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It appears that one of the day’s biggest political stories yesterday, at least on the right, had to do with a Labor Day speech Teamsters President James Hoffa Jr. delivered in Detroit. This has “manufactured outrage” written all over it, but given all the attention it received, let’s take a moment to highlight reality.
Here’s the quote from the speech that conservatives pushed aggressively:
“Let’s take these son of a bitches out and give America back to America where we belong! Thank you very much!”
And here’s the context of the quote:
“Everybody here’s got to vote. If we go back and keep the eye on the prize, let’s take these son of a bitches out and give America back to America where we belong! Thank you very much!”
In other words, he was talking about voting. This was not a call to violence — Hoffa wants to take the far-right politicians out of office, not out of existence.
The right almost certainly realizes this, and is making a fuss just to make a fuss. Fox News, in particular, just about threw a fit over the notion that Hoffa was recommending violence against Tea Partiers. A paid CNN analyst, meanwhile, said that if President Obama “doesn’t condemn” the comments, “he is sanctioning violence.”
This is all pretty silly. If the right is comfortable with Rick Perry’s comments about Ben Bernanke, and Sarah Palin’s “reload” cliche, and Mitt Romney talking about “hanging” Obama, I think conservatives can probably stop clutching the pearls over Hoffa’s line about voting.
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walt on September 06, 2011 11:40 AM:
Liberalism doesn't have much testosterone, which is why we keep losing so many battles. The reason Fox and Drudge and other Goebbels wannabes are "upset" is that they want to keep it that way. Labor has balls and still remembers what a fight feels like. I can imagine President Adult apologizing to America for this fact.
wordtypist on September 06, 2011 11:42 AM:
To say nothing of "second amendment solutions."
c u n d gulag on September 06, 2011 11:43 AM:
No matter what they say, being a Democrat means always have to say they're sorry.
And no matter what they say, being a Republican means that Democrats always have to say they're sorry.
Rochester on September 06, 2011 11:47 AM:
"Out of context" is the Conservative Modus Operandi, and the perfect tool to fuel an emotional response from the under-informed.
I'm so tired of reading about ignorance. It makes my head hurt.
martin on September 06, 2011 11:47 AM:
A paid CNN analyst, meanwhile, said that if President Obama “doesn’t condemn” the comments, “he is sanctioning violence.”
In the spirit of bipartisanship, Obama will apologize in 3,2,1...
Live Free or Die on September 06, 2011 11:49 AM:
"Fuck yea", That is what Biden should say when asked about the Hoffa comment. "I agree that people should vote for their interests."
But in the real world, I'd be happy with the "We are just going to be talking about jobs now; who has a question about how we are going to be creating jobs?"
Ohioan on September 06, 2011 11:51 AM:
Another case of GOP-eratives playing the victim card. Jon Stewart had a great video collage of this - victimizing their opponents and playing victim at the same time.
Lifelong Dem on September 06, 2011 11:56 AM:
If you're a Democrat, everything you say is either treasonous or an attempt to incite violence. Face it, we're vicious motherfuckers.
Josef K on September 06, 2011 11:57 AM:
The right almost certainly realizes this, and is making a fuss just to make a fuss.
Why do I doubt that's entirely the case? Why do I have the cold, cold feeling there is a sizable slice of the right wing that believes this manufactured nonsense is the truth, and will 'act in self-defense'?
Probably because I've been studying right-wing extremism over the centuries for entirely too long, and really don't expect any better of my fellow humans at this point.
Sean on September 06, 2011 11:59 AM:
The accusation doesn't need to have any merit. It just needs to be out there, parroted loudly enough by the Right Wing for enough time that it creates a vague, Impressionist image of Liberals Advocating Violence Against Conservatives in the minds of those who aren't really paying attention.
It's a vaccination against Moderate/Independent backlash when their own side uses truly violent rhetoric to rile up the base.
The goal is to create the emotional sense that "Both Sides Do It," and thereby protect the brand from its own excesses.
kindness on September 06, 2011 12:03 PM:
Does the political right really think Democrats are going to 'take them out'? You can bet they don't. But they'll use any and all opportunities, even manufactured ones like this to stoke the fears of their supporters and claim victim-hood.
Seems to me that's a wee too clever by a bet. Why? Well, given the low information citizens the right wing reaches, they do believe this. Then they go out and talk with this level as being the basis of fact. Do the Republicans really want a new French revolution in America? No, they certainly don't. But if they keep this game up, it's going to come back at them in a manner they will then claim 'they had no idea they were driving people to actually go out and kill their political opponents'! Yea, sure, you had no idea.....
Grits N' Gravy on September 06, 2011 12:13 PM:
Here is what Hoffa said:
President Obama, this is your army. We are ready to march. Let’s take these son-of-a-bitches out and give America back to America where we belong.
Funny, Benen, how you selectively left out the first two sentences. You know, the sentences that are much more antagonistic and violent in this post-Giffords environment.
You know, Palin was talking about elections with her "targeting map," but liberals went apopletic over it. I guess it's OK when a union leader does it.
JW on September 06, 2011 12:17 PM:
Can someone explain to me why democratic party officials continue to appear on FOX?
EnoughIsEnough on September 06, 2011 12:37 PM:
It's astounding to me that these big badasses who brought or condoned bringing guns to President Obama's speeches are now crying like the wussies they are over a comment.
Frank Lynch on September 06, 2011 12:44 PM:
Remind me, please, why News Corp gets a special exemption to have both a newspaper and TV station in NYC.
slappy magoo on September 06, 2011 12:59 PM:
Horsecrap. This isn't about making a fuss, it's about making a false equivalent. It's about keeping the low-info voters misinformed. Yeah, you heard about calls of violence from the right, well now you've heard about calls of violence from the left (albeit not from an actual politician). They're all the same, you don't know who to trust. Just stay home on Election Day. Don't vote. After all, you may vote wrong. Why take a chance? Don't vote.
And that's how the right, with their whipped-up angry base who will always show up to vote no matter if they like their candidates or not, wins. Every time. They do what they can to make the left ineligible to vote, and what they can't do within the law, what they can't break the law or usurp the Constitution to do, they just use confusion smoke and mirrors to get the job done.
Josef K on September 06, 2011 1:05 PM:
From Grits N' Gravy @12:13 PM:
Funny, Benen, how you selectively left out the first two sentences. You know, the sentences that are much more antagonistic and violent in this post-Giffords environment.
You know, Palin was talking about elections with her "targeting map," but liberals went apopletic over it. I guess it's OK when a union leader does it.
And I guess you find all such rhetoric acceptable for political debate?
Then please don't feign surprise when the emotionally and mentally unstable decide to act on it.
ellroon on September 06, 2011 1:13 PM:
I remember an incident two years ago where there was a shooting of an anti-abortion sign holder who was standing across from a high school. At first the teabaggery set thought that it was a pissed off liberal (it wasn't) and the rumpus that occurred was intriguing. THEY were the ones who had all the guns, all the righteous wrath. Liberals were not supposed to be able to handle them with their latte-sodden weak wrists nor to actually dare to use one. Especially against the heavily armed and God-sanctified right.
(The right also can't accept the fact that there are *gasp* Democrats in the military.)
But if we collected and made public the veiled and not so veiled threats liberals have endured recently, it would be an impressive list. I am sure that if it had been a Republican instead of Gabby Giffords who was shot in the head, there would be howls for justice and vengeance and great gnashing of teeth by all the pundits. Instead we get some twit auctioning off Glocks in Arizona.
Hate speech apparently should go in just one direction or hissy fits shall be thrown.
Dennis on September 06, 2011 2:00 PM:
And I guess you find all such rhetoric acceptable for political debate?
Then please don't feign surprise when the emotionally and mentally unstable decide to act on it.
Josef- Either you do find it acceptable or you don't. Either you have standards or you don't.
Steve Benen is throwing cold water on anyone asking why Hoffa isn't being called out for his rhetoric, while at the same time every single liberal blog in existence threw a hissy fit at Palin's rhetoric going back years when Giffords was shot. If there's nuance here that makes Hoffa's words acceptable, it's simply because of political ideology and nothing else.
jjm on September 06, 2011 2:08 PM:
Excuse me. But when not only have we had the most horrifying things said of and about Obama ON FOX NEWS, this totally phony outrage is completely unacceptable.
Not only that, who really declared 'war'. I believe it was the Koch Brothers, who in June of this year, gathered wealthy donors at a Colorado resort and told that Obama WAS "Saddam Hussein" and that he and his ilk had to engage in "The MOTHER OF ALL WARS" against him (and of course what he stands for...)
Read all about it in The Nation and on Think Progress today: http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/09/06/312067/at-strategy-seminar-with-wealthy-guests-charles-koch-referred-to-obama-as-a-saddam-hussein-to-be-defeated/
Josef K on September 06, 2011 2:21 PM:
From Dennis @ 2:00pm:
Josef- Either you do find it acceptable or you don't. Either you have standards or you don't.
Steve Benen is throwing cold water on anyone asking why Hoffa isn't being called out for his rhetoric, while at the same time every single liberal blog in existence threw a hissy fit at Palin's rhetoric going back years when Giffords was shot. If there's nuance here that makes Hoffa's words acceptable, it's simply because of political ideology and nothing else.
Fair point, Dennis, although I personally find nothing objectionable about Hoffa's words when read in total. That's not because I'm perfectly aligned with him politically or ideologically (and for the record, I'm not), but because I don't see an even comparison between his call for greater electoral turnout for Democrats versus Palin's putting sniper targets on her rival's faces (never mind Perry's recklessly tossing charges of 'treason' around, Angle's disingenuous suggestion of 'Second Amendment solutions', or Romney's evocative language of old dixie).
Do I wish the martial imagery and rhetoric could be toned down a few hundred degrees? Certainly. Do I see every single instance of it as perfectly equivalent? No.
This is a case in point where that equivalence doesn't stand up.
ameshall on September 06, 2011 2:23 PM:
The proper response should be, "Eff you." Seriously. The RW lunatics were perfectly fine w/ their own people encouraging their base to exercise their 2nd amendment remedies. The hypocrisy boggles the mind.
Cha on September 06, 2011 2:27 PM:
Yeah, let's take the bitches out of office(stupid).
And, fuck fox and breitbart and his side kick o'keefe..captcha, too.
Dennis on September 06, 2011 2:59 PM:
This is a case in point where that equivalence doesn't stand up.--Josef K.
Ok, but you ended your post with these words of warning: "Then please don't feign surprise when the emotionally and mentally unstable decide to act on it."
Why is it you think there exist only the emotionally and mentally unstable who would act on what Palin, Perry, Angle or anyone else on the right said that was somehow a call to action, but not what Jimmy Hoffa, Jr. said?
J on September 06, 2011 3:36 PM:
....and not only FOX. My favorite token liberal, Mika B on Morning Joe, had her usual "I am a liberal but have to agree with Joe on this one" stance. Pitiful
JEA on September 06, 2011 3:37 PM:
A man named Hoffa talking about "taking the SOBs out."
Can't imagine anyone thinking of this as violent rhetoric...
So let's just imagine Rush Limbaugh saying it instead and see what everybody thinks.
OwnedByTwoCats on September 06, 2011 3:38 PM:
To the right, voting for Democrats _is_ violence. And therefore never justified.
Josef K on September 06, 2011 8:26 PM:
From Dennis @2:59 PM:
Ok, but you ended your post with these words of warning: "Then please don't feign surprise when the emotionally and mentally unstable decide to act on it."
Why is it you think there exist only the emotionally and mentally unstable who would act on what Palin, Perry, Angle or anyone else on the right said that was somehow a call to action, but not what Jimmy Hoffa, Jr. said?
Again, a fair point, Dennis. And I readily admit a bit of bias here. Recent history leads me to think any politically-motivated violence will originate from the right end of the dial.
Gods help us if someone does act on this madness.
TCinLA on September 07, 2011 1:06 AM:
Hoffa wants to take the far-right politicians out of office, not out of existence.
Too bad. Choice #2 is the preferable one. "The only 'good Republicans' are pushing up daisies."
Weezie on September 07, 2011 1:55 PM:
I totally agree with Mr. Hoffa. F--k those republicans, it's time for Americans to take back America. We are not wimps like the republican/teabaggers think we are! Let's take back what is ours and what we are owed. Either you get off your asses and vote in 2012 for your freedom of choice, etc., or you sit at home and reap what the repubs/teabaggers sow for you!