Yesterday morning I posted about the string of violent threats and assaults by Republicans in Washington state, suggesting that it might represent a pattern, and wondering how the fear and anger that is driving the Teahadists might potentially escalate. To which one commenter responded:

A handful of incidents in one state do not a trend make.

Okay... how about a Rand Paul supporter stomping on the head of a MoveOn protester outside last night's Senate debate in Kentucky? Does that fit the pattern? Huh?

Or are we going to continue to comfort ourselves with the fiction that these are all just random incidents, totally unrelated to the violent rhetoric the Republicans and their surrogates are using to incite their base?

Perhaps my years of hosting comment threads inhabited by some of the most vile, hateful trolls on the Internet have colored my perception of politics, but it's time my fellow progressives wake up to the fact that there are folks out there who viciously hate us... and who are just itching for the opportunity to do something about it. See, they don't just think we are wrong; they think we are dangerous. Dangerous enough to warrant a head-stomping... or worse.

Violent words fuel violent actions. So don't be surprised to see more political violence like what we saw in Kentucky last night.