Political Extremism: Made in the GOP?

The other night I was on "Hardball"; the subject was right-wing extremism. We discussed recent conservative militia action, Rush Limbaugh referring to the Obama administration as a "regime," and Tea Partiers comparing Obama to Hitler. The point: extreme rhetoric can lead to extreme action -- and Republican leaders have been aiding and abetting the extremism. Afterward, some conservative viewers complained, noting that during the Bush-Cheney years you could find left-wing foes of the administration waving signs at rallies decrying the "fascists" in the White House and calling for "regime change." Isn't it a double-standard, they asked, to bellyache about conservatives using such language nowadays?

No. To back that up, I'll point to Nov. 5, 2009, a day that should live in infamy. On that afternoon, on Capitol Hill, Republican congressional leaders struck an alliance with extremism.


Several thousand Tea Party protesters had gathered at the Capitol to protest the health care reform bill that would soon be approved by the House. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), who once branded Obama "very anti-American," had called for this emergency rally. The GOP House minority helped organize the event, and the top Republican leaders of the House -- John Boehner, Eric Cantor, Roy Blunt, Mike Pence and others -- were on hand to eagerly address the gathering. They endorsed this opposition and urged on the angry protesters. But what sort of crowd was this? When speakers compared Obama's health care overhaul to European socialism, the demonstrators chanted, "Nazis! Nazis!" And none of the GOP House leaders present objected.

Ponder this for a moment. At an event officially sanctioned (and cheered on) by the House Republicans, the assembled were calling the president and the majority of Congress "Nazis." Nothing of this sort occurred during the Bush-Cheney years. This was a low moment in American history -- and it marked the GOP's capitulation to the extremism of its Tea Party base. Silence not only implies consent; it can be read as encouragement. And words can lead to action. If someone truly believes Obama and the Democrats are akin to Nazis, what would be the appropriate course of action to take? Brad Pitt's character in "Inglorious Basterds" knows: You kill 'em. To be blunt: If protesters are shouting "Nazis! Nazis!" and GOP leaders are supporting the demonstration, what signal could that send to a possible violent nutcase?

The same goes for Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas), the legislator who shouted "baby killer" while Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) was speaking on the House floor during the final debate on the health care overhaul. No doubt, there are people who believe the only good baby-killer is a dead baby-killer -- such as Scott Roeder, who last week received a life sentence for having murdered George Tiller, a doctor who performed abortions. By tarring Stupak with this term, hasn't Neugebauer conveyed a clear message to Roeder wannabes?

At the least, the Republicans are playing footsie with extremism -- while extremism seems to be spreading. One example: A Republican candidate for governor in Idaho has expressed support for a local right-wing militia showing "a little force" in opposing health care reform; and a member of that militia told "Nightline" that Obama, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are aiming to "bankrupt the country, so they can do their socialist totalitarian dictatorship."

No matter that the health care debate is over in Congress, the political temperature still appears to be rising. A doctor in Orlando put up a sign in his office telling Obama supporters to seek care "elsewhere." A wacko fundamentalist outfit sent out letters to 30 or so governors demanding they resign. Christian militia members were arrested in the Midwest for plotting to kill police officers. Certainly, not all of this is connected. But Republicans are happy to exploit the anger and paranoia. Party leaders happily hobnob with the "Nazi"-hurlers. And the Republican Party tries to raise money by selling fear and dubbing Obama, Pelosi and Reid the "Evil Empire." No wonder GOP chief Michael Steele turned down an offer from Democratic Party head Tim Kaine to issue a joint "civility" statement.

So to those who accused Chris Matthews and me of being too tough on Republicans, I say: If you lie down with "Nazi"-chanters, you get up with a responsibility for what they might do.

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