If you’ve logged onto Twitter, you’ve probably already seen a horrifying tweet from the official Oregon GOP Twitter account. What you might not know, however, is that beyond the initial outrage, there’s a little something else behind the content of the tweet. But let’s back up.
On Saturday night, the Oregon GOP Twitter account tweeted out a picture with the attached caption, saying it was a “heavily armed militia” which had come to “siege” the state’s Capitol building. Of course, this was intended to have the “Senate Democrats cower in fear.”
Here’s the tweet:
If you look closely, no one appears to be “heavily armed.”
The Twitter account later clarified that it was, apparently, referring to signage:
Make no mistake: This is disturbing and, frankly, frightening to come from any official account, GOP or not. What wasn’t initially caught in a lot of the (understandably) freaked out social media reactions, however, is that the GOP used the wrong picture in its tweet.
As reported by ThinkProgress, the photo appears to be taken from a video that was broadcast on a local TV station. What was the broadcast? Not of a “siege,” but of a protest against House Bill 2020, where mostly loggers and truckers appeared in a peaceful protest. To sum up the bill in simple terms, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, when compared to numbers from 1990. So, pretty cool in terms of climate change action.
To tie it all together, by the way, this is the same bill that some members of the GOP deserted the state to avoid voting on. Because they fled, there weren’t enough lawmakers present to actually hold the vote.
That’s where things get a little wild. Democratic Governor Kate Brown sent Oregon cops to find the rogue Republicans, which led to the Three Percenters (a militia group in Oregon) promising to do “whatever it takes to keep these senators safe.” Apparently, this includes offering them security, refuge, and transportation.
Sidenote: Each of the Republicans in question face a fine of a smooth $500 per day until they return to Oregon. Bizarrely, people are already starting to fundraise on their behalf.
Back to the Capitol. The Three Percenters (the same group mentioned above) threatened to join in on other protests set to take place inside the Capitol building on Saturday. State cops shut down the building for safety reasons.
"The State Police Superintendent just informed the Senate president of a credible threat from militia groups coming to the Capitol tomorrow," The Wall Street Journal reports that a text message sent to Oregon’s senators explains. "The Superintendent strongly recommends that no one come to the Capitol."
While some people did, in fact, show up at the Capitol, it’s reportedly been far fewer people than what the GOP’s picture suggested. Because, again, that picture wasn’t from the same event.
Confusing? Yup. Embarrassing for the GOP? Absolutely.
