Menace, as a Political Tool, Enters the Republican Mainstream

The New York Times via Yahoo ^ | November 13, 2021 | by Lisa Lerer and Astead W. Herndon

[Oldeconomybuyer]

… From congressional offices to community meeting rooms, threats of violence are becoming commonplace among a significant segment of the Republican Party. Ten months after rioters attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, and after four years of a president who often spoke in violent terms about his adversaries, right-wing Republicans are talking more openly and frequently about the use of force as justifiable in opposition to those who dislodged him from power.

In Washington, D.C., where decorum and civility are still given lip service, violent or threatening language still remains uncommon, if not unheard-of, among lawmakers who spend a great deal of time in the same building. But among the most fervent conservatives, who play an outsize role in primary contests and provide the party with its activist energy, the belief that the country is at a crossroads that could require armed confrontation is no longer limited to the fringe.

From Trump's earliest campaigning to the final moments of his presidency, his political image has incorporated the possibility of violence. He encouraged attendees at his rallies to “knock the hell” out of protesters, praised a lawmaker who body-slammed a reporter and in a recent interview defended rioters who clamored to “hang Mike Pence.”

Yet, even with Trump largely out of the public eye and after the deadly attack on the Capitol, where rioters tried to overturn the presidential election, the Republican acceptance of violence has only spread. Polling indicates that 30% of Republicans and 40% of people who “most trust” far-right news sources believe that “true patriots” may have to resort to violence to “save” the country — a statement that gets far less support among Democrats and independents.

[NetAddicted]

They were mostly peaceful.

[sauropod]

WTH world is the NYT living in?

They just published Project Veritas’s confidential documents obtained illegally and by force.

[sauropod]

“When you start dehumanizing political opponents, or really anybody, it becomes a lot easier to inflict violence on them,” Drutman said.

You mean like parents in Loudoun County, Mr. Drutman?

Why don't you ask Mr. Garland and the DoJ about that?

[jmacusa]

As a former liberal I’ve been telling conservatives for years forget the Marquis of Queensbury Rules.

This is a bar room brawl with the lights out.

Winning is everything for the Dems and violence is their stock in trade to get what they want.

Time to start paying them back in their own coin.

[jmacusa]

‘’Wanna play f**k around, we’ll play f**k around!’’