Bone-chilling prescience from Matt Taibbi

[ProSense]

Bone-chilling prescience from Matt Taibbi

by thereisnospoon

Just under a week ago on January 5th, Matt Taibbi's expose of John Boehner hit the Rolling Stone website.

It's typical Taibbi: poignant, brilliant writing exposing the hypocrisy and underbelly of Washington and one of its most detestable politicians. And after a brief flurry of attention, it was largely forgotten as just another political hit piece among dozens of similar, if less researched and artful, efforts on the new Republican congress.

But in light of the Giffords shooting, one part of Taibbi's article in particular stands out with bone-chilling prescience:

Another Ohio Democrat, Steve Driehaus, clashed repeatedly with Boehner before losing his seat in the midterm elections. After Boehner suggested that by voting for Obamacare, Driehaus "may be a dead man" and "can't go home to the west side of Cincinnati" because "the Catholics will run him out of town," Driehaus began receiving death threats, and a right-wing website published directions to his house. Driehaus says he approached Boehner on the floor and confronted him.

"I didn't think it was funny at all," Driehaus says. "I've got three little kids and a wife. I said to him, 'John, this is bullshit, and way out of bounds. For you to say something like that is wildly irresponsible.'"

Driehaus is quick to point out that he doesn't think Boehner meant to urge anyone to violence. "But it's not about what he intended — it's about how the least rational person in my district takes it. We run into some crazy people in this line of work." (emphasis mine)

Driehaus says Boehner was "taken aback" when confronted on the floor, but never actually said he was sorry: "He said something along the lines of, 'You know that's not what I meant.' But he didn't apologize."

That bears repeating: "It's not about what he intended -- it's about how the least rational person in my district takes it." And confronted with the obviousness of that appeal, the John Boehners of the world don't apologize. They just keep the steamroller of hate running right along through Crazytown until somebody inevitably gets hurt.

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It took murder to bring forward this point in a January 5 article.

[SpiralHawk]

1. Boehner (R) inciting death threats, too -

Here's the ugliness of the real Republicon so-called 'Family Values' -- fear and hate.

WWJD? Blow chunks at Republicon rhetoric.

[lumberjack_jeff]

2. Republicans have nothing to fear. They insulate themselves with the adulation of the crazies. n/t

[JoePhilly]

11. Their strategy is to anger the crazies enough to get them to act.

This is what the Tea Party protests were all about. Intimidation "through" the crazies, full well knowing that sooner or later, one of them would really act out in a violent way, and the GOP would stand apart from it and act surprised.

[Jennicut]

3. "How the least rational takes it" says it perfectly.

[ProSense]

8. Exactly. That

point is the reason that Republicans and media pundits always try to portray the person apolitical. If that fails, then the person is a "liberal."

[appal_jack]

4. k&r n/t

[handmade34]

5. it is keeping with

their politics and world view... each man for himself, I am not my brother's keeper... they do not apologize because they have no sense of responsibility towards the citizenry of the country...

[gateley]

6. And it's not allusions to violence or worse, it's striking fear and hatred into the

hearts of those who are "least rational" that is dangerous. Palin's "Obama palling around with a terrorist" in some minds could lead to Obama IS a terrorist, he needs to be take out. These people know exactly what they're doing. They're evil, whether they see that in themselves or not.

[Parker CA]

7. Kick and Rec!

[AlinPA]

9. I don't think the republicans will stop the hate rhetoric now. It's working for them.

Already there is talk about increased security for congress members. The republicans won't need it, but the Democrats will because the violent rhetoric is coming from the right wing. They believe that they will discourage Democrats from running now.

[AndrewP]

10. Good post

[bullwinkle428]

12. They know this rhetoric will strike the perfect note with those who

may be predisposed to schizophrenia in even the slightest way, so there's nothing "accidental" about their use of it.