Assault On Paul Pelosi Appears Politically Motivated

16 Comments

by: Colorado Pols

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul.

We’re monitoring terrible news out of San Francisco today that appears to be getting worse by the minute, as Politico reports on the violent attack early this morning on Paul Pelosi, husband of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi:

The intruder who allegedly assaulted Nancy Pelosi’s husband in the couple’s San Francisco home early Friday morning was searching for the House speaker, according to a source briefed on the attack.

The assailant broke into the Pelosi residence shouting “where is Nancy, where is Nancy?” before violently assaulting Paul Pelosi, according to the source. [Pols emphasis]

A spokesperson for Nancy Pelosi announced the attack in a statement Friday morning, confirming that the alleged assailant is in custody, and the motivation for the attack is under investigation. The speaker was not in San Francisco at the time of the attack and Paul Pelosi, 82, was taken to the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, the spokesperson said.

Information is slowly coming out on the suspect, further confirming the apparent motive:

CNN confirms suspect in Nancy Pelosi’s husband attack was very active on social media with conspiracy theories, and the Jan 6 Capitol attack.

— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) October 28, 2022

Paul Pelosi was described initially as “expected to make a full recovery,” but the latest reports suggest he is undergoing brain surgery after the assault. Watch this space for updates and statements from local officials as they come in. Local media has documented the rise in recent threats of violence against public officials as the midterm elections approach, in particular Democratic officials and especially women Democratic officials, including a man sentenced to federal prison this year for threatening Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold. The years-long campaign of deeply personal right-wing vitriol against Speaker Pelosi is more intense due to her high-ranking position, but it’s the same motivation.

There’s no analogue on the left for this behavior, and we have to stop pretending there is.

16 thoughts on “Assault On Paul Pelosi Appears Politically Motivated”

DavidThi808 says:

October 28, 2022 at 11:30 am

This is awful. Awful for the Pelosi family and incredibly damaging to our Democracy.

If good people won't run for office because they're scared they will be assaulted or killed, if office holders vote as the MAGA crazies want because they afraid that otherwise they will be assaulted or killed, then we no longer have a Democracy.

Log in to Reply
1. coloradosane says:
  
  October 28, 2022 at 12:32 pm
  
  Reality of SERVING in todays world. Can't hack defending democracy don't take the oath. Sad but reality.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. DavidThi808 says:
    
    October 28, 2022 at 2:54 pm
    
    Yes but we can never accept this as normal. Like the Trump/MAGA threats against our democracy, no matter how common, we must continue to say it is unacceptable and fight back.
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. coloradosane says:
      
      November 14, 2022 at 8:02 am
      
      Absolutely.
      
      Log in to Reply
ParkHill says:

October 28, 2022 at 11:51 am

Stochastic Terrorism: Encourage anger and fear knowing that sooner or later random person will act out.

Well, January 6 was not random, was it. It was coordinated by Trump, Oliver Stone, Proud Boys, and Clarence Thomas's wife.

Pelosi Assassination Suspect: screen shot of an anti Semitic video the suspect in attack on Paul Pelosi posted three days ago, with the caption: “That's some pretty sick Jewing going on if true. Bomb the country into shit so the residents leave. Buy the land up for cheap. Then pay to have it all rebuilt.”

Also, "ironically" posting photographs of gas chamber doors.

Log in to Reply
1. unnamed says:
  
  October 28, 2022 at 1:27 pm
  
  Oliver Stone? Do you mean Roger Stone?
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. ParkHill says:
    
    October 28, 2022 at 6:39 pm
    
    Hah! What a brain loop! I just wanted to see if anyone was listening.
    
    Log in to Reply
Bokonon says:

October 28, 2022 at 12:14 pm

Three things –

The right wing media has purposefully (and gleefully) demonized Nancy Pelosi, and turned her into a cultural lightning rod that goes beyond politics. They HATE her, and actively smirk and joke about harming her. Including things that go beyond political revenge – we are talking rape, shooting, trials for "treason" (followed by hanging), and so on. And if you confront them, they claim you are a snowflake and have no sense of humor. So the old Rush Limbaugh counterpunch methods and evasions continue … but it is being used to excuse some truly dark and scary stuff that is not normal political jousting any longer.

The second thing? The people trafficking in this dark stuff know that it is dark, that it isn't joking around, and that it can lead to violence. And that's exactly the point. They think is funny for Democrats to be scared. And they also think it is useful as a political weapon. For example … see the glee in some quarters about what may happen to Twitter now that Elon Musk is promising to do away with content moderation.

The third thing? There doesn't seem to be a good way to de-escalate or turn this ugly dynamic of radicalization off. It is now sustaining itself, and has escaped the control of the talk radio and conservative media members that originally fostered it. I think the GOP is scared of it too – and they are trying to ride the tiger without getting devoured themselves.

Log in to Reply
1. Colorado Pols says:
  
  October 28, 2022 at 1:09 pm
  
  A comment was deleted with a warning that we will not allow advocacy for violence in this forum by anyone for any reason. Thank you for your cooperation.
  
  Log in to Reply
2. DavidThi808 says:
  
  October 28, 2022 at 2:32 pm
  
  Well said!
  
  Log in to Reply
Lauren Boebert is a Worthless POS says:

October 28, 2022 at 12:50 pm

I blame Jesse Watters for this. He has been pumping up all the MAGA loonies with his tirades about Paul Pelosi.

Log in to Reply
MichaelBowman says:

October 28, 2022 at 3:15 pm

Well, this is going well…

Neo-Nazis, Antisemites, and the N-Word: Twitter Just Hours Under Elon Musk

Minutes after Elon Musk became Twitter’s official owner, the platform was filled with vile hate speech as users celebrated.

The very first hours of Musk’s stewardship of the social media platform have been dominated by his supporters relishing their ability to use profane slurs and racial epithets, and a torrent of racist, antisemitic, Islamophobic, homophobic, and transphobic hate speech continued Friday morning.

“Since Elon Musk made Twitter free speech haven, I'll say this: FUCK N*****S,” one account tweeted. “Fuck n*****s and fuck the jews,” another tweeted alongside a picture of Pepe the Frog, a far-right symbol.

Log in to Reply
1. Genghis says:
  
  October 28, 2022 at 3:25 pm
  
  Space Karen saves free speech! Goodie goodie gumdrops!
  
  In other news, MSNBC is reporting that Pelosi is out of surgery and in stable condition.
  
  Log in to Reply
skeptical citizen says:

October 28, 2022 at 3:25 pm

Violence is a Core component of Fascism. MAGA is Fascism.

Log in to Reply
1. The realist says:
  
  October 28, 2022 at 9:52 pm
  
  Exactly.
  
  Log in to Reply
coloradosane says:

October 29, 2022 at 11:41 am

Point of Order: defending the republic and constitution against kinetic attacks is not advocating violence but sometimes required although 99% of those living citizens of US have never had to do it.

Log in to Reply