Republicans and Their Violent Rhetoric
 

This is a thread that probably should have been started long ago, but ... better late than never, maybe.

So, to start us off with something quite recent, let us visit the official website of one of the two major political parties in the most powerful nation on Earth: GOP.com.

(via, via)

Hmmm ... interesting redirection there. And probably the flames surrounding the Speaker of the US House of Representatives and the prominent word BOMB "are just metaphors," amirite?

Please feel to contribute examples as you come across them. It is important to document the atrocities.

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[Added] For historical purposes, since this redirection will probably not last: as of this posting, gop.com redirects to http://www.gop.com/firepelosi/

[Added2] For several other examples, see also the thread titled "HCR and the right's reaction;" e.g., here, here, here, here, and here.

Re: Republicans and Their Violent Rhetoric
 

Screenshot from bow-tied twerp Tucker Carlson's new "news" site, just in case there was any doubt remaining about his being a full metal wingnut.

http://static1.firedoglake.com/29/fi....49.23-PM1.png

Or at least, desperate to pander to them. Which is worse.

Brick follow-up
 

Remember the brick that was thrown through the window of the office of my Representative, Louise Slaughter?

Turns out (via) there were other bricks thrown through other Democratic offices in the same area, too, including one with this note:*

http://www.13wham.com/media/lib/16/2...0/Original.jpg

and that Slaughter also received a threat of assassination via "recorded message" at her office last Thursday.

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* Ironic that a t-bagger would forget that one letter, don't you think?

Bob Owens ...
 

... <strike>fapped</strike> asked this past weekend:

In another recent post, he says he "proudly stand[s] by" his statement that "the next one of these jackasses that calls #healthcare a 'right' deserves to be drawn and quartered." He also says the same should be done to "the Democrats who crammed this unwarranted bill down the throats of the American people."

[Added: A comment left under this post is nut-picking to a degree, but it does illustrate what this kind of talk produces: drooling readers eagerly chiming in, and upping the ante.]

In yet another:

This will later be referred to as "the morally-required alternative." He wags a finger at the brick-throwers, because:

Oh, good.

Oh, wait.

Rouges? Interesting Freudian slip there, Bob.

He goes on to reminisce fondly about the Battle of Athens* and reminds us, with increasing tumescence, "We live in a nation full of freshly-experienced combat veterans and graying patriots," but somehow, does not see fit to mention a more recent and better-known combat veteran patriot. Maybe the dog-whistle was apparent enough?

How significant is Bob Owens? Eh, hard to say. Big enough, though, to get a gig with Pajamas Media, an earlier one with Brent Bozell's Media Research Center, and profiled by the Washington Post.

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* Yeah, me neither. But I guess they fantasize about this quite a bit. Wolverines!!!1!

Re: Republicans and Their Violent Rhetoric
 

Speaking to a crowd of teabaggers Sunday night, after the House passed its HCR bill, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) encouraged secession and violence:

(via, via)

Lambchop's law again
 

James Zogby at the Huffington Post on violations of Lambchop's law as frightening behavior. I don't really like the whole warnings of creeping totalitarianism thing, but I like that he pinpointed the same phenomenon that all the commenters here did earlier.

Re: Republicans and Their Violent Rhetoric
 

It's not going to take long for this thread to fill up.

Re: Lambchop's law again
 

That is a good post. Thanks for the link. I agree he probably didn't need to throw that T-word in there; on the other hand, a minority faction claiming to speak for "the people" does have some disturbing historical resonances.

BTW: Just in case anyone else is hesitating about clicking, the author is not that dubious pollster guy. Completely different person.

Re: Republicans and Their Violent Rhetoric
 

Here is a flyer that Heather Armstrong recently found tucked in her doorway.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4036/...1932f7de_o.jpg

This organization, America Forever, appears quite well-funded, judging by their website -- for one thing, it costs a lot to host your own video, rather than putting it up on YouTube. (Looks like someone has posted a copy on YouTube, too, for the record.)

If you'd rather not sit through their latest, "Obama Killer Song," here is a partial description of what's in it, from the Salt Lake Tribune:

More information on America Forever in that column. From that and a glance at Google, it looks like this group used to be driven exclusively by their anti-gay hate. Good to see them branching out, huh?

(h/t for the dooce link: mistermix)

Interactive map tracks Republican violence, threats, vandalism
 

Talking Points Memo has decided to put up an interactive map to visualize and track the wave of violence, threats, and vandalism committed by conservatives in recent days.

You might want to bookmark that page, because we're obviously now seeing what TPM describes as the beginnings of a domestic terror campaign against Democrats.

Re: Interactive map tracks Republican violence, threats, vandalism
 

I'm also hoping that FBI, CIA, Secret Service, and all Homeland security forces are keeping track of threats of potential violent actions.

Re: Republicans and Their Violent Rhetoric
 

What these guys want is a general strike, but they're too anti-socialist to know it.

Re: Republicans and Their Violent Rhetoric
 

Below is how "alarmrideratl" (aka restoretheconstitution@alarmandmuster.com) plans to present himself on 19 April 2010, at the "Restore the Constitution rally." This will be held at Gravelly Point Park, Virginia, billed elsewhere as "based on research so far, the closest carry-legal location to [Washington] DC."

Does the 19th of April have any significance? Yes. It is the day Timothy McVeigh bombed the federal building in Oklahoma City.

In another, more recent, post, this guy begins:

Hurrah for the democratic process! And patience, also, too!

Steve M. at No More Mister Nice Blog (via) has a bunch more on this event.

http://restoretheconstitution.files....pg?w=500&h=612

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P.S. Screen grab from another post on the site linked to above as "elsewhere:"

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/1...illasniper.png

Sarah Palin's Violent Rhetoric
 

The following appears on Sarah Palin's Twitter feed:

Here's what she refers to on her Facebook page: a map of "20 House Democrats," with their locations marked with obvious cross-hairs.

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._2736968_n.jpg

Accompanying text includes this:

Backup copies of the Tweet and Facebook graphic here.

(h/t: John Cole)

Re: Republicans and Their Violent Rhetoric
 

They are planning one -- April 15 - 18.

They say it's our "last chance to do something peacefully."


.

Michelle Malkin Shows Some Grace
 

You didn't think that title wasn't ironic, did you? What a piece of shit that woman is.

Re: Michelle Malkin Shows Some Grace
 

Wow. It's almost like she's saying "not only Republicans have reason to fantasize about violence and make threats!!"

Sarah Palin wants you to murder your representative
 

There is so much more I could have added to this Republicans-advocating-violence thread today, if only I had more time.

This really is, I'm sure, the most under-reported story of the last year. I wish someone could explain to me why it goes almost completely unremarked upon.

I've said it a zillion times, but if you follow Republican blogs, or read comments on newspaper articles or on youtube videos, or listen to the people who call into radio or TV call-in shows, it's a constant drumbeat of conservatives calling for violent retribution against Democrats and liberals. And it's not just the base: the leadership of the party and the conservative movement are doing it, too. Sarah Palin herself just issued a demand that her followers "reload" and "take aim" at a list of Congressmen she identified on a map with rifle scopes.

It's a deliberate campaign of incitement and intimidation.

http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/2...crosshairs.jpg

Fallout
 

The House Minority Leader, John Boehner (R-Ohio), speaking to National Review, 18 Mar 2010, about a Democratic colleague from his same state:

Shortly afterward, an attack ad ran in a local newspaper, The Cincinnati Inquirer, featuring a picture of Driehaus with his kids, and anti-HCR bloggers also posted directions to his house.

Driehaus is one of a number of Democratic members of Congress who have received death threats since the bill passed. Rachel Maddow reports: part one, part two.

Re: Michelle Malkin Shows Some Grace
 

Putting aside for a moment the ugly hateful vitriol, isn't "Constitution" supposed to be capitalized? Freudian slip, perhaps.

Re: Michelle Malkin Shows Some Grace
 

It continues, unsurprisingly, and she's getting her fans riled up. Reports LGF:

Re: Fallout
 

I've been listening to some of the recorded messages that have been left on Rep. Stupak's answering machine. Absolutely chilling. I'd never thought that anything could ever cause me to view Stupak as an admirable and courageous patriot, or that I'd ever want to rally to his defense, but the unspeakably vicious hatred contained in those phone messages (and there were many of them) rattled me to my core, and my heart went out to the Congressman.

The recent numerous violent acts and threats of violence, including murder, toward various other members of Congress and their families are equally appalling to me. And I am very disturbed by the language used by influential Republicans that serves to fuel such violence. How can they ignore the dire consequences such incitement has led to in our past?

Tea Party threatens One Thousand Wacos
 

Ladies and Gentlmen, the conservative movement:

Vanderboegh runs a blog devoted to inciting revolution.

I wonder what the reasonable conservatives in the forum think about this growing right wing movement.

Cantor's Bullet
 

Rep. Eric Cantor, desperate to trick our deeply pathetic media into reporting the story as "both sides are doing it," filed a police report stating that his office was fired upon.

Read the police report:

So, it almost certainly was not a shot fired at Cantor's office and likely had no political connection.

Suppose, though, that it did. Let's just stipulate for the sake of argument that some unhinged lefty fired the shot into the air and carefully calculated the trajectory so that the bullet would fall through the window of Cantor's office.

It would still prove nothing, and it certainly would not prove that "extremism is a problem on both sides."

How do we know? We know because you almost never can find any examples of violent liberal rhetoric, but you can't miss violent conservative rhetoric. Go to virtually any political news story or YouTube video, or conservative blog, and read the comments, and you are sure to find several threats of violence. It would be exceedingly difficult to find examples of the same kind of rhetoric coming from the left.

Re: Republicans and Their Violent Rhetoric
 

I know the feeling, Ezra.

Re: Republicans and Their Violent Rhetoric
 

And Newt is making speeches saying that the Dems are partly to blame because of their arm-twisting approach to legislation. Pot meet...well you know.

What disturbs me the most is: where is the outrage among the decent people on the Right? I've seen very little from pundits, politicians or just GOP-leaning civilians expressing any disgust over these terrible offenses. Even people on this board who I generally think have morals not far from my own though we may disagree on policy have been strangely hesitant to call out their party's abhorrant behavior. I'd like to think that if Democrats were encouraging this kindof dangerous atmosphere, I would be willing to speak up and point out that these people are sick and demented and this kinda shit has no place in politics for either party. So far...nothing but crickets from all the decent, God-loving Amurkens. It's pretty disappointing.

Re: Republicans and Their Violent Rhetoric
 

Yes, the outrage from those you mention sounds kinda like this.

Re: Republicans and Their Violent Rhetoric
 

the most interesting part being that you are all gleeful about implementing a right wing heritage foundation plan.

Re: Republicans and Their Violent Rhetoric
 

Aren't you one for saying you care about good ideas, not where they come from?

Re: Republicans and Their Violent Rhetoric
 

On a related note, Roy Edroso:

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Bonus for me: Following that penultimate link to TIDOS Wankee's post o' incoherent outrage, I did get to see the magic word (emph. added):

Ding ding ding ding! Add it to the collection!

Re: Republicans and Their Violent Rhetoric
 

Indeed. Others wonder, too, like Jill and her friend:

Lyle ...?

Pajamas Media
 

Pajamas Media blogger Stephen "Vodkapundit" Green is noticed by Steve M.:

As with most such wingnuttery, if it were just this post, I'd be all, "Eh," just as with the recent Boehner. But when there's enough of them dancing up to the edge, and not thinking about that small fraction of the truly unhinged who are hanging on their every word ... I dunno. Worth continuing to document, at least, I suppose.

(Referred by a link from Teh Sadlys, who had been observing some more "tough talk" from Hindrocket, who had been applauding Doughy and State(ist?) Employee Instapundit talking tough on PJTV.)

A Moment of Comic Relief
 

As Roy noted, the wingnuts have been spending a lot of time trying to downplay or dismiss the violent rhetoric emanating from some of their comrades. False equivalence has been among the favored tactics ("Why didn't biasedliberallamestreamstaterunmedia report it when X got a threatening phone call, back in month Y???!?", etc.) But they've really reached up to touch bottom with one comparison it just occurred to me to check: Kenneth Gladney.

Yeah, try to tell me you didn't just say, "Who?"

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What made me think of 14-minute teabagger hero Kenneth? Oh, another Hateway Pundit antic, reported by va at Whiskey Fire (Hateway was part of the crowd that brought a coffin to the home of Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-Missouri)). And this, of course, led to the canonical post connecting Hateway and Kenneth. (And Russ Carnahan!)

And yeah, that Kenneth news link is almost certainly time-sensitive.

Almost as fleeting as that great new (as of last September, I mean) hub of teabagger rebellion, IAmKennethGladney.com.

(No, really. That used to be a thing.)

"Going to Extreme"
 

Column from Paul Krugman.

Excerpt:

Conclusion:

Re: Republicans and Their Violent Rhetoric
 

What Fox "News" reported:

And do you not love their caption for their TV report? [imglink]

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/ass...o-custom_1.jpg

What actually happened, according to the Richmond police:

NB: a bullet.


Additionally, Wonkette has an email from someone who says he or she lives in the area, who says, in part:

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[Added] Of course, we must have audio and video of the shooter before we can believe any of this. If we don't get it, we must conclude that Andrew Breitbart will not "promise" (credible! (?)) to pay you $10,000, and we must not believe anything else Eric Cantor says.

Get yer fresh hot new talking points!
 

Dave Weigel has a round-up of the "pushback" the wingnuts (including certain Republican members of Congress) have been deploying, now that they're finally beginning to realize their non-stop violence talk might, just might, be making them look bad. (Short version: it's all the Democrats' fault, and anyway, they should just STFU.)

And, oh yeah, "ram" and "throat" are used in the same sentence. Does this still surprise you?

Re: Republicans and Their Violent Rhetoric
 

Has someone made a bingo card yet?

Re: Republicans and Their Violent Rhetoric
 

and aren't you one for judging things based on their provenance? or are you completely open to ideas emanating from the Templeton foundation - evaluating each with an open mind?

I think the health care "reform" is pretty horrifying. the idea that i have to pay private corporations for the right to be alive is sickening. It is also sickening how the bush administration set-up a surveillance state that is still operating (but nobody complains now that Obama is in charge of the apparatus).

The basic model I've seen since Reagan is the parties take turns selling us out to corporate interests, and gutting the constitution. they get people riled-up enough about pointless distractions that the base on the right and left both turn a blind eye to what is going on when "their" party is in charge of fucking America.

Re: Republicans and Their Violent Rhetoric
 

You know, there are non-profit health insurers. With rescission and pre-existing conditions banned, and the new 85% minimum medical-loss ratio, things are looking good for the non-profits.

Re: Republicans and Their Violent Rhetoric
 

Interesting. I'd like to know more about that.