We have heard reports over the past few days of Members of Congress being shouted down and even physically assaulted. But believe it or not, the situation took a turn for the worse today as TPM reports that the office of Congressman Brad Miller received death threats in both Washington and North Carolina.
Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC) will not be hosting any town hall events this August -- instead, he's making himself available to constituents for one-on-one meetings about health care reform -- and at least part of the reason is this: His offices have received threatening phone calls, including at least one direct threat against his life.
"We had no town hall events scheduled for the August recess anyway, but in light of everything that's happened -- we have received a threatening phone call in the D.C. office, there have been calls to the Raleigh office," said Miller communications director LuAnn Canipe, in an interview with TPM. The threatening call in question happened earlier this week.
"The call to the D.C. office was, 'Miller could lose his life over this,'" said Canipe. "Our staffer took it so seriously, he confirmed what the guy was saying. He said, 'Sir is that a threat?' and at that time our staffer was getting the phone number off caller ID and turning it over to the Capitol Police.
What is it about the right as losing power that causes them to act this way? I went through the 90's and all the lunacy that came with Whitewater, Vincent Foster and impeachment. When Obama decisively won the 2008 election, I actually thought we may have gotten past that and we could, in the president's words "put aside childish things". But now they want to achieve through threats what they could not at the ballot box. It's time for us to stand with Congressman Miller and other Democrats who are willing to stand for us. Obama needed us to have his back last year, and our Congressmen need us now. Let's be there.