In the immediate aftermath of the assassination attempt against Gabrielle Giffords, there was an effort on the part of many to show restraint when it came to rhetoric about politics and violence. That grace period is now long gone.
Republican pollster Frank Luntz, for example, is comfortable joking about using his car to run down President Obama. Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) thought it was funny to say, "In Arizona, sometimes to gain office you have to have shot someone." Rep. Paul Broun (R) of Georgia held a town-hall meeting last year in which a constituent asked, "Who is going to shoot President Obama?" -- a line which reportedly prompted a "big laugh" from the crowd.
Right-wing humor is just so droll.
Rep. John Sullivan (R) of Oklahoma became the latest to use this kind of political/violent rhetoric this week, sharing some thoughts on the federal budget at a town-hall meeting on Wednesday:
"I supported the Paul Ryan budget and sent it over to the Senate. Now I live with some Senators, I yell at them all the time, I grabbed one of them the other day and shook him and I'd love to get them to vote for it -- boy I'd love that. You know but other than me going over there with a gun and holding it to their head and maybe killing a couple of them, I don't think they're going to listen unless they get beat."
Sullivan's office later acknowledged his "poor choice of words," and extended an apology "to anyone he offended."
KOKI-TV in Tulsa aired this video of Sullivan making the remarks. Note the gun gesture with his hand when he talks about murdering senators who oppose the Paul Ryan budget plan.
In my heart of hearts, I sincerely doubt the Republican congressman would commit acts of violence against other lawmakers, but in the larger context, and just days after Luntz's "joke" about violence towards the president, I have to admit I liked the post-Giffords grace period better.
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It's a federal crime to threaten to kill or commit violence against any US government employee, from letter carriers and census takers to the President. Why hasn't the Justice Dept. quietly taken aside these mulyuks who think it's funny or clever to threaten violence against members of Congress and the executive branch and explain to them that they are reading them the law now, but the next time they "joke" about running down the president with their car, an FBI agent will be reading them their rights?
Because then PBO would be labeled as being against the 1st Amendment.
The 1st Amendment: It Only Matters When You're Trying To Invoke The 2nd Amendment
They would argue that this kind of language worked for them in the past - they got some lunatic to shoot Gabrielle Giffords, and she had to resign. One down.....
And therein is exactly why they should not just be voted out of office, but read their rights before they get to their car!!
It is only necessary to plant the seed. Others will volunteer to water the tree. . .
"Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?"
You can take the cowboy out of the wild west, but you can't take the wild west out of the cowboy.
Oh, the farmer and the cowman should be friends.
Oh, the farmer and the cowman should be friends.
One man likes to push a plough,
The other likes
to chase a cow,
But that's no reason why they cain't be friends.
From...Oklahoma
I guess the Republicans are really showing their true colors now and that dark agenda they have.
During the Summer of Town Halls from Hell, I would get up in the morning and check the NY Times online to make sure that nobody shot the president during the night. It was a scary time.
The Washington Monthly has a feature on 'What if Obama Loses'. Sometimes I wonder about what things will be like if he wins. He and his family may face many attempts on their lives from the right wing's more active members.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who was constantly waiting to hear that news.
I'm terrified if he (PBO) wins re-election we're going to have a massive outburst of violence from the right wing. If it isn't PBO who is in danger then it will be other elected officials.
I'm terrified that that's the best we can reasonably expect.
"Poor Choice of words"?
Yeah right...and I'm the Easter bunny.
He knew exactly what he was saying, he meant them.
Completely off-topic, but I am trying to find where/when Rick Santorum actually made his comment about mothers in the workforce. Help?
The recent questions originate with his comments in his book "It Takes A Family."
Google "Santorum working mothers." Here's one link:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/meet-the-press-host-actually-asks-santorum-if-he-will-ban-working-mothers-from-his-administration/
So basically Santorum's wife wasn't feeling warm & fuzzy because "feminists" didn't appreciate her decision to stay at home - wwwwaaaaahhhh.......Get over it already!
Well a parent who decides to stay at home, whether it be a father or mother, shouldn't be chastised for that decision. The whole point is that it should be up to the person to decide- not something artificially imposed on them from society. The stupidity of it all though is that Santorum has stated before that he doesn't believe families should have 2 income earners. He has said before that families should scrimp and save until they can go down to 1 income earner and that he would prefer that, that one income earner be the man over the woman. He hasn't necessarily said that in the situations where they have to have 2 income earners that he's opposed to it, but he's made it quite clear that he believes the default position of a woman is in the household.
Here we go again.
"and just days after Luntz's "joke" about violence towards the president,"
give it a rest Steve. only you and perhaps other super thin skinned and humor impaired folks think this was really about violence against the president. was it in poor taste? no doubt. insensitive? again no doubt. did he mean he would run the president over given the opportunity? hell no. did he mean to incite others to run over the president? no.
have you used the expression "thrown under the bus"? did you mean it literally? did you take it literally?
in this instance the speaker was way off the reservation with his rhetoric. someone ought to hold a gun to his head until he gets beat.
You have got to be kidding me! Mr. Lutz's "joke" was more than insensitive and in poor taste. If he is a "wordsmith" and authority on what images words create...He knew what he was doing and what kind of image he created with those words.
"thrown under the bus" is a well-known social justice idiom and comparing it to singular, unique references to violence is arguing in bad faith.
I love this argument. I call it the Tracy Jordan defense.
*In Tracy Jordan's voice* You all know that I'm too stupid and too lazy to be responsible for my words. It's your job to keep me from saying stupid things! I'm not responsible and you know that! It's up to all of you to be tolerant of the intolerant things that I say!
And then I love the icing on the cake: and of course anyone who didn't find it funny must have some stick up their pagu! I mean...it's not like I could've been creative and came up w/ another joke. It's not like there aren't millions of jokes out there that Luntz could've chosen from. He just had to use this one. Kind've like how people just can't seem to find an insult to use against people that isn't calling them 'gay' or 'fag' or the n-word. Even though there are hundreds of insults in the English language....we just can't expect you to remember all them words.
Also also- I love that the party of 'personal responsibility' is the party that has the worst time w/ actually exercising accountability. It's just such delicious hypocrisy.
if a liberal had made these remarks about a right wing candidate we would be hearing it till the cows came home ,this was a threat aginst Mr Obama and should have had a response from the secret service, you know like an investigation !
We are a civilization. Great civilizations have fell before us. When we stop loving and at least tolerating each other, it's time to call it quits to the USA. Is that what they want. And by THEY, I mean anyone who turns to violent words and actions instead of the democratic process. My apologies to the Giffords', and those who lost their lives that day, that too many Americans still don't get it!
Are there no moderate Republicans anymore or has the whole party fallen of the right side of their flat earth? I can't believe this rhetoric. I want someone, anyone with a R after their name to speak up against this crap. Threats of bodily harm? If an 'average' citizen made such a remark, the FBI would have him in handcuffs. This is sickening. I can't beleive anyone could support these wing nuts. Shame, shame, shame.
There are still some moderate Republicans out there. For example, I heard interviews on MN Public Radio of Walter Mondale and Arnie Carlson (a former MN gov). I had absolutely no idea they were Republicans until it was mentioned. Having not experienced a more reasonable era of politics (I'm only 23) I was shocked to hear a Republican speak as reasonably and thoughtfully as they did. If more of the Republicans out there were like Mondale and Carlson, I would be much more willing to listen to them.
Walter Mondale is a Democrat. In fact, he was Jimmy Carter's vice president and the Democratic presidential candidate in 1984.
I'm glad you pointed out that Fritz Mondale is a Democrat. For a moment, I thought I had a small stroke. And as for Arne Carlson, he considers himself an Independent-Republican. I'm not sure what that means, but perhaps they are the new moderates in the Republican party.
Oops! I got my "Great Figures in Minnesota History" mixed up! I meant Elmer L Anderson, former Governor and business man. Thanks for pointing that out Gingerpye!
When people say these thing other people will do them and it was no joke.
I am surprised too, that no real attempts have been made on the president or his family, at least that we know about. I have worked with people, men especially who think everything can be solved with a gun. These people scare me because you never know when one is going snap and shoot someone.
Remember the guy who shot bullets at the White House windows when the Obama children were home?
just like the young man in Ohio this morning who went into his High school and shot 4 fellow students,
I got me a gun and put in my pants so they'll think I'm a man. Dang it if'n it didn't go off prematurely!
and now are you a candidate for sex change operation? or just a fast lover?
The problem is we let the traitor ancestors of these Southern traitors off easy 150 years ago when we didn't solve today's problem by hanging the lot of them and ethnically cleansing the South.
um. sure.
TCinLA, I'm a Southerner and I'm the first to admit that many Southerners are reactionary bigots. But when I see this type of thing going on all over the country, I can't let you get away with making Southerners the scapegoats. That's what scares me, is that it's not just limited to the South. Sarah Palin is from Alaska, Michelle Bachmann from Minnesota, Rick Santorum from Pennsylvania, for crying out loud. And talking about ethnic cleansing is rather violent, don't you think?
I'm glad you called TCinLA out, Gingerpye. Ethnic cleansing of the South???? That is one of the most reprehensible things I have ever heard! Shame on you, TCinLA!
I am with you Gingerpye
The irresponsibility of Republican elected officials and presidential candidates is disturbing. That Rick Santorum thinks it is not his place to correct the woman who called the President a Muslim and asked why he hadn't been removed from office is just beyond the pale. How far the Republicans have degenerated in less than four years since John McCain corrected the woman at his rally who called Candidate Obama a Muslim. Even if Santorum didn't want to correct her about the President, he should have said something about it not being an impeachable offense to be a Muslim. But of course, he probably thinks it is. I can't think of any Democratic elected official who has used such violent rhetoric about Republicans as this clown Sullivan and others of his ilk have about Democrats. I also fear for the President and his family, especially if Santorum is the nominee.
I doubt Rep. Sullivan would shoot anyone either, but he's not above a little physical assault to try to get his way: "Now I live with some Senators, I yell at them all the time, I grabbed one of them the other day and shook him"
This is what happens when you elect trailer trash to Congress and state government.
Not everyone here in Oklahoma is an idiot. And some of us don't even carry a gun.
These are your leaders Oklahoma!
I'm so proud of you!
Every single one of those House members should be censured for making comments about any type of violence whatsoever. What are they thinking? They all speak reverently of the past and Ronald Reagan who is the Messianic messenger of their new right wing religiosity. But do they know that Ronald Reagan would never have tolerated this kind of hate speech? And that Ronald Reagan actually worked with Democrats to do what they felt was right for the country? Reagan and Tip O'Neill may have disagreed on the exact nature of how to do things, but they sat down and worked out their problems like two adults, finding solutions to problems that faced the entire nation and working on policy that helped all Americans. This nonsense must stop!
In my past 11 years of traveling around the USA, I have seen more poor and destroyed people and communities than I ever knew existed. I am so sick of republicans blaming Obama for everything and saying he hasn't done enough for the American people. How can he get anything accomplished with the power hungry and selfish rich fighting everything he tries? No one, not in four years, could turn around the mess the BUSHES got us into. No ONE. Obama is not the one who created the mess American is in today, he is the one fighting to change it !
You will all be glad to know that that deeply committed Baja Arizonan Jesse Kelley (who moved to Texas immediately after his narrow loss to Giffords in 2010), and who campaigned against her with a full barrage of unbelievably shocking and abusive lies and excess, including the rally that let you shoot an M-1 to take out Gabby Giffords -- is running to replace her in the Republican primary for the temporary seat. He has giant blue signs all over Tucson. He's running against another horrible person -- but really. A new low in shamelessness.
he may change his color scheme but his heart is still hateful and detestable
There will always be people who never will understand that you can not kill an idea with a bullet.