Don't Be Bullied: Be Like Mandy!

“Political thuggery is on the rise in America.” So says Thomas Lifson of The American Thinker. Overwhelmingly directed at the right, to the extent it cannot be ignored by the media – they lampoon its impact. Of particular concern were attacks on Bush-Cheney campaign offices. And how the left chuckles when conservative figures, such as Ann Coulter, are attacked onstage. But, tee hee, it was a just a pie-in-the face. What’s the problem? Well, my friends on the left: slime is as slime does. Lifson makes clear what the stakes are:

We are on a slippery slope if America tolerates political violence. It is a crime against democracy and liberty. The specifics of the weapons involved are less important than the intent to use violence as a political weapon.
If the worst charge that can be brought against the wielder of political pie-in-the-face is a misdemeanor – unless he is unlucky enough to damage the scenery – then we need new laws. Stealing or damaging property is a less serious crime than creating an atmosphere of fear in the political discourse.

To the growing list of intolerant acts against conservatives we can add this report from the Seattle Times. Pay careful attention to how it was written: again belittling the person on the receiving end of extraordinarily harsh treatment with political motivation. If the tables had been turned, and a liberal had been cursed at in this manner by a conservative politician’s spouse – the media would be all over it. And every story would have warning from the ACLU about the “draconian” impact of such an attack – and its “chilling effect” creating a “prior restraint” on cherished free speech rights.
And that is precisely what happened here. A Rossi campaign volunteer, in her capacity as a private citizen, voices concern in a television interview about a politician’s “official” conduct during the recount. Minutes later that politician’s spouse arrives at the door of that only minimally-acquainted neighbor, and proceeds to berate her with vulgar language. This is how “Mandy in Magnolia” told it in an e-mail to Sound Politics:

Yesterday, while… watching NWCN, they were asking people to call in on the State Supreme Court decision in the Governors race. I called in and asked some questions about King County Councilman Larry Phillips and his ballot, and expressed my concern that Councilman Phillips was spending a lot of time campaigning for the Democrats on our tax dollar. About five minutes after I was on the news, Councilman Phillips' wife Gail showed up on my doorstep. She was in a rage. I had to remove my three children from the front door into another room because she was shouting so loud. I am still alarmed at the fact that a person can call a news station and voice their opinion with repercussions as extreme as having a politician's wife come and hassle you to the point… that if she didn't leave I would have to call 911. After telling her that I shut the door on her. She screamed "You F@#king B*tch" thru the door loud enough as to where my children heard her. I opened the door and told her how classy she was. The next day I contacted Councilman Phillips' office to talk to the Chief of Staff about what happened. I wanted to clear this matter up privately. I did not hear from their office but later that afternoon I received flowers from Gail with somewhat of an apology. I wonder how big of a laugh they had sending me poisonous flowers; they were poinsettias! I am still in disbelief over this matter. I am still fearful that you can voice your opinion and have to deal with unstable people scaring you and your children. Doesn't my Councilman care enough about his constituents that he would try and rectify this matter? I would like to let the people know that I did in fact vote for Larry Phillips.

And for that, a Rossi supporter (and Dinocrat, no less!) earns a cynical crack about “Desperate Housewives” in the Seattle Times. This dovetails so neatly with the explanation that “it was a brief encounter.” But does it surprise anyone that the Seattle Times is “handling” the recount in this manner?
“Mandy in Magnolia” is a Rossi campaign supporter and volunteer – and as the daughter of a long-serving attorney and Superior Court Judge, would give so much more respect than that received for merely voicing her opinion regarding a legitimate issue in the recount.

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Note the first "apology" (which isn't an apology at all), more a continuation of "put the Republican in her place." Then comes the second apology, written by the councilman himself, which came only after the Seattle Times got involved. And after ignoring Mandy's calls to speak with him for almost a week.

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What we can all learn from Mandy is twofold: to keep speaking out on the issues in exactly the way she has in this instance; and (like her) to go one better by bravely “outing” any instance of harassment or conduct which constrains free speech. We have a new theme in the Rossi Movement:
Don't Be Bullied: Be Like Mandy!

posted at Sound Politics