Bomb threats put spotlight on vitriolic political rhetoric
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Bomb threats put spotlight on vitriolic political rhetoric
STEVE PEOPLES and KEN THOMAS, Associated Press 55 minutes ago 
President Donald Trump gestures as he leaves the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018, to attend a campaign rally in Mosinee, Wis. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)NEW YORK (AP) — The discovery of pipe bombs targeting prominent Democratic politicians and CNN is raising the threat of election-season violence largely unknown in the U.S. — and prompting uncomfortable questions about the consequences of leaders' increasingly vitriolic rhetoric.
Coming two weeks before midterm elections, the thwarted attacks Wednesday caused renewed soul-searching — and finger pointing — about whether President Donald Trump has fanned passions to dangerous levels. Democrats swiftly pointed to his remarks seeming to condone violence against reporters and belittling political opponents, including some apparently targeted by the devices. Trump decried all political violence and issued a broad call for unity.
Some voters expressed concern the country was spiraling into new territory.
"It almost seems like we're in the middle of a civil war without the shots being fired," said Bobby Dietzel, a 45-year-old information technology worker from Kansas City who is registered with neither party. From a Denver coffee shop, he said he watched the political conflict with alarm. "It's almost scary to talk politics with people."
Law enforcement officials did not comment on the possible motives behind the crimes or whether political ideology may have played a role. Those involved have all been targeted by Trump and the right.
The thwarted attacks — revealed in rapid succession Wednesday — added volatility to midterm elections poised to be a referendum on Trump's tumultuous two years in office.
Long before the explosives were discovered, violent rhetoric had emerged as a central theme in the closing days of the midterm elections, particularly for the GOP. Republicans derided protesters for disrupting GOP lawmakers or Trump officials at restaurants or other public places. While campaigning, Trump and leading Republican candidates have increasingly warned of a rising Democratic "mob" prepared to inflict physical harm upon its adversaries.
But even some Trump allies saw the events of Wednesday as a moment for reflection and urged Trump to tone it down.
"You gotta calm it down," said Anthony Scaramucci, a prominent Trump supporter who briefly worked in his administration. "The president has grown in the job. He now has to take another transcendental step and realize that he's got to dial down the rhetoric."
On the other end of the political spectrum, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, offered a message to "all public officials of all partisan affiliations." ''Don't encourage violence," he said. "Don't encourage hatred. Don't encourage attacks on media."
De Blasio added: "That has to start at the top."
The White House's political arm, the Republican National Committee, released a video less than two weeks ago entitled, "The Left: An Unhinged Mob" that featured liberal protesters banging on doors backed by aggressive rhetoric from several prominent Democrats, including Rep. Maxine Waters of California and Hilary Clinton.
Waters in June called on supporters to harass Trump's cabinet members in public, while Clinton this month said: "You cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for, what you care about."
Clinton is among a handful of top Democrats, including former President Barack Obama and his Attorney General Eric Holder, who were targeted with explosive devices, authorities said Wednesday. The New York offices of CNN, the cable network frequently attacked by Trump and his supporters, was evacuated after receiving an explosive device and an envelope containing white powder. Billionaire Democrat George Soros, a regular focus of conservative conspiracy theories, was targeted on Monday.
In a written statement, CNN President Jeff Zucker decried what he called "a total and complete lack of understanding at the White House about the seriousness of their continued attacks on the media."
For a moment, at least, Trump offered a somewhat conciliatory message during a Wednesday evening political appearance in Wisconsin.
"There is one way to settle our agreements. It's called peacefully at the ballot box," Trump said while reading from the teleprompter. He later described Wisconsin's Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin as a "radical far-left" socialist and said "our country is assaulted" by a caravan of thousands of Latin American immigrants, still about 1,000 miles away.
The president is expected to continue an aggressive campaign schedule in the midterm season's final days.
For virtually his entire political career, Trump has embraced inflammatory and often deeply personal attacks against his opponents. He repeatedly encouraged supporters to physically attack liberal protesters during the campaign, offering to pay for their legal bills. He regularly calls media outlets such as CNN "the enemy of the people."
Yet the rhetoric has sometimes turned darker in recent weeks.
"The Democrats are willing to do anything, to hurt anyone, to get the power they so desperately crave," Trump declared at a Minnesota rally this month. "They want to resist, they want to obstruct, they want to delay, demolish. They want to destroy."
He warned this week, without proof, that terrorists had infiltrated a caravan of Central American immigrants headed toward the U.S. border. He also praised a Republican congressman from Montana for body slamming a reporter.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate crimes, believes there is no "moral equivalence" between the violent rhetoric of the two parties, according to Heidi Beirich, the head of the organization's Intelligence Project.
"The fact of the matter is that the people who have received these bombs — the Clintons, Obama and George Soros — have been horrifically demonized by the right. Not just in terms of neo-Nazis, but also from people like Donald Trump," Beirich said. "There tends to be a relationship between demonizing rhetoric and violence."
Yet Republican voters across the country are equally convinced that Democrats pose the real threat. And Republican candidates are going out of their way to reinforce that message.
At a weekend campaign appearance at a Florida retirement community, GOP gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis attacked Waters and Holder by name for calling on Democrats to harass Republicans. He also recalled the 2017 Capitol Hill shooting that left several wounded, including Republican Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana.
"We don't want the state of Florida to be the petri dish of George Soros and the radical left," DeSantis charged. "You look at the stuff that's going on with these mobs and the violence that they're doing."
Clinton, speaking at a Florida fundraiser for congressional candidate Donna Shalala, thanked the U.S. Secret Service for intercepting the package before it reached her suburban New York City home. But she called it a "troubling time" and a "time of deep divisions, and we have to do everything we can to bring our country together."
Voters in key midterm battlegrounds are fed up, and frightened.
Ariana Hendricks, a 40-year-old massage therapist in Denver, said violence in politics has always been something people thought about.
But because of Trump, she said, "now they think it's OK."
___
Thomas reported from Washington. AP writers Nick Riccardi in Denver, Thomas Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa, Matthew Daly in Washington and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.
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There tends to be a relationship between demonizing rhetoric and violence."
The SPLC's rhetoric inspired a domestic terrorist attack by a progressive.
Never forget.
This is probably a dumb question but what does SPLC stand for?
southern poverty law center
The SPLC is a fine organization founded by civil rights icon Morris Dees. Headquartered in Montgomery Alabama they track and expose certified hate groups. Do your own research. Do not take what far righties say here about the SPLC as truth. They hate the SPLC for certifying their favorite haters as, well, haters. My real name is inscribed upon The Wall of Tolerance at SPLC HQ. Yours coild be some day. Check them out. Maybe contribute...
The SPLC was once upon a time a good group when they were suing Klan members out of existence. Those days are long gone. Now they are just an extortion racket on the far left.
You mean like walking around a clinic and shooting people while uttering "No more baby parts"?
Both incidents are equivalent but I shouldn't have to point that out
More of trump's "fine people" in action:
The leader of a California-based white nationalist group and three others have been charged with attacking demonstrators and conspiring to incite riots at political rallies across the state, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday,
A Socialist/Democrat, Attempted to murder, and nearly did byh shooting him at close range, Representative Steve Scalise, while he and his fellow republicans were practicing for a softball game.
More of Obama's people? Clinton's People? Maxine's people? Holder's people? Bernie's people? Please make sure you tell us who we should attach him to, since it seems to be your stock and trade.
Not my problem trump called white nationalists "very fine people".... you can take it up with him and the bs he spews forth daily
"You had some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides," Trump said. Translates to very fine people on the white nationalists side.......
No, it translates into the 66% of the country in the NATIONAL debate over Confederate monuments. That line about fine people has been so misused only the far left believe it.
Fake news.
Oh thank goodness! There you are Cerenkov. I'm trying to find all our white right leaning male members. Have you seen Dean and BF? They don't have residences in Plantation FL, do they?
Actually he ony said "nationalist" You added the "white" part yourself.
I found Dean, so he's accounted for. We can cross him off the list.
Also, it's clear there were no women involved in covering the white van since the tarp is blowing all over the place. Everyone knows men need to be supervised on these type of tasks.
You're crossed off the list and accounted for. Thanks for checking in.
We are in the early stages of the 21st century's civil war. This is what I imagined would happen when this man was voted into Office. He has done nothing to bring the country together but more importantly his supporters have encouraged the divide by their lack of action and demanding this President be accountable. This man is a mirror of who they are and that's why they love him.
Morning PJ .. it has been good to read your comments for the past couple weeks ..
Perhaps this is true, or perhaps it is pure speculation that sounds good...? I really do not know .. but I am rather confident that 'Trump supporters' have had no more to do with encouraging the divide than the 'Trump haters' … the divide has been there for years, I will agree that Trump has done nothing to bring the nation together and his presidency magnifies said divide .. yet blaming Trump and his supporters for said divide is not much more than the blame game on steroids...
We will have to disagree. To suggest there is a comparison is disappointing but expected. I won't waste either of our time trying to outline the difference. You are entrenched in your beliefs as am I. I'm confident how I will be viewed and how trump supporters will be viewed when history reflects on this time in our country.
CMF,
I believe you have hit the nail on the head. People have taken on the 'it's your fault' blame game while refusing to even acknowledge their own actions doing the exact same thing. It's only a legend that ostriches bury their head in the sand, unfortunately for us, the legend is true for people that make statements like that.
Where did I make a comparison? Outline what differences - between the blame game and accusations or Trump supporters and haters? Ya lost me... but I will agree to disagree I guess..
I do not support Trump, but I do not hate him, he is the President of the United States regardless of whether one claims him as 'their president' or not - I just think he is a puke!
I will haunt my grandchildren and have them read me the history books .. rather than confidently speculate on what the books views will be..
And yet "lock her up" or "lock him up" remains the consistent battle cry of Trump's base, even on the evening of a major terrorist bombing campaign targeting Democrats. There just is no hope for some people to see what is right in front of their eyes.
Nature of the beast it would seem … I know I am burnt out on reading about how Trump supporters this and white supremacy that -- Trump this, Trump that .. all the while the oppositions own nastiness is lost on them - shouting people down in restaurants having a meal .. refusing service for political reasons (OOoo but remember that is not a violation of civil rights) neither side has any moral high ground - except in their own minds...
Not easy to ride the fence these days ..
True, and it is a busy 2 way street of blindness...
My vision is 20/20. If there are rallies being help for Democrat candidates where hateful rhetoric is being encouraged, incited, applauded, and embraced, I have yet to see it.
Imagine that … what was it you said...
Trump said it best … when 'they go low, we kick em' ….
How is "lock her up" different from "Russia, Russia, Russia" and the crazy conspiracies on the left?
Did you see that with your 20/20 vision?
Lol! That is supposed to compare to calling for the imprisonment of innocent elected officials? Maxine is referring to those who enable the President* who is emptying the tax revenue of the people into the wallets of the wealthiest Americans, and trying to pay for it by taking away their Social Security, while simultaneously making it impossible for them to get access to healthcare that could save their lives. Fuck yes these scum need to be verbally confronted about their filthy agendas.
Russia, Russia, Russia, is Real, Real, Real. Dozens of indictments and guilty verdicts says so.
Hillary is far from innocent and these days she is elected to anything. And you can tell Nancy that I'll gladly take my "crumbs" from the Trump tax cuts. It's a lot more than I ever got from Obama.
Dozens of indictments..... against Russians who just laugh at them. A dirty lobbyist... guilty of things he did long before he worked for Trump.
I think you'll be very disappointed in the Mueller report next month.
Spoken like a true QAnon devotee. I'm embarrassed for you.
Hillary is far from innocent and these days she is elected to anything.
Hilarious. Like what? Are you going to demand another investigation into Benghazi? Child sex slavery in pizza joints? Or is it her server that is still got you so riled up that you don't even have time to think about how Trump's iPhone conversations are being casually listened to by China and Russia? You are being led around by the nostrils by the most ignorant, notorious gangster wannabe in American history.
Do tell! List the indictments and/or convictions that had anything to do with Trump and Russia.
Lol .. I know .. it is amazing that you are the only one that has caught that … I attributed the words to Trump to show how blind partisanship is - individuals speak of 20/20 vision while ignoring and explaining away what they claim to have not seen or heard...
Remember conservatives have killed more than liberal .. liberals only shoot and wound people, not kill them!
Hope you are having a good day XD...
These pipes bombs in the mail is some crazy shit huh?
Those of us who have moral principles have been forced to endure the most vulgar behavior from a President and his supporters in my lifetime. I don't share your vision of White America. We have nothing in common.
Yes, we control how people represent us. Trump supporters chose to vote for someone who has brought so much shame to our country. Trump supporters will be profiled in history for what they did, what they allowed and what they supported. Some of that can clearly be seen as sympathetic and/or supportive to the worst elements in our society. Sorry if you are not able to accept the truth.
If they don't get to re-write the history books that is.
"deplorables"? Really? Is that what these people are going to whine about? What about "rough him up" "I'll pay your legal fees" "no one wants to hurt each other anymore" "knock the crap out of him, would ya"
That doesn't bother them but being called one name bothers them? Who needs the safe spaces now?
They certainly did! Remember how they all added that to their screen names on the site-which-must-not-be-named?
Permission to join your ranks sir.
I'm thinking the same people that needed them before.
Trump is still there President.
Hillaryious Hillary still lost, and still a whiny bitch sore loser.
Maybe its time for another scream fest for the triggered not my President crowd?
Right, left, middle, the blame/shame game is irrelevant. The sitting President is the leader of our country, currently that is Donald Trump. The buck stops at the top, always has, always will. Even after the shellacking, Obama acknowledged where the buck stops. Leaders are charged with leading.
I'm reminded the word "kind" is both an adjective and noun...time for all Americans to be the adjective. Personally, I'm thrilled these acts of terrorism has not injured or killed anyone. I shutter to think the response if these had exploded.
I wish I could be kind but I'm too upset right now.
PJ, totally understand being upset. It's a state I find myself in on most days. Rising above is my battle cry, I've found being kind usually shuts down hatred. Being able to put forth a POV without demeaning vitriol or the "what aboutism" is what I taught my children...trying my best to practice what I've preached
Some people are better than others. hahahahaha
You are a better person than I am in this moment in time.
I think I'll need a couple more years to get over this betrayal from some of my countrymen.
I'm seriously thinking about becoming a drinker. It might help dull my anger.
Wine and weed (as available) make for a happier electorate!
You're a better person than me, Lynne.
I think it might enhance it. Anger is a normal and appropriate response to what Scumbag and his toadies are doing to our country.
Hi Lynne, wow a rational position amongst all the vitriol.....
But evidently there are people who think bomb throwing is right good and moral...
they forget the truth of the matter,
It takes two to tango.....
He's trying to say that the actions from both sides are equal.
so am I
I'm getting pretty sick and tired period of a lot of people
Hi back Nowhere Man. My rationality on social media doesn't always equate to my living room
, I will freely admit. Thankfully spousal privilege attaches, our empty nest no longer includes teaching moments!
It doesn't here either girl, I also invoke spousal privilege at times....
Mama didn't raise no fool.....
Finding rationality is hard nowadays around here, but then has it ever? Good to see you again we need all the rationality we can get...
Are you "speaking" metaphorically or literally here? I hope you're not trying to equate using harsh words to sending actual explosive material to people of a certain party.
Bullshit.
Thank you LynneA for the voice of reason .. keep up the good fight...
Thank goodness no one has been injured. After the shooting of our Republican Congressmen, where there where serious injuries, there was a brief time of unity, but it didn't last long.
In keeping with my sentiment, sorry you felt the need to use "Republican" as a descriptor of the Congressman who was seriously injured. Scalise's job title is Congressman, sitting in a chair representing his state...all of his state.
Hopeless case, LynneA, as is the commenter below. But an A for effort for you.
I'm painfully aware of Hodgkinson rants against Scalise and the fact he did shoot others. Thanks for stopping by.
But, you gave a hats off to Obama. Not sure why saying Republicans where a target would bother you. Where they not? As you agree, both sides have their nut jobs. Nothing wrong with stating this.
My hats off to Obama had much to do with leadership getting us out of a recession. On foreign matters...no hats off from me.
I suppose that's why Independent voters are so dismayed, we're not lockstep with either party. I'm fiscally conservative and socially liberal with knowledge there's not any party that will be the party of "Lynne".
Lynne - I appreciate your attempts to call for calm and reflection. My posts could certainly be viewed as hostile and unreasonable but yours was an attempt to promote reason. This is why I don't try too much for calm anymore. It doesn't seem to matter......
You haven't been nearly as hostile as me today.
We all have our breaking point. But I'm in a good mood because I noticed our favorite sinner showed up and posted an article today.
Yes! Cobalt's boyfriend is back!
A genteel southern response always outweighs what my midwestern pre-retirement response would have been.
Aljizzerror, remember him? He had a skeleton for an avatar
I haven't seen any hostility from you.
You're being nice. I have lost my cool a time or two or more. It's hard to remain reasonable at all times in the current environment and under the current leadership. I'm okay with acknowledging I could do better sometimes......sometimes.
Trump supporters chose to vote for someone who has brought so much shame to our country. Trump supporters will be profiled in history for what they did, what they allowed and what they supported. Some of that can clearly be seen as sympathetic and/or supportive to the worst elements in our society.
I do not so much take issue with His supporters as I do a Republican Legislature that has stood by and not only allowed such behavior to take place while remaining silent (other than the few not seeking re-election from time to time) but at times encouraged it.
We need leaders, personally I could care less if they be Dems, Republicans or Martians but of one thing I am sure this current crop is not it.
I do not so much take issue with His supporters as I do a Republican Legislature that has stood by and not only allowed such behavior to take place while remaining silent (other than the few not seeking re-election from time to time) but at times encouraged it.
Maybe you should hold off on that statement until you see the results of the upcoming elections, whereby Republicans candidates are spouting the most obvious of lies about their support for pre-existing conditions coverage. Anyone who believes that should just be euthanized. They are too stupid to exist. These are the very politicians who are suing and leading the fight to allow insurance carriers to exclude people with pre-existing conditions, and everybody knows it.
Oh, so you are also for killing people that disagree with you....
Good to know...
Who said anything about disagreeing with me? Republicans will tell you that they are going to kill the ACA and all its protections for years, and then two weeks before midterms tell you that they've always wanted to protect you against pre-existing conditions. If you are stupid enough to not see through the lies, you should probably just kill yourself before they have a chance to do it for you.
Oh yes, the killing/death panels, where can I go to sign up for one.....
It's as easy as voting for a Republican.
I take issue with his supporters because they signaled to those republican representatives that unless they were with this man lock and step they would vote them out.
As Ronald Reagan would be to the right.
I have never been one to vote party line. Being an Independent I have always voted for the person who represented my position best on issues. Many times they were republicans.
Now I have to rethink whether I can afford to be Independent. As much as I've always thought the democratic leadership has been weak, the republican leadership has joined them if not surpassed them through their silence and their refusal to do their job by checking this President.
Trying to channel the ghost of Kennedy? What's next, a seance? New level of absurdity reached.
I take issue with them for many reasons.
One being they will not even acknowledge his constant lies.
A lot going on. Dismembered ( allegedly ) journalist, McConnell readying 'the assault' on Medicare/Social Security, bombs showing up here and there, voter disenfranchisement, the threat of another US led nuclear buildup, Financial Markets swinging like apples on a string and through it all I get the feeling that Putin is very pleased.
Two years in and the Trump presidency is a carnival ride. Why? What is the point? What is the planned destination?
Empty?
Not knowing (or accepting) these facts is the direct result of having the head stuck in the rightwing pukefunnel
In my circle of family/friends there are those who love the ride, those who have turned in their ticket at the voting booth, and myself who stood on the platform watching where this ride was going. I continue to hold out hope America's voters will determine our Republic is more important than any political party and their mega-sized ideology.
And oddly, the trump supporters cheer this all on, like it is great things.
Oddly, that's a lie.
He can't even practice what he preached:
Trump Asked Dems And Media To Promote Unity. But He’s Far From Unifying At His Rallies.
He also spoke out against Democratic politics.
“You know, I’m trying to say that very nicely,” Trump said. “Normally I’d scream, ‘They want a socialist takeover!’”
Despite his call for unity Wednesday night, here are just a few times Trump stoked voters’ fears during his rallies in the past week:
He urged his supporters to see Democrats as extremists.
Trump has portrayed Democrats as extremists who are trying to take over the government. During a rally in Arizona on Friday , he said Democratic elected officials were “unhinged” when it came to immigration policy and dismissed people who voted for them.
“Anybody that votes for a Democrat now is crazy, when you look at what’s coming up, crazy,” he told the crowd. “The Democrats don’t care about what their extremist immigration agendas will do to your communities, your hospitals…”
He made similar remarks at the height of the controversy over the sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and the protests that followed.
“You don’t hand matches to an arsonist and you don’t give power to an angry left-wing mob, and that’s what they’ve become,” Trump said at a rally in early October . “The Democrats have become too extreme and too dangerous to govern. Republicans believe in the rule of law, not the rule of the mob.”
Trump furthered his attack on the so-called ‘fake news media.’
At nearly every rally, Trump makes sure to point out ― and ridicule ― the news cameras.
He referred to cameras at a rally in Nevada last weekend as belonging to “fake news folks” and accused the media of calling his supporters “laggards.” The crowd booed loudly.
He sure has an awful lot of rallies. I wonder if that's an idea he got from Mein Kempf
That and his look at me, look at me narcissistic egomaniac personality.
For someone that would supposedly be to busy to even play golf, he sure has enough time for a rally almost every night.
He's certainly too busy to visit the troops
It is kind of hard to justify Associate Justice Kavanaugh's held belief that 'the president is to busy' to be bothered with anything concerning legalities or questions of conduct, especially considering the Trump honestly doesn't really do all that much except travel to rallies and visit his golf properties.
Another one of trump's very fine people:
Police arrested a man for allegedly harassing and threatening to assault a black GOP campaign worker at an early-voting location in Charlotte Wednesday afternoon, according to CBS affiliate WBTV in Charlotte.
The incident happened around 2:30 p.m. at a voting location in the 11000 block of South Tryon Street, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Officers arrived in response to an armed man threatening a campaign worker at a voting location.
"too extreme and too dangerous to govern."
Where was the "Lock em up !!
Isn't unity wonderful ?
.
sarc
O I kid the president I'm glad the American leaders are finally working on Unifying Americans again.
LOL
Just seeing that a suspect has been arrested for the bombs. It may be a good idea to have all our members check in at this time to ensure we're not missing anyone........
Breaking News! First look at the vehicle connected to the suspect. He's very patriotic.......