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GOP Rep. Upton says death threats made bipartisan votes ‘frightening’

j brown's body

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"Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said on Sunday that death threats — like those he received for voting for infrastructure spending — could "be a detriment getting good people to run" for Congress.

Why it matters: Upton announced his retirement on April 5 after more than 30 years in Congress.

  • Upton was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Driving the news: Upton said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that he received death threats for voting in favor of the infrastructure bill, which he noted was at one point a Republican bill.

  • "It puts you at risk, particularly when they threaten not only you ... but when they threaten your spouse or your kids or whatever, that's what really makes it frightening," Upton said."
Link

I have seen the same thing said about Congressional representatives in general, judges ruling on election challenges, election and poll officials and school board members.

Upton's retirement suggests this strategy is effective, especially since no Republican leaders will hold these supporters to account.
 

The AntiDonald

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"Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said on Sunday that death threats — like those he received for voting for infrastructure spending — could "be a detriment getting good people to run" for Congress.

Why it matters: Upton announced his retirement on April 5 after more than 30 years in Congress.


  • Upton was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Driving the news: Upton said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that he received death threats for voting in favor of the infrastructure bill, which he noted was at one point a Republican bill.

  • "It puts you at risk, particularly when they threaten not only you ... but when they threaten your spouse or your kids or whatever, that's what really makes it frightening," Upton said."
Link

I have seen the same thing said about Congressional representatives in general, judges ruling on election challenges, election and poll officials and school board members.

Upton's retirement suggests this strategy is effective, especially since no Republican leaders will hold these supporters to account.
The FBI needs to shift into overdrive with the threats. I know many can't be prosecuted for many reasons. But the ones they get need to be sentenced as high as the law will allow.
 

STUT

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The FBI needs to shift into overdrive with the threats. I know many can't be prosecuted for many reasons. But the ones they get need to be sentenced as high as the law will allow.
Agreed, but I feel that would do little to reduce the number of yahoos issuing death threats, and further, doesn’t solve the problem of good people not running for office
 

TomFitz

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The FBI needs to shift into overdrive with the threats. I know many can't be prosecuted for many reasons. But the ones they get need to be sentenced as high as the law will allow.

I don’t think they can even begin to keep up with the volume of it.

And it’s about to get much worse, as trump nation will be fed a steady diet of dog whistles and fearmongering over non existent CRT.

Every school board member in the nation should expect to get death threat from this mob. It has already happened.

That’s what the people running the race baiting campaign want. And they could care less what damage they leave behind as long as they get trump nation out on Election Day.

After that, CRT will be quickly forgotten, just like the tea party.
 

watsup

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Death threats have become the common currency of the far right Republican Party in helping to wreck democracy.
 

Hamish Howl

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The FBI needs to shift into overdrive with the threats. I know many can't be prosecuted for many reasons. But the ones they get need to be sentenced as high as the law will allow.

Oh, they can still be prosecuted. Even an unsuccessful prosecution is hell on Earth for the defendant.
 

j brown's body

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Agreed, but I feel that would do little to reduce the number of yahoos issuing death threats, and further, doesn’t solve the problem of good people not running for office

Good point. Upton is a decent man. What whack-job will replace him?
 

HikerGuy83

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Death threats have become the common currency of the far right Republican Party in helping to wreck democracy.

Yeah...they are known for attacking softball games.
 

HikerGuy83

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The FBI needs to shift into overdrive with the threats. I know many can't be prosecuted for many reasons. But the ones they get need to be sentenced as high as the law will allow.

Why can't they be prosecuted ?
 

Hamish Howl

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Yeah...they are known for attacking softball games.

Around here, they're known for threatening school officials.

And then having all the windows of their businesses magically break.
 

Roadvirus

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"Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said on Sunday that death threats — like those he received for voting for infrastructure spending — could "be a detriment getting good people to run" for Congress.

Why it matters: Upton announced his retirement on April 5 after more than 30 years in Congress.


  • Upton was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Driving the news: Upton said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that he received death threats for voting in favor of the infrastructure bill, which he noted was at one point a Republican bill.

  • "It puts you at risk, particularly when they threaten not only you ... but when they threaten your spouse or your kids or whatever, that's what really makes it frightening," Upton said."
Link

I have seen the same thing said about Congressional representatives in general, judges ruling on election challenges, election and poll officials and school board members.

Upton's retirement suggests this strategy is effective, especially since no Republican leaders will hold these supporters to account.
issuing death threats to lawmakers because of the way they voted on something is stupid.

We have things called "elections", ya idiots! Don't like the way the guy or gal voted on something in Congress? Then vote for someone else next time around. It's simple, smarter and you won't get jailed for 10+ years.
 

NuffSaid

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issuing death threats to lawmakers because of the way they voted on something is stupid.

We have things called "elections", ya idiots! Don't like the way the guy or gal voted on something in Congress? Then vote for someone else next time around. It's simple, smarter and you won't get jailed for 10+ years.
Its just easier for the MAGA crowd to threaten the politician.
"Hang Mike Pence" isn't just a slogan for Jan 6th.
 

LouC

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"Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said on Sunday that death threats — like those he received for voting for infrastructure spending — could "be a detriment getting good people to run" for Congress.

Why it matters: Upton announced his retirement on April 5 after more than 30 years in Congress.


  • Upton was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Driving the news: Upton said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that he received death threats for voting in favor of the infrastructure bill, which he noted was at one point a Republican bill.

  • "It puts you at risk, particularly when they threaten not only you ... but when they threaten your spouse or your kids or whatever, that's what really makes it frightening," Upton said."
Link

I have seen the same thing said about Congressional representatives in general, judges ruling on election challenges, election and poll officials and school board members.

Upton's retirement suggests this strategy is effective, especially since no Republican leaders will hold these supporters to account.
If all true it is such a sad statement on our society!
 

Callen

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Agreed, but I feel that would do little to reduce the number of yahoos issuing death threats, and further, doesn’t solve the problem of good people not running for office

It won't stop until people of good conscience on the right vocally denounce these calls for violence against civil servants and politicians. Silence is complicity .
 

watsup

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It won't stop until people of good conscience on the right vocally denounce these calls for violence against civil servants and politicians. Silence is complicity .

It makes no difference. The media commentators in the vast right wing echo and hate machine have no reason to be less hateful than the others because that is what captures the maximum right wing audience. It can only get worse, not better, as long as FOX and right wing hate radio have so much influence over the stupid.
 

braindrain

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Ah found the partisan
Yes. Only him. Not all the people before him blaming just the right. Only him. Because he brought up some crazy from the left.

In case anyone isn’t sure your post was just as partisan as his
 

TU Curmudgeon

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"Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said on Sunday that death threats — like those he received for voting for infrastructure spending — could "be a detriment getting good people to run" for Congress.

Why it matters: Upton announced his retirement on April 5 after more than 30 years in Congress.


  • Upton was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Driving the news: Upton said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that he received death threats for voting in favor of the infrastructure bill, which he noted was at one point a Republican bill.

  • "It puts you at risk, particularly when they threaten not only you ... but when they threaten your spouse or your kids or whatever, that's what really makes it frightening," Upton said."
Link

I have seen the same thing said about Congressional representatives in general, judges ruling on election challenges, election and poll officials and school board members.

Upton's retirement suggests this strategy is effective, especially since no Republican leaders will hold these supporters to account.
But aren't those so-called "death threats" merely someone exercising their freedom of speech as recognized in the Constitution of the United States of America and aren't any so-called "laws" that infringe on the constitutional right **U*N*C*O*N*S*T*I*T*U*T*I*O*N*A*L** right off the bat?

Remember

First they came for those who threatened others with death,
And I said nothing because I was not threatening others with death.

Then they came for those who threatened others with harm,
And I said nothing because I was not threatening others with harm.

Then they came for those who spoke out against the leader's policies,
And I said nothing because I was not speaking out against the leader's policies.

Then they came for those who spoke against the leader,
And I said nothing because I was not speaking against the leader.

Then they came for those who did not praise the leader loudly enough,
And there was no one left to speak for me.
 

TU Curmudgeon

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issuing death threats to lawmakers because of the way they voted on something is stupid.

We have things called "elections", ya idiots! Don't like the way the guy or gal voted on something in Congress? Then vote for someone else next time around. It's simple, smarter and you won't get jailed for 10+ years.
Sorry, but it doesn't work that way.

Don't like what the person you voted for did in Congress? TANGO SIERRA because they are going to get renominated and you have to either vote for them again or vote for "The Party of EVIL".

Don't like what the person you did NOT vote for did in Congress? TANGO SIERRA, because they are going to get renominated and they are going to get re-elected 90+% of the time.

If you take a look at the actual way that the US political system has been heading over the past 50 years, you will see that it is headed for an (essentially) static distribution of elected representatives between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party with NEITHER of them actually being able to muster a level of elected representatives sufficient to allow them to govern on their own BUT with BOTH of them being able to muster a level of elected representatives sufficient to cause gridlock.

Have you ever thought how the US government would function if there was one representative from each state who was NOT bound to either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party?
 

CaughtInThe

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that's the whole point isn't it. to continue to radicalize the republican party.
 
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