February 24, 2011

Democratic congressman: "Every once and awhile you need to get out on the streets and get a little bloody when necessary."

Rep. Michael Capuano was speaking at the Boston rally in "solidarity" with the Wisconsin protests. Last month, after the Tucson rally, he said: "There's always some degree of tension in politics; everybody knows the last couple of years there's been an intentional increase in the degree of heat in political discourse. . . . If nothing else good comes out of this, I'm hoping it causes people to reconsider how they deal with things."

James Taranto cries hypocrisy, but it's not all that hypocritical. Capuano said there would always be "tension" in politics, that people are intentionally increasing that tension (or "heat"), and that people should think about "how they deal with things." You can read that a lot of ways!

46 comments:

AllenS said...

Was Taranto referring to the "and get a little bloody when necessay"?

Anonymous said...

Yeah, he deserves a short quick kick in the nuts for gassing on about the Tucson shooting.

But, I don't want to get down to the level of the idiot left.

There's nothing wrong with what he said.

Fen said...

There's nothing wrong with what he said.

To the Union Goons, the call to get bloody in the streets is a call for violence.

traditionalguy said...

The Union tradition has long been one of legalized terrorism. The Unions bargaining stance has always been "give over the loot if you want peace". A few muggings and strikes for show of power In industrial production unions have usually been overlooked as weak workers standing up to strong bosses. But in Public Employee Union situations that has become armed robbery of the weak city and State taxpayers by the strong Union along with the Education Administrators, all of whom have been given a free hand by massive Donations to political campaigns.

The Crack Emcee said...

I've got a post on this ready, but I don't want to change my subheading, yet, to fit with it. My question is an easy one:

Rather than a written apology, shouldn't he be standing before 1,000 union members and saying it?

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Whenever a union goon hurts someone, the media is quick to cover it up. So... step up the bloody.

Crimso said...

Sounds like, upon reconsideration, he has decided to increase the heat. He's really being unhelpful. But when somebody obliges him and blood gets spilled, Sarah Palin will be blamed.

Brent said...

Democrats, like this idiot Congressman, love and extol the virtues of political protest rallies except when the protests are by people they oppose.

Sorry, Professor - that is the very definition of hypocrisy.

ricpic said...

A bloody enough confrontation with Tea Party counter demonstrators and the Head Commmunity Organizer imposes martial law and suspends elections -- that's the plan.

Anonymous said...

I'm in favor of street fighting.

I'll gather up my Harley riding buddies, and we'll take on the Dems in hand to hand combat.

Who do you think will win?

Fen said...

Liberals arrive to unequivocally denounce their leader's call to bloody the streets in

7848862134

7848862133

7848862132....

Issob Morocco said...

Rather disingenuous, but provocative to say it can be read both ways Ann.

How would one get bloody getting out on the streets? Too much walking perhaps creating blood blisters on their feet?

Or splinters from the wood sign supports they hold?

Maybe a bitten lip or tongue from too much yelling and vocal protestations?

The coupling of the "...when necessary." part seems to take away what ever cloaking Capuano attempted with his sly comments.

If you are objective, and use logic and common sense, only one conclusion can be taken from this. Physical violence.

MadisonMan said...

I wonder what he means by when necessary. It's probably different from my definition.

The Drill SGT said...

When a lefty is talking about "taking to the streets" and "blood" to a Union crowd, you know exactly what he is talking about.

- ex-teamster (me)

Richard Dolan said...

Closely parsing the off-the-cuff statements by politicians (any of them) is a waste of time. Noting that politicians can be (often are) hypocritical is right up there with noting that the sun usually rises in the east.

This is not blog-worthy stuff.

Known Unknown said...

Me? I like the violent rhetoric. On both sides. The "bloodier" the terminology, the better.

It's certainly more interesting than milquetoast PC crap.


WV: revot. One "L" shy of a revolt. Or a lervot.

Mary Beth said...

Shouldn't it be "once in awhile" instead of "once and awhile"?

Known Unknown said...

Hmmm.This lacks a 'bullshit civility' tag.

Joe said...

(The Crypto Jew)


This is not blog-worthy stuff.


The old “Everyone does it” trick, “nothing to see hear move along” UNTIL Sarah Palin or a TEA Party member does something, right? After being lectured on “civility” by my supposed betters I’d expect a little “civility” back…

Chase said...

The most important part of the article you cited Professor:

Public-sector unions "are a mechanism by which every taxpayer is forced to fund the Democratic Party," Capuano's party:

Unions, most of whose members are public employees, gave Democrats some $400 million in the 2008 election cycle. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the biggest public employee union, gave Democrats $90 million in the 2010 cycle.

Follow the money, Washington reporters like to say. The money in this case comes from taxpayers, present and future, who are the source of every penny of dues paid to public employee unions, who in turn spend much of that money on politics, almost all of it for Democrats.

So, your tax dollars go to elect Democrats whether or not you want it that way. You have no say in it.

Know what Democrats call that? Freedom.

Can you say "extortion"?

I knew you could.

Anonymous said...

it drew wild applause and cheers from the throngs of union supporters

Of course it did as the real violence in America is committed by the left.

Fen said...

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Joe said...

(The Crypto Jew)





To be fair both sides cheer at “violent rhetoric” and for the same reason, it’s rhetoric…it’s like all the folks who volunteered, in 1861, to fight in the Civil War…it going to be short, sharp, and “fun.” Four years later it wasn’t any of those things, but before the ACTUAL violence begins it’s “fun” to talk of “Second Amendment remedies” or getting a “little bloody” because it’s not Matewan or the Steel Strikes or the Pullman Strike or the Copper Strike of 1917. Once you’ve been beaten or shot, suddenly all that “talk” ceases being talk and becomes, altogether, too real and painful…Let either side REALLY experience what they call for in their speeches, just once and I’ll bet we get real civil, real quick.

DADvocate said...

The Union tradition has long been one of legalized terrorism.

As Sarge points out the Teamsters know what a call for blood means. I remember when the Teamsters went on strike, non-union truck drivers that kept driving would sometimes catch a bullet in their cab or engine.

Fen said...

just once and I’ll bet we get real civil, real quick.

Yes. But not for the reasons you think.

raf said...

I thought Ann's point was that one could interpret Capuano's earlier statement as consistent with a call for violence. ...reconsider how they deal with things. If he has always been a thug, then he was not being hypocritical, just unpleasant.

kent said...

Video: Rhode Island union supporter to cameraman – “I’ll f**k you in the ass, you faggot”

Classy.

Fen said...

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Peter V. Bella said...

He, like most Dems, is a tool of the union thugs.

Ann Althouse said...

@EM I'd meant to. Thanks for the prompt.

@AllenS I don't get your question. Isn't the answer in the post?

wordsmith2 said...

Yesterday I wrote to my congresswoman, Tammy Baldwin, asking her for a public statement strongly condemning the inflammatory rhetoric from her Massachusetts colleague, Rep. Capuano, calling for violence in her district. Still waiting...
(*crickets*)

The Drill SGT said...

DADvocate said...
As Sarge points out the Teamsters know what a call for blood means.


The only folks I know that are more violence prone than the teamsters are the SF Longshoremen and they are a lot farther left (e.g. Harry Bridges)

Wince said...

Indians scattered on dawn's highway bleeding

Ghosts crowd the young child's fragile eggshell mind...

Blood is the rose of mysterious union


Peace Frog

There's blood in the streets, it's up to my ankles
She came
Blood in the streets, it's up to my knee
She came
Blood in the streets in the town of Chicago
She came
Blood on the rise, it's following me
Think about the break of day

She came and then she drove away
Sunlight in her hair

She came
Blood in the streets runs a river of sadness
She came
Blood in the streets it's up to my thigh
She came
Yeah the river runs red down the legs of a city
She came
The women are crying red rivers of weepin'

She came into town and then she drove away
Sunlight in her hair

Indians scattered on dawn's highway bleeding
Ghosts crowd the young child's fragile eggshell mind

Blood in the streets in the town of New Haven
Blood stains the roofs and the palm trees of Venice
Blood in my love in the terrible summer
Bloody red sun of Phantastic L.A.

Blood screams her brain as they chop off her fingers
Blood will be born in the birth of a nation
Blood is the rose of mysterious union

There's blood in the streets, it's up to my ankles
Blood in the streets, it's up to my knee
Blood in the streets in the town of Chicago
Blood on the rise, it's following me

jr565 said...

I certainly didn't think it was a literal call to get bloody when necessary but then again I didn't think Palin was literally saying we should reload our guns (since no guns were actually fired). But in this new age of not engaging in violent rhetoric I can only conclude that he is GUILTY and was calling for his followers to draw literal blood. And I expect the media to do the same. And I expect the dems/liberals calling for Palin's head to similarly call for his head (is that literal or figurative, I don't know anymore).
The only real sin for liberals is hypocricy, so if they don't want to be hypocrites they should come down on this guy hard. Yet does anyone actually expect that?
Nah.

Alex said...

This is not blog-worthy stuff.

yet it was blog-worthy that SarahPAC uses bulls-eyes symbols on an election map? I cry foul!

Alex said...

Can anyone name me ONE instance of a conservative inciting violence? Just one!

Sigivald said...

So, uh, when can we get to busting all the public-sector unions already?

Early 2013?

Scott M said...

I wonder what he means by when necessary. It's probably different from my definition.

When you run out of maple syrup at a Denny's, then it's necessary.

MadisonMan said...

Denny's doesn't have maple syrup. They have horrid maply-flavored concoctions.

Accept no substitutes!

Scott M said...

They have horrid maply-flavored concoctions.

Maybe that's what caused it. One guy said it was real maple syrup and things spiraled out of control from there.

Revenant said...

Much as I would like to think the worst of a Congresscritter, saying "you need to get a little bloody" doesn't sound like a call to violence to me. It sounds like a call to be willing to *endure* violence.

The thugs aren't the ones who wind up bloodied, after all.

shiloh said...

Fen said...

Liberals arrive to unequivocally denounce their leader's call to bloody the streets in

7848862134

7848862133

7848862132....

2/24/11 9:55 AM

>

Fen said...

7848860714

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2/24/11 10:20 AM

>

Fen said...

7848855208

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2/24/11 10:58 AM
~~~~~


One-trick-ponies are jealous!

carry on

Anonymous said...

Might be that the CWA union member was following Taranto's suggestion??
As an ex-union (CWA) member and ex-Telco manager (retired) I am horrified that this person did this. I hope that he was arrested for physical assaulting Tabitha Hale and will be tried in a court of law. This cannot be allowed to happen in this country.

dick said...

And this is the brilliant candidate the Dems in Mass are thinking of running against Scott Brown next year.

I'm a Shaaaaark said...

This is the same jerkoff who in the past said, “Nothing wrong with throwing a coffee cup at someone if you're doing it for human rights.”

He's always been an ass.

Known Unknown said...

Denny's doesn't have maple syrup. They have horrid maply-flavored concoctions.

If they bought REAL maple syrup, your grand slam breakfast would cost $11!