In the latest New Civility news, The New Hampshire Journal reports:
A Democratic Congressman from Massachusetts is raising the stakes in the nation’s fight over the future of public employee unions, saying emails aren’t enough to show support and that it is time to “get a little bloody.”
“I’m proud to be here with people who understand that it’s more than just sending an email to get you going. Every once and awhile you need to get out on the streets and get a little bloody when necessary,” Rep. Mike Capuano (D-Ma.) told a crowd in Boston on Tuesday rallying in solidarity for Wisconsin union members…
This is not Capuano’s first brush with violent rhetoric. Last month Capuano said, “Politicians, I think are too bland today. I don’t know what they believe in. Nothing wrong with throwing a coffee cup at someone if you’re doing it for human rights.”
Hey, relax, he said a little bloody. And it’s only a coffee cup.
Remember: When a Republican puts a symbol on a map or says “I want people to be armed and ready with facts on energy tax policy,” that’s dangerously toxic rhetoric that is tearing this country apart. When a Democrat openly encourages violence against his opponents, he’s just speaking metaphorically. That is, if any attention is paid to it at all.
It’s almost like the people who’ve been lecturing us on civility for the last two months are just a bunch of pathetic, cynical hacks. Nah, that couldn’t be, could it?
P.S. SEIU is promoting a new pro-union song by the Dropkick Murphys called “Take ‘Em Down.” Here’s a sampling of the lyrics:
When the boss comes callin’, they’ll put us down
When the boss comes callin’, gotta stand your ground
When the boss comes callin’, don’t believe their liesWhen the boss comes callin’, he’ll take his toll
When the boss comes callin’, don’t you sell your soul
When the boss comes callin’, we gotta organizeLet them know we gotta take the bastards down
Let them know we gotta smash them to the ground
Let them know we gotta take the bastards down
…to the ice cream parlor? No?
Imagine if the Tea Party put out a song that talked about “taking the bastards down” and “smashing them to the ground.” MSNBC would be on red alert. Paul Krugman’s keyboard would melt from the friction. It would be THE END OF AMERICA. This, though? Ehhh, just a peppy little jingle. It’s not toxic rhetoric if you don’t like the target.
P.P.S. James Taranto found this quote from Capuano, the day after Gabby Giffords was shot: “”What the hell is going on? There’s always some degree of tension in politics; everybody knows the last couple of years there’s been an intentional increase in the degree of heat in political discourse. . . . If nothing else good comes out of this, I’m hoping it causes people to reconsider how they deal with things.” Guess not.