As some of you may already know, I've posted several articles to Blogcritics.org which highlight the upward trend of anger and violent politicking that has been occurring in the country for the past couple of years. As an example, here are just a few of my posts:
In the post, Thugs For Kerry - Part Duex!, I stressed my belief that, if DNC leaders do not begin to tone down the rhetoric and urge calm among voters, rather than stoke voter anger with their fear-laced rhetoric and baseless accusations, that the growing level of anger, violence, and aggressiveness we've seen could lead to open violence.
Recently, C-Span caught this exchange on tape between Elizabeth Edwards and an anonymous supporter:
Supporter: Kerry's going to take PA.
Liz Edwards: I know that.
Supporter: I'm just worried there's going to be riots afterwards.
Liz Edwards: Uh.....well...not if we win.
**AUDIO CLIP LINK**
Now, today, The Smoking Gun reports that a Florida man was arrested for trying to run over former Secretary of State, Catherine Harris and several others who were campaigning in Florida. When questioned, the man stated that he was "exercising" "his political expression." What?!
So, add this to a list of GOP Campaign office break-ins, harrassment and assualts by liberal activists, and a steady litany of rhetoric which grows angrier and more strident with each passing day and you have the trend that I warned of in my previous post. If Kerry loses the election, what will happen then?
DNC leaders started this fire and have been fanning the flames in hopes to motivate their voters on November 2nd. But using anger as a tool to motivate individuals can have unintended consequences. Do I believe that DNC leaders want to see their supporters turn to violence? Of course not. Regardless, this is what they are going to get if they do not ease up.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Shark
Flanagan: "Will DNC leaders ease up on the rhetoric? No. Instead, they'll ramp it up even more, and they have already initiated 9 lawsuits in Florida! I'm very worried... You should be too."
This is too much: A Republican GIRLIE-MAN shaking with fear. Davey, you might as well just strap on a tu-tu, some pink jack-boots, and cwy your wittle heart out...
big bad wiberals....
snif, snif...
2 - Tim Hall
The Freepi are projecting again.
You realise that if Kerry wins, Eric will set Shark, Hal Pawluk, Jim Carruthers and Mac Diva to work clearing up all the mess from all those exploded heads.
3 - Hal Pawluk
I hadn't realized it, but this kind Republican slander is all over the place on the web.
It's amazing how once the message gets out, the worker bees all get behind it in lock-step.
What scares me about this is that the right has been consistent in accusing theier opponents of what they're doing (pay attention to the next Bush video clip you see, for instance) so they may be leading up to major violence during this election.
It wouldn't suprise me, based on incidents like the way they bused in 75 thugs in 2000 to stop the Florida recount in the Miami-Dade county offices with violence.
4 - Tim Hall
Dave Neiwert has been analysing these alledged incidents here:
http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/2004_10_24_dneiwert_archive.html#109889220177028152
Well worth reading. A lot more informative that the lies, slander and spin the Freepi keep posting.
5 - Hal Pawluk
Thanks, Tim, and in the interest of keeping everyone better informed, here's a clickable link to Dave Niewert's site analysing the alleged incidents.
6 - Tim Hall
Sorry, forgot that BC isn't configured to turn URLs into links :(
7 - Hal Pawluk
Worse still, Tim, long URLs don't break so the center column expands, as this one did, and part of the page is now off screen on the right :-)
8 - RJ
How typical. Democrats ignore the numerous violent attacks on Republicans, and then claim Republicans are violently attacking Democrats.
"WAR IS PEACE!"
"RECOVERY IS RECESSION!"
"BUSH IS HITLER!"
"DAY IS NIGHT!"
"UP IS DOWN!"
"OJ WAS FRAMED!"
"KERRY HAS BEEN CONSISTENT!"
Jesus...
9 - Shark
RJ, you forgot:
"IRAQ IS FINE!"
Yer welcome.
10 - David Flanagan
Actually, Shark, you can say:
IRAQ IS BETTER!
And there is a very simple reason why I'm pointing all of this out now:
As one who has two degrees in psychology as well as some counseling experience, this is a no-brainer. I hope I'm wrong here, but all my training, all my experience, and my common sense tells me otherwise.
David
11 - Hal Pawluk
I must misunderstand your #10, David: are you saying that civil war in Iraq is not too far away?
If so, didn't we already know that?
12 - David Flanagan
Hal,
You are quite right. I should have said:
IRAQ IS FALLING INTO CIVIL WAR!
Thank you for correcting me on that.
David
13 - Lono
Sorry David, but I disagree strongly. The right can NOT be trusted. They stole one election and there will be great strife and violence in the land if they try it again. If Bush wins the vote, fair game... he is elected (not re-elected). However, us on the left have a serious fear that regardless of the election results... he won't leave.
Come on! Thugs for Kerry? What the hell do you call putting 40,000 blacks on the do not vote list in Florida because they had similar names to blacks with criminal records. That looks like some serious thuggery to me. How about surrounding the polls in poor neighborhoods with a strong police force to intimidate folks to stay inside. The difference is, y'all do it with a lot of money... so it is more discreet. We don't have the money you do so we fight how we can. Sadly, we ARE a divided nation... and this IS a class war.
Running over Katherine Harris is stupid, obviously. It is a murderous threat that does NOT represent the left. However, I'd like to see her in jail for election fraud. She would be safe from cars there.
I would love to be proven wrong. I would love it if I were just a pissy paranoid liberal. However, we are all very prepared if that is not the case.
For America, Vote Democrat
Kerry in a Landslide 2004!
14 - Mac Diva
Just plain drivel. David Flanagan's so-called evidence is pretty much non-existent. Democrats have lived through four years of Bush rule with tolerance and peacefulness. The record is there for any thinking person to see.
On the bright side, the increasing shrillness of FF and other far Right dittoheads reveals their desperation.
Those lawsuits in Florida? Wonderful. They show Democrats are being vigilant this time around and learning of efforts to suppress the vote earlier. Furthermore, filing lawsuits, ie., appealing to the legal system, is quite the opposite of violence.
15 - boomcrashbaby
Just one thing should be pointed out to everybody who reads one of these *thugs* for Kerry blogs:
1) When Kerry is doing good in polls, the Right says "Those aren't votes for Kerry, they're votes against Bush. It's the Anybody-But-Bush crowd".
2) When violence (which has occurred against BOTH sides) occurs, then of course David wants you to know it's not anti-Bush violence then, but pro-Kerry violence.
So to recap the theme David has going on his threads:
A vote for Kerry is really anti-Bush.
Violence against Bush is really pro-Kerry.
16 - David Flanagan
Come on! Thugs for Kerry? What the hell do you call putting 40,000 blacks on the do not vote list in Florida because they had similar names to blacks with criminal records.
That never happened. The Justice Department investigated claims like this one in the weeks following the election. Janet Reno, Clinton's Attorney General ordered the investigation. Only one or two complaints ever really were shown to have any validity by Reno and, ironically, those problems all occurred in Democrat-controlled counties. You'll need to back up your wild accusations with some facts.
David
17 - David Flanagan
As I've said. I'm telling you this in advance. If Kerry loses and people begin to riot, as even some Democrats fear, I'll have at least stated this in advance. If I'm wrong, then feel free to call me whatever names you wish.
David
18 - Shark
I think there's a good chance that if Bush steals another election, there will be *riots and/or violence.
There comes a point in this waning 'democracy' when folks will refuse to accept vote fraud and/or the fact that their votes no longer count.
What happens when you can't voice your opinion via the vote?
"Fuck it. Where's my Molotov Cocktail?"
*But then again, I thought the 2000 election should have produced a violent reaction -- which it didn't. The Left showed quite the restraint while the Bush administration went all Right-Wing Radical Reactionary on a populace that gave the other guy the majority of votes.
I fully expected Bush to reach out to Gore, ask him to meet and/or take a position in the administration -- which anyone who had a real interest in the health of the nation would have done -- but NO, they said "Screw it, this is our chance to rape the environment, give to the rich, go to war for oil, and start the Fourth Reich."
Pretty ballsy, insensitive, and -- umm... what's the word...?
Thuggish?
19 - Shark
BTW: In a move that's either synchronicity or prophetic pragmatism, the Bushies and the Far Right recently allowed the ban on Assault Weapons to expire.
Guess they'll need 'em to protect their golf courses and gated communities.
"They got the guns, love -- but we got the numbers; gonna win, yeah we're takin' over!" -- Jim Morrison
20 - Hal Pawluk
I'm not looking forward to the violence when the huge Kerry lead starts to sink in.
I expect the Right to bus in thugs in their thousands, as they did in a smaller way in Miami-Dade to stop the recount and get Bush into office. 75 people was all it took there.
Looking at the behavior of this administration, I think it's a likely possibility.
Especially since Kerry will win with a clear, unambiguous margin of at least 6% of the popular vote.
Once the violence is suppressed, of course, Kerry will then have to deal with the mess Bush made.
Shark thinks Bush should be made to clean up this mess and I appreciate his viewpoint, but Bush can make things even worse, especially as a lame-duck.
I'm happy with Kerry doing the clean-up.
21 - andy marsh
HAL - how many times are you going to bring up that damned bus??? Is that the only story you have? Jesus!!!
22 - Hal Pawluk
How long are the brain-washed on the right going to claim it's the Dems that are violent?
That "damned bus" changed the course of democracy using violence.
I would think a true patriot would be concerned about it, rather than trying to suppress it.
23 - andy marsh
That's BS...they recounted the votes...a million times...and here's a headline for you...GORE STILL LOST!!!
24 - Hal Pawluk
No, andy, it's not.
Now you can say: Yes, it is.
And I'll say: No, it's not.
Then ...
But reality won't change.
25 - andy marsh
you are right Hal...the reality won't change...nor will your or my assesment of it change...