Nancy Pelosi Warns Of Violence Over Heated Rhetoric, Chokes Up (VIDEO)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's eyes watered Thursday as she called for the rhetorical heat to be turned down across the country, and warned that such words can lead to violence -- a phenomenon she witnessed herself in San Francisco.

"I think we all have to take responsibility for our actions and our words. We are a free country and this balance between freedom and safety is one that we have to carefully balance," she said.

"I saw," she added, choking up, "I saw this myself in the late seventies in San Francisco. This kind of rhetoric was very frightening and it gave--it created a climate in which violence took place."

Riots in San Francisco in the seventies were punctuated by police beatings and assassinations, most notably of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978.

Milk was the first openly gay elected official in California and was shot by former supervisor and arch-conservative Dan White.

"I wish that we all again would curb our enthusiasm in some of the statements that are made, with the understanding that some of the ears this is falling on are not as balanced as the person making the statement might assume," Pelosi said.

She stressed again that people are free to speak out. "But I also think they have to take responsibility for any incitement they may cause," she said.

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Comments

[allanpiper]

06:58 AM on 09/21/2009

The right has developed this horrible habit of labeling everything they don't like as "evil" or "Nazi," and those words definitely inspire violence. It is likely that Glenn Beck's labeling of Yosi Sergant (who worked with Sheppard Fairey on the iconic red-and-blue Obama posters) as a Nazi led to the vandalism of Fairey's studio. It seems almost beyond argument that when Bill O'Reilly repeatedly compared Arkansas doctor, George Tiller to a Nazi for performing abortions, he helped inspire Tiller's murder.

I can already hear conservative readers saying, "liberals called Bush evil or a Nazi." Yes, there were angry protesters with signs like that, but never, ever news commentators or mainstream politicians.
It's the thinking Republicans who need to take the extremists to task for this type of rhetoric.

[CelticMajic]

10:07 AM on 09/21/2009

think you may wish to look a the archives of MSNBC

[justmakingcomments]

05:38 AM on 09/21/2009

Pelosi is a phony.

[justmakingcomments]

05:37 AM on 09/21/2009

"The White M@n's Way of Thinking ( WMWOT), has not evolved much since the 16th century Conquistadors, or the British Tyrants. Both of European decent and both of whom participated in the slave trade, whether Indians from Mexico and Central America or Bl@cks from Africa"

Just incase you don't know your history, Africans sold Africans into the slave trade in Africa... long before the white man came along.
just fyi.

[Syncoptic1]

11:27 AM on 09/21/2009

Very true, and often overlooked. Still, any way you slice it, it's a shame that the Europeans subsequently emulated such behavior in the first place.

[ghudson68]

03:25 PM on 10/01/2009

Thanks for the second grade history lesson.

[Blast]

03:57 AM on 09/21/2009

Seems to me the fruits of the bigots' and racists' labor, bore some un-intentional fruit. They didn't expect to lose control of all those inferior (minority) people.

Good heavens, all those inferior (minority) people now want the same things you have...OH! THE SHAME OF IT ALL! How dare they want these things, like education, jobs, healthcare....equality! That...that's just uppiddy, I tell 'ya what!

[Blast]

03:45 AM on 09/21/2009

This country has a long history of violence towards minorities or non-whites, perpetuated by "the white-man's way of thinking". That means simply, that for generations, the white man has had a feeling of entitlement, and solidarity and that any other ethnic group is viewed as inferior and made to serve the whites in years passed. Today, it is more, "they [ non-whites ] better not get it before I get mine", or as long as I get mine, I don't care about theirs", mentality.
Frankly, the WMWOT [ of european decent ] has not changed much form the 16th century Conquistadors or the British Tyrants, both of whom owned slaves made up of either Indians in Mexico and Central America or Blacks from Africa. Granted, as years go by, the WMWOT has been diluted, but the basis is seemingly still there. If you are white, you may not understand what I am talking about...you may even be really angry at me for saying such a thing. But, make no mistake, most anyone non-white, that you ask would understand all to well what I mean when I talk about the WMWOT.

[Syncoptic1]

11:33 AM on 09/21/2009

Wow. Good thing all white people are the same and that generalization totally works.

[carolpenry]

01:02 AM on 09/21/2009

As if she doesn't know, her inflammatory words instigated much of the rhetoric. She's a disgrace to the Speaker of the House position.

[Kevins]

04:20 AM on 09/21/2009

Well, she DID just say these right-wing nuts are unbalanced.... But most people would probably accept that.
What specific words of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives are you characterizing as 'inflammatory'?
Maybe if she's really inflammatory she deserves her own talk show on FOX.

[Philclock]

12:10 AM on 09/21/2009

Wassamatayou, Nancy, your non-union vineyard workers on your private vineyard getting uppity and asking for a raise?

[Kevins]

04:26 AM on 09/21/2009

Nancy not liberal enough for you?
How quaint.

By the way, aren't you glad for the union workers providing safety from those fringe right-wingers at the Town Halls--helping keep the peace and keep a lid on those wild, ranting, chanting, screaming bizarros? Thank God for the Unions.

And since you mention vineyards, God Bless Ceasar Chavez, and the Hispanic Farm Workers movement--and what are the Republicans THINKING slapping hard-working Hispanic families around in the country? Building WALLS to keep Hispanic workers out?

[joeconservative1]

10:48 PM on 09/20/2009

Who do you want to silence nancy?

[sepiasiren]

08:46 PM on 09/20/2009

What gets me is that the very people who say they are not racist tend to try to point out things to justify their own racist viewpoints and inclinations. For example they wonder why black people "have their own" institutions and say white people should have theirs, without considering the fact that 99.9 percent of these institutions were put in place BECAUSE of white racsim ( during Jim Crow). If you are barred from a Miss America Pageant, a Magazine, A TV station and you are ethnic, what are you supposed to do?

You say--okay then, I will form a organization that allows me to cater to what I know my community needs--black hair care products (white people do not do black hair)--TV shows that showcase our talents etc etc

In other words, ethnic organizations were created not to exclude but because we were excluded. White institutions were white exclusive not out of necessity but was made to keep "riff raff" and "inferior races" at bay.

They say "I ain't helping them with my money--NO hand outs!"

But then expect that same community not to help itself?

Its an either or proposition folks--what are we supposed to do--roll over and die???????

[joeconservative1]

12:22 AM on 09/21/2009

You have to face the fact that anybody that really wants to live in a colorblind society must reject these "ethnic organizations" of which you speak.

[Blast]

03:06 AM on 09/21/2009

...and you know not of which you speak.

[onalimb]

07:17 PM on 09/20/2009

Hatred is being used to fuel fires so that we put energy into putting out the fires instead of using our energy for the collective good. Keeps the wealthy welathy and the rest of us chasing our tails while they pick our pockets.

[emerson24]

11:17 AM on 09/21/2009

I agree.

People need to get out of this left vs. right paradigm. People need to look at the money masters. These are the real crooks. It's easy to fall into the trap of pointing blame to this party or that party. And like racism, the political party argument keeps us chasing our tails in the same way.

My philosophy is this. The knights templar paved the way to banking. The gold handlers secured peoples gold and then introduced fiat currency because these people never picked up their savings. The Rothschilds then opened up what we now know as the banking system. They funded wars for numerous countries. There net worth is reported at one point to be 500 trillion dollars. Am I supposed to think that these folks are avid golfers? What do these people get back in return? They are funding wars for pete's sake. To think they they didn't and haven't infiltrated governments, and still do, is completely foolish. There is no left vs right, it is a one party system. My only question is ,is how is it actually done? Clearly there are good people in the government, but not that many. Do these elitist fund both parties and just let them battle it out, just like they did with the civil war, knowing which ever side wins, they still win?

[Bcasey11]

06:16 PM on 09/20/2009

nacy pelosi loves globalization, torture, war, lies, bush.

[john88]

04:12 PM on 09/20/2009

House speaker, are you kidding? I'm not sure she should run the house daycare center.

[sepiasiren]

08:34 PM on 09/20/2009

Disprove what she is saying--words have incited violence--especially against minorities and people from foreign countries and ethnic groups--Just ask American Muslims how they were treated after all the hateful crap said about them on talk radio...

[Nikevich]

02:18 AM on 10/05/2009

Sepiasiren said, "...words have incited violence..."

One horrible example was Rwanda. I've read that the massacre started when radio commentators ranted wildly, inciting the Interahamwe to go on its rampages. I don't think any of our social saboteurs are ranting to that degree, yet, but I do worry that they could get out of control. (What color shirts would they wear?) IIrc, even Glenn Beck worries about loss of control.
Concerning anti-Obama wildness, it seems to me that they are inciting to assassination, akin to inciting to riot.
Again, I do worry.

[FBatRNC]

04:11 PM on 09/20/2009

I was just reading a NY Post article about the arrest of a suspected terr0r1st. I started reading the comments that people leave on the NY Post website and there are A LOT of r@c1st, xen0ph0b1c, h@te filled comments. R@c1sm is alivel and thriving. Take a look for yourself.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/feds_arrest_suspect_in_bomb_plot_Je2EM4y0OgutiNRttrQgJL;jsessionid=FE165A33BA6FDB0C731CF260E1055A4D?offset=0#comments

Some, not all, of the anti-Obama folks are rac 1st. What I do not understand is, if you do not consider yourself a rac 1st then why are some of you responding to comments suggesting that some RW's are rac 1st? If you are not a rac 1st then comments of that nature are not directed toward you. They are only intended for rac 1sts. But for some reason, some of you get offended. Funny how that works huh? I wonder what Freud would say about that.

[Blast]

04:05 AM on 09/21/2009

The White M@n's Way of Thinking ( WMWOT), has not evolved much since the 16th century Conquistadors, or the British Tyrants. Both of European decent and both of whom participated in the slave trade, whether Indians from Mexico and Central America or Bl@cks from Africa.

[FBatRNC]

03:37 PM on 09/20/2009

I have said this before and I will say this again. They already started with the vi01en(e. Proof?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knoxville_Unitarian_Universalist_church_shooting

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/01/23/da_says_racism_drove_brockton_killings_rape/

http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/99263.html

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gvkP-eVBMJ8kD7OQfV5WHVE85Riw

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/19096134/detail.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/27/joshua-cartwright-cop-kil_n_191929.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/07/stephen-p-morgan-wesleyan_n_199593.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/31/scott-roeder-held-as-pers_n_209551.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/10/james-w-von-brunn-holocau_n_213864.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/13/shawna-forde-minutemen-le_n_215246.html

[alexdog]

04:46 PM on 09/20/2009

Who is the "they" you are referring to. Hate crimes - yes, however only 2 that i saw mentioned the current president or politcal arena in any way, the 2 who thought they could lose gun rights - one of which killed in response to heavy media coverage of another "crazed" killer. The Justin-Jinich targeting began in 2007. The first link was to a crime in mid-2008. As horrible as these crimes are it does not show a pattern of increased violence due to current political situation. Is there even an increase in hate crimes; more data would be needed to come to that conclusion. What about the abortion clinic shootings in Atlanta? The shootings at the Atlanta Olympics?

[DeniseG]

11:27 AM on 09/20/2009

Ok, so let's forget for a minute that Obama is black, (something republicans can't possible consider, but since you cry foul when it is pointed out that conservatives are racists).

Why, if conservatives consider themselves intelligent creatures, do they resort to mud slinging and hatred when things don't go their way? At least it's not a totally lost cause, there is hope. If you Google "republicans for Obama" there are 10,630,000 results. maybe those people can eventually show their counterparts that what they are doing is childish. Joining forces to instigate change as Americans, forgetting party differences and looking at the big picture, is the only way this country is ever going to solve it's problems.

I thought it was the crass and uneducated who considered violence the only solution. I have never looked at conservatives that way, but I sure am beginning to.

Still, just pretend for a minute that Obama is not black. So much of this backlash and complaining would simply not exist. Admit it, conservatives, you hate it that a black, Muslim man is our president. They say admitting the truth is the first step toward recovery.

[alexdog]

11:42 AM on 09/20/2009

You need to admit first that you are a race baiter. Then after you have done that maybe you will post names of who has called for violence against this administration. "Joining forces to instigate change as Americans, forgetting party differences and looking at the big picture, is the only way this country is ever going to solve it's problems." Denise have you ever considered for one moment (I would guess not) that there could be some or in this case many who do not agree with the direction of these changes and the implications of the "changes".
Tried you exercise pretended Obama was not black and guess what my core ideology did NOT change.

[dgventers]

12:00 PM on 09/20/2009

Google Democrats for Bush and you get 21,800,000 results. We win.