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I guess a memo went out. How else to explain that leading figures in the Democratic Party are embracingincivility this week? A clip of Eric Holder is circulating today in which he endorses Democrats taking the low road.

It is time for us as Democrats to be as tough as they are, to be as dedicated as they are, to be as committed as they are, Holder said. Michelle [Obama] says when they go low, we go high. No. When they go low we kick them, he said.

The crowd responded with laughter and applause. Thats what this new Democratic Party is about, Holder added.

He may be right about that.

Holder also added that Democrats had to win to prevent people less imbued with good values from running the country.Were in this to win. And the reality is if we dont win, people who are less committed, less idealistic, less imbued with the values that make this nation really great will run this country, he said.

So to sum this message up: Democrats good, GOP bad. Win by any means necessary. Thats remarkably similar to whatHillary Clinton said, in an interview with CNN which aired yesterday. Youcannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for, she said. She added that civility could only return if Democrats win the election next month.

I find it hard to believe this remarkably consistent messaging is a coincidence. It seems like the sort of thing some Democrats discussed privately as a midterm messaging strategy. But whatever the case, the bottom line is that high profile members of the party are now openly ditching Michelle Obamas best-known line suggesting Democrats take the high road and embracing the low road.As I pointed out yesterday, Democrats are delusional if they think they ever abandoned the low road. They did not.

But getting back to this current moment in politics, I doubt it has escaped the notice of either Hillary Clinton or Eric Holder that grassroots Democrats are now embracing a new confrontational approach to their opponents. As Rep. Maxine Waters said, if you see Trump officials in a restaurant or a gas station, you tell them theyre not welcome anymore, anywhere. This is a blunt, anti-civility message and some on the left have denounced it. But it appears party leaders are now giving their activists approval to go all in with only a month left before the election.

Of course, Ithink we all know what will happen the moment someone does this to Hillary or Eric Holder. Suddenly theyll be shocked and appalledand claim they never had this in mind. They were only speaking metaphorically, etc., etc.Dont believe it for a minute.They see what is happening out there. They know what kind of behavior they are encouraging.Heres the clip of Holder already queued up:

Update: Sen. Cory Gardner weighs in offering another example of left-wing incivility.

Update: I missed this when I scanned through the clip the first time. Six minutes after his kick remark (about 16:50 in the clip above) Holder said, When I say we kick them, I dont mean we do anything inappropriate, we dont do anything illegal, but weve got to be tough

People on the left are pointing to this as evidence that Holder wasnt endorsing violence or illegal behavior. Fair enough but if you read the post above you may have noticed I never said or even suggested he was recommending violence. I said his remarks were very similar to what Hillary said yesterday about civility and to what Maxine Waters has previously advocated.

Bottom line: By definition, taking the low road is going to involve things that someone else thinks are inappropriate, Michelle Obama for one. You cant counsel people to abandon the high road and then claim you dont want them to do anything anyone would object to. Thats just not the nature of the low road and I think Holder knows that.

See the rest here:
Eric Holder: 'When they go low, we kick them' (Update: Sen ...

A potential explosive device addressed to former Attorney General Eric Holder was intercepted by authorities Wednesday.

According to CNN, the package had an incorrect address for Holder and was forwarded to the listed return address, which happened to be the offices of Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Secret Service confirmed that potential explosive devices were deliveredto the New York residence of Bill and Hillary Clinton and the Washington, D.C. office of former President Barack Obama. (RELATED: Potential Explosive Devices Delivered To Clintons, Obama; CNNs New York Headquarters Evacuated)

The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such, the Secret Service said, noting that the recipients were not at risk of receiving them.

Bill Clinton was at home when the package arrived. Hillary Clinton was in Florida to speak at a political rally.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former U.S. president Bill Clinton on February 19, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The New York headquarters of CNN andthe San Diego Tribune received similar devices Wednesday. The package sent to CNN was reportedly addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan, who is an analyst for MSNBC.

And onMonday, an explosive device was placed directly in the mailbox of billionaire progressive activist George Soros.

According to The New York Times, the device sent to Soros was similar to the others. It was constructed from a length of pipe about six inches long filled with explosive powder, The Times reported.

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Authorities Intercept Suspicious Package Addressed To Eric Holder

Aaron Blake

Senior political reporter, writing for The Fix

October 10

For the second time this week, a leading Democratic voice is proposing that the party pursue a meaner, more combative approach with this one going so far as to allude to metaphorical violence.

During a campaign swing in McDonough, Ga., on Sunday, former attorney general Eric Holder notes former first lady Michelle Obamas high-minded 2016 slogan, When they go low, we go high. Then he makes clear he disagrees.

No, no, Holder says. When they go low, we kick 'em. Thats what this new Democratic Party is about."

Several minutes later, Holder clarifies that hes not advocating anything illicit.

"When I say we, you know, We kick em, I dont mean we do anything inappropriate. We dont do anything illegal, Holder said. But we got to be tough, and we have to fight for the very things that [civil rights leaders] John Lewis, Martin Luther King, Whitney Young you know, all those folks gave to us.

The former Obama administration official and potential 2020 Democratic presidential candidate was in the state to campaign for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams and others. His comments surfaced just after 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton suggested that Democrats cant afford to be civil with Republicans if they want to retake power.

In his comments, Holder noted that he and his wife are close with Michelle Obama and former president Barack Obama. I love her, Holder assured. She and my wife are like really tight, which really scares me and Barack.

Democrats as a party have struggled with just how much to adopt the kind of tactics employed by President Trump and Republicans such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Trump has regularly alluded to and even egged on potential violence at his rallies and encouraged crowds to chant that his political opponents should be locked up.

Democratic leaders earlier this year balked when Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) suggested that Democrats should effectively harass Trump administration officials in public. Clintons and Holders comments, though, suggest that even establishment Democrats are warming to a more confrontational approach. Well see whether theyre comfortable with the way Holder phrased it.

Update: Republicans are denouncing Holders comments. Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel likened them to Clintons and Waterss.

Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), meanwhile, pleaded with Democrats to think twice, citing his wifes personal experience.

See original here:
Eric Holder: When they go low, we kick them. Thats what ...

Former Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday that Democrats need to be as tough as Republicans to win more elections.

Michelle [Obama] always says When they go low, we go high. No. No. When they go low, we kick them, he said as the crowd cheered.

Mr. Holders comments came as he was speaking at an event to promote Stacy Abrams, the Democrat nominee for Georgias gubernatorial race.

Mr. Holder stressed that this New Democratic Party is proud as hell and has to be willing to fight.

The reality is if we dont win, people that are less committed, less idealistic, less imbued with the values that make this nation really great will run this country, Mr. Holder said.

He said that if Ms. Abrams was elected governor it would send a message to President Trump and the nation to reject negativism and all the racial games theyre trying to play.

Republican Sen. Cory Gardner pushed back against Mr. Holders comments on Twitter, relating it to the violent threats aimed at his wife and other Republican colleagues especially in the last few weeks.

This is not who we are, Mr. Gardner, Colorado Republican, tweeted.

On Tuesday, former secretary of state and presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said that civility can start again when Democrats retake control in Congress.

You cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for, she said in an interview.

See the rest here:
Eric Holder: 'When they go low, we kick them' - Washington ...

Alternative Titles:Eric Himpton Holder, Jr.

Eric Holder, in full Eric Himpton Holder, Jr., (born January 21, 1951, New York, New York, U.S.), American lawyer who was the first African American to serve as U.S. attorney general (200915).

Holder grew up in Queens, New York, and attended the prestigious Stuyvesant High School before enrolling at Columbia University. After graduating with a degree in American history (1973), he remained at Columbia to complete a law degree (1976). In 1976 Holder joined the U.S. Justice Departments public integrity office, where he prosecuted cases involving government corruption. U.S. Pres. Ronald Reagan nominated him to be a superior court judge for the District of Columbia in 1988, and during his tenure he presided over civil and criminal cases in one of the countrys busiest court systems.

In 1993 Pres. Bill Clinton nominated Holder to serve as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Confirmed by the Senate later that year, he became the first African American to head the countrys largest U.S. attorneys office. Holder made community outreach a priority, establishing a domestic violence task force and forging partnerships with local law enforcement and civic groups. He also worked to reduce gun crime. In 1997 Holder was named deputy attorney general, the second highest official at the Justice Department. The post gave him the opportunity to expand on the initiatives that he had launched as U.S. attorney. He stressed the importance of citizen involvement in the legal process, and his Lawyers for One America project encouraged diversity within the legal profession. After leaving office in 2001, he joined a law firm in Washington, D.C. In November 2008 President-elect Barack Obama selected Holder to serve as attorney general, and he was confirmed (7521) by the Senate in February 2009.

During his term in office, Holder broke with the precedent established by the administration of Pres. George W. Bush and advocated civilian, rather than military, trials for terrorism suspects. This recommendation met with resistance from Republican lawmakers, who introduced a measure that prohibited the transfer of prisoners from the Guantnamo Bay detention centre to the United States for such trials. Holders Justice Department initiated an investigation of the New Orleans police department, spurred by accusations of police misconduct in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The result was the preparation of a consent decree that would place the department under federal oversight. Holder once again clashed with Republican legislators in the wake of Operation Fast and Furious, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigation of gun trafficking on the U.S.-Mexico border from late 2009 to early 2011. After Holder failed to respond to a congressional subpoena of documents relating to the operation, and in spite of an assertion of executive privilege by Obama, the Republican-led House voted in June 2012 to find Holder in contempt of Congress. The vote marked the first time that a sitting member of the cabinet had been cited for contempt.

In September 2014 it was announced that Holder would be stepping down as attorney general. He was succeeded by Loretta Lynch in April 2015. Holder subsequently returned to private practice, but he remained involved in politics and was especially noted for his opposition to gerrymandering. In 2017 he became chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee.

See more here:
Eric Holder | Biography & Facts | Britannica.com