Eliminationist Rhetoric from Republican Media Figures Must Stop

The term “Death to our enemies” is acceptable, but “Death to our political opponents” is not acceptable. Right wing media uses codewords for death when demonizing Democrats and “liberals”.

Words like Treason and America-Hating are words suggestive that Democrats and Liberals are the mortal enemies of the USA. What is the punishment for treason? It is death. What should we do with people who are the enemies of America?

[FYI The editor at RightWingNutHouse.com disagrees with this article. See Please Eliminate the word Eliminationist … and those who use the term. The editor, Rick Moran, is a self-described “libertine”, who embraces science. I personally cannot easily understand why a smart libertine would embrace the Republican Party, a party hostile to his philosophy of personal freedom, and somewhat hostile to science, but we all have our quirks.]

65 years ago during World War II, “Death to our enemies” referred to the Japanese and Germans who were actually shooting at us and wanted to destroy the USA and make us slaves. So “Death to our enemies” is a legitimate slogan and philosophy when we truly have enemies out to destroy us. Al Qaida would qualify as an enemy out to destroy us.

Democrats and Liberals do not qualify as “enemies” and do not deserve to be killed. Yet many high profile Republican media figures are using language suggestive of death with regard to Democrats and liberals.

The growing tendency toward “Eliminationist” speech against Democrats and Liberals

As strange as it might appear to the thoughtful people who read political blogs, Influential Media Figures and Opinion Leaders on the national and local level are openly using Codewords suggesting that Democrats and Liberals just might deserve to be killed. Such death speech is coming to be known as “Eliminationist”.

Ever hear a Radio or TV figure refer to Democrats and Liberals as “Traitors” or “Treasonous” or “Evil”, or “Enemies of America”, or “They Hate America”?

In history, hate radio was LOCAL and was often directed at Jews or Catholics or Immigrants.

But in its current incarnation, hate radio has become National with its own media celebrities, and a common national target: Democrats and liberals.

If you have heard such “Traitor” rhetoric, I bet you do not conclude that your friendly commentator or religious leader is actually calling for the death of Democrats and Liberals. You are probably right, but as Rush Limbaugh loves to say: “Words Mean Things”.

And so, let’s consider Rush’s slogan, “Words Mean Things”, and let’s ask ourselves what the following examples mean:

[UPDATE —- By the way, Did you know that William F. Buckley Jr. has said we’re defeated in Iraq? Buckley should have now joined the ranks of the “Traitors” who “Hate America” and are “Empowering our Enemies”. But do you think Limbaugh - Hannity - Coulter- O’Reilly will use those eliminationist terms when describing Buckley now? —- I don’t think so either. But if you are a Democrat or Liberal who thinks we’re defeated in Iraq, well, then you’re dangerous.]

[UPDATE —– More Buckley “treason” - says Bush should consider resigning.]

Back to the examples:

Republican opinion leader Sean Hannity makes it More Ok to speak of eliminating Democrats and liberals. Hannity referred to liberals as “Evil” in the bold title of his book Deliver Us from Evil: Defeating Terrorism, Despotism, and Liberalism.

The title of the book declares that liberals are as evil as terrorists, suggesting that liberals should suffer the same fate as terrorists. If you take something less menacing from the title, then you are probably a thoughtful person who excuses Hannity for overblown rhetoric. I choose to no longer excuse the Republicans for their coded hatespeech.

Hannity doesn’t really think liberals should be killed. He’s simply pandering to the religious right, to sell books.The religious right speaks of Democrats and liberals in awful hateful terms. I’ve personally heard their radio and TV broadcasts, and listened to their callers to radio shows. I’ve heard few examples of Christian charity and mercy expressed toward Democrats and liberals. In fact, if a religious caller shows mercy toward Democrats and liberals, the host is apt to accuse the religious caller of being a liberal [in other words, the caller is not really a Christian, and is therefore doomed to Hell].

The loudest public voices of the religious right are unmerciful and militant toward Democrats and liberals, as if their mere political opponents were actually their blood enemies. Jesus would be ashamed at the things the Christian Right says publicly, and I can imagine the even-more-evil things those same people say privately, because we are all more free of restraint in our private speech.

Michael Savage calls liberals “The Enemy Within”.

Savage’s style is untempered hellfire and brimstone, viciously authoritative in tone and not at all likely to acknowledge that reasonable people can disagree. He’s an especially vile demonizer of Democrats and liberals. His words are hateful and even violent toward those with whom he disagrees, and are expressed with seemingly genuine gut-rage. Savage could motivate the “troops” to do his bidding, should he choose to.

It’s a cause for special concern that someone of Savage’s ilk would rise to a national stage. I’ve heard countless small local radio hosts and preachers spew hate with passion, in travelling around and listening to AM radio. But those guys are on the nut fringe, and no one outside their local area would take them seriously. Yet, Savage is just like them, and here he is on the national stage.

And so, we have to speak out more assertively against the likes of Michael Savage. We have to make a point of trying to use goodwill and reason in our political debates, and to acknowledge that decent people can disagree.

Until Michael Savage became prominent, Ann Coulter was in a class by herself among major media figures in the “kill liberals” eliminationist rhetoric game.

Coulter is quite popular with Republicans and is a featured guest on the major Republican talk circuit. Ann Coulter’s kill-liberals statements, discussed. Coulter’s book titles are eliminationist - see Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terrorism.

More Coulter: Collected Comments Regarding how Liberals are Traitors and UnAmerican (PDF file).

Coulter tries to be hellfire and brimstone, like Michael Savage, but she can’t quite pull it off. She is a public fool who isn’t taken seriously by influential people, outside of her friends in the Republican media who put her on the air.

She gives Republicans a black eye by association whenever she opens her mouth. The friendly hosts who continually put her on the air detract from their own credibility by associating with her.

It’s a good thing for Democrats and liberals that Coulter is almost continuousy on one or the other Republican show, because she drives good people away from the GOP. Thoughtful conservatives are embarrassed by Coulter, and don’t want to be associated with her. See also this link for a long list of unfavorable references to Coulter by conservatives of the libertarian stripe.

Ann Coulter was fired by National Review when she declared: “We should invade [Muslim] countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity.” Let’s talk about Coulter’s comment for a minute. What if another nation invaded us and killed our religious and political leaders and tried to convert us to the Muslim faith? Would it be reasonably possible to convert us? If your answer is “no”, what makes you think it would be doable to convert Muslims?

Coulter is the Crazy Aunt in the Attic of the Republican talk world. Thank God she says such crazy things that she’s lost any credibility she might have once had.

[See below for a link to the famous Coulter verses Hitler Quiz]

On the tiny localized stage ….

Montana Radio Host calls for doing evil to liberals

The following link presents a single story, but there are undoubtedly many others as well. This link discusses the story of a rabid hard right radio host in Montana who seems to actively encourage his listeners to do evil toward liberals: The War on Liberals. See also The Elimination Game.

Hal Turner calls for the execution of congressmen who vote against his wishes on immigration

See this from Worldnetdaily Radio host Hal Turner says leaders won’t be allowed to ‘betray’ nation. He is calling for execution. Yes he is.

The constant daily mantra of “Traitor” and Treason” and “Hate America”

Nearly every time I listen to Republican radio, either the host, the guest, or the caller, or all three, accuse Democrats and liberals of being “Traitors” or “Treasonous” or of “Hating America”. I listen for at least a little bit very often, as I am in my car. I catch pieces of Hannity, O’Reilly, Ingraham, Beck, Limbaugh, Savage, Snow, and our own local versions. Those codewords are repeated like a mantra with them. And not a one of them will stand up for reason.

Take the Coulter verse Hitler Quiz - Who said it?

Ann Coulter’s hateful rantings track quite closely to Hitlers in their demonization of “liberals” and political opponents. It isn’t that Coulter admires Hitler. It’s that vicious demagogues tend to spout similar vile things in a similar manner against their political opponents, stirring up the masses toward hatred.

Ann Coulter vs Adolph Hitler - Who said it?.