As grotesque as the current threats, and actual, right-wing violence is over the health reform bill, it is equally important remember that such threats of violence, and actual violence, has been a longstanding right-wing tactic. Consider an article I wrote three years ago about right-wing threats of violence on such small issues such as John Edwards campaign staffers movie reviews and a search engine optimization campaign I employed in the 2006 elections:
Much like the democratic means attempted by conservatives to outlaw abortion, the media pressure against Edwards didn't work. Unfortunately, the violent threats against Melissa did. Over at Pandagon, Amanda offers a taste of some of the tamer threats she received during the episode, and which it appears she continues to receive. Ultimately, it appears that it was the continuing threat of violence, not any media pressure or caving from the Edwards campaign, that allowed the right-wing to "take scalps" in this whole affair.
During the brief media frenzy surrounding my googlebomb campaign in October of 2006, I myself received about five dozen death threats that looked not unlike the ones Amanda posted at Pandagon. Also, when Michelle Malkin tried to attack two college students for engaging in anti-war protests, the college students also received dozens of death threats. Considering of this, it now seems pretty clear to me now that every right-wing media campaign against a mid-level Democrat or progressive is always accompanied with numerous threats of violence. It seems to be a ubiquitous back-up tactic of the American right-wing in the event that their media pressure fails to work, just as it failed to work against the Edwards campaign, and just as it failed to work against me when it came to the Googlebombs. As it the case with abortion providers, if you can't beat them using democratic means, and if you can't defeat them using your vast media empire, use death threats as a final tactic to force relatively powerless individuals to bend to your demands.
These are just a few examples from many. The violence against abortion providers, and the many assassinations of the 1960's are glaring examples. Here is another one: NRSC chair John Cornyn blaming judges for the political violence against judges in 2005. And another: Republican activists riot to shut down a recount in Florida in 2000.
Markos, who is indeed an expert on receiving hate mail, notes that many of these "threats" are actually just "death hopes." Still, they are pretty menacing and shocking sort of comments to receive. And they are ubiquitous for any Democrat or progressive who prominently defies the right-wing on even minor things like, say, search engine optimization campaigns.
Terrorism and threats of violence frequently appear in the background of right-wing political discourse. Current events are more a difference of degree than of kind.
More on this coming on Open Left shortly.
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