Congressman stops short of calling for Obama assassination

Update: Good start. Happy to see this from his office. I would have preferred a denouncement of the question right off the bat but this will suffice for now.

Broun’s statement, in part:

I was stunned by the question and chose not to dignify it with a response; therefore, at that moment I moved on to the next person with a question. After the event, my office took action with the appropriate authorities. I deeply regret that this incident happened at all. Furthermore, I condemn all statements—made in sincerity or jest—that threaten or suggest the use of violence against the President of the United States or any other public official. Such rhetoric cannot and will not be tolerated.

Most Congressional town hall meetings rarely make national news, let alone local news. Tuesday night’s town hall meeting with Georgia Congressman Paul Broun probably tops all others held before it. The first question of the night (confirmed by Broun’s office) was “when is someone going to shoot Obama?”

I believe most people would respond in horror and question the person’s motives in the very least. Instead, the crowd responded with big laughter and Broun had this to say:

“The thing is, I know there’s a lot of frustration with this president. We’re going to have an election next year. Hopefully, we’ll elect somebody that’s going to be a conservative, limited-government president that will take a smaller, who will sign a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare.”

According to the local paper he then “He then segued into Republicans’ budget proposal.”

There was no dismissal of violence or indignation at the thought of someone taking aim at the President of the United States. NOTHING! This is just six short weeks after a young man pointed a gun at one of Broun’s fellow Congressional Representatives and shot her in the head.

Broun brushes the question off as though it is no big deal. Even his spokesperson the following day said:

Obviously, the question was inappropriate, so Congressman Broun moved on.

Then why not state the obvious? Because Broun hates President Barack Obama and has signaled much more than disdain. He has equated Obama with essentially being a threat to the country he is leading.

During the State of the Union speech Broun sat in his office and tweeted his thoughts:

There was this one:

Democrats’ policies have hurt the economy-not helped it #fb #tcot #sotuThis:

All children will be poor if we continue with Obama’s policies #fb #SOTU #TCOTThis:

Obama’s policies kill free-enterprise #fb #SOTU #TCOTThis one, apparently in response to Obama saying he was dedicated to supporting the troops:

Mr. President, give them the tools they need to defend our country. Not just lip service.And finally, this doozy:

Mr. President, you don’t believe in the Constitution. You believe in socialism.

The last tweet is the most significant tweet. The Presidential oath of office reads:

“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Military service oaths read as follows:

I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

Enemies, foreign and domestic.

Broun has called Obama a Marxist, socialist and even said that he could instill a Marxist dictatorship. He further equated Obama to Hitler. If Obama posed a threat to our Constitution and/or our democracy one could interpret the assassination of the President would be in protection of the country itself. I am not saying Broun has deliberately laid the ground work for the case but when you put his actions and statements together it is there.

Congressman Broun must come out and unequivocally say that President Barack Obama is citizen of the United States and is conducting his Presidential duties to the best of his abilities. We may disagree with policy ideas and the ways to better our great country but in no way do I believe in harming the President. I look forward to a spirited debate in the 2012 elections. It is in the ballot box that we can win. Not through violence.

Until Congressman Broun makes that or a similar statement I cannot in good faith believe Broun doesn’t want to see harm to the President. He has called him a threat to the Constitution and bypasses violent rhetoric as though it means nothing. All the while a co-worker sits in a rehabilitation center recovering from her own assassination attempt.