Republicans need a clear, unequivocal message on domestic terror

In the wake of the terrorist attack on the IRS building in Austin, Texas, Republicans and some of my fellow journalists have played a very dangerous game.

Both have flirted with legitimizing a barbaric act of political terror.

ABC News gave prominent air time to the terrorist, Joe Stack’s, daughter, allowing her to laud his murderous behavior as heroic.

“Too many people lay around and wait for things to happen,” said Samantha Bell, “but if nobody comes out and speaks up in behalf of injustice then nothing will ever be accomplished…now maybe people will listen.”

This week, Facebook had to pull down a site launched by a Syracuse radio station to honor Stack. According to the Associated Press, conservative talk-show host Jon Alvarez “put the page up Thursday just hours after the attack.”

Alvarez tells The Post-Standard newspaper in Syracuse that he felt Stack had made “a sacrifice to others who were having problems with the IRS.'”

Prominent Republicans also came dangerously close to endorsing Stack’s motivations, if not the act itself.
“It’s sad the incident in Texas happened,” said Rep. Steve King (R-IA), in an interview with the liberal blog Think Progress.

KING: But by the same token, it’s an agency that is unnecessary and when the day comes when that is over and we abolish the IRS, it’s going to be a happy day for America.

TP: So some of his grievances were legitimate?

KING: I don’t know if his grievances were legitimate, I’ve read part of the material. I can tell you I’ve been audited by the IRS and I’ve had the sense of ‘why is the IRS in my kitchen.’ Why do they have their thumb in the middle of my back. … It is intrusive and we can do a better job without them entirely.

Meanwhile, Sen. Scott Brown (R-Massachusetts) said, “Terrorists are trying to kill us at malls and at airports. I for one want to make sure that my kids and my family are safe. I want to make sure that we solve that problem first.”

But in an interview with Fox News, Brown soft-peddled this domestic act of terror, which killed two people, including a decorated Vietnam War veteran.

“I don’t know if it’s related, but I can just sense not only in my election but since being here in Washington that people are frustrated…we need to do things better.”

Host Neil Cavuto hastened to try to divorce this incident from the conservative “populism” that’s been seen over the last year since President Barack Obama’s election.

But the truth is that top Republican leaders are using rhetoric that is brazenly inflammatory.

At last week’s CPAC conference, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) declared, “I fear America is teetering toward tyranny.”

Let’s be clear.

If our democratic freedoms were being threatened, it would be the responsibility of every decent American to take up arms.

But that’s not happening.

Whatever you think of Mr. Obama’s policies, we have a fairly and legitimately elected Federal government.

In November, Americans will have a chance to dramatically reshape that government, at the ballot box.

We also have a Supreme Court, nominated predominately by Republicans, led by a conservative, charged with safe-guarding the Constitution.

Furthermore, we have fifty state governments, each with the power and authority to resist Federal mandates, in ways that are both peaceful and legal.

Republican leaders know this. They know that our Republic’s institutions offer non-violent means of expression and activism.

Yet they use the fear of tyranny and oppression cynically — I would argue, dangerously — to gin up political fervor.

Every political movement, liberal as well as conservative, has radicals and nutjobs lurking on its fringe.

One test of a movement’s moral and civic integrity is how well it isolates and controls those elements.

Republicans may be winning at the game of politics. But they are failing this test miserably.

If voters begin to connect the dots between burning buildings and the GOP’s fiery rhetoric, their political fortunes could shift in a heartbeat.

Your thoughts? Comments welcome below.