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The rising threat of political violence in America

While we normally focus exclusively on the Senate race here, I want to take a moment to weight in on what I think is a most disturbing trend in our politics of late—the rising threat of political violence.

This topic was once again brought to my attention last weekend, when I discovered that Rich Lowry, a Republican running against my hometown Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Florida’s 20th district, recently attended a Broward County Republican Party event. There, he and others took turns shooting guns at cut-out pictures of caricature Muslim terrorists and, even worse, a figure with the word “DWS” (for Debbie Wasserman Schultz) printed across its form. I wrote a letter to Lowry demanding an apology and would encourage readers to do the same if so inclined, but beyond the politics of my own hometown, I think this incident speaks to a larger, more disturbing trend of violence creeping into our political life.

Just a few weeks ago, Nancy Pelosi spoke with uncharacteristic emotion about this very trend, comparing the the political climate to that which existed in San Fransisco before Mayor Muscone and Harvey Milk were both assassinated in the 70s. After her statement, several articles came out quoting security experts from agencies like the CIA and FBI, confirming that at this time of large social change, the threat of political violence is real and growing. The worst part of all this is, rather than acting responsibly in attempts to cool down the hateful rhetoric, GOP leaders have been all too eager to fan the flames.

Here are some recent examples:

-Joe Wilson calling the President a “liar” from the House floor
-Michelle Bachmann calling from a “revolution,” since “we the people are going to have to fight back if we aren’t going to lose our country.”
-GOP leadership refusing to condemn a sign held by a protestor who was wearing a gun with the words “It is time to water the tree of liberty,” which is a reference to Thomas Jefferson’s famous quote, which goes: “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
-People showing up to town hall meetings packing heat
-Rax Rammell, an Idaho Republican, publicly joking about buying a license to “hunt” the president

People have already died. On Sept. 13th, a census worker named Bill Sparkman “was found dead at Hoskins Cemetery in the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky. He was bound, gagged, and almost naked. Though his feet rested on the ground, there was a noose around his neck tied to a nearby tree branch. The word “Fed” was scrawled on his chest in red marker, and his census ID was taped to his neck.” Many are saying that this is an outgrowth of the culture of violent response to politics.

History has shown us that hateful rhetoric leads to violence, particularly when sanctioned, even lauded by prominent leaders in the media and in politics. But instead of displaying any thoughtfulness about the serious reality of the hateful rhetoric being employed out there, GOP leaders like Pete Sessions tried to turn the Speaker’s statement into a political football, accusing her of a “desperate attempt by her party to divert attention away from a failing agenda.”

Comments like these miss the point entirely. No one is saying that there isn’t a place for legitimate policy debate over the important issues of the day. What we are saying is that expressing difference of opinion must be done responsibly, with dignity and respect, not through thinly veiled threats, outright expressions of hatred, and even gestures and statements seeming to promote violence against our elected officials.

In this climate, I fear it is only a matter of time before someone takes a shot at an elected official—or something even worse. I pray that the GOP leadership will take responsibility for the slide toward violent rhetoric and show some maturity in discussions over the important issues of the day. But based its their track record, I am pessimistic that anyone in the right wing of the GOP leadership (in the Congress and in the media) will be acting like a grown up any time soon.

October 14, 2009 at 9:08 am

--Adam Schwartzbaum

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