Shots fired at a congressman’s campaign headquarters. Windows smashed at Democratic offices across the country. A coffin placed on a lawmaker’s lawn. Hate-filled voice mail messages left on members of Congress’ phone lines. Those are just some of the incidents reported since the House passed historic health care reform legislation Sunday — a bill that became the law of the land.
Fuelled and encouraged by FoxNews politi-tainers, right-wing bloggers and talk radio entertainers, members of the right wing have heeded the call to “break their windows and break them now” as Alabama Tea Party official Mike Vanderboegh has demanded of his blog’s followers.
James Leach, with the National Endowment for the Humanities, said that while many of the acts may be protected under First Amendment rights, “that doesn’t mean that they’re morally justified.”
“And we have to think of ourselves as, ‘what kind of people are we?’ ” Leach said. “Are we one people working together with rival thoughts, or are we enemies within? And I think there’s something that’s been let loose in American politics that has to be thought about.”
Republican House members encouraged protesters outside and inside the House gallery, some of whom carried messages like “Vote no or else” or “If Brown won’t stop it, a Browning will” — a reference to newly elected Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown accompanied by a silhouette of a pistol.
But the anger has boiled over into physical and verbal threats. Windows have been smashed at Democratic offices in at least three states, and federal agents are investigating whether a cut gas line at the home of a Virginia congressman’s brother was related to the lawmaker’s yes vote.
Republicans have the right to be angry over the Democrat’s health care bill, but “resorting to violent measures is exactly the wrong way to send a message,” Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said Thursday night.
Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-New York, confirmed Thursday that his district office in Queens received an envelope containing white powder and a threatening letter. The FBI and other law enforcement agencies are now looking into the threats, and at least 10 House Democrats have been given extra security.
The voice mail has been vicious toward Michigan’s Bart Stupak, who switched his vote to seal the deal for the bill. He has released one of the voice mails.
“Stupak, you are a lowlife, baby-murdering scumbag, pile of steaming crap. You’re a cowardly punk, Stupak, that’s what you are. You and your family are scum,” an unidentified caller said. “That’s what you are, Stupak. You are a piece of crap.”
“Go to hell, you piece of shit” another caller said.
On Sunday, Democratic Rep. Russ Carnahan of Missouri had a coffin placed on his lawn, said his spokeswoman, Sarah Howard. She said Tea Party protesters at his office in St. Louis had a coffin with them and later brought it to his house. The coffin was later removed, she said.
Democratic congressional leaders have demanded Republicans join them in condemning a spate of threats and vandalism that has followed Sunday’s vote on the health care system overhaul.
Liz Mair, a Republican consultant, said protesters “are unfortunately crossing a line.”
“When we’re talking about violence, vandalism, threats, that crosses a legal line, in addition to being in plain old bad taste,” Mair said. “And I think that there’s a lot that is in plain old bad taste that is going on.”
At least one of the threats aimed at lawmakers appears to be racially based.
House Democratic Majority Whip James Clyburn, who is African-American, said he has received a fax in his office with a picture of a noose drawn on it and had threatening telephone calls at his home.
“We’re giving aid and comfort to these people, and this stuff gets ratcheted up,” Clyburn told CNN. “We in this Congress have got to come together in a bipartisan way and tamp this foolishness down. It doesn’t make sense. That’s not what a democracy is all about.”
Democratic officials and liberal Web sites are also upset that Sarah Palin used an image of crosshairs in a Facebook post this week listing 20 vulnerable Democrats who voted for the legislation. She plans to target them this election year with money from her political action committee.
Palin’s team is fighting claims that she is encouraging threats of violence. One House member mentioned her Facebook posting during a Wednesday meeting on safety concerns, a Democratic source told CNN’s Dana Bash. Mention of the map brought audible groans to the room, the source said.
Since losing their majority grip on American politics last year, the right wing has been looking for ways to rebrand their image, and to put a whole new face on right wing politics. Unfortunately, this is the image that has emerged and stuck fast.
New Face for the Right Wing? | 
Those that resort to the tactics you describe are likely few in number, but even one is unacceptable. Unfortunately we’ll likely never know who is responsible for many of these acts–Democrats, Republicans, extremist groups, etc.
Whether this hate is distributed by Democrats following the Alinsky playbook, or a few right wing extremist, the key word is “few”. As you know, Republicans have been recieving threats for years as well, and I completely agree that this type of expression is not acceptable.
Perhaps the media should avoid sensationalizing this just as they extend this courtesy with other potential copy cat villians.
Would be a lot easier to avoid sensationalizing this whole thing if Glen Beck, Sarah Palin, the folks at FoxNews, and other like-minded pundits, would dial-back on the rhetoric just a smidge.
Let’s face it – when you run a great big fear-based smear campaign (GOP standard operating procedure) barking that President Obama is Hitler and he hates America and he wants to take away your freedom and your guns and all your money, and take away your health insurance and put you on a death list and kill your grandma and force you to abort babies etc etc etc etc… what do you THINK is going to happen when the idiot fringe start believing the playing of politics? Scared, stupid people that have been manipulated in this manner are going to behave themselves as scared, stupid people often do.
Might also want to stop bringing guns to the tea party rallies as well. Wrong message being sent – like skinheads carrying bats to THEIR rally.