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The last few days have seen incidents where Democratic members of congress have received physical threats,a propane line to their home cut, and had bricks thrown through windows of their offices because of their healthcare vote, ironically revealing just how sick opponents of healthcare really are.
Incidents involving 5 offices of Democratic members of the House and DNC offices where bricks were thrown through windows, threatening calls to Rep. Bart Stupak, and other violence inducing rhetoric from conservatives and Republicans, have evoked responses from Democrats which can only be described as weak.
Steny Hoyer, Democratic majority whip made such hard hitting statements at a press conference to address these attacks as, "it's wrong" and James Clyburn lectured on the need for civility.
There is ample evidence that Republican members of congress who exhibited the kind of anti-American fascist behavior that has become the hallmark of the Republican party had egged on the neo fascist terrorist attacks on Democratic offices but it has resulted in only tepid responses from Democratic leadership which for decades has also been a hallmark.
Ed Schultz's reaction to the brick throwing and threats? "Would you like that to happen to you"? Uh, gee Ed, no. But I doubt that kind of response gets the neo-fascists who committed the acts of political terrorism doubled over with contrition.
The fact that these people are unhinged aside, Democrats need to hold Republicans like John Boehner and his fascistic speech on the House floor, Rep. Paul Broun who recently compared healthcare reform to the Civil Warin which he called it "Yankee aggression",and the Republican party as a whole responsible for the actions of their supporters when they do things like shout "baby killer" at Bart Stupak.
Politically Democrats should tie Republicans and their ideology to the brick throwers and to Sarah Palin's Facebook page which calls for the "targeting" of Democratic members of the House using the symbol of a telescopic rifle sight.
To try and stave off Democrats putting the blame where it belongs and causing the Republicans more political damage, Eric Cantor, the No. 2 Republican in the House tried to accuse Democrats of trying to exploit the attacks politically. Which is like accusing a rape victim of "asking for it" something conservatives did for decades till they were shamed out of it.
Cantor is now trying to claim his office was shot at and so experienced violence too, but that is highly suspicious and Cantor wont release any details about the so-called shooting. Its certainly not beyond Cantor to be misrepresenting the facts given that he claims it happened earlier in the week and there was not a single news story nationally or out of his district that reported it.
Cantor, who exhibits dishonesty on a regular basis as anyone who followed the healthcare debate knows, also said at a press conference:
"Any suggestion that a leader in this body would incite threats or acts against other members is akin to saying that I would endanger myself, my wife or my children"
Does anyone know what he is talking about? Can anyone explain how inciting threats against Democrats would be akin to endangering his wife and children?
The country as a whole wont put up with the brick throwing, gun threatening and threatening phone calls and it should be a walk in the park for any kind of Democratic strategist to be able to use these things legitimately against Republicans. And they should. Which is what Cantor is afraid of.
But luckily for Cantor, Democrats have a history of weak political responses in the face of vicious political attacks from Republicans whether it was Dukakis and the Willie Horton ad, John Kerry and the Swift Boaters, the attacks on the patriotism of Max Cleland or now the brick throwing fascists incited by people like John Boehner,( who recently referred to Democratic staffers as "little punks",) Paul Broun," Rep. Randy "baby killer" Neugebauer, and Sarah Palin.
But for a really good laugh, listen to the threats Bart Stupak received from the family values "christian" pro lifers who used every four letter word in the book to wishing Stupak would get cancer, and are, to borrow Boehner's words, the true "little punks" since none would indentify themselves which puts them about 5 cuts below Al-Qaeda on the political terrorists scale.
Speaking of terrorism, New York congressman Anthony Weiner received a threatening letter that contained white powder that stil hasnt been identified.
The Justice Department should consider utilizing the laws against inciting violence and prosecute anyone who advocates violence against a member of congress or federal employee. If no such law against incitement against a member of congress exists let the congress pass one now. And lets see the Republicans try to vote against it.
The congress should immediately pass two laws if they dont already exist: make it a federal crime - a felony -- to threaten a member of congress or federal employ with harm to themselves, families or property. And a second law should stipulate that if anyone publicly incites such an act against a member of congress or federal employ, if such act is ever carried out, even by someone unknown to the inciter, then the inciter should additionally be charged with a felony as an accessory to whatever crime is carried out. That might very well shut them up.
The Democrats can and should make the Republicans pay a heavy price for the violence they stir up. And using it against Eric Cantor should be high on their list for his own attempts at trying to use it for political gain.
UPDATE: a police investigation casts doubts on Eric Cantor's assertions that his offices were shot at as an act of intimidation.. The incident allegedly occured before the vote on healthcare and before any reports of attacks on Democratic offices and according to police was the result of a shot being fired randomly in the air from some location and the downward angle of the the bullet's impact indicates it simply came down randomly against a building housing Cantor's offices. This is why Cantor refuses to release any details about his allegation.
Comments
Vivian Paige was referring to violence and how we need to stop it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t be sue what violence she was speaking of. Paige is usually vague and not very specific.
I didn’t know if Paige was referring to abortion violence that kills 1.2 million of potential homegrown Americans annually, or about 50 million since 1973
Or was it the 100 to 15,000 blacks slaughtering themselves in our streets annually.
Or perhaps the gang violence among minorities between each other or among each other in all our major cities.
Maybe she was alluding to the violence along our Mexican border.
I do suspect that, as with you, she was addressing the few broken windows during the weekend demonstrations in D.C. on the signing of the new socialist health care bill.
Well, there’s violence and there’s violence. One man’s peaceful protest is another man’s view of violence. It’s all a matter of a man’s bigotry and biases and hypocrisy and above all, agenda.
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