accidentally posted this in world news before bcs i forgot about the no internal US news rule by accident

Congressman Adam Smith says ‘totalitarian’ protesters are ‘trying to silence anyone who dares to disagree with them’

Protesters calling for Israel to cease fire in its war with Hamas who have disrupted US public events and infrastructure are practicing “leftwing fascism” or “leftwing totalitarianism”, a senior US House Democrat said, adding that such protesters are “challenging representative democracy” and should be arrested.

“Intimidation is the tactic,” said Adam Smith of Washington state, the ranking Democrat on the House armed services committee. “Intimidation and an effort to silence opposition … I don’t know if there’s such a thing as leftwing fascism. If you want to just call it leftwing totalitarianism, then that’s what it is. It is a direct challenge to representative democracy now.”

  • AmbiguousProps@lemmy.today
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    2 months ago

    I can’t wait to vote him out of office. He has done little for the state and district, and clearly doesn’t give a shit.

    I like how he said intimidation is the tactic they’re using (while calling them fascists) and in the same breath says the protesters should be arrested. He’s literally complaining about fascism while supporting it himself.

          • SquirtleHermit@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            viable /vī′ə-bəl/

            adjective

            Capable of success or continuing effectiveness; practicable:

            synonym: possible.

            • blazera@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              Right, theyre capable of being elected if people vote for them. Same as any party.

              • SquirtleHermit@lemmy.world
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                2 months ago

                Oh fantastic! So they are capable of getting enough votes to overcome the two party duopoly created by our first past the post voting system? Wow, that’s amazing! Why have I never heard of them?!

                • blazera@lemmy.world
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                  2 months ago

                  candidates dont take votes, voters give votes. any candidate is capable of receiving enough votes to win, it’s up to voters to decide. If you want to get rid of that first past the post voting system, well guess what. That same anti-genocide party also supports ranked choice voting! So if you’re anti-genocide and dont like first past the post voting, why would you decide on the total opposite of that?

  • Deceptichum@sh.itjust.works
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    2 months ago

    Congressman Adam Smith says ‘totalitarian’ protesters are ‘trying to silence anyone who dares to disagree with them’

    Says the man wanting to lock people up.

    “Intimidation is the tactic,”[…] “Intimidation and an effort to silence opposition”

    Is this man so comically evil he’s trying to be the Spanish Inquisition?

    • NOT_RICK@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      I was outraged by the headline, but he said protestors should be arrested in the context of protesting outside of someone’s home. While I don’t think I agree with that, I can at least understand why he would feel that constitutes intimidation.

      • Blackbeard@lemmy.worldM
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        2 months ago

        Yeah his whole tirade is ludicrous and he sounds like an absolute asshat, but someone reportedly vandalized his home, and that’s crossing a very big line. He should shut the hell up about whatever he thinks “leftwing fascism” is, and they should stop vandalizing people’s homes.

        • Soup@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          I dunno, I’m with ya but also if you see protesters, who regular citizens with no special power, as totalitarian tyrants wanting to silence you while also demanding they be arrested with your very real closeness to the power that could that then fuckin’ maybe your house should get vandalized. I’d draw the line at hurting an actual person and then urging people away from vandalism since they might hurt someone by accident but stillllll…

  • dogslayeggs@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    What an absolute dickbag. He even complains about silent protests that are 100% peaceful. Maybe if your stance is so weak that silent protestors are enough to derail your plans, you should rethink your stance. He even downplays children being killed.

    Also, if we are talking about silencing opposite points of views, how many pro-Israel people in the US have been kicked out of school, arrested, vilified in the mainstream press, or fired from their jobs?