Most people are familiar with the phrase “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”
Incendiary rhetoric, which has inundated our political system, has proven that violence can sometimes cause harm to other people, including death.
A Californian man showed up at the Maryland residence of Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh last week, and this is his most recent instance. According to police, he carried a gun and zip ties, bullets and tape. He then called 911, claiming that he was suicidal. He’s been charged with attempted murder.
Two years ago, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stood outside the Supreme Court and delivered these fiery words to a crowd of demonstrators opposed to the reversal of Roe v. Wade: “I want to tell you, (Justice Neil) Gorsuch; I want to tell you, Kavanaugh. The whirlwind has been released and you’ll pay for it. You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.”
Schumer later said, “I shouldn’t have used the words I used.” Too late. There was no repairing the damage.
While Republicans cannot claim purity when it comes to radical rhetoric, Democrats seem to use harsh words more often and then deny any responsibility for what comes next – from attempted and actual murder, to looting, property damage and violent crime.
Although many Democrats and the Republicans on the House Jan 6 Committee blame Donald Trump for the inciting of the Capitol Riot, the Democrats are unconcerned by the language used by Schumer or other members within their party.
The Federalist.com has compiled a list of examples from Democrats using incendiary language.
In 2018, Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California said on MSNBC that if Trump fired special counsel Robert Mueller, there would be “widespread civil unrest” as people would “take to the streets.”
Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper agreed that if Trump fired Mueller, it would “set off a firestorm not only on the Hill but also in the streets.”
That same year, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) urged people to answer a “call to action” to protest at the Capitol. “Please, get up in the face of some congresspeople,” Booker said at a conference.
Maxine Waters (D.CA), a Representative for Maxine, asked protestors to “stay on street” and become more confrontational if Derek Chauvin is acquitted by a Minnesota juror for George Floyd’s murder. On another occasion, Waters said about Trump supporters: “You get out and create a crowd. Then you push them back. You tell them they are not welcomed anymore or anywhere.”
Hillary Clinton stated in 2018 that civility is only possible if Democrats control the legislative branch. “You can’t be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for and what you care for.”
Former Attorney General Eric Holder quoted Michelle Obama and added his own thought: “Michelle…always says, ‘When they go low, we go high.’ No. No. When they go low, we kick them.”
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that, in politics, “when you’re in the arena, you have to be ready to take a punch, and you have to be ready to throw a punch … for the children.”
Sen. John Tester (D-MT) went even lower when he encouraged people to “punch Trump in the face.”
When rhetoric gets heated, perhaps the best way to be heard is to speak in a tone Scripture attributes to God – “a still, small voice.” As noted by the writer of Proverbs: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1)