Listen as Republican Rep. Tom Latham of Iowa laughs along with a radio host who suggested he “pistol whip” nuns who are objecting to the Republicans’ draconian budget cuts. When the host said someone should “pull the Nuns on the Bus over and pistol whip them” Rep. Latham responded by saying, “It’s always fun to be on your show.”
Listen for yourself.
Clearly Congressman Tom Latham is a Christian man. *eye roll*
In response to Rep. Latham’s behavior, Rob Zerban, the Democrat challenging incumbent Republican Rep. Paul Ryan, issued a statement condemning Rep. Latham’s seeming support for violence against the Nuns on the Bus.
“I condemn the threat of violence against the “Nuns on the Bus”, supported by Congressman Paul Ryan’s Republican colleague Congressman Tom Latham (IA-4). This type of behavior is an outrage and does nothing to move our country forward.
“I publicly call on Congressman Paul Ryan to join me in denouncing this abusive behavior toward these women, as well as call on Congressman Ryan to demand a public apology from his colleague Congressman Tom Latham.”
The Nuns on the Bus have previously visited Wisconsin’s first Congressional district to protest Rep. Ryan’s unchristian (I’d argue) and socially unjust (anyone with a heart would argue) federal budget plan.
Frankly, Zerban’s response is weak. He’s right in identifying “pulling nuns off a bus and pistol whipping them” as an outrage. But his tone isn’t moral outrage. His call for denouncement doesn’t fully put the comment into perspective so as to rout it and reset the debate.
The radio host also says of the nuns “They are the ones who threw the first punch.” Nuns throwing punches? Combined with throwing nuns off a bus and pistol whipping nuns: these comments reveal an immoral core. It is that immoral core which Zerban should be naming and seizing upon. Budgets are moral documents, it is the immoral core of Ryan’s budget that Latham defends with specificity that Zerban should respond to in equally specific terms. He should soundly redirect back to what the nuns are trying to communicate on their tour. Perhaps he has, but the excerpt here doesn’t suggest that.
You are absolutely right in naming Ryan’s budget as one which is both unchristian and socially unjust. I’d like to hear that sort of challenge issued by Zerban. Calling on Paul Ryan to join him in denouncing outrageous rhetoric will elicit little more than a hollow, superficial response. Of course Ryan will denounce the rhetoric, but when he does he will do the same as Latham has done here – reiterate Conservative talking points so that it is the Conservative perspective of the “rightness” of deregulation and elimination of taxes that the people hear.
If Latham apologizes he will do the same thing. Reiterate the message. Calling for apology and denouncement is inadequate. The immoral core of the comment is the same the immoral core of the budget. Separating the two does nothing but give Ryan and Latham a route for evasion. Zerban fails to connect the rhetoric to the budget. Apology isn’t in order. Apologizing for the immorality of the rhetoric disconnects that immorality from the budget. Ryan and Latham won’t apologize for the immorality of their budget, but they will both denounce and disconnect themselves from the rhetoric that underscores their budget and their policy positions. Zerban’s opportunity to press further and widen the debate is lost.
Your not likely to put a guilt trip on Paul Ryan, Zach. When the faithful fall, they usually burn their bridges. And the bridges were not that solid to begin with.
Mickelson and Latham seem not to realize that it wouldn’t be the first time that nuns have been pulled over and pistol whipped on a far-Right politician’s orders: http://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/03/world/4-salvadorans-say-they-killed-us-nuns-on-orders-of-military.html
Violence against women is not funny. It’s no joke. I recommend contacting WHO and Mickelson advertisers and letting them know how you feel about businesses that put their advertising dollars in the pockets of broadcasters who think violence against women is a joke.