While Americans certainly do appreciate a fair amount of passion in their politics, there are still some lines that many of us are unwilling to cross.
You see, our nation was built on the idea that free speech would help us to prevent violence. Instead of shooting it out, we could harbor a heated, yet open dialogue that would allow us to find a compromise, balance, and a diversity of thought. The violence was to be left in the past, to serve as a reminder of how far we’ve come in a free society.
That is why freshman Rep. Madison Cawthorn is getting such pushback from his own party this week.
“Anybody who tells you that Joe Biden was dutifully elected is lying to you,” Cawthorn declared in a video the party posted on its Facebook page before deleting it on Tuesday following blowback.
“The things that we are wanting to fight for, it doesn’t matter if our votes don’t count,” Cawthorn said. “Because, you know, if our election systems continue to be rigged and continue to be stolen, then it’s going to lead to one place — and it’s bloodshed.”
It was that last line that had Cawthorn facing intense scrutiny.
“This is insane. Based on a total lie,” tweeted Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican who voted to impeach Trump after the Capitol riot. “This must stop.”
But that wasn’t all…
“The big problem is, we don’t actually know where all the political prisoners are,” he said. “So if we were to actually be able to go and try and bust them out ― and let me tell you, the reason why they’re taking these political prisoners is because they’re trying to make an example. ‘Cause they don’t want to see the mass protests going on in Washington.”
As for a rerun of Jan. 6th?
An audience member asked Cawthorn “when are you going to call us to Washington again?”
“We are actively working on that one,” Cawthorn replied. “We have a few plans in motion I can’t make public right now, but this is something that we’re working on.”
Cawthorn has been a bit of a firebrand within the party during his first term, but one can only imagine that these controversies could have a toll on his reelection chances.
