Thread by @tomselliott

Hate to break it to you but if Trump had won, there would have been violence on Wednesday, and it most certainly would have been worse. How do I know? Because Democrats have been endorsing violence as a political tactic throughout the Trump Administration.

In 2018, @tedlieu threatened “widespread civil unrest” if Trump fired Mueller. This wasn’t a fluke, either. He repeatedly said people should “take to the streets” if Trump did so (which as we know he didn’t).

@tedlieu James Clapper echoed Lieu — and many other Democrats — saying Trump firing Mueller would result in a “firestorm … in the streets”

@tedlieu Also in 2018, Sen. @CoryBooker told activists to “get up in the face of some congresspeople”

@tedlieu @CoryBooker .@HillaryClinton specifically said “you can’t be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for”

@tedlieu @CoryBooker @HillaryClinton .@EricHolder told liberal activists that Michelle Obama was wrong; “When they go low, we go high. No. No. When they go low, we kick them."

@tedlieu @CoryBooker @HillaryClinton @EricHolder In 2019, when Trump was considering declaring a “national emergency” over the then-gov’t shutdown, Rep. @JoaquinCastrotx said if he did, Democrats would “fight him … in the streets”

@tedlieu @CoryBooker @HillaryClinton @EricHolder @JoaquinCastrotx .@RepMaxineWaters told activists that “God is in our side” and urged her followers be increasingly confrontational members of the Trump Administration

@tedlieu @CoryBooker @HillaryClinton @EricHolder @JoaquinCastrotx @RepMaxineWaters In an interview w/ Joy Ann Reid, Rep. Waters then doubled down on her call to be “more confrontational” w/ Republicans

@tedlieu @CoryBooker @HillaryClinton @EricHolder @JoaquinCastrotx @RepMaxineWaters Earlier this year, @SpeakerPelosi said of getting active in politics, “When you’re in the arena, you have to be ready to take a punch and you have to be ready to throw a punch”

@tedlieu @CoryBooker @HillaryClinton @EricHolder @JoaquinCastrotx @RepMaxineWaters @SpeakerPelosi .@SenatorTester said that in order to take on Trump, you have to “punch him in the face”

@tedlieu @CoryBooker @HillaryClinton @EricHolder @JoaquinCastrotx @RepMaxineWaters @SpeakerPelosi @SenatorTester There is way more, but you get the idea.

Point of this thread is not “whataboutism” as some will reflexively contend; it’s that Dems have actively encouraged turning American politics into the powder keg they now decry. Violence was coming no matter who won.

@tedlieu @CoryBooker @HillaryClinton @EricHolder @JoaquinCastrotx @RepMaxineWaters @SpeakerPelosi @SenatorTester My take: Politics shouldn’t matter so much; that it does indicates Washington has too much power. No one should lose sleep over who occupies an office 1,000s of miles away.

This is a wakeup call. It’s past time for Americans to take our power back from politicians. Peacefully!

@tedlieu @CoryBooker @HillaryClinton @EricHolder @JoaquinCastrotx @RepMaxineWaters @SpeakerPelosi @SenatorTester The other point is that demanding more social media censorship will only backfire, as it serves to agitate rather than inform, & distracts from the more fundamental issues. It’s easy to block a tweet; it’s hard to decentralize power so people can according to their own happiness.

@tedlieu @CoryBooker @HillaryClinton @EricHolder @JoaquinCastrotx @RepMaxineWaters @SpeakerPelosi @SenatorTester BTW, I forgot about this nugget from December that @Google & @YouTube have attempted erasing from the Internet — Mich. Rep. Cynthia Jones (D) explicitly urging her supporters to attack Trump supporters; “make them pay!”

.@RepMaxineWaters now says her urging supporters to be increasingly "confrontational" and "forceful" against Trump allies was not actually meant to incite violence