At NYT, Former Congressman Who Called for Rick Scott's Shooting Wants 'Atmosphere of Civility and Respect'

Oh c'mon, this is too easy.

Here's a paragraph from former Congressman Paul Kanjorski's op-ed in the New York Times, published online yesterday, in the print edition today ("Why Politicians Need to Stay Out in the Open"):

We all lose an element of freedom when security considerations distance public officials from the people. Therefore, it is incumbent on all Americans to create an atmosphere of civility and respect in which political discourse can flow freely, without fear of violent confrontation.

Here's Kanjorski, when he was still a Congressman, discussing Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott last year (HT Mark Hemingway at the Washington Examiner):

"That Scott down there that's running for governor of Florida," Mr. Kanjorski said. "Instead of running for governor of Florida, they ought to have him and shoot him. Put him against the wall and shoot him. He stole billions of dollars from the United States government and he's running for governor of Florida. He's a millionaire and a billionaire. He's no hero. He's a damn crook. It's just we don't prosecute big crooks."

The same column at the Scranton Times-Tribune recalls other gems from Kanjorski, who called the health insurance industry "blood suckers," and "said at a town hall meeting that Democrats 'sort of stretched the facts' to sound as if they would end the Iraq war."

Kanjorski also said the following while defending last year's "financial reform" law:

We’re giving relief to people that I deal with in my office every day now unfortunately. But because of the longevity of this recession, these are people — and they’re not minorities and they’re not defective and they’re not all the things you’d like to insinuate that these programs are about — these are average, good American people.

You don't have to be a genius to see the racism inherent in that statement, but in case anyone needs help: If the people Kanjorski “deal(s) with in my office everyday” are “average, good American people” because “they’re not minorities and they’re not defective,” then those who are minorities and “defective” in some way are not “average, good American people.”

This is the guy to whom the New York Times goes for an op-ed on civility.

The Old Gray Lady, which has been obsessed with partisan "vitirol" (right-wing only, of course) since Saturday's Tucson murders, is turning itself into a sick, sad joke. No further commentary required.

Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.