Desperate Measures: The return of the "dangerous tea-party extremists" meme?

Many thanks to Professor Jacobson for Post of the day status and welcome to his readers!


President not playing well in Peoria? Signs of Democratic Doom are popping up nearly everywhere while no one seems to be buying the notion the world will not survive if the mosque formerly known as Ground Zero Mosque  doesn't get built.  What is a "cackle of rads"  to do?  Desperate times call for desperate measures folks.

It's time to dust off the "dangerous tea-party extremists" meme" and give it another whirl:

A Politico story today makes me think that someday in the not-too-distant future we’ll look back on this moment and find it almost quaint that we thought the tea party movement was the be-all and end-all of GOP-affiliated right-wing extremism. The story suggests that there are some areas of extremism where many teabaggers don’t want to go — but there are plenty of other people willing to do what the ‘baggers won’t:

Yes, a Politico article that goes to lengths to portray the mosque debacle as a bigger problem for Republicans and tea-partiers than it is for Democrats certainly seems a good place to start the world wondering whether dangerous tea-partiers can resist the urge to descend into dangerous religious extremism doesn't it?

Politico  keeps the ball rolling today with a shock headline, "Shot fired at Al Franken's condo."  Politico relies on the report from a spokesperson for that paragon of credibility and self-restraint Senator Al Franken:

“Right now it’s under investigation by the Minneapolis Police and the Capitol Hill Police,” Franken spokesman Marc Kimball told POLITICO.

Kimball said that “there was some damage to one of the window panes” in a double-paned window.  Kimball added that “nothing like this” has ever happened to the senator’s residence.

Minneapolis police have not said whether they have a suspect or if they believe Sen. Franken was specifically being targeted.

Notice there is absolutely nothing in Kimball's statement to support Politico's breathless headline.  It seems we have heard such dubious threats before.  CNN offers the "just-the-facts ma'am" version of events:

Sgt. Bill Palmer of the Minneapolis Police Department told CNN that members of the Franken family recently reported finding a hole in a window of their Minneapolis condominium that appeared to be made by either a BB gun or small rock.

The hole damaged a double-paned window, but did not penetrate the second pane, Palmer also said.

The object in question was not found and it remains unclear exactly when the damage occurred. Palmer said that it is unlikely the possible BB shot was directed at the Minnesota Democrat.

"I find it unlikely people actually even know where the senator lives," Palmer said.

Nothing to see here folks as even the liberal blog Wonkette is forced to admit.  Wonkette laughs off the Politico headline as a rather desperate attempt to make "instant August news."   There is really no doubt, however, it was Franken who hit the panic button right before he felt he felt the overwhelming compulsion to feed Politico a dramatic blow-by-blow of a story that seems to lack minor things - like substance.  

To be sure, the rantings of two left-wing loons does not a meme make.  Caveats notwithstanding, Democrats have pulled the dangerous card from the bottom of the deck before; these items had all the hallmarks of the same dirty tricks.  It isn't as though they tend to learn their lesson.  Does a day go by when they don't play the race and/or bigotry card?  When the going gets tough, it is the Dems and the Professional left who get a tad - dare I say it - dangerous.


Thanks to Theo Spark for linking!