Gov. Otter calls statement reckless and inflammatory
Crapo, Simpson, Risch and Otter Repudiate Rammell Remarks
Republican leaders have stepped up and denounced the threatening language of a gubernatorial candidate.
By Jill Kuraitis, 8-28-09
The day after calls to the Idaho congressional delegation from columnists, bloggers, and constituents to respond to Rex Rammell’s statement about buying an “Obama tag” during a speech about wolf hunting tags, they have.
Rammell is seeking the Republican nomination for governor in 2010.
Governor Butch Otter said, “Reckless and inflammatory statements like these gravely damage confidence in the political process and the good citizens who serve the public. As Governor, as an Idaho Republican and as a citizen of our state, I reject and condemn this kind of rhetoric. There is no place for it in Idaho.”
“Rex Rammell’s comments are in very poor taste and should not have been said,” said Crapo. “Remarks like these should not even be made jokingly. We are engaged in a critical national debate over many major issues facing our country today. Remarks like these are not only unhelpful in that debate, but they undermine it. He should apologize for those remarks and for the perception they may have created.”
Senator Jim Risch: “I disgree often with the President and his policies. But the comment was totally unacceptable and should not have been made. The comment does not accurately reflect the respect the people of Idaho have for the Office of President and our constitutional form of government.”
Representative Mike Simpson said: “It is absolutely irresponsible to say such inflammatory things, especially for someone who seeks to be a leader in Idaho. I know our great state is filled with people who do not share Rex Rammell’s views and we should not let isolated situations dictate how our state is perceived. Our citizens are innovative, progressive, and charitable. Look at any community in Idaho and you will find people who help their neighbors without hesitation, regardless of race.”
Read Dan Popkey’s excellent story about the incident and responses.
[End of article]In the above you have read and witnessed something you will never, ever hear from the left, and that is an apology for the remarks of a fellow traveller and party member by the elected officials from their party.
Comment By runs-with-elk, 8-29-09I don't know what you have been reading bear breath but I see no apology from the elected officials from his party. Condemnation yes..apology no!
Comment By Geoff Dunbar, 8-29-09Back in the summer of '63 my mother, then on the staff of the Idaho Falls Public Library, retrieved the library's copy of a book by John F Kennedy from the late returns box -- it has a 30-06 bullet hole through it. Two months later...
Not much has changed in Ee-da-how since then, has it?
Jill thank-you for both of the articles you printed. Shedding non-hysterical light on an important and highly charged situation often goes a long way.
Comment By Lean Dean, 8-31-09I would love to be a fly on the wall when the secret Services drops by to tighten his wig!
Comment By bikeboy, 8-31-09I believe bearbait makes a good point. ("Apology" may have been the wrong word; it's difficult for one person to apologize for a misdeed of another. But I admire politicians who don't necessarily "close ranks." For some people, principles are more important than party politics.)
I hope we can move on now.
Anybody who took Rammell's bonehead comment as a legitimate threat is as dumb as he is!
Bearbait and bikeboy: How often do leading democrats threaten violence on the opposition? You know, directly?
It's a typical move: Some wingnut on the right does something monumentally stupid, and the first reaction is to attack the left for... well... nothing, as far as I can tell.
During the campaign and after, there's been a great deal of speech advocating violence aimed at Obama and Democrats in general, and that you'd rather attack Democrats for the misdeeds of the right is telling.
We're trying to have a discussion about health care reform, and instead we've got to wade through planned-and-corporate-financed disruptions at town halls, threats, ludicrous discussions about non-existent death panels, and a whole wad of other crap.
I too "hope we can move on now" but I fear the lunacy's just getting started.
TC,
I was unaware that Rex Rammell was a leading anything. Please give us instances where actual leading conservatives, not the wing nuts, are advocating violence against Obama (Rex wasn't) or committing real hate speech.
Justin: You must have bitten down hard when you wrote that, though you're clearly trying to qualify your absurdist statement into oblivion.
Let me see: Glenn Beck suggests Nancy Pelosi should be poisoned; Limbaugh's stand-in says Obama's health care plan is a bigger threat to the nation than 911, and my district's US represenative (Wally Herger) holds a "town hall" meeting where some geezer stands up and identifies himself as a "proud right wing terrorist" and Herger responds by identifying him as a great American.
Meanwhile, a right wing preacher prays for Obama to die of cancer, and right-wingers are showing up at Obama rallies armed to the teeth.
Death threats against the president are up 400% compared to the prior administration.
This is all in addition to all the *very* leading right wing voices who are spouting off about non-existent Death Panels and - in several cases - suggesting revolution or violence is what's needed to save our nation from... health care reform?
Of course, the point here is that some wingnut says something monumentally stupid, and yours (and Bearbait's response) is to attack the left.