You decide:
I understand Tommy Thompson is desperate to win the votes of the Tea Party crowd, but advocating for making supporters of the recall of Gov. Scott Walker “black and blue” is exactly the kind of irresponsible rhetoric Wisconsin doesn’t need, especially in light of the campaign of harassment and violence that supporters of a Walker recall have been subjected to.
Tommy Thompson should be ashamed of himself, and he should apologize for advocating violence against those who disagree with him politically.
That’s precisely why Phil & I chose to focus on Thompson, when all the other media provided a broad overview of the pro-Walker rally. Tommy was the REAL story.
http://bloggingblue.com/2012/01/22/tommy-thompson-the-mad-hatter-of-hart-parks-celebrate-walker-rally/
Thanks for continuing to call attention to this important story, Zach!
Seemed a bit inebriated to me.
i wonder if Dr. Tim heard him say that?
http://bloggingblue.com/2012/01/17/dr-tim-nerenz-and-the-prescription-for-laughter-tour/
Dr. Tim was there, indeed. There are 2 pics of Phil with Dr. Nerenz in the background. 🙂
and Tommy Thompson was U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services!!!!!
Seemed a lot inebriated to me. What a maroon.
I could go all fake outrage at the “black and blue” comment, but given that it’s the rantings of a old fool who doesn’t realize the 20th Century ended 12 years ago, I’m not going to worry much about it. Who do you think I am, some whiny bitch like Charles Sykes or Vicki McKenna or Scott Walker or Robin Vos?
That’s alright Tommy, the ad putting your career away has already been made from Saturday and is just waiting to be brought out.
Tommy Thompson needs to walk this back, and Governor Walker — on whose behalf Thompson was speaking — needs to repudiate it.
Keep in mind, this was a public speech by someone who’s a former Wisconsin Governor, was U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services under President George W. Bush, who ran for President of the United States early in the 2008 Presidential election, and who is currently a candidate for U.S. Senate. He’s one of the state’s most influential Republicans (even Scott Walker has claimed him as a role model), and he has a wide political following throughout Wisconsin.
And at a speech to rally Walker supporters to action he used physical threat language against Democrats and recall supporters. “When we get done, they’re gonna be black and blue! BLACK AND BLUE, ladies and gentlemen!” To me this crosses a line.
Disturbingly, no one in the media (Green Bay Press Gazette, Chicago Tribune, WISC TV, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) reported this part of Tommy Thompson’s speech, although the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel online quoted him extensively, including just before and just after the inflammatory statements — omitting the very parts of his speech that would alienate most Wisconsin voters, if they knew about them.