Time Wise: Are Angry Conservatives Primed for Violence? Even Against Their Own?

Tim Wise: Are Angry Conservatives Primed for Violence? Even Against Their Own?

As we head into the fall election season, stories from Nevada and Delaware suggest that some of the loving, peaceful souls in the Tea Party faction of the right are prepared to turn violent if they don’t get their way: and not merely against evil liberals and leftists, but against those in their own party who are insufficiently committed to their wingnut world view.

To wit, the GOP chair in Delaware who was threatened with a “bullet in the head” for supporting the establishment Republican candidate, rather than the ultra-right wing Christine O’Donnell.

And then there’s Danny Tarkanian, who lost in the Nevada Senate primary to Sharron Angle. Tarkanian notes that as he was going around the state there were conservative activists angry with him for being unwilling to advocate armed rebellion against the government.

So is this what we have to look forward to if the far right doesn’t get it’s way in November, or other elections? Do they turn violent if they don’t win, or don’t convince enough of their own to support their far-right views?

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