You’ve undoubtedly heard that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump yesterday alluded to the power of “Second Amendment people” to put a stop to Hillary Clinton and her Supreme Court appointees, should they try to confiscate all of the guns. Y’know, if Obama doesn’t manage to get that long-planned job done by the end of the year.

Trump’s comments sounded to many like a call to assassinate his political opponent and some of Trump’s apologists—like House Speaker Paul Ryan—have suggested Trump made a bad joke. Team Trump insists their man , but Team Trump insists he was serious but didn’t mean he wanted Clinton shot, merely that he hoped that those who love the Second Amendment would put pressure on the U.S. Senate to block a gun-grabbing justice. And now we’ve learned that the Secret Service has talked with Trump about the comment.

Tucsonan Gabby Giffords, the survivor of an 2011 assassination attempt, and her husband, retired NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, condemned Trump’s language:

Donald Trump might astound Americans on a routine basis, but we must draw a bright red line between political speech and suggestions of violence. Responsible, stable individuals won’t take Trump’s rhetoric to its literal end, but his words may provide a magnet for those seeking infamy. They may provide inspiration or permission for those bent on bloodshed.

It must be the responsibility of all Americans — from Donald Trump himself, to his supporters, to those who remain silent or oppose him — to unambiguously condemn these remarks and the violence they insinuate. The integrity of our democracy and the decency of our nation is at stake.

Trump may or may not have been alluding to a desire to see Clinton shot, but here’s the thing: His willingness to blow that kind of dog whistle is yet another sign that he is far too reckless to serve in the Oval Office. As Jonathan Chait notes at New York Mag:

One fact that has grown bracingly clear over the course of the presidential campaign is that the campaign is not about any of the normal issues in American politics, but about democracy. The other elections we all remember have pitted two small-d democrats against each other. This one pits a small-d democrat against a candidate who has repeatedly stated that strong leaders crush their enemies, who warns without evidence that Antonin Scalia was murdered and that the election will be “rigged,” who threatens retaliatory policy crackdowns on owners of newspapers whose coverage displeases him, who has asked Russia’s autocrat to conduct a cyberattack on his opponent, and who, today, exhorted his audience to violent insurrection.

This article appears in Aug 4-10, 2016.

Getting hassled by The Man Mild-mannered reporter

20 replies on “Gabby Giffords: “We Must Draw a Bright Red Line Between Political Speech and Suggestions of Violence””

  1. The only question left re: Trump is will he withdraw or be removed from the candidacy for POTUS. I can think of some miserable candidates since first voting in ’68, but really. The man is insane. (Oh, and by “removed” I am not suggesting anything other than the RNC dragging him off the stage like a bad vaudeville comedian).

    The luckiest candidate in US history? Hillary Clinton. The second worst candidate in many years looks like Abraham Lincoln compared with the orange headed baboon.

  3. Are you talking about Hillary and her remaining in the race against Obama because he may be “assassinated” so she could step in?

  4. Hillary is not running against Obama. She is running against the Russians. And the US taxpayers. If something happened to the Prez, Vice Prez Biten would step in.

  5. Gabby is right. You always need to draw that bright red line in the sand. Just like Obama did when he called ISIS the JV team and that he had them on the run. That was before he sent Iran $400M and funded their expansion into 24 countries.

    ISIS has crossed that red line many times and he hasn’t answered the call to duty. 33,000 have been killed. But he did get Osama.

    http://freebeacon.com/national-security/isis-affiliates-killed-33000-people-since-2002/

  7. Gabby, search your memory for our Presidents remarks June 14 of 2008. He said, “if they bring a knife to a fight, we bring a gun. “

    Why didn’t you say something then? Why didn’t the gun hating media say something? It’s because of the phony double standard that you live by.

    If you can’t be honest and fair, be quiet.

  10. The civility train left the station just about the time the crazy train arrived in the 2016 presidential race. Besides, the media continues to ignore the rule established by Ronald Reagan that there is no bad press as long as you keep receiving free coverage. Donald Trump will keep saying and doing what has taken him this far and the media and Clinton camp will continue to be aghast at his behavior all the way to the November election. After that, it’s anyone’s guess as to which liar will be elected – the bad comb-over or the pantsuit – two sides of the same wooden nickel.

  12. Well, the comments trying to tar Obama are hilarious with their irrelevance. And BLM never called for anyone to kill police. Quite the opposite.
    I agree with Gabby, these veiled calls for violence are disgusting. Whether we’re talking about the targets over Gabby’s face, or Donald’s call for “2nd Amendment people” to “do something”,or the thinly veiled calls for violence against abortion providers. Violence has no place in American politics.

  13. Excuse me David W., I’m calling BS on you. Can you please quote exactly what Hillary said in that youtube video that has anything to do with calling for Obama’s assassination? Same old right wing crap. The problem is no one challenges DT’s constant BS and then it gets taken as fact.

  14. No harm. No foul. Secret Service has determined that elements of the law have not been met to arrest Trump, or he would have been already.

    No “intent” to defame and or threaten. Merely, a statement misunderstood by those who are having difficulties with knowing he might win this election. Poor Hillary conspirators.

  15. There was NO suggestion of violence, except in the warped minds of certain commentators, and Democratic operatives, who tried to make sure that that is what the narrative is.

  16. This might help you remember:

    http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2016/07/caught-video-black-lives-matter-leader-calls-running-shooting-police/

    http://universalfreepress.com/2015/blacklivesmatter-reveal-chilling-plan-its-open-season-for-killing-cops-and-crackers/

    http://www.nationalreview.com/article/437694/black-lives-matter-hypocrisy-cheering-violence

    http://hypeline.org/minutes-after-dallas-shooting-blm-radicals-call-for-death-of-cops-of-twitter/

    http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20160711-blacklivesmatter-kills-cops-fort-worth-police-group-claims-in-viral-post.ece

    http://www.truthrevolt.org/news/black-lives-matter-radio-host-calls-race-war-cop-killing

  17. Already anticipating the hysterical whining you ignorant, racist, cowards will throw up after Trump gets his ass handed to him in November. If he’s man enough to stay in that long. Sounds like he’s already groping for the escape hatch door. You threw your lot in with a huckster who wanted to elevate his brand, not run the country. Has that dawned on any of you yet?

  18. Time to shut your puppet up Mark. She is an embarrassment to AZ. Funny the last time she ran for office she had a photo shoot with a gun in her hand. HeII you bought an AR-15 but where to afraid to pick it. So go home enjoy the life after taking Pima county taxpayer money and please shut you puppet up.

  20. Creepy. Anyone who attacks Gabby Gifford is missing the big picture as well as historical details. Grow a brain, then try to evolve and find a conscience. This woman has earned the right to speak up for herself and others.

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