The Angry Republican Mobs: The Next Chapter

[berni_mccoy]

When the Angry Republican Mobs organized in an astroturf campaign last summer tried to shut down discussion of HCR, I was inspired to catalog their tendancy toward violence, first with this article, which demonstrated the astroturf origin of the anti-HCR Angry Republican Mobs:
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/berni_mccoy/716

Remember the last time Republicans sent Angry Mobs to Disrupt Something?
I do. And it did so much damage to America that we are still recovering and Obama is left to pick up the pieces. Let's not let them use the same tactics to shut down discussion of Healthcare Reform in town hall meetings across the nation. They are trying to stop that the same way they stopped the recount.



This angry mob, which successfully stopped the recount in Miami-Dade County during the 2000 election standoff, was portrayed by the media as an uprising by Florida voters.

Here are the identities of the protesters:

1. Tom Pyle, policy analyst, office of House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.).
2. Garry Malphrus, majority chief counsel and staff director, House Judiciary subcommittee on criminal justice.
3. Rory Cooper, political division staff member at the National Republican Congressional Committee.
4. Kevin Smith, former House Republican conference analyst and more recently of Voter.com.
5. Steven Brophy, former aide to Sen. Fred D. Thompson (R-Tenn.), now working at the consulting firm KPMG.
6. Matt Schlapp, former chief of staff for Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), now on the Bush campaign staff in Austin.
7. Roger Morse, aide to Rep. Van Hilleary (R-Tenn.).
8. Duane Gibson, aide to Chairman Don Young (R-Alaska) of the House Resources Committee.
9. Chuck Royal, legislative assistant to Rep. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.).
10. Layna McConkey, former legislative assistant to former Rep. Jim Ross Lightfoot (R-Iowa) now at Steelman Health Strategies.

And then further catalogued their history of angry and violent hatred in this article: "The Angry Right Has Become Extremely Dangerous" http://journals.democraticunderground.com/berni_mccoy/717

The latest bout of angry rioting Republican mobs is just the latest installment of a series of changes the Conservative leadership has been encouraging since the election of Americas first African American President, Barack Obama. It started, actually, before the election, with ad campaigns and political papers against Obama putting him in the cross-hairs of gun scopes. For example:



And then there were the angry outbursts, and then mobs at McCain rallies. Their very anger and mob behavior was ratcheted up by Palin's suggestion that Obama was a terrorist. It didn't help when the New Yorker, trying to be snark, came out with this cover:


That seemed to only fan the flames and then when McCain, under pressure from both opponents and supporters, tried to quiet it, the response was only to increase the anger, moving into dangerous territory with statements like "Obama's a Terrorist", "Kill Him!", and "Kill the Nigger". McCain was unable to quiet the lynch-ready crowd.

Then when Obama won the election, gun sales went through the roof. The angry right began stockpiling both guns and ammo, actually creating ammo shortages across the nation. Was it an unfounded fear that Obama was going to take away their guns or was it something else?

Next there were the TeaBaggers angry that they have to pay taxes even though, to the moment the TeaBaggers began their rallies, there were no tax increases even being discussed. But they were angry (and fearful) that they had to pay taxes. But perhaps, the confusion most of us had about the TeaBaggers was because we did not yet understand their motivation. It wasn't really about taxes. It was about the first black President of this country. They just couldn't say it explicitly. Though, they let their children do it for them, as this picture shows:

More at the link.

But today is just the next chapter in this history of Angry and Violent Republicans. But what is different is that the incitement of this anger and violence is coming openly from the top. Yes, it came from the top before. But this time we have Republican Congressmen openly using violent and angry rhetoric to incite action. Here are just some of the examples:

- Rep. Neugebauer yells "Baby Killer!" Bart Stupak, leading to many death threats on Stupak's answering machine (remember the last person the angry right labelled as a Baby Killer?)
- Michael Steele, the head of the national Republican party, said that Speaker Nancy Pelosi should be put on 'the firing line.
- Sarah Palin has told the right wing 'don't retreat - reload.'
- Republican Minority Leader Rep. Boehner said Rep. Driehaus will be a "dead man" for his vote on HCR
- Three Republican Congressmen, Rep. Davis and two others, hang "Don't Tread On Me" from the U.S. Capitol in front of an angry Republican Mob.
- Rep. Cantor blames Democrats for violence and recounts a false story about his office being shot at, directing further anger at Democrats

This is a coordinated effort to instigate violence against Democrats and there is a long history of this kind of tactic from the right. The only thing different now is that Republican Reps are openly encouraging the violence.

[polichick]

1. K&R - Why not send this to Big Ed and let him put it on the air? nt

[malaise]

2. Agreed

Must read

[polichick]

3. It really is a must read - either Ed or Rachel would probably air it. nt

[berni_mccoy]

5. I would like Rachel to do it. She would give it the thorough treatment the topic deserves.

[polichick]

6. She'd do a great job - do it (if you haven't already)! nt

[berni_mccoy]

4. I could do that...

I'd like Rachel to dig into this point though.

[nc4bo]

7. K&R and a thank-you for posting this...

Those Palin/Mccain mob days are still very fresh in my mind.:scared:

These people are all disgusting, cowards.

[Karenina]

8. I have no expectation

of this ending well...

[lib2DaBone]

9. I Want My Medical Bankruptcy.. I earned it..!

Glenn Beck says we are entitled to it....

[berni_mccoy]

10. Heh. If that were only...

the amount of their anger...