Think Progress

Far-Right Activist Launches Nancy Pelosi And Harry Reid ‘Burn In Hell!’ Contest

One of the most notorious far-right activists is Randall Terry, who founded the organization Operation Rescue, a radical anti-choice group. In the past, Terry has warned that he and his followers would engage in terrorism unless Congress excludes funding for abortions in health care legislation, launched a “Defeat Sotomayor” campaign that depicted the Supreme Court judge as a skull-faced killer, and used the occasion of the assassination of George Tiller to declare that the doctor, who performed abortions, was a mass murderer.

In his latest attempt to drive attention to his hate-filled agenda, Terry has launched a contest to encourage people to make videos burning House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) in effigy. Randall Terry’s press release states:

Join a Contest! Win Prizes!

Who Can make the best “Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid BURN IN HELL!” video?

First prize: Expenses paid for weekend here in DC during Roe vs Wade anniversary, Jan 22-24, including pro-life training seminar (Includes travel stipend!), and full Insurrecta Nex television series. [...]

Send link of your video by NOVEMBER 15, 2009 to: Burninhell@overturnroe.com

Legal Mumbo Jumbo: Obey local laws on open flames; be careful; if under 18, do not burn Nancy Pelosi in effigy unless your mom or dad is with you, and gives you permission, and strikes the match; do not burn yourself; do not burn another human being; do not burn small animals; do not burn large animals; do not burn anyone from PETA; and remember: this is not a threat to Nancy Pelosi’s or Harry Reid’s person…it is a prophetic witness of what awaits them when they die if they do not repent for this horrific sin.

Randall also recorded a video demonstrating how to burn an effigy of Pelosi and Reid, telling the audience that “Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid will be waiting in Hell!” Watch it:

Congressional GOP Fundraising Committee On Pelosi: It’s Time To ‘Put Her In Her Place’

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has a press release today, hitting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for having the temerity to express doubts that Democratic members of Congress will support with the troop increase that Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal has recommended for the war in Afghanistan. The release claims that in the past, Pelosi has made “pleas for action in Afghanistan” and is now “backpedaling on Afghanistan amidst increasing criticism from the radical left.” It cites her saying this:

“I’ve also made it clear it’s a very difficult vote to get from the members,” she added. “Their constituents don’t like an escalated war in Afghanistan. They’d like to see a different approach. But let’s see what the president has to say.” (Glenn Thrush, “Pelosi skeptical about Afghan surge, McChrystal,” Politico, 10/05/2009)

Pelosi, of course, is not “backpedaling” in any way. In the first paragraph of the Politico article cited by the NRCC, the reporter notes that Pelosi said she is still “agnostic” on a troop surge; she was simply stating the realities in her party.

So what is the NRCC’s solution to dealing with Pelosi? It wants McChrystal to “put her in her place“:

What place does the NRCC think that this accomplished woman — the first female Speaker of the House in U.S. history — deserves to be in?

Fox Pushes Bogus Conspiracy Theory That Nancy ‘Music Czar’ Pelosi Is Banning Patriotic Muzak »

Yesterday the right-wing site The New Ledger published a report about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) “problem” with “patriotic music”. For years, when you would call a congressional office and get put on hold, you’d either hear no music or some patriotic tunes. According to The New Ledger, “the Democratic House leadership” made “a sweeping decision” to replace the patriotic music with smooth jazz.

Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) even sent a letter to House Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Daniel Beard — who, The New Leader points out, “reports to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi” — objecting to the change. But as ThinkProgress reported yesterday, this story is nothing more than a conspiracy theory. We spoke to Beard’s spokesman Jeff Ventura:

The music was changed during recess as a pilot program in an attempt to offer offices a choice of hold music. [...]

This had nothing to do with the leadership — not in the beginning or the final outcome.

Basically, congressional offices have traditionally been able to have a choice of music or no music. The CD that had been in the congressional muzak system for “a long time” was a “patriotic tunes CD.” The CAO’s office wanted to test a program giving people a choice of multiple CDs and decided to try out a jazz CD because it’s “what a lot of companies have when you’re on hold.” However, based on the feedback they received, they simply decided to go back to the old system.

Nevertheless, Fox News decided to pick up the false report and run with it. From Sean Hannity’s show last night:

HANNITY: Now up until now you probably have been enjoying lovely patriotic tunes. Well, that is until Nancy Pelosi had anything to say about it. Under the current Democratic leadership, patriotic music was replaced with smooth jazz elevator music. … Well, let this serve as a lesson to the Democrats — don’t meddle with our patriotic music.

This morning, Fox and Friends discussed the important issue with former boxer George Foreman, who broke out and started singing “America the Beautiful” at the end of the segment. Foreman said that patriotic music was “a necessity” because it’s a “privilege” to call your federal lawmakers and something you can do “only in America.” “You better not have that jazz playing.” Host Steve Doocy noted that the “Democratic leadership” had decided to go back to the original music. “America wins!” he declared. Watch it:

Since when is jazz not American?

Transcript: More »« Less

Right-Wing Conspiracy Theory: Nancy Pelosi Is Banning Patriotic Hold Music On Congressional Phones

Today, the right-wing site The New Ledger has a report about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) “problem” with “patriotic music”:

If you’ve ever been stuck on hold with a congressional office in the past, at least you’ve been able to enjoy some good patriotic music, as opposed to the lilting tones of generic smooth jazz that have been driving elevator users insane for decades. For years, congressional offices have played patriotic anthems as the background music during hold times.

Not any more. After we were startled by the hold music when we called a House office recently, sources on Capitol Hill informed us this week that the Democratic House leadership has made a sweeping decision that congressional offices now have the options of “smooth jazz” elevator music or no music at all.

The post was picked up by various right-wing blogs. Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) has even sent a letter to House Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Daniel Beard — who, The New Leader points out, “reports to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi” — objecting to the change.

This conspiracy theory is the craziest thing since freedom fries. And birthers. ThinkProgress spoke with Beard’s spokesman Jeff Ventura, who cleared up the confusion:

The music was changed during recess as a pilot program in an attempt to offer offices a choice of hold music. [...]

This had nothing to do with the leadership — not in the beginning or the final outcome.

Here’s what happened: Congressional offices have traditionally been able to have a choice of music or no music. The CD that had been in the congressional muzak system for “a long time” was a “patriotic tunes CD.” The CAO’s office wanted to test a program giving people a choice of multiple CDs and decided to try out a jazz CD because it’s “what a lot of companies have when you’re on hold.” However, based on the feedback they received, they simply decided to go back to the old system.

So for the record, there is no left-wing conspiracy to ban patriotic muzak.

Joe The Plumber Says He Would ‘Beat The Livin’ Tar’ Out Of Pelosi

This past weekend, at the right wing’s RightOnline blogger conference in Pittsburgh — sponsored by Americans for Prosperity — Alternet’s Adele Stan reported that Joe “the Plumber” Wurzelbacher attacked Nancy Pelosi for calling teabaggers “un-American.” (In fact, Pelosi said “drowning out opposing views is un-American.”) Wurzelbacher said that in the good ol’ days, he would have been able to physically “beat” Pelosi:

WURZELBACHER: For Pelosi to write about us bein’ un-American and disprespectful — I’ll tell ya what: I respect nobody who lies to me and manipulates me and takes my money and puts my children in debt. They want me to be respectful towards them? Please! You know, I’m not the most civilized person: Those kind of people, I usually took behind the woodshed and just beat the livin’ tar out of ‘em.

(UPDATE: Crooks and Liars has the video.)

Joe reiterated his statement in an interview with Stan after his speech:

STAN: There’s a lot of talk about fears of violence in these town hall meetings, and you know there was a guy who showed up with a gun strapped to his leg in New Hampshire — and I’m wondering what you have to say to that narrative?

WURZELBACHER: Let me start off by saying that I don’t advocate the violence, however, that being said, Congress has been lying to us for years. They take advantage of us, they manipulate us, and years ago people like that would’ve been taken behind the woodshed and slapped upside the head a couple times. I’m not telling people to go out and do that and I don’t advocate that if we can make our point through facts.

Listen:

For someone who doesn’t advocate violence, Joe sure spends a lot of time talking about it. A few months ago, he told Think Progress that anyone who criticized the military would’ve been shot “back in the day” and that he’d personally like to slap around anyone who “talked treasonous talk about America.”

Pelosi Is Not ‘Deranged’ — Swastikas And Comparisons To Hitler Are On Display At Town Hall Protests

Earlier this week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) came under heavy criticism from the right wing for her dismissal of the town hall tea parties as nothing but “Astroturf.” She also noted the disturbing fact that participants have been “carrying swastikas and symbols like that.”

The conservative site Wizbang called her claim a “crock.” Rush Limbaugh said that Pelosi was “deranged” and accused her of calling conservatives “Nazis.” He then, however, went on to note the similarities between Democrats and Nazis:

The Speaker of the House accusing people showing up at these town hall meetings of wearing Swastikas — that is not insignificant folks. This woman is deranged. They are unraveling. But that is not insignificant. You have the Democrat Speaker of the House saying that people — citizens — who are concerned about health care are now wearing Swastikas. She’s basically saying that we are Nazis. She is saying that the people who oppose this are Nazis. [...]

This party, the Democrat Party, and where it’s taken this country — the radical left leadership of this party — bears much more resemblance to Nazi policies than anything we on the right believe in at all.

Pelosi did not seem to be calling conservative protesters Nazis, but rather calling attention to the disturbing number of Nazi references at these tea party protests. A few examples:

The intent of these displays is to portray Obama as Hitler and his proposals as fascist, and they seem to be following the lead of many right-wing pundits. Just yesterday, Limbaugh said, “Adolf Hitler, like Barack Obama, also ruled by dictate.” Fox News host Glenn Beck — an inspiration for many of these town hall attendees — has said “fascism is on the rise.” Even Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) has talked about the increasing danger in America of “true fascism.”

This August recess isn’t the first time we’ve seen these displays at tea parties either. Signs comparing Obama to Hitler or other global dictators were prominent at the tea parties a few months ago as well.