BREAKING: An Ugly Scene

[babylonsister]

BREAKING: An Ugly Scene

*
Jonathan Cohn


You may have heard or read about the ugly scenes on Capitol Hill yesterday, when a few conservative activists shouted racial and homophobic epithets at Democratic lawmakers. Today the conservative activists are back. And so is the ugliness--only this time, a few Republicans were actually encouraging them.

That's an incendiary charge, I know. But let me describe what just transpired here inside the House of Representatives:

Moments ago, while members were on the floor for a vote, a protester stood up in the visitor's gallery and began shouting "Kill the bill! Kill the bill! Kill the bill!" Clerks quickly removed him. But as they were doing so, a number of Republicans--at least half a dozen, from what I could see from a few feet away--were cheering the man.

Representative Barney Frank, who was the target of yesterday's homophobic epithets, told reporters he was "appalled" and that he felt the Republicans "were encouraging him to resist. ... I've never seen members of the House cheering on a guy resisting being kicked out of the gallery. It's a dangerous situation and the Republicans are cheering him on."

Frank says he approached one of his Republican colleagues--I think he said it was Missouri's Roy Blunt--and told them his caucus should not be stoking this kind of emotion. Blunt apparently replied by saying he wasn't one of the Republicans cheering.

Meanwhile, conservative activists are staging a rally on the North lawn, which is right outside the House chamber. A trio of Republicans went to the House balcony and started waving hand-made signs saying "Kill...the...bill" as the crowd chanted. As a colleague of mine remarked, that scene was more farcical than scary--like a scene out of Evita. But there's something just a bit unsettling about all of this.

snip//

Marin Cogan, who wrote for TNR before moving over to Politico, reports that protesters confronted her on the way into the building, shoving a bullhorn in her face and yelling "Media bias! Media bias! Media bias!" And there were sharper confrontations with actual members of Congress.

more...

http://www.tnr.com/blog/the-treatment/breaking-ugly-scene

[grantcart]

1. They cheer for them they own them

They will be surprised when they show up to denounce the Republicans for some ideological betrayal.

[Scurrilous]

2. The meltdown commences. n/t

[Parker CA]

3. The boiling is pushing the lid off the pot. Crazy mf'ers.

[Aramchek]

4. why wouldn't they cheer? there is no difference between the elected teabaggers and the unelected

[babylonsister]

5. MORE:

"It's like the Salem witch trials, and healthcare is the witches," Frank said. "There is mass hysteria."

Some Republican lawmakers encouraged the protesters.

As the House was voting on an unrelated bill, Republican Reps. Tom Latham of Iowa, Jo Ann Emerson of Missouri, Brett Guthrie of Kentucky and Greg Harper of Mississippi stood on south balcony off the House floor - an area known informally as "the beach" — holding pieces of paper that read "kill the bill" to a group of cheering protestors. Some Republican lawmakers waved a "Don't Tread on Me" flag from the balcony, causing the crowd to go wild.

Inside the House chamber, a protester was ejected by Capitol Police after yelling from the House gallery.

Frank was visibly angry with his GOP colleagues whom he believed goaded the protesters.

"Did you guys see the Republicans encouraging the disruption?" Frank left the House floor to tell about 15 reporters. "These clowns are out there encouraging violation of the law and making the job of the guys up there harder. It's really disgraceful."

more from here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7972923

[opihimoimoi]

6. INSANE BROWN SHIRTism Going FULL ON....The "Exploited" trying to exploit us"....?

Brown shirtism is non the rise due to xenophobic WASPy Bull Crap....

This Selfish Meism must be defeated....this is not a good Human Trait...

[Cha]

7. Of course, they're encouraging any ugliness

they can..they're all the same.

If you make your living by lying ..there are no boundaries.

[graywarrior]

8. This is the only attention they can receive.

And they're going for it.