Rush Limbaugh is now using his radio show to promote hatred and rage with language that could well incite physical violence from some of his listeners.
Meanwhile, death threats are rising against Democratic public officials. Abusive calls and threats are made against the homes of prominent Democrats. Extremists call on supporters to bring guns to Washington. Enough is enough.
One House Republican leader referred to a Democratic member and said he can't go home; he's a "dead man." House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) did not mean a physical threat with this comment, but it demonstrated extremely bad judgment and further inflames very dangerous tendencies within certain extreme circles.
Republican leaders in Congress and potential Republican presidential candidates should publicly condemn Limbaugh's language and publicly call on him to cease and desist from using any incendiary language that could incite violence. They should condemn all incendiary language from anyone in right-wing media or politics.
It is repellant enough, and highly damaging to Republicans, for their supporters to use racist slurs against African-Americans, to use bigoted slurs against gay Americans and to spit on members of Congress. Shame on Republicans who refuse to strongly condemn this and limit their remarks to further inciting this behavior, or weakly criticizing it alongside incendiary rhetoric that implicitly excuses it.
When Rush Limbaugh uses language about wiping out political opponents, and language that could well incite acts of physical and criminal violence, he is taking this campaign to a whole new and darker level.
Republican leaders in Congress should condemn Limbaugh for language of hate that could well inspire violence.
Republican presidential candidates should condemn Limbaugh for language of hate.
All Republicans in positions of leadership should strongly and unequivocally condemn the hatred, the bigotry and the potential incitements to violence that are coming from extreme elements of the radical right that are now becoming voices for the Republican Party.