Republicans Will Never Reject Trump's Political Violence
Stop begging them
California Sen. Alex Padilla’s face has been in the news a lot after federal agents slammed his face into the floor. This was a further escalation of political violence under the Trump regime.
Thursday, Padilla tried to question Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a press conference where Noem announced the Trump administration’s intention to occupy California indefinitely.
“We are not going away,” Noem said. “We are staying here to liberate the city from the socialists and the burdensome leadership that this governor and that this mayor have placed on this country and what they have tried to insert into the city.”
At best, this rhetoric echoes what former Vice President Dick Cheney said when the Bush administration invaded Iraq: “I think things have gotten so bad inside Iraq, from the standpoint of the Iraqi people, my belief is we will, in fact, be greeted as liberators.” At worst, it’s eerily similar to Vladimir Putin’s 2022 declaration that Russia would “liberate” Ukraine from “the filth” he claimed was in charge. Trump has only doubled-down on the invasion rhetoric during the past week — all but declaring war on Democratic-run local governments.
Here’s the video that clearly debunks the DHS spin (i.e. “lies”) that Padilla — a U.S. senator — lunged at Noem, a Cabinet member who shoots dogs.
Noem accused Padilla of “political theatre,” which is rich considering she’s earned the nickname “ICE Barbie” for her stilted performance in amateur snuff films at Salvadoran prisons.
If this event were political theatre, Noem arguably mounted the production and cast Padilla in the part of unwilling tackle dummy.
“A member of the National Guard and an FBI agent escorted me over to the press conference and opened the door for me,” Padilla later explained. “I said who I was, I began to ask a question, and maybe half a second later there were multiple agents on me. I kept asking, ‘Why am I being detained?’ No response.
When you’re invading a state, it’s expected that you should recognize their senators on sight, especially before your goons pin him to the ground and cuff him. I feel as if etiquette expert William Hanson has covered this. (Watch below.)
Padilla clearly identified himself at the press conference, and he’s the ranking Democrat on the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Safety. But even if Padilla weren’t a senator and merely an anonymous brown constituent, he should still be able to question a Cabinet secretary. This is a democracy not a police state, though the latter seems to more accurately describe our current situation.
Chris Cillizza, who never tires of being wrong, posted this bold, hardly revelatory statement on social media:
Both sides were wrong in this.
1) Sen. Padilla was clearly aiming to create a scene
2) He was handled too roughly by the security there
Why can't we agree on this? Not everything is one side acting utterly benevolently while the other side acts evilly.
It’s not clear that Padilla was trying to create a “scene,” but he is a politician whose state is under invasion by a hostile power. A small scene is warranted, perhaps even a mild hissy fit. Creating a “scene” is also not illegal, nor does it warrant federal agents roughing him up like he foolishly got in the face of a mob boss.
When then-Senator Kamala Harris was running for president in 2019, some neckbeard jumped on the stage during an event and took her microphone. The guy was taken off the stage but he wasn’t cuffed. (Watch below.)
John Fetterman, predictably, echoed Cillizza’s “both sides” statement, suggesting that everyone should “take the temperature down.” I think Padilla was the right degree of feverish in the face of a fascist invasion of his home state — yes, I keep coming back to that part. It’s pretty relevant. (Fetterman was one of the six Democrats who voted to confirm the admitted dog killer.)
Most Democrats fully supported their colleague, but unfortunately, too many resorted to simply pleading with Republicans to stop acting like Republicans.
A despondent Chris Murphy said, “They say that he didn’t identify who he was. Watch the video, he clearly states, ‘I am Senator Alex Padilla.’ They’re going to spin this, but I’m begging my Republican colleagues, don’t let them do it.”
Just days later, Rand Paul was pushing the right-wing narrative that Padilla “lunged” at Noem like he was reenacting a scene from Birth of a Nation.
Adam Schiff, junior senator from California, called on Republicans to condemn Padilla’s treatment and arrest. That’s like Batman calling on the Riddler and the Penguin to condemn The Joker for killing Robin. They might not have personally bludgeoned a 12-year-old with a crowbar, but they probably still got a kick out of it.
Cory Booker said, “When you see a democratic nation having their executive begin to arrest mayors, begin to arrest judges, begin to arrest a United States senator who was simply asking for answers to their questions [...] this is something that we should not tolerate.”
Yet, it seems as if Democrats are tolerating this. These speeches just sound like angry Yelp reviews.
Senate Democratic Leader (I guess) Chuck Schumer said, “Senator Padilla was thrown on the ground and handcuffed, all because he was exercising his duty as a senator. We need a full investigation into what the hell happened, and what's going to be done to see that this doesn't happen again to Senator Padilla or any American citizen.”
It’s unclear why we need an “investigation” into what we all just saw with our eyes. That last time that happened, the investigation took years and Donald Trump moonwalked back into the White House. Republicans control the Senate and if they actually approved an investigation, Padilla would probably get arrested again. Senate Democrats should instead use whatever leverage they have — jamming up proceedings, making life miserable for Republicans — to demand accountability from Noem.
Democrats probably shouldn’t waste time asking for investigations into the investigation of a committee to investigate the incident while Republicans and right-wing media swiftly coalesced around the same BS narrative.
We’ve already conducted a public and open investigation into whether there are any remaining congressional Republicans with a conscience. The results have been fairly conclusive, but more data was offered when House Speaker Mike Johnson said that Padilla should be censured because he “lunged” at Noem. At least he didn’t recommend that Padilla is tarred and feathered, as he said about Newsom.
Johnson is a singularly graceless liar who just makes up stuff that video footage clearly disproves. (The supposedly very Christian Johnson talks and acts like someone who knows he’ll never have to answer to God.)
Saturday, a gunman fatally shot Minnesota state Democratic Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home. The same gunman seriously wounded Democratic State Sen. John Hoffman. Gov. Tim Walz has called the shooting “politically motivated.” This is not random violence. It’s what Trump’s brutality enables and encourages. Mike Lee, an actual sitting senator, mocked the assassination in a social media post so tasteless he’d have lost his job as a 1990s shock jock.
May we find the strength to stop the violence and hatred while accepting grim reality that Republicans will never help.
It's long past the time for strongly worded letters or Congressional inquiries. Any national Democratic figure who doesn't understand this deserves being cast aside. If they can't figure out how to stand up and fight for their constituents now, they're too stupid and cowardly to deserve reelection.
EVERY mewling deflection from the Mike Johnson's of the world needed to be loudly and publicly mocked to his face. EVERY excuse and attempt to obscure the reality of Padilla being attacked illegally needs to be denounced. EVERY journalistic bothsiderism needs to be immediately called out.
Seize the momentum, confront, or stop trying to pretend you're a leader!
Sadly, you are right, Stephen. repubs have lost any sense of morality or even of decorum. It's sad to see the party of Lincoln to be reduced to the party of thugs and assholes.