debated on the internet since the shooting. Online spectators were generally either apathetic or rejoicing the shooting. Right-wing political commentator Ben Shapiro condemned the killing through one of his videos. Just like MTG, he blamed the push for socialized healthcare by Senator Bernie Sanders for radicalizing people. Surprisingly, a large part of his comment section on YouTube disagreed.
One comment from Shapiro’s comment section reads, “Trust me, this is not right and left. People on both sides hate Brian Thompson.” Similar comments would be found in Shapiro’s other video about the shooting. Another would write from another one of Shapiro’s videos, “If it were 1773, Ben would say that the Boston Tea Party was morally wrong.” There is a deep resentment for American health insurance companies. While the shooting is legally indefensible, the reactions online have been grimly romanticized regardless of political affiliation.
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