Throwing things at politicians is a bad idea. Anything.
How is security supposed to know if the perp is throwing glitter, or acid, or holding a knife. Moving towards politicians in a threatening manner is just a bad idea.
The MoveOn.org activist who moved in a threatening manner towards Rand Paul last year put herself and others in danger. Particularly after the Gabrielle Giffords shooting, the notion that physical confrontations, including throwing things, at politicians is acceptable is not acceptable.
Nonetheless, the newest fashion in politics is for gay marriage activists to throw glitter at politicians who oppose gay marriage. Code Pink doused Tim Pawlenty with glitter last week.
The latest is this unsuccessful lunge towards Michele Bachmann at the RightOnline convention (via TPM):
Here’s the link to another video with the perp explaining how she would throw glitter at Barack Obama if she could get close enough.
This is just plain stupid and irresponsible. It is only a matter of time before someone gets hurt.
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I have mixed feelings about pies. A good lemon meringue thrown right into my pie hole… m-m-m-m-m. An entire pie just for free and no dishes to wash? Then there is the dry cleaning bill. Tough call. Free pie though.
Try to imagine the reaction you would get if you walked up to a stranger and threw something in their face. Throwing anything at anybody is unacceptable.
The left increasingly sees protest as theater — this glitter business, the zombies at the special Olympics gathering, giant puppet heads, flash mobs at Target checkout counters, and on, and on.
The rest of us are being reduced to the role of nothing more than extras in their little dramas. I doubt they realize how much the rest of us note and resent their disdain.
The answer to stuff like this is to publicize it (a lot) and ridicule the tosser and their cause. Seriously, if conservatives start calling gay marriage activists something like “glitter tossers” on tv or the blogs, or better yet, ask “are you going to toss glitter on me?” in tv arguments, it’ll stop. Fast. Instead of “Gay Marriage Activists…” in post titles, it should be “Glitter Tossers”. Stuff like this turns 75% of the public off. Publicize it and ridicule it. Mention the woman by name, and make great fun at her expense. I’m not usually the vindictive sort, but when someone goes out of their way in a disgraceful attempt to publicly embarrass someone else, turnabout seems very much in order. Here’s the link to little miss sparkles showing how smart she is: Rachel Lang is Teh Smart
Folks like this are driven by ego. So hurt their ego. When you are on defense you are losing, so stay on offense.
Wrote on this yesterday, where I noted: “But the thing I notice at the video, is how easily the protester is able to get to Michele Bachmann. When I first saw Bachmann speak at Knott’s Berry Farm in January 2010, she had a staff aide or body guard keeping people away, and she left quickly after making her speech. At this year’s Horowitz retreat, however, she was meeting and greeting all the guests and taking pictures, etc. I imagine the ambience was like that at Right Online, being around a bunch of fellow partisans, but there are no metal detectors at these big conferences, and it’s scary to think what could very well happen unless she’s better protected by security.”
DD said: But the thing I notice at the video, is how easily the protester is able to get to Michele Bachmann.
Agreed. I could not believe how easy it seemed to be for the glitter ditz to just waltz up and past several folks to throw that stuff at M. Bachmann at that event. I think a sign has been sent? If not someone better get a clue.
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Guess I will take the contrarian view. Nobody is indispensable, nobody. It goes for the janitor, bricklayer, CEO or President. No one should be placed in harms way by another, but nor should they be sheltered in a bubble either.
By the way Mr. Jacobson, congrats on the new Web design. Very nice!
Could they be charged with a crime for throwing glitter on someone? Assault?
A suggestion for ‘Blogs I Read’ links, open links in a new tab.
I accidentally found that when pressing shift while clicking the link, a new window opens with the link.
Thanks for all you hard work trying for a little bit of sanity in a crazy illiberal world.
Hatzlacha Rabbah!
I completely agree with this post. It seems there is a fine line between having security and seeming approachable. I think it would be an excellent idea for us to encourage all politicians to simply give their speeches from the podium and not personally expose themselves to the crowds afterwards.
In addition, people should be strongly encouraged to refrain from quickly approaching politicians in any manner at any time. That this crazy women with the glitter got so close to Michelle Bachmann is frightening. There is also a fine line between benevolent fools (like her) and mentally incompetent people.
What sort of security is this? That could have been acid. What would stop it is zealous security guards breaking arms, or legs. She should have been tackled from both sides and taken down. Haven’t you ever seen a southern football coach leaving the field with two state troopers? (See post about “They don’t make thugs like they used to.”)
Why can’t these ‘wonderful’ human beings be charged with intimidation?
“INTIMIDATE
Means to intentionally say or do something which would cause a person of ordinary sensibilities to be fearful of bodily harm. It is not necessary to prove that the victim was actually frightened, and neither is it necessary to prove that the behavior of the person was so violent that it was likely to cause terror, panic or hysteria. “
It bothers me that a person could get so close to a candidate, throw something and not see security rushing to the stage and both pulling Bachmann to safety and tackling the nut-woman.
It could have been an assination attempt for god sakes! Why don’t we know her name, why don’t we see her in central booking? This attack probably won’t be reported or will be buried as quickly as Sarah Palin’s ‘take her out’ threat was. I hope we don’t have to wait for something bad to happen before this behavior is ended.
The good news is that because the Democrat leaders were quick to urge Repubican leaders to denounce imaginary Tea Party racisim, doesn’t it follow that Democrat leaders will loudly condemn the hostile actions of Democrat activists directed at Republicans?
chirp. chirp. chirp.
How many Gabby Giffords’ have to be shot in the face before Republican candidates will begin to take these psycho “activists” seriously and start to provide proper security for our candidates for public office?
In this day and age, when liberals are so red-faced mad at the losses they are taking at the polls, it is stupidly dangerous to allow them to get that close to our political candidates.
Mark my word. A liberal is going to murder Sarah Palin or Michelle Bachmanm or one of the other candidates if we continue to allow them to get this close and physically threaten our candidates.
When you see a Democrat who holds his side to the same standard he demands of conservatives please post the info.
I’m sure the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus will be nearby.
When will Codes Pink & Glitter ever learn that performance art activism only appeals to other frumpy girlie-men like themselves?
For a supposedly tolerant, peace-loving people, these clowns who throw pies, red paint (at people wearing fur), and glitter, among other things, sure do seem to like assault and battery.
LukeHandCool (who would politely tell them that screeching to the choir is no way to win the affection of the feminine Alan Alda-type girlie-men of their dreams).
Fact: My partner and I… are safer + better respected in a Tea Party Rally than we would be at a red carpet event by GLAAD.
Like to see: a video of same ‘gay marriage activists’ hop on a plane to … Tehran and throw glitter at Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
What ever happened to respect and civility?
It is one thing to play political hardball but this disrespect and incivility must be rejected. It is childish and childlike and no place in political discourse.
Unfortunately, Code Pink et al. raise a lot of cash which in this day and time replaces respect and civility.
“What ever happened to respect and civility?”
The election of Barack Obama. That’s what happened. When he told his side he wanted them to get mad, to “get in their faces” and to “punch back twice as hard” that was the end of civility in politics. It was the beginning of threats and violence in politics and Barack Obama not only precipitated it, he refuses today to repudiate his violent rhetoric.
Most conservatives I know have educated themselves about the issues and they typically present their argument in a reasonably articulate manner. Liberals on the other hand seem to have an increasing number of their crowd whose positions are based more on their emotions than any actual knowledge of the facts. Many of them seem to be on their way towards increasingly irrational behavior because they are frustrated with their inability to make the world conform to their own naïve and idealistic view of it. They seem increasingly prone to ad hominem attacks and they seem to feel like if they have such strong emotions about something – that means they can denigrate people, violate other people’s space, and otherwise justify civil disobedience. Their behavior is increasingly becoming less civil and amongst their ranks, throwing a temper tantrum and acting like a spoiled brat is becoming a badge of honor.
We saw in Wisconsin that liberals increasingly have little regard for boundaries. They actually believe that since they are outraged at other people having an opposing point of view, they have the right to violate other people’s space, take over the public way and act like hooligans as they disturb the status quo and impede the legislative process. We see how the Code Pink people feel like they have the right to walk right up to Karl Rove and put handcuffs on him because they have simply decided he’s a war criminal. Now we have these glitter throwers who feel totally free to violate other people’s space and throw things in their face because they differ with the other person’s politics.
How many times have we seen people like Diane Sawyer ask questions in a completely histrionic manner, when a simple statement if inquiry would suffice? Why do you think we are seeing more and more comedic presentations of the left’s positions, such as Jon Stewart and others of his ilk? It seems to me that the left is losing the argument, and in their desperation to prop up their positions, they are increasingly resorting to manipulation tactics that are all based on cultivating ire by expressing everything they say with outrage, disgust or exaggeration, which are all commonly known techniques of drama.
All the drama in the world, including their outrage at our carbon footprints, their incredulity at our use of crude oil, their disgust at our dispassionate treatment of the poor, their anger at our desire to have a sound economy and their indignation at our desire to follow the Constitution, are all the bluster of people who are collectively losing the argument.
It seem they are engaged in falling on their proverbial swords. Please, let them fall, but lets not let them act out with impunity. Nothing good will come from our tolerating their increasing level of disrespectful behavior and the violation of people’s boundaries.
Well, I think maybe Gay People are not careful enough and it might have started here with Zoolander and Orange Mocha Frappucchinos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_pEdeq-nOc&feature=related
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
And this crap was not reported in the msm because …? If this had happened at a democrat rally, it would be all over the news and Obama would have announced an immediate need to ban glitter and then called for a golf summit. With beer.
Where is the security for the candidates? The guy took out a box, opened it and threw its contents on Gingrich. This took several seconds. There was enough time to take the nut down. This is like the nut in Iraq who threw TWO shoes at Bush. After shoe number one was hurled, a take down was in order.
They need to be charged with assault. Getting glitter in your eyes is no picnic and can definitely be hazardous.
Is it wrong of me to hope against hope that some ultra-liberal decides to try to throw glitter on Obama and the secret service mistakes it for a gun and shoots them for it?
All these lefties are trying to do is get someone to react on camera against them so that they can use the footage to show how “oppressed” they are. If it was Obama’s security, doing it, it would be a fantastic piece of campaign media to discourage the left, as well as showing that it’s not acceptable to be done to ANYBODY.
I got tired of playing nice during the 2008 election cycle. My policy now is crush our enemies (the Liberals and Statists) and defeat them until they can no longer rise to threaten the nation with their idiocy.