The really scary thing is the potential snowball effect. Neo-Klan loudmouths talk rape, murder and revolution, rightwing politicans coddle them, Democratic supporters become disillusioned and don't vote due to Republican stonewalling and Democratic wimpiness, Republicans take power, fear the Baggers will turn on them if they don't deliver, and produce a fascist government they may not even believe in. I know Grassley doesn't, for one; like so many of them he's just terrified of a primary challenge from the right. But would he object to being part of a dictatorship? No, he'd love to be up on the balcony wearing the armband. Dark days, today and tomorrow.

Shouldn't some of these Quisling "public servants" be hearing from the Secret Service? I've got a nickel says that would put a stop to such incidents prontississimo.

It's likely that most of the far-right voices who pop off at public events are just loudmouths, blowing off steam. They're probably not literally prepared to take up arms against the United States.

But it only takes one nutjob who's a good shot.

I wonder how the "liberal media" will manage to put the blame on Obama if, as many of us fear could happen, he is assassinated?

>It's likely that most of the far-right voices who pop off at public events are just loudmouths, blowing off steam.

A thoughtful view is that such matters should always be investigated by the appropriate domestic security services of the government, Steve. And I think any person who encourages such language--especially if it is a member of government, or someone with great media access--should be questioned very seriously over the matter.

The remissness of the Obama administration in this matter puzzles me. Bush Junior went after people who coughed during patriotic speeches, metaphorically speaking. Obama seems determined to ignore remarks that not only cheapen discourse, but are arguably treasonous. What does he stand to gain from keeping his head in the sand?

Bullying and intimidation is antithetical to democracy.

in the midst of the nihilism, we have progressives (er, me) fearful that we are in the beginning of a weimar re-enactment in the United States. We see a weak liberal gov trying to resolve the crises left it by a disastrous previous admin which hollowed out the economy and perpetrated devastating unnecessary wars.

Meanwhile the conservative faction is aligning with the extreme right, and being exclusively obstructionist in hope that the timid liberals will collapse...

On the extreme right, with the horseshit of goldberg's book as a slimy foundation, they see the current Obama admin and Dim majorities as the end of a Weimar-like period, and a Hitler-like takeover of the gov.

The United States is on the brink...

Two things:

1] Sounds to me like these idiots have given up on America and its Constitution. I wonder where they got THAT idea?

2] Why are these morons always from my state — Virginia?

"To sit in silence when we should protest makes cowards out of men."

Nice quote, but that's exactly what Beck, Bachmann, the Teabaggers and the self-proclaimed 'right-wing-terrorist' would say.

Up is down, black is white and the crazies have a megaphone.

I got roped by my company into attending (being a seat filler at) a GOP fundraiser for a congressional hopeful (who happens to be the son of an ex-speaker of the house). The guest speaker was Newt Gingrich.

He advocated that if the GOP become the majority they should outright REPEAL any health care reform that gets passed. Additionally, he suggested that the government and its policies should not be changed, but outright REPLACED.
And of course, his cure for the economy included repealing the 'death tax', 100% deductions for capital equipment and cutting the social security/medicare tax by 50% for individuals and businesses.

It was a frightening affair and I had trouble sittnig on my hands and keeping my mouth shut so I wouldn't get fired...

Gridlock, I hope you have an incredible benefits package where you work. Meanwhile, I think you've got a fair case with OSHA because you're definitely in an unsafe work environment.

The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of murderous intensity.

Gridlock--
Isn't it illegal for a company to force its employees to attend a political event?

If not, it's a shame the economy sucks -- you need a new job.

You're also a stronger person than I am, since there's no way in hell I'd have been quiet. And if they had fired me, I would've become the new owner of the company by the time I was done with 'em. :-)

Spoken violence is evidence of the speaker's violent world. In such a realm, physical violence can easily follow focused, loudly sustained and repeated verbal calls to vioence.

Any elected individual needs to resign - to prove his/her decency - immediately if spoken violence is not checked and rebuked immediately. Anything less may prove the anti-government, anti-American sentiment of the elected official! -Kevo

Ugh, I am in Rob Wittman's district. This is also the district that used to employ Jo Ann Davis. Fun Fact: Rob Wittman likes to delete polls from his website when they disagree with his views. "Do you support a public option?" was 54% Yes before it got taken down.

Thought is a gateway to speech, and speech is a gateway to action. What we cannot put into words, we cannot in a real sense think. It's the reason racist jokes are so awful. They are not only unkind to the butt of the joke; they also give a kind of permission to racism. More, they immunize us to racism--we've heard it all before; nothing new here--and it all becomes part of the milieu. Edmund Burke said it best: We become evil by degrees.

Look, these guys freak out at the slightest whiff of a hint that they might have their guns taken away. They're armed to the teeth. And we aren't. And they are upping the ante every day on the rhetoric of violence.

In addition, guess who the enemy is. Not Muslims or communists, not even the federal government generally. Now, its generic liberals and Democrats.

They're armed to the teeth. And we aren't.

Wanna bet? :-)

The difference is that liberals take the time to learn how to use their firearms safely (and well) and understand guns are serious business to be used on when absolutely necessary.

Conservatives use their firearms as extensions of their pathetic manhood (or womanhood) and need them to feel safe from those Not Like Them.

Big difference there.

You skipped over this little gem from Frum:

"If Barack Obama really were a fascist, really were a Nazi, really did plan death panels to kill the old and infirm, really did contemplate overthrowing the American constitutional republic—if he were those things, somebody should shoot him."

There are plenty of people who believe that Obama IS all of those things; Frum's subsequent denial in the next paragraph does NOTHING to dissuade them. In fact, the words "somebody should shoot him" gives implicit permission to do the unthinkable -- and this from someone considered to be an intellectual force in the conservative movement.

Gah.

Never ever let your guard down with today's republicans they have no problems with killing Americans for their egos.

The racial hatred is so blatant, it's painful.

Have any of the teabaggers actually thought about what would happen to our country were something awful to happen to Obama?

Their hate for the man is so vile that they actually are blind to the
harm our country could suffer.

It's as if we are on the verge of an uncivil war.

God help us.

I like my country. But if the teabaggers revolt, we're doomed.

I've said this before, but we're seeing a repeat of the Clinton years only writ larger. Right-Wing militia groups are growing again. Gun sales are through the roof (ammunition shortages are common place). The rhetoric from the right is becoming more and more extreme.

I firmly believe that the next major incident of domestic terrorism on US soil will come from one of these nutjobs. We will see another Oklahoma before we see another 9/11.

I was on part of a "town-hall" conference call that David Dreier hosted the other night. The sheer ignorance of the people on the call (my fellow congressional district citizens) was frightening. One lady, complaining about health care reform, actually said she wanted the gov't hands kept out of Social Security and Medicare! Swear to God! I had it on speaker and we were laughing our asses off. And Dreier, being the good little Fascist he is, didn't correct her. Just let her go on spouting off like she knew something...

Michelle Malkin posts of lot of left wing call-to-violence rhetoric. This blog seems to be merely political without any real objectivity.

If our current President were white would we be having these discussions? Would there even be a tea bagger movement?

And no on has ever explained why these people were not silent, but supportive, of George Bush as he wrecked disaster on this nation for eight years.

George Bush was white.

This blog seems to be merely political without any real objectivity.

Then why the hell are you here?

You know, if you visit someone's home, do spend the entire time bitching about their choice of curtains, or the color of their carpet, or what they have on the TV?

I'm guessing not.

I believe I am pretty far to the left but I find myself agreeing a little with these right wing crazies. Doesn't the Declaration of Independence say this: "...when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. ..."

I certainly feel a bit "reduced under an absolute despotism" by the thieves on Wall Street and their WH enablers. Yet I am in the so-called middle class. How the heck do you think poor people feel?

I'd take a gun to Washington if enough of you would go with me."

Every Bagger needs a mob to hide in.

"Yet I am in the so-called middle class. How the heck do you think poor people feel?" Peter Waksman @ 4:29 PM.

With their hands just as everyone else does.
Those "poor people" you seem so worried about have plenty of money to buy weapons and ammunition; to spend two or three days on "teabagging" trips to DC and are able to "spontaneously" appear during working hours to disrupt political meetings.
"Poor people"? Yeah, right!

It irritates me no end that the haters on talk radio--Limbaugh, Beck, Savage--keep promoting violence on their programs and that's somehow ok. I am sure that some will say, "They have never called for violence!" True, but they keep telling their brain-dead listeners that Obama is a threat to the nation and MUST be stopped at all costs. So that IS encouraging violence in my book.
Eventually one of their listeners is going to try to shoot the President. And if he or she succeeds the Talk radio Nazi's will say it was a shame but Obama had it coming! Of course they wil say they are not to blame. I hate these people. I really do.