Gregg Harper: "We Hunt Liberal, Tree-Hugging Democrats"

Media Matters:

The latest edition of Politico's "Get To Know A Congressman" series features Rep. Gregg Harper (R-MS). In the interview, Harper was asked about the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, which advocates for hunters and fisherman in Congress:

POLITICO: What in the world does the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus do?

HARPER: We hunt liberal, tree-hugging Democrats, although it does seem like a waste of good ammunition.

Read the whole story: Media Matters

Comments

[SocialistBoy]

Has he apologized yet!!

[hypnus]

Given the ratio in Washington these days I would say the hunters have become the hunted – hopefully to extinction at the next election.

[psychodog]

Republicans like to forget that the biggest tree hugger in history was in their party: Teddy Roosevelt.
He used the Antiquities Act to preserve national monuments all over the U.S., directly in the face of big business.

But I guess only 'liberals' are tree-huggers if you're a Republican.

[hypnus]

That’s what is ironic about the Republican Party. It looks nothing like itself anymore. Even Nixon would be branded a liberal by this bunch and if Ronny ran today, he too would have a tough time not looking “Reagan” enough. I can’t imagine what they would be calling old Teddy, but from what I’ve read about him, he wouldn’t be taking it sitting down.

[HLL]

Hard to believe he's been a congressman since 1972.

[Angiefranci]

I also take issue with the fact that the GOP hates nature--what's wrong with hugging a tree, and not hunting? I'd also like to keep the National Parks in tact so that my grandchildren and great grandchildren can see them.

[Chili4me]

Hunters are tree huggers.

[Angiefranci]

Now, see, this is one of the big differences between the GOP and the Democrats. We Democrats don't go out hunting and shooting at our opponents. We believe in democracy which means everyone has a say, and in healthy debate which means carefully studying the issues at hand. Brut force vs. Brain power, is that what we have here? Sure hope it's a bit more complicated than that.

[truthartbeauty]

You smug little jesus freak. Come hunting at my house and see what you get. bastard

[SocialistBoy]

If he's gonna hunt this democrat: he best bring his lunch and a posse , cause I sure won't be wasting my ammo!!

[PW1206]

Stay classy, Harper.

[Godweiser]

Lifelong lawyer before becoming a career politician. I'll take a threat from this guy, isolated from the rest of the threats by republicans against democrats, as a joke.

However, there is a worrying trend here of fantasizing and talking out these fantasies on the part of the Republicans. As many people know, this is like a sort of psyching out to go against an enemy, where they devalue the enemy's life and define them as no longer human and an alien species in contrast to themselves. With that lack of empathy comes an easier time pulling the trigger. We should take this talk seriously, as it is part of a subconscious cycle that winds up validating the sort of acts they describe, lowering their inhibitions against it.

We've seen a number of guys that have done these sorts of things, Furrow, Rudolph, Adkinson (Knoxville Unitarian Church,) Roeder (the guy who got Tiller) and so forth who were deeply mired in right wing ideology and were consumers of their media (the Knoxville Unitarian Church guy had stacks of Michael Savage books) and Roeder, as we can imagine, was listening to guys like O'Reilly, who actively encouraged that Tiller get what he got (until he recanted after the fact.)

So when a Republian goes, "Yew ain't gawt no sense of hume-urrr," they're basically shrugging this off, probably because they don't have any understanding of just how people are psyched up to do these things -- they're often seeking approval.

[noaxe397]

Good info, and absolutely correct.

I'd also watch out for the "natural rights" crowd that uses this 18th century concept as a cover for various extremist groups justification for the things they do, as you cite above

[faretheewell]

IF only Lincoln had the let the South go, we could have a progressive nation in the North.

[tweck]

They should hunt themselves.

[noaxe397]

Once in an episode of THe West Wing, the fictional president was up for re-election and somehow he was scheduled to make an appearence in Idaho.

The Bradley Whitford character thought this was a waste of time for a democratic president and said (paraphrasing) "Idaho, that's where they use Democrats for target practice."

Goes around, comes around.

[janiceh]

The guns always seem to be aimed at liberals. Nobody aims them at lobbyists.

[madisonhack]

I wonder if these guys bagged a census taker in Kentucky earlier this fall?

[justjoe48]

"I'm here huckleberry", you best be loaded for bear....yo­u quys are fearless when shooting a hunting partner accidently or maybe facing a 1/2# quail, but when it comes to fighting a real enemy of the american people, you guys hide the flack jackets, put on the Brooks brothers suit and the deferrment