Washington, DC. American elected officials are running scared as a growing number of citizens realize that they are the source of their misery in everyday American life. Some protest, but a growing number are taking matters into their own hands and getting physical.
Members of House Republicans are facing physical threats from angry constituents in their districts, leading many to fear for their safety. In the last few weeks alone, the FBI arrested a man threatening Rep. Martha McSally’s (R-Ariz.) life, a woman pursued Rep. David Kustoff (R-Tenn.) in her car, and Rep. Tom Garrett (R-Va.) is afraid to go anywhere without armed guards.
Here lately, though, Republicans have observed some furious constituents who appear to be going even further than previously in protesting issues with their elected representatives. These are becomming the members of congress worst nightmares on a more frequent basis.
Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.) described attendees at a town hall in his district last week who booed him down after he said people’s rights are God-given.
“They booed God. They booed the pastor. They booed the prayer. They booed the name of the church. They booed when I said rights come from God,” Brat recounted to The Hill just off the House floor. “That’s a fundamental tenet of western civilization. I mean, I didn’t think that was partisan.”
An increasing number of lawmakers’ encounters with constituents, even in deep-red Republican districts, have gotten dangerous. Many feel it is not if, but when more members become actual targets for voter aggression.
The FBI arrested a Tucson, Arizona man for leaving three threatening messages on McSally’s congressional office voicemail, in which he allegedly said her days “were numbered” and threatened to kill her. A criminal complaint filed last week in the U.S. District Court in Tucson said the suspect told agents he was upset over McSally’s votes to back up Trump.
McSally represents the same swing district previously represented by then-Rep. Gabby Giffords (D), who was shot in the head in 2011 during a constituent meet-and-greet.
In Tennessee, a woman angry over Kustoff’s vote for the GOP’s healthcare bill this month pursued a car carrying him. Kustoff and a staffer eventually turned into a driveway and came to a stop. Then the woman approached the car, yelled at Kustoff and struck the car’s windows, if she had been armed, the congressman would now be dead..
Virginia Representative Garrett spokesman Andrew Griffin said the freshman lawmaker has received at least three death threats over the course of the healthcare debate.
One constituent called Garrett’s Washington office and said if his healthcare is taken away, he would take Garrett’s life away. Another person sent a message to Garrett’s campaign Facebook page with graphic details describing how they would kill Garrett.
American voters are understanding after decades of apathy, that these representatives are the source of America’s decline. They want action and when the representatives do not deliver, are starting to take action themselves against them.
Political analysts say this dissatisfaction is something to be watched carefully in midterm elections next year, where many of these targeted representatives will be up for election. Often meeting face to face with people who not only can elect them, but also attack them.