New Orleans   This is not a schoolyard fight. This is not a street corner yelling match. These are statements from the President of the United States who is expected to set a moral and political course for the country and its people. To equivocate, retract, and then double down in his support of violence, racism, and antisemitism is unconscionable.

And, it matters. Buried in one of the tens of articles about these outrages in the New York Times was this “bulletin” from North Carolina, which is outrageous, but clearly of a piece with the president’s position.

“…Cooper [Governor of North Carolina] also said the Legislature should defeat a bill, which has passed the State House and is pending in the Senate, that would grant immunity to drivers who hit protesters. The bill was introduced before the car attack at the demonstration in Charlottesville. ‘Those who attack protesters, weaponizing their vehicles like terrorists, should find no save haven in our state,’ Mr. Cooper said.”

What are they saying? Are they inviting the Charlottesville killer to drive and kill in North Carolina? I’m not pulling your leg. This was really printed in the Times, and was really passed by the elected House of Representatives in the North Carolina legislature. It is unbelievable that any group of elected officials of any persuasion would ever given “immunity” to the kind of tragedy which we just witnessed in Charlottesville, killing one and injuring a score of people. It’s one thing to outlaw all protests, which I’m sure some of them have considered as well, but to say that it should be allowable for cars to be deliberately driven into crowds of protesters with the intent to injure, maim, and kill on a free pass, get-out-of-jail card, is unimaginable, despite the fact that it is true.

This is the kind of politics that Trump is legitimizing.

Clearly, he can’t control himself, but, as clearly, he must be controlled.

Seemingly not by top business executives who must understand how their brands, businesses, and customers are hurt by such divisiveness and violence. Yes, five business people and two labor leaders have resigned from the American Manufacturing Council and three have left the Strategy and Policy Forum over different issues, but that’s out of 45 active seats, so 38 remain in a hall of silence and shame. The head of Walmart criticized the President, but insisted he was going to stay on the council, which gives the President the equivalent of a 5-yard penalty for off-sides, while he continues to take the team towards the same goal line.

Since there seems to be no line that President Trump won’t cross, no truth that he will embrace, or unity that he is able to support, what will it finally take for all of us collectively to determine that we now must draw the line, and force him behind it?