The bloodied head of our former president is an image that we won’t be able to shake for some time. (Thanks cable news.)

Our thoughts go out to the family of the man that was killed in the audience and all of the injured parties. This is the part where some folk expect to read a sentence about how this violent act isn’t part of the American way and that we’re “better than that.” Unfortunately, the evidence leads us to believe otherwise.

But back to that image. It didn’t take long for media pundits to toss out one of their favorite words to describe it, “iconic.”

Time will tell about that. For some of us, however, it’s a picture with a clear message – violence is not the way to defeat Donald Trump.

As we’ve seen throughout history, it’s far easier to kill a man than a movement.

The cult of personality plays on long after the person behind it leaves the stage. The messages, the rhetoric and the images live on in the hearts of people who believe.

History also shows us that lasting political change can be achieved through peaceful means. We hope these next few months proves that point.

Another way to not defeat Trump? Take him to court. His lawyers will object, protest, call for a recess, throw a red flag on the floor, anything to delay the possibility of consequences for their frequent flyer client. In a New York courtroom, where his lawyers exhausted their attempts to stall the case involving election interference, he was convicted of 34 felonies – and his campaign continues. There is still a chance for a “September surprise,” when he’s sentenced in a few months, (jail time is a possibility) but we can’t rely on that or the courts to defeat Trump.

Something else that won’t defeat Trump?

Shaming him. Unfortunately, unseemly acts and boorish behavior seem to be his brand. He was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation in court. He was accused of – I could go on, but young people might be reading this editorial.

There’s only one way to defeat Trump – at the ballot box. It worked once before, and although he didn’t go away, he stopped being president. A second rejection of his platform, his policies and his personality would prove something about them that he won’t be able to shake – they’re not a winning strategy.

A ballot box defeat doesn’t create martyrs or fuel conspiracy theories in the same way that other methods might. It’s harder to cry foul when the rules of the game are clear and agreed upon by the parties involved.

Of course, we’ve seen attempts to discredit election results, but these claims hold less water with each failed legal challenge. In a democracy, power flows from the people. No amount of bluster, legal maneuvering, or media manipulation can overcome the will of a determined electorate. The strongest weapon against any political figure or ideology we oppose is not violence, but the simple, powerful act of voting.