Discussion: Vox Suspends Editor For Encouraging Protesters To Riot At Trump Rallies

What a little prick. Lenin with a latte.

One complaint about the story itself, however:

ā€œRensin advised other Trump opponents to carry out similar acts of civil disobedience if he holds rallies or speeches in their hometowns.ā€

Riots are not ā€˜civil disobedienceā€™, period. I donā€™t see the phrase in Rensinā€™s tweets, so assume it must be TPMā€™s usage. This is so wrong it hurts. I understand that these are going to be an emotional, painful six months: all the more reason for exercising care in our words and deeds.

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Very sensible of Ezra. This is NOT something one wants to encourage. And remember Trumpā€™s supporters are often armed to the teeth.

Dignified civil disobedience is something entirely different.

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It would be gobsmackingly refreshing if Trump showed the same class with his supporters as Vox showed with this wannabe reporter. But I have no illusions of that happening. After all, Iā€™m still waiting for my rainbow colored unicorn.

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.They hate Trump, sure, but they hate him as part of a generalized threat to the Civil Gentry of Elites.

If I may: WTF? and LOL!

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Make up your damned minds people. Is Trump a dangerous fascist or not?

Is this whatā€™s meant by ā€œscrewing the putschā€?

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No he is not. Having fascist tendencies does not make one a fascist. Do be a fascist heā€™d actually have to completely take over the government and I am not sure if he actually wants to and even if he did he wouldnā€™t be able to achieve it.

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Stop making it possible for people to see the two sides as equal. Do not normalize Trump you idiot.

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Fucking asshole.

That is all.

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Sure, Trumpā€™s a fascist. But every time you riot outside his rallies ā€“ especially if you do so while waving the Mexican flag ā€“ his poll numbers among key voting blocs in swing states like Ohio will surely go up. In short, rioting is an asinine political strategy that only benefits Trump. So please, for the sake of the Republic, stop doing it.

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They should have fired him.

Iā€™m tired of civil society accepting and even excusing this kind of behavior. This isnā€™t about liberal or conservative. This is about the rule of law and the behavior of decent people in a civil society.

The acceptance of what was once universally agreed upon outrageous behavior has led the GOP to nominating Donald Trump. We on the left are seeing this spill over into some of the Sanders events.

30 years ago even a ā€œconservativeā€ who was party to a call to a lone wolf to assassinate a public figure exactly as Glenn Beck did, would have made him an instant pariah and led to his banishment from the public stage. Today, he gets a slap on wrist.

When we excuse these calls to violence we condone it. Iā€™m sick of it and Iā€™m sick of those who excuse it.

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Is Trump dangerous? Yes. But violent protests directed toward him and his followers only strengthens his hand and makes him more dangerous.

Peaceful mass protests, and I mean MASS gatherings to protest and peacefully interfere with Trumpā€™s rallies are much more effective. Remember Dr. King! Remember Gandhi!

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This young generation has somehow, somewhere, gotten a very wrong idea about what "civil disobedience,ā€ as a strategy for change, is. It is not violence against individuals you disagree with, general thuggery, or temper tantrums. It is about challenging unjust laws and government action through non-violence. There is a HUGE difference between getting arrested for breaking an unjust law, and getting arrested for throwing eggs and bottles at a woman wearing a t-shirt you donā€™t like.

The second action does not change the opinion of the person you are attacking, bring attention to an injustice, inspire an important discussion, or gain sympathy and support for your cause.

It just makes you look like a violent a**hole.

And does real harm to any cause or candidate you think you are standing up for.

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I am not sure that is really the working definition of a fascist. In fact, I am positive that one can be a fascist without actually taking over the government. The Fascisti movement in fact began with no officer holders and a lot of bully boys breaking communist skulls in the streets. And the morphed into a politcal party in a relatively short amount of time. By the time they had an actual agendaā€¦which defined fascismā€¦they were still not in control of the government. That didnā€™t come for a few more years.

There were in fact quite a few ardent fascists here in the States too, and they never achieved any governmental power. But they were still very much fascists by any definition, including asking them directly.

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I certainly agree that one can be a fascist without taking over the government. In fact, one can be a fascist at a closed-off facilityā€¦which is exactly where Trump should be right now.

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Where has all the ā€¦ civil discourse goneā€¦ long time passing ----

Long time ago ā€¦

Gone to riots ā€¦ everyone ----

When will they ever learn? ā€¦ When will they everrrrrr learn ----

( Those who fail to learn their history are doomed to repeat it )

Itā€™s important not to become the thing you profess to hateā€¦

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Vox is vastly over-rated. A bunch of nerdy intellectuals studying a very narrow area of expertise, juggling some data to make a point that is pretty obvious. Most of these nerds have little knowledge of the history of humankind, and some with even less exposure to questions of ethics.

Where would Vox be without Ezra Klein? Heā€™s the only person there who can put things in context, and interview and write well.

Actually, itā€™s the part where they think ā€œcivil disobedienceā€ is a valid defense to prosecution that drives me up the wall.

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