Remember when Jessie Helms said that if Clinton ever visited North Carolina

[Jamastiene]

"better not show up around here without a bodyguard".

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Helms#Fourth_Senate_term_.281991.E2.80.931997.29

http://www.workers.org/marcy/cd/sam94/1994html/s941208.htm
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,981957,00.html
<snip>

This crap has been going on for DECADES now. I say we never let them live their violent comments down. Remind them every time they open their mouths to speak again. They might get by with saying this stuff, but we have every first amendment right to point out all their violent rhetoric right back at them until they get the message that the blood is on their hands.

[LeftishBrit]

1. I remember that from the time!

I remember being shocked that after saying that, Helms was still able to be Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee.

[abluelady]

2. The Difference Is

24 hour news and 24 hour talk radio. I'm sure the hours Limbaugh and Beck get today is much more than the radio talk people back then got. The politicians probably haven't changed all that much; the pundits, though, have more than quadrupled since then, as well as the talk show hosts.

[Jamastiene]

4. True.

The violent rhetoric was there back then, but the 24/7/365 hate propaganda machine was not churning out the hate like it does today. But, the violent rhetoric has been going on quite a while. They just disseminate it a lot more now.

[bluestateguy]

3. Yes I do

And the Secret Service twiddled their thumbs and did nothing.