Republicans Behaving Just Like You'd Expect About Paul Pelosi Attack

They thrive on cruelty.

The Paul Pelosi attack last week genuinely horrified Republicans. Oh, they weren't that disturbed that an 82-year-old man was almost beaten to death with a hammer. That's apparently a laugh riot. No, they're offended that anyone would associate Pelosi's attacker, David Wayne DePape, with all the respectable Republicans who hate House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Sunday, known liar Ted Cruz tweeted simply "truth" — a concept he couldn't identify in a lineup — in response to a post from someone who wrote, "I don’t know what the hell happened at Nancy Pelosi’s house and I suspect none of us will ever know for sure. I do know that trying to paint a hippie nudist from Berkley as some king of militant right winger is absurd and will always be absurd."

But we do know what happened at the Pelosi house last Friday. It's not a huge mystery, despite Republican attempts to craft a second act "Law & Order" twist. Republicans are trying to disavow DePape but not just because he's an attempted murderer. They're pretending an unhinged white guy obsessed with conspiracy theories doesn't fit the MAGA profile, but in reality, many white two-time Obama voters fell into QAnon's mental briar patch. Republicans have embraced those voters while kicking Liz Cheney to the curb. This is who they are now.

PREVIOUSLY:

 Right Wing Rhetoric And Conspiracies Almost Killed Paul And Nancy Pelosi 

 But How Is The Left To Blame For Paul Pelosi's Hammer Attack? 

This isn't some light switch moment, though. Republicans have been terrible for as long as I can remember. There were all sort of rumors about Hillary Clinton murdering Vince Foster like Keyser Soze. Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was barely a twinkle in his mother's flatulence during those wild Weekly World News days but he's picked up the fake news baton. Monday, on his podcast, Kirk called DePape a "gay schizophrenic nudist." None of those traits are illegal even at the same time, but he suggested that DePape might confirm all the "gay tryst gone wrong" rumors if he wasn't locked up. Kirk wondered why someone who'd tried to kill an old man hadn't been released on bail. Despite the Fox News rhetoric, Democratic prosecutors aren't in the habit of releasing clearly unhinged attempted murderers. (The much-maligned and recently recalled San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin opposed cash bail but supported detaining criminal suspects who posed a serious public safety risk.)

“Charlie Kirk calls for his audience to post bail for Pelosi attacker: "If some amazing patriot out there in San Francisco or the Bay Area wants to really be a midterm hero, someone should go and bail this guy out...Bail him out and then go ask him some questions"”

— Jason Campbell (@Jason Campbell) 1667235666 

"By the way," Kirk said, turning his podcast into an impromptu GoFundMe, "If some amazing patriot out there in San Francisco or the Bay Area wants to really be a midterm hero, someone should go and bail this guy out, I bet his bail’s like thirty or forty thousand bucks ... Bail him out and then go ask him some questions.”

Yes, be a "midterm hero" and help free a guy who admitted that he wanted to torture the 82-year-old speaker of the House. Kirk claims he's just trolling liberals, who supposedly are all about freeing attempted murderers. He whined that the man who attacked Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin, who's running for New York governor, at a campaign event this summer was released without bail. Kirk failed to mention that even Democrats were surprised and there's some evidence that Zeldin's own political allies might've arranged the release to help Zeldin's campaign.

Conservatives are filled with such contempt and seething resentment they can't process basic human emotions like empathy. Everything's filtered through their victimization complex. Ultimately, though, it's all an excuse to behave like assholes. An excellent case in point is Arizona Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake, who traffics in conspiracy theories and election denialism. The Pelosi attack didn't cause her to reconsider her hateful rhetoric. She just incorporated it into her act .

“The Republican candidate hailed as the party’s “rising star” jokes about an 82 year old grandfather being violently attacked. And the crowd laughs.”

— Joe Scarborough (@Joe Scarborough) 1667261814 

During an event, she said, "It's not impossible to protect our kids in school. They act like it is. Nancy Pelosi ... well, she's got protection in DC. Apparently, her house doesn't have a lot of protection."

And the crowd roared, as Pelosi's husband remains in intensive care and could possibly die. He's 82 years old and took a hammer to the head. California Gov. Gavin Newsom called out the "sewage" that Republican politicians amplify online and on TV. They see the impact but they don't care because it drives their supporters to the polls.

Dr. Frankenstein had his problems, but he at least accepted enough responsibility for his actions to join the hunt for his monster that was killing half the country side. He didn't make jokes in bars about the little girl the monster drowned. "Guess she couldn't swim! Hey ho!"

Republicans will never break down and cry, "What have I done?" They'll only laugh while the monster they created kills us all.

[ Rolling Stone ]

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