In the aftermath of any mass shooting -- and, grotesquely, there are many from which to choose -- our national conversation is almost immediately polluted by all-consuming political demagoguery, often before the facts of the case are established. We've developed a post-shooting playbook, under which millions of Americans rush to ideological battle stations to rage at each other, long before they've completed the human process of grappling with heartsickness.

It should go without saying that citizens of all political stripes and backgrounds are horrified by the senseless and tragic loss of life -- yet it must be said, because the Left's portion of the playbook involves questioning, denigrating, or even denying the authenticity of others' grief. In sane, normal, wonderful America, people channel their shock and grief by queuing up to give blood, offering up prayers for the wounded and the grieving, or contributing to GoFundMe accounts earmarked for the families of the slain and survivors. In hyper-partisan America, combatants funnel their anger at each other.