Another Democrat Refuses to Run, Citing Intimidation

[DonViejo]

Source: Newsweek



TRUMP-ERA POLITICAL VIOLENCE DETERRING DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES

BY NINA BURLEIGH ON 6/12/17 AT 10:50 AM

America’s cold civil war is heating up, with countrywide reports of incidents of political violence. In addition to a congressman-elect “body-slamming” a reporter in Montana and regular clashes between protesters in the streets, two announced Democratic political candidates have now withdrawn their challenges to Republican incumbents, citing death threats.

Michael Treiman, a manager at a solar company, announced in April that he was running against Binghamton, New York, Mayor Richard David, a Republican. Treiman dropped out a week later after being threatened both online and on his property. Four hours after Treiman went on local radio to discuss his challenge, he received emails, directed at his wife and three children, expressing “heinous attempts to scare me off,” he later said. That same day, as Treiman returned home after picking up his 2-year-old and 11-month-old children from a sitter, an unidentified man in a truck yelled “liberal scumbag” and threw a full soda container that hit Treiman in the back while he was protecting his infant.

Last week, Kim Weaver, a Democratic candidate for Congress in Iowa, dropped her challenge to high-profile Republican Representative Steve King, one of the nation’s most vociferously anti-immigrant politicians. “Beginning during my 2016 campaign, I have received very alarming acts of intimidation, including death threats,” she said in a Facebook post. “While some may say enduring threats are just a part of running for office, my personal safety has increasingly become a concern.” Weaver also cited other reasons, including losing health coverage and family issues.

Her former opponent tweeted that he believed Weaver got out of the race because she was a poor candidate and Democrats didn’t want her. "I wanted #KimWeaver IN the race-not out," King tweeted. "Democrats drove her out of the race-not R's. Death threats likely didn't happen but a fabrication.”

Read more: http://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-violence-democrats-death-threats-624361

[still_one]

1. First of all the FBI should be right on top of this. Secon, the more this occurs, the more

embolden these criminals are going to continue this harassment.

[Plucketeer]

3. Yeah - and for "deterrents"

we have a candidate offering legal fees to hell-raisers and 45 days community service for bashin' the daylights out of a reporter.

[MrPurple]

24. I agree, the FBI should be in on this

Emails and phone calls can be tracked down. Even if the candidate is no longer running for office, the death threats/intimidation should be prosecuted. If some stiff sentences were handed out, there would be less of this.

[trueblue2007]

32. WHY doesn't the FBI investigate these threats. WHY ??????

[7962]

40. Maybe because nothing has been turned in?

Weaver never showed anything to back up her claims. Dont know about this guy.
If you claim to be getting threats other than someone yelling at you, where's the proof?

[sab390]

48. WHO the hell are you?

Threats, suppression what does it take?

[Hekate]

53. Emails. Recorded phone messages. Ms Weaver had a LOT of those, in addition to action at her home

Then when she dropped out she was shamed for being a girly wuss who couldn't take the new-normal heat.

What will they -- and you -- say now that a man has been scared off by someone throwing a heavy object at his infant in arms? Feminize him too?

As Ivanka says, who knew it could be so vicious? Except it was her daddy who empowered the thugs of America.

[7962]

68. Her story never references any police report, nor have they commented.

So she has all these recorded messages & emails, which could probably be traced, and never calls the cops? Why? Wouldnt you? I would.
Gianforte went to court today for what he did to that reporter. The reporter CALLED THE COPS. Thats what you do.

Just look at Facebook and you can see threats to pretty much any politician or wanna be politician. No, people shouldnt be allowed to get away with it. Prosecute.

[beachbum bob]

2. If you are easily intimidated, you have no business running for office.

We need people who can stand up, not fucking run away, which reinforces the idea democrats are WEAK.

[Txbluedog]

4. Why don't you run...

and stand up when some lunatic shows up to your house with a gun and threatens to kills your family

[paleotn]

8. I hate to say it....

but I would stand my ground and have the equipage to do it. One less scumbag in the world, I guess.

[beachbum bob]

14. Every ime a democratic candidate runs because of threats, it only

Reinforces the general opinion we are too weak to fight....if you can't stand the heat don't f*cking run.....

[paleotn]

21. I agree.

Otherwise, this crap is only going to get worse. Fact of the matter is, most of the perps are too lazy and / or old to be much of a real threat.

[Scruffy1]

67. I never worried much about threats.

Sometimes its part of the job. But then, I'm a little weird in that I believed if that they weren't BS. they would have already tried it. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't document it and report it. Once I gave a caller who threatened me directions to my house. Of course he was taped, but I'm really just calling a bluff.

[beachbum bob]

9. I served on a local zoning board and had threats...if you are easily intimidated

You have ZERO reasons to run. All this does is to lead to more threats...we might as well give up if no one is willing to stand up....and run with our tails between our legs

[Txbluedog]

10. Intimidated

There is no doubt in my mind that the loons who threatened the people I talked about would have made good on their threats

[LanternWaste]

13. The cut of your narrative about Democrats is consistent, if nothing else. And yeah... nothing else.

The cut of your narrative about Democrats is consistent, if nothing else. And yeah... nothing else.

[beachbum bob]

15. Well if threats is all it takes to get a candidate to drop what do you call it?

[Ligyron]

26. I agree

[Txbluedog]

18. Yes because it would be so much better to run and be responsible for harm that comes your innocent

family's way

[beachbum bob]

28. What's your point? If threats are only needed do we all run and hide?

If you can't deal with it don't get in the game.

[gay texan]

69. Fuck this.....

Carry a gun, learn how to fight. If the law enforcement won't help you, then it's time to take matters into your own hands. There isn't a god-damned thing wrong with protecting yourself.

If this is a cause you believe in, then sometimes you might have to get a bit ugly.

I've seen the ugly side of humanity just by simply holding my BF's hand in public.

A bunch of death threat wielding toothless redneck, meth-head racist, penis extension truck driving, spooge buckets can kiss my ass as far as i'm concerned. You have to develop the mentality of "You screw with me, I screw with you" No one in this hell hole place is going to screw with my happiness and my right to live a free life.

So, Treiman, a fucking redneck hit you with a can of soda. You protected your kid, nice job, well done! Pick your fucking ass up and run for office. You are fighting for YOUR KIDS FUTURE, fucking act accordingly!!!!!

This my country as it is everyone elses on this page. We have got to band together and get this done or we are finished

[KPN]

38. I served on the local school board for 11 years and was threatened verbally.

Yeah, I stayed on the board and ran again, but I never had anyone throw a full soda can and hit me in the back with it while I shielded my infant and family, or got threats against my kids and wife. The threat against me was personal. These threats aren't about personal issues, they are about raving lunatics who are being wound up and sprung loose by Trump and Alt-Right talking heads like Alex Jones.

IMO, you are minimizing the nature of this particular incident.

[certainot]

59. syracuse university nearby supports 6 limbaugh stations that threaten liberals all day

most of it is a lot more mainstream than alex jones

dems need to go on the offensive and tell syracuse university to stop supporting limbaugh stations - advertisers will start fleeing.

that will freak out the local GOP

most of the hate is generated by limbaugh and then the local wannabes, hiding behind call screeners and dump buttons.

[KPN]

70. Agreed. We are confronted by hate.

We need to respond with whatever real power we have which right now (as a majority) seems to be the purse. What causes me angst is that if that doesn't work, and proud people are involved -- which unfortunately fits both sides -- it probably won't be pretty. So, I hope the purse works, and we win the House in 2018 so we can at least obstruct their agenda just like they did with Obama.

We have to do that. We need to all step up, believe we can, and commit to doing whatever is necessary to win respectably and lawfully in 2018 -- this is a big one.

[KPN]

37. Good question.

Easy to judge others without being in their shoes.

[Plucketeer]

6. It's one thing to stand strong

it's something else when your innocent and vulnerable family members are at risk!

[LanternWaste]

12. I'm certain when you run, you'll be a Super Manly-Man about it

I like to pretend which specific, though entirely subjective qualities, a politician needs as well. Additionally, I pretend concern for my own children's safety is equitable to intimidation as it strokes both our narratives and biases better than not.

I'm certain when you run, you'll be a Super Manly-Man about it; and if (actually, when) you don't run, you'll offer an adequate (actually, weak) rationalization (actually, excuse) as to why you yourself are intimidated so quickly and so easily.

[red dog 1]

63. + 1

[DBoon]

29. If running for office results in physical intimidation

Then we have no right to call ourselves a democracy

[H2O Man]

46. The Binghamton case

is not one of a candidate being "easily intimidated."

[certainot]

55. easy for you to say. most dems have no fucking clue what their local rw radio blowhards

are flinging at their reps every day.

it starts with limbaugh doing more general and subtle threats and hate on the national level and then a few hundred other dipshits on those radio stations follow the leaders and some amp it up.

some of these guys will hide behind call screeners and dump buttons attacking dem reps and anyone else in media, govt, even private citizens who make waves, attack demonstators, and yell "commie!" and "traitor!" all day long aimed at democrats and then the dem base whines when their reps don't stick their necks out far enough.

and about 1/3 of those 1200 stations would be doing music and sports talk if we told the 88+ universities and pro sports teams they're assholes for broadcasting sports on those stations.

i wonder how many students who didn't vote in 2010 because they were so pissed off at obama for not closing gitmo went to schools that were renting their sports mascots to stations that were selling CLUB GITMO coffee mugs t-shirts and bumper stickers for limbaugh.....

[erpowers]

66. I Agree With You

President Obama went through a great deal when he ran for President and while he was President. Likely, although it is wrong, death threats and hate speech are a part of running for office. Regardless of which side of the aisle you stand on you are likely going to get death threats, people calling you names, and things thrown at you. That is just part of the life of a politician. You do indeed need to have thick skin in order to go into politics. If you need people to say nice things about you then politics is not the right line of work for you.

[Txbluedog]

5. This is sad but nothing new

This has been going on in TX for decades, I personally know of two people who were threatened with annihilation of their entire family if they ran for a municipal seat!

[Amimnoch]

34. And their supporters.

I was a supporter of James Cargas this past November. I had his sign in my yard.

Working in my yard on a Sunday, 3x men in my neighborhood passed by to tell me how much they admired the way I kept my home and lawn, and suggested it would be a shame if something happened to my family and home if we supported such a candidate that's "so weak on crime."

It was a threat veiled just enough to not be a direct threat. My sign disappeared a few days later in the week, and the replacement sign was kept where my ADT security camera could monitor it.

That was the only and last encounter that I had, but it shook me up pretty good.

[muntrv]

7. Domestic terrorism.

[Maraya1969]

16. God help me for saying this but do the same back to them!!! They will not quit

unless they get it right back at them. I am very serious. I've had people intimidate me in my life and nothing, NOTHING stopped them until they received exactly what they were giving out.

They will run away like little babies.

Either that or we just give up and let our country become just like Russia.

[Amimnoch]

35. Unfortunately, I don't see that working.

Republican or conservative does it.. they and their supporters support it. It will get little or no air time, or real opposition.

Democrat or Liberal/Progressive does it.. Republicans scream bloody murder, it makes headlines, we get branded as "thugs", and half of our own base turns on us and join's in the call of foul.

[Maraya1969]

42. Think about a bully in the school yard. Complaining doesn't help. But take a course

in a martial art and throw the bully on the ground a couple times and he'll learn.

So what if they yell bloody murder? Let them yell.

[7962]

41. You dont think it already happens? Plenty of keyboard warriors to go around.

NO ONE in either party should have to put up with threats and they should be reported.

[Maraya1969]

44. Well I've never heard of a R quitting a campaign because of death threats by a Dem

[Duppers]

65. Sad.

Last edited Mon Jun 12, 2017, 09:13 PM - Edit history (1)

May have to come down to such tactics but Society now seems to be full of these psychopathic morons.

[DK504]

17. Intimidation is illegal. Where are the cops?

Why haven't they been hunting down people that are issuing death threats to people simply running for office?? This is another sign in the death of America.

[Txbluedog]

19. You realize that Cops in small town America are pretty much part of the this problem

[47of74]

20. If I were to ever run for elective office I'd look at getting a concealed carry before running

And make it clear that I don't carry how many teabagging fucksticks come out of the wood work, that I'm not going to be intimidated in to not running.

[Warpy]

22. The GOP isn't even bothering to pretend any more

They've been completely taken over by mobsters.

[OldHippieChick]

23. Just a seed of a thought, but perhaps we should begin thinking about a type

of underground railroad for the families of those Dems who truly want to run. We must help them protect their families. There are enough nuts out there that I would not be willing to sacrifice my family. We must also recruit single people and those w/out children. We cannot just throw people to the wolves and expect them to put their families on the front lines. Willing candidates need to know we will help them.

[C Moon]

25. GOP needs to be changed to MOB

[tblue37]

27. The FBI needs to track down anyone who threatens a candidate or her loved ones with harm.

Do we want to end up like those Mexican towns where mayors are murdered almost as soon as they take office unless they have been selected by the crooks to serve their interests rather than the law and the people?

[DBoon]

30. Exactly

Nt

[alfredo]

31. Some research.

"Where the people fear the government you have tyranny. Where the government fears the people you have liberty." John Basil Barnhill 1914 Source - The Thomas Jefferson Foundation

Don't let Republican thugs intimidate us.

[AlexSFCA]

33. horrible

I can only imagine what the democratic challenger in Georgia is going through right now.

Now violent trump supporters know their tactics are effective and won't stop unless law enforcement is willing to do their job.

[That Guy 888]

36. Public pressure might help. What law enforcement groups, State or Federal should we email?

Which politicians too. Maybe emails from around the country would let law enforcement know that these terrorist tactics won't be ignored.

I used the contact button for Governor Cuomo's office. https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form

[Solly Mack]

39. If the FBI isn't involved already then questions need to be asked and the answers demanded.

This can't be allowed to go unchallenged or unpunished.

If this is allowed to stand the right-wing terrorists will not only continue to attack Democratic candidates, their violence will escalate.

If the FBI is not already investigating these cases then the FBI itself needs to be investigated as to why.

[TomCADem]

43. Why Don't We Just Call it RW Terrorism

Why beat around the bush?

[H2O Man]

45. Recommended.

I live close to Binghamton. There is a significant alt-right, KKK-type group in our region. And threats against open-minded people, both progressive and liberal, are becoming all too common.

[bora13]

47. scum

they are putting putin into play.

[heaven05]

49. No political office is worth someone's life or their family's life

we need people that can be a Stoic to defeat the RW hate running rampant in this country.

[BigmanPigman]

50. We dems HATE to play their games and their rules (for the past 25 years we haven't)

[Kablooie]

51. Looks like the very effective policy of threatening Dem candidates is becoming popular.

And why wouldn't it? It's about the cheapest and easiest technique there is.

Just drop off a few messages and make a few phone calls and voila! No more Democrats to compete with!

And the best part is that no one has to take action on the threats.
All you have to do is threaten to kill them and your job is done.

Why didn't anyone think of this earlier?
Simplest way in the world to rid the world of testy Democrats.

Better look out gang.
This may become normalized as the preferred way for Republicans to campaign.

[Hekate]

52. Newsweek says: "America's cold civil war is heating up"

This is a chilling truth. Hillary, in one of her recent interviews, pointed out how easy it is to rip the veneer off civil society and descend into chaos. She had several instances at the tip of her tongue, I thought of several more, and all of them are recent history.

How do we stop this in our own country?

Oh, and btw, it probably should not be necessary to point out here that Hillary was once again shamed for allegedly bemoaning her fate and allegedly blaming anyone but herself for her political loss. They really, really, really want her to shut up about what she sees happening, don't they?

[Hekate]

54. Kind of a PS, Don Viejo

Who the ever loving fck ARE these people posting here and blaming the victims?

[democratisphere]

56. Civil War Part II looms ahead.

[red dog 1]

57. Kick for exposure!

Why the hell hasn't the Binghamton Police Dept. made an arrest?
Couldn't they have possibly lifted fingerprints off of the soda can?
This was a felony assault and I'm sure Mr. Treiman reported the incident to the police.

This reminds me of what happened last September, when the woman who alleged that Donald Trump raped her when she was 13 was scheduled to have a news conference at her attorney, Lisa Bloom's office in CA.
However, after death threats came in, she canceled the news conference.
Both she and an eyewitness to the alleged rape signed depositions, under oath, in federal court.
http://www.justiceforkatie.com

[blueinredohio]

58. Maybe we don't want someone who can be scared that easy

Why don't they get a concealed carry?

[judesedit]

60. Where the hell are the cops and FBI Someone who's not afraid of these violent assholes needs to run.

When they're by themselves they're cry babies. Democrats pack guns too. Are there any single patriots out there that care about the future of this country? Please make yourself known. Your country needs you right effing now!

[riversedge]

61. anyone know how to make this a hashtag? TRUMP-ERA POLITICAL VIOLENCE

[Dawson Leery]

62. Someday, we will back in power.

When that day comes, I want the Dems to slam these rural areas hard.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10141797399#post19

All new cars in the Dawson Leery family will be made by foreign labor.

I do not care where food is produced, as long as it is safe.

Europe does not use corn syrup and chemicals like America does.

The problem with small towns and drug usage is simply that of bad decisions on behalf of the individual.
There should be no need to go out of one's way to help them.

[MrPurple]

64. So, if you flipped the script and Repub candidates were getting death threats, physical intimidation

How long do you think it would take for Sessions to have federal law enforcement looking into it?

And every right wing site and person who reads them likes to babble on about the Antifa protesters and how intolerant the left is. That's just because of a small number of kids protesting in the streets that are countering right wing extremists. How much 24/7 hysteria would Fox and the right wing sites have if Republican candidates in more liberal areas were getting death threats and having their families threatened.

[Doug the Dem]

71. Es beginnt

[yurbud]

72. Demographics are against them, their ideology is against them, so they've got election rigging...

voter suppression, and outright violence.

The first two only work when the polls are close enough that the election theft can plausibly be called a win.

As those scenarios diminish, look for the third to increase.