QOTD -- Demonization And Corrosion

 

"This is despicable.  There’s no place in America.  There’s too much violence, political violence, too much hatred, too much vitriol.  (Applause.) 

"And what makes us think that one party can talk about “stolen elections,” “COVID being a hoax,” “this is all a bunch of lies,” and it not affect people who may not be so well balanced?  What makes us think that it’s not going to corrode the political climate?"-- President Biden last night at a Pennsylvania Democratic Party reception in Philadelphia, commenting on the assault on the husband of Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  Speaker Pelosi ranks as one of the most demonized political figures in the country, along with Hillary Clinton.  Over the years, we've been deluged with ads for Christofascist Republican candidates that portray Speaker Pelosi as an evil presence representing un- American "San Francisco" values (see these clips).  The Republican Leader, the Malignant Loser, is also a regular source of vitriol directed at the Speaker.  It's not a leap at all to see the link between the hateful, often violent rhetoric and the actions of the person who attacked the Speaker's husband while looking for her.  It's also not a leap to believe that these attacks will continue and get worse as that "one party" the President referred to continues to corrode the politics of our nation with its hate speech, lies, and anti- democracy actions.

BONUS:  Then there's this Virginia peckerwood.

BONUS II:  Quantifying how the GQP has demonized Speaker Pelosi over the years.  Here, too.