"Dear Montana, please do my party a favor, though they don't realize it, & reject this jerk today. We've reached our quota already."

-- John Weaver, @JWGOP

"If only for the health of the GOP, shouldn't some elected Republicans actually criticize a candidate who assaults someone and lies about it?"

-- Bill Kristol, @BillKristol

"This Gianforte assault story is one of those moments where the cultural collapse of the GOP into the Trump Troll Party is captured.

First, if you're defending someone assaulting a reporter because "duh lubrul media lies" allow me put the jackboot on the other foot.

How would you feel if the parents of Seth Rich took out a tire iron and beat the living shit out of Sean Hannity for his repulsive lies?

How would you feel if this rule got applied to Trumpbart "reporters" who are lying, tendentious, shitbirds of the highest order?

Is it cool for me to beat that freakish, pasty recluse John Nolte's head in because he literally *joked about my daughter being raped* ?

Are you so past the rule of law, and lack so much confidence in your ideas that this is where you take political satisfaction?

Because if this is where you are, you're not a party; you're a mob. If this is where you are, you're not a conservative; you're trash.

the vast majority of people beating their chests and macho ball-walking on this issue have never been in a fight, never landed a punch

But I guarantee you some of them, including the clickseratives, will defend this even obliquely

the problem with political violence is twofold; first, it accelerates. 2nd, the set of acceptable targets widens.

If you're a Republican or conservative defending this, please stop identifying yourself as either"

The above is from https://twitter.com/TheRick...

It is no small virtue even for a corrupt journalist -like Ben Jacobs - to try to UNDERSTAND any act of violence. The recent terrorism in Manchester, for example, DOES have the beginning of an explanation in Hillary Clinton's war crimes in Libya. Ben Jacobs was a blatant cheer leader for " Hawk Hillary ". He also smeared Julian Assange AND President Donald Trump.

Clearly you have nothing to say that's relevant to the facts that Gianforte, when asked a perfectly legitimate question, went crazy, assaulted a reporter, then lied about it.

I respect CIVIL LAW: that says you can't assault somebody because you don't like something about them, the way they look, the way they talk, their CHARACTER defects ( lying journalists ).
Personal assault is a crime. The Republican Trump Junta is packed with thugs. And the corrupt Democrats want to make hay of it while the sun shines. You can call it OPPORTUNIST indignation. But don't berate a reader because he wants some " analysis ". In a courtroom you might even hear an " Anatomy of a Murder ".

I see that the apologists are out in full force trying to justify this sickening behavior.

This is assault. Full stop.

If you can't handle reporters asking you questions you shouldn't be a politician.

The 535 members of congress are supposed to be America's best and brightest. They're supposed to behave like mature adults.

It is not irrelevant that Ben Jacobs is a smearing, dishonest reporter for the completely discredited mainstream news media . Didn't Elizabeth Warren appeal to NASTY women to defeat Donald Trump ? But nastiness can backfire !

That's a load of BS; irrelevant BS at that.

Assault is assault.

Not only that but Gianforte lied about what happened in his statement. He's a bully and liar. He lied despite there being three eye witnesses to his off the rails behavior. That makes him pretty stupid. Stupid, bullying, liar. This is the best the GOP can do?

The Trump Junta is no friend of the American working class. But neither is the mainstream news media so biased in favor of " Hawk Hillary ", " Wall St. Hillary ", " Corrupt Hillary ". Check out this journalist Ben Jacobs. He does seem to have a record of dishonest reporting, smearing Donald Trump as a presidential candidate, suggesting that he approved of lynch mobs against the usual KKK targets.
The Republican candidate here is a thug : " It Can't Happen Here " ? American fascism has bipartisan support. The Democrats and Republicans argue bitterly over how best to oppress the working class. The Democrats presently are more hawkish, promoting the HATE RUSSIA, New McCarthyism. Trump is the more crude voice of the plutocracy. But unlike Hillary he also told the voters some crude truths in 2016 presidential campaign.

In comparison to the nonstop barrage of ever escalating gaffes and blunders from our new Fearless Leader, it would appear so. The embedded youtube clip should have been an episode of Celebrity Deathmatch.

Does a LYING DISHONEST " liberal " reporter make a good " comrade " in the fight against fascism ?

Just do a quick Google check on Ben Jacobs . He IS a dishonest reporter.

Lets be honest, short tempered politicians assaulting reporters and opponents is not a new fascist phenomenon. Not that its an excuse.

Speaking from the Left, I think the mainstream news media -now promoting the New McCarthyism- has lost both credibility and respectability. The voice of the CIA - the New York Times - is fighting fascism ?

how many TIMES a day do you SAY " New McCarthyism " -i WONDER- ?

How many times do bourgeois liberals babble about " democracy "?

Could you expound on that? "So what"? You have commented frequently and at length on other articles about congressional elections and members of Congress... So I know you are aware that all congressional races, and in particular all special elections for congressional seats, are routinely covered by the press.

If, during such coverage, a candidate chokes a reporter, knocks him to the ground and punches him - all in front of a national affiliate TV crew... pretty standard that this would get a couple column inches and a minute or two of air time...