George F. Will: The nastiest political tactic this year

George F. Will: The nastiest political tactic this year

By George F. Will Opinion writer October 24 at 8:24 PM

The early-morning paramilitary-style raids on citizens’ homes were conducted by law enforcement officers, sometimes wearing bulletproof vests and lugging battering rams, pounding on doors and issuing threats. Spouses were separated as the police seized computers, including those of children still in pajamas. Clothes drawers, including the children’s, were ransacked, cellphones were confiscated and the citizens were told that it would be a crime to tell anyone of the raids.

Some raids were precursors of, others were parts of, the nastiest episode of this unlovely political season, an episode that has occurred in an unlikely place. This attempted criminalization of politics to silence people occupying just one portion of the political spectrum has happened in Wisconsin, which often has conducted robust political arguments ...

In collaboration with Wisconsin’s misbegotten Government Accountability Board, which exists to regulate political speech, Chisholm has misinterpreted Wisconsin campaign law in a way that looks willful. He has done so to justify a “John Doe” process that has searched for evidence of “coordination” between Walker’s campaign and conservative issue advocacy groups.

On Oct. 14, much too late in the campaign season to rescue the political-participation rights of conservative groups, a federal judge affirmed what Chisholm surely has known all along: Since a U.S. Supreme ...

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CalGun said:

The fascism of the left is getting ridiculous. It's almost like they are begging the right to start fighting. The urge to call radical Islam work place violence never occurs if the violent offender is right wing, but when they are occuppiers and leftist radical they are just mentally ill (Colorado / AZ). Sickening.

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Jack Hays said:

Police raids and intimidation of the opposition -- par for the course for Wisconsin Democrats.

/george-will-

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[/COLOR][/B]in-wisconsin-done-in-by-john-doe/2014/10/24/b30ee2ec-5ad8-11e4-b812-38518ae74c67_story.html"]The Nastiest Political Tactic This Year - George Will, Washington Post

The early-morning paramilitary-style raids on citizens’ homes were conducted by law enforcement officers, sometimes wearing bulletproof vests and lugging battering rams, pounding on doors and issuing threats. Spouses were separated as the police seized computers, including those of children still in pajamas. Clothes drawers, including the children’s, were ransacked, cellphones were confiscated and the citizens were told that it would be a crime to tell anyone of the raids.


Some raids were precursors of, others were parts of, the nastiest episode of this unlovely political season, an episode that has occurred in an unlikely place. This attempted criminalization of politics to silence people occupying just one portion of the political spectrum has happened in Wisconsin, which often has conducted robust political arguments with Midwestern civility. . . .

Gangster government — Michael Barone’s description of using government machinery to punish political opponents or reward supporters — has stained Wisconsin, illustrating this truth: The regulation of campaigns in the name of political hygiene (combating “corruption” or the “appearance” of it) inevitably involves bad laws and bad bureaucracies susceptible to abuse by bad people. . . .

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shrubnose said:

George Will won't decide who the next governor of Wisconsin will be, that will be decided by Wisconsin's voters.

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Jack Hays said:

Police raids and intimidation of the opposition -- par for the course for Wisconsin Democrats.

The Nastiest Political Tactic This Year - George Will, Washington Post

The early-morning paramilitary-style raids on citizens’ homes were conducted by law enforcement officers, sometimes wearing bulletproof vests and lugging battering rams, pounding on doors and issuing threats. Spouses were separated as the police seized computers, including those of children still in pajamas. Clothes drawers, including the children’s, were ransacked, cellphones were confiscated and the citizens were told that it would be a crime to tell anyone of the raids.


Some raids were precursors of, others were parts of, the nastiest episode of this unlovely political season, an episode that has occurred in an unlikely place. This attempted criminalization of politics to silence people occupying just one portion of the political spectrum has happened in Wisconsin, which often has conducted robust political arguments with Midwestern civility. . . .

Gangster government — Michael Barone’s description of using government machinery to punish political opponents or reward supporters — has stained Wisconsin, illustrating this truth: The regulation of campaigns in the name of political hygiene (combating “corruption” or the “appearance” of it) inevitably involves bad laws and bad bureaucracies susceptible to abuse by bad people. . . .

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shrubnose said:

George Will won't decide who the next governor of Wisconsin will be, that will be decided by Wisconsin's voters.

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eohrnberger said:

Some of the union thuggery rubbing off?



Indeed. So not being able to win legally in the election, not being able to match Walker's success with success of their own, they are now reduced to fascism thuggery?

Speaks volumes about these liberal / Democrats / progressives, doesn't it? And yet, they still proclaim their statism, wanting ever more intrusive government. All I can imagine is this behavior times 10 or 100 fold increase.

What ever happened to the demand from the Republicans, 'to come up with a better idea'. Is their idea of a better idea?

Why isn't Holder's DOJ investigating this? Oh, never mind. Because it's liberal / Democrats / progressives that broke the law. That's why.

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Jack Hays said:

Authoritarian liberals.

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eohrnberger said:

worst combination in the world. Not only will they take away all your rights, they'll expect you to like it and believe their twisted logic while they are doing it.

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Jack Hays said:

"All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others."

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shrubnose said:

George Will won't decide who the next governor of Wisconsin will be, that will be decided by Wisconsin's voters.

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CalGun said:

Will didn't suggest he should decide. He just stated a swat team shouldn't be used to impose a political decision.

I'd hope you'd agree.

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Not too suggest something very ugly which I'm sure many leftist are fine with.

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Ockham said:

What's interesting is the left screams about police abuse, racism (aka Ferguson) and police over reach yet, when it serves their purposes politically - using police to strong arm and intimidate others of a different political persuasion is justified and rationalized. Of course this is not all of the left but desperation in Wisconsin certainly breeds a "1981" type tactic. I'm wondering, did anyone get a metal head gear with rats strapped to their heads in this "raid"? Totalitarianism starts right there.... and at least some of the left wing have no problem embracing it.

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eohrnberger said:

Worst combination in the world. Not only will they take away all your rights, they'll expect you to like it and believe their twisted logic while they are doing it.

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rocket88 said:

How does that differ from authoritarian conservatives? If you think they don't exist, you've had the wool pulled over your eyes.

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rocket88 said:

What's interesting about the right is that they talk about how the 2nd Amendment protects them from the government, they talk about how they don't trust the government, yet when you get something like Ferguson they automatically jump to the side of the government.

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rocket88 said:

What's interesting about the right is that they talk about how the 2nd Amendment protects them from the government, they talk about how they don't trust the government, yet when you get something like Ferguson they automatically jump to the side of the government.

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rocket88 said:

What's interesting about the right is that they talk about how the 2nd Amendment protects them from the government, they talk about how they don't trust the government, yet when you get something like Ferguson they automatically jump to the side of the government.

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matchlight said:

Two points. First, Will's disparaging comments about one of my heroes, Senator Joe McCarthy, say more about Will than McCarthy. Joe McCarthy was a very brave man and a patriot, and Will is not fit to have shined his shoes.

Second, district attorneys are not laws unto themselves. There are ways to protect fundamental rights like voting and the freedom of speech against attacks by people like this. A district attorney does not have free rein to trample on individual rights guaranteed by the Constitution--his official position does not shield him from personal liability. And the same is true of anyone who may have conspired with him.

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matchlight said:

Two points. First, Will's disparaging comments about one of my heroes, Senator Joe McCarthy, say more about Will than McCarthy. Joe McCarthy was a very brave man and a patriot, and Will is not fit to have shined his shoes.

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Ockham said:

Dunno about whom you refer but I jump to the side that is telling the truth. So far, with the leaks about the case it looks like the cop was telling at least partially the truth. We will undoubtedly find out more as time goes on. I will always side with the truth over liars and the lies they tell.

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