It's clearly the right thing to do to demand that John McCain and Sarah Palin's sick incitements to domestic terrorism must stop.
But it's not going to. This is how they do things. When Republicans are in power, as they are now, they use the mechanisms of government to do their political violence to the constitutional order, as they've done by "normalizing" the existence of the surveillance state, of secret government, and even of nationalization of entire economic sectors.
It's when Republicans fall out of power, or fear falling out of power, that the violence they do to what used to be our system of government threatens to turn physical. And it's the fear of being overwhelmingly rejected at the ballot box that's bringing it out in them now.
It's no coincidence that the traditional media is noticing a disturbing uptick in violent rhetoric at McCain/Palin events, both inside and out, and from both the candidates and the crowds. It had to happen. Sarah Palin's entire political career is steeped in the same wingnut "black helicopter" militia insanity that manifested itself in the Oklahoma City massacre and other infamous explosions of blood-spattered, far-right paranoia like Ruby Ridge and Waco. Wading in up to their hips right at the peak of it all, though admittedly at the far-flung fringes of it all, were Sarah Palin and the man whose bizarre personal vendettas she lives to prosecute: Todd Palin.
Unsurprisingly -- and as predicted -- as the rhetoric on stage heats up, and Republican event turnout grows in the wake of the nomination of a militia/far-right/separatist associated vice presidential candidate, the crowd grows increasingly ugly, inching ever-closer to the threat of violence:
Where did we think the creepy "New World Order" freaks from the 1990s went to? Did we think they disappeared? Grew up? Joined Blackwater? What?
No, they clammed up and toed the line for George W. Bush, as he whipped them into a pants-wetting frenzy over terrorism. But their convenient conversion into pro-government forces was cramping their style, and they're now champing at the bit to restart their cottage industries, distributing their unhinged conspiracy theory videos, pro-assassination t-shirts, etc., all the while throwing up their hands and proclaiming their "innocence" with regard to the strange and mysterious resurgence of violence in domestic political affairs.
The violent exhortations are even seeping down-ticket, as TPM notes in citing an AP report of crowd reaction at a debate between Georgia Senate candidates Saxby Chambliss (R) and Jim Martin (D):
Thursday's debate took place in front of a highly partisan crowd in the GOP stronghold of Middle Georgia.
Chambliss supporters waved "Saxby" signs and offered up a sustained "boos" when Martin mentioned Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.
"Bomb Obama," one woman hollered.
At this point, the degenerate Republican campaign can't be about winning anymore. The numbers just aren't there. But they can work to sow seeds of feverish paranoia in the minds of (sometimes rather heavily armed) crazies, setting up a Second Golden Age of Wingnuttery, such that the next four to eight years are once again marked by dark whispers (and more) that the Clintons Obamas are murderers terrorists.
Hate speech + militia entanglements + mob mentality. What a formula.
We already knew Separatist Sarah Palin's America-hating tendencies. But who knew Saint Johnny McCain wanted to go out like this?
Crossposted from Dailykos.com
