Tell Sarah Palin to Stop "Winking" at Violence!

[Mark Mentzer]

Tell Sarah Palin to Stop "Winking" at Violence!

For more than a year, dating back before the 2008 election, Sarah Palin and other Republican leaders have been "winking" at violent rhetoric from Tea Party extremists and other right-wing supporters.

They have pretended to be "shocked" when accused of helping stoke such fires, and yet, they have stood by, and even endorsed rallies featuring signs such as, "Obama's Plan: White Slavery," "The American Taxpayers are the Jews for Obama's Oven," and "Guns Tomorrow!" Some Republican House members actually applauded such protesters, even as they broke their way onto the floor of Congress.

And now, the chickens are coming home to roost, as these violent words metastasize into violent deeds. Multiple members of Congress have received death threats. Others have had windows of offices smashed. At least one received a package of white powder. 

Sarah Palin's reaction? Shockingly, she's actually ramping up the rhetoric. Not only did she tell her supporters, "Don't Retreat, Instead-RELOAD," she even published a map with cross-hairs over the districts of selected Democrats who supported health-care reform. 

And the Republican leaders, Steele, McConnell, and Boehner? They still continue to support Tea Party extremists, and turn a blind eye to their hate-filled invectives, in the belief that they can somehow parlay manufactured rage into a path back to power.

Enough is enough. It's time for Sarah Palin and other Republican leaders to stop winking at violence, and to stop stoking the dangerous fires of extremism.

Send a letter today to Sarah Palin, GOP Leader Michael Steele, Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Leader John Boehner, and ask them to do the following:

1. Publicly pledge to stop winking at violent rhetoric, and to demand that their fellow Republican leaders do the same
2. Publicly and specifically condemn the extremist elements of the Tea Party movement specifically.

Do it today, spread the word, and help put an end to this dangerous, outrageous behavior.

Sign the petition: http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/stopwinking/