Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA): ObamaCare opponents remind me of Tim McVeigh
And the escalting rhetoric from the left just keeps getting worse and worse:
[Baird] said a “coordinated national effort” to disrupt public meetings with shouts and demonstrations, which he said Republican leaders were “egging on,” was reminiscent of the kinds of things that drove Timothy McVeigh to bomb the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995.
“He believed himself to be a patriot fighting against an oppressive government,” Baird said of McVeigh, whose act killed 168.
Asked for an example of violence in recent demonstrations, Baird said someone warned that Rep. Brad Miller, D-N.C., might die and that another demonstrator wielded a tombstone bearing a member of Congress’s name.
“It does violence not to the member per se, but it does violence to the process of civic discourse,” Baird said.
Jim Geraghty responds:
Beyond that, yes, death threats are inexcusable and ought to be investigated. The tombstone is stupid, and showing up with a sign depicting your congressman with devil’s horns means you’re showing up with your anger already turned up to eleven. But Nazis, McVeigh, etc. killed people, and certain members of Congress are choosing not to engage with the arguments against their sweeping, untested proposals by insisting that the primary motivation of the opposition is murder.
Of course they are. It’s so much easier to broad brush your opponents rather than give answers that go beyond the misleading and oftentimes untruthful talking points, right?
BTW, speaking of Rep. Miller, ST reader Donna sends along some pictures from a protest concerned citizens took part in in front of Miller’s NC office last Friday. Randy’s Right has more photos and video. Love the “Babs Boxer Rebellion” photos!