In my book on our age of rage I explore how rage is addictive and contagious. What people do not want to admit in places like Minneapolis is that they like it, they need it. Politicians know that. Even after Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones was shown to have threatened to kill his political opponents and their children, other Democratic leaders continued to support him and he was elected to the highest law enforcement position in the state. Now, Ohio Democratic Attorney General candidate Elliot Forhan appears to be attempting to ride the same rage wave in a video in which he says, “…I am going to kill Donald Trump.”
A video is making rounds on X in which Forhan says, “I am going to obtain conviction, rendered by a jury of his peers, at a standard of proof beyond reasonable doubt, based on evidence, presented at trial, conducted in accordance with due process, resulting in a sentence, duly executed, of capital punishment.”
Forhan continued, “That is what I mean when I say I am going to kill Donald Trump.”
The video shows the thrill of saying (or hearing others declare) that you are going to kill your political enemies. After the thrill-kill statement, Forhan then adds the legal rationale, like a fast-talking commercial warning of product risks. He knows, as with those warnings, people will tune out the perfunctory verbiage. Indeed, like a commercial, he immediately returns to the marketing pitch in saying, “I am going to kill Donald Trump.”
This is protected speech under the First Amendment, but it is also reprehensible rhetoric at a time of increasing social unrest. Forhan is trafficking in rage in the hope that it will secure him a political office.
This pledge to hunt a single individual has worked for other Democratic Attorney General candidates like Letitia James.
Other prosecutors are feeding the rage addiction with their own overwrought and dubious pledges. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has been holding chest-thumping press conferences promising to arrest federal agents, which is highly unlikely given federal immunity protections.
Krasner was back, thrilling the MS Now crowd with a vow to “hunt” down federal immigration agents if they move into the city. He repeated the Democratic mantra that these law enforcement officers are Nazis and Gestapo.
“This is a small bunch of wannabe Nazis. That’s what they are. In a country of 350 million, we outnumber them. If we have to hunt you down the way they hunted down Nazis for decades, we will find your identities. We will find you. We will achieve justice.”
This reckless rhetoric from Krasner (who was in my class at the University of Chicago) is occurring as protesters in cities like Minneapolis have been shown carrying signs reading “Kill Nazis.”
From pledges to kill Trump to hunting down federal enforcement officers, Democratic leaders are attempting to ride the rage wave to midterm victories. It is a call not for democracy but mobocracy. They will find that it will be a short-lived ride. Today’s revolutionaries often turn into tomorrow’s reactionaries.
Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the author of the forthcoming “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution,” which will be released on Feb. 3 as part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
In my 80 years I can’t recall how many Americans openly suffering broken minds. I recently heard a retired Special Forces Col outline how we’re in the midst of an organized insurgency to destroy the American way of life. He noted the attempts are from within the nation, members of a political party as well as those outside the nation. He gave examples how to defeat the insurgency but sadly I haven’t seen that effort yet. Let’s hope someone in the administration can wake up and act accordingly?
Prof. Turley, your disposition toward these examples of rage rhetoric seems conflicted. They’ve become your daily column’s bread and butter — easy writing task, just copy and paste outrageous quotes. Yet, you hint that rage is not all that healthy mentally, in terms of addiction — and radicalization escalating to violence. How opposed are you to the daily exchanges of rage?
I’m looking at the candidate pipeline. I don’t like what I’m seeing. Normal high achievers brimming over with civic giveback generosity no longer want to run for public office. The gauntlet of character assassination (or what you call rage nation) — not just directed at the candidate but also his family. It’s just not worth it.
Under rage nation, the pipeline filters out persons of normal mental health, leaving a wide-open lane for those immune to a defamatory onslaught of personal attacks, i.e. those on the narcissistic psychopathic-sociopathic spectrum. They don’t respond to criticism the same way as a normal person.
This candidate funnel is positive feedback loop, where crazy overtakes sane. Abnormal mental health leads to victory.
Stop straddling the fence. If you think the mental health of our country’s leadership cohort is optional, explain to us how we navigate a complex future. Explain why rage, not civility, should be the topic of choice serious legal minds write about. Explain why you think rage politics has not impacted who is willing to step forward as leaders.
Good questions, but I suspect that if you read his book you will find out his answers. If you have a solution, please develop it here. We would love to see it.
The resort to violent rhetoric and violent action by Democrats is a sign of weakness. They are afraid of a fair contest in the realm of ideas and discussion. They have become an anti-intellectual party holding on to their grip on power by any means necessary.
Whether it’s Trump’s incitement to violence or a Democrat – they are unfit for government authority.
Yes Anonymous. Yes Anonymous. Go peacefully and protest said by Trump was equal to Kamala Harris saying that the mostly peaceful protests burning a courthouse and killing people should continue.
Your equivocation lacks maturity of thought. One thing is not like the other.
This is for you TIT.
https://youtu.be/nw_kbcDdGto?si=979nwFOT3PuHb2xB
Who was the President when this happened, but any protests were no-where to be found.
“Why is U.S. Border Patrol Shooting Rock-Throwing Teenagers? “”
March 12, 2014
“Border agent shoots, kills Undocumented Migrant”
Jun 10, 2016
“Immigration Officer Shoots at Man in a Case of Mistaken Identity “
Apr 9, 2012
“Resulting in a sentence, duly executed, of capital punishment.”
That’s a fancy way for a Democratic politician to say hung by the neck until dead.
Placed on a cross along the Apian way as a warning to all those who would go against the Democratic oligarchs. In their minds they glorify at the crows who peck out the eyes of the demons they have brought to justice. The thumbs down at the Roman arena is still utilized with great zeal by those on the left running for office in blue states. At the strike of the sword shouts of great ecstasy will be heard across the land. A choice is now required. The barbarous still remain.
Hate and rage is all they have. And they are going to try to ride it all the way to the mid-terms.
Try a new line will ya. You spew the same stupid mantra day after day.
If Democrats would not spew the same hate and rage day after day, I would not have to make that observation.
Just like professor Turley would not have to point out the stupid and crazy his Democrat party has embraced, he would not have anything to comment on about the stupid and crazy they keep spewing.
That’s because the left keeps doing the same BS everyday. Garbage in garbage out.
Agreed Upstate. No new policies or ideas, just rage.
And cartons of Chinese made ballots.
Do the child rapist that Trump has deported want to kill Trump.
Do the Somalis who are being arrested and deported for stealing funds that were supposed to be used to feed hungry children want to kill Trump.
Do the illegal aliens who were convicted of driving drunk that were released by Walz want to kill Trump?
You can imagine them all standing in a prison yard saying that if they had a chance they would kill Trump in a heartbeat. Once upon a time we used to call them worthless thugs. Now we call them Democratic politicians. You will know them by the company they keep.
What is your point? Seems you haven’t thought that through.
Anonymous, to thick to see it? I am saying that they are no different than the killers, thieves and rapist milling about a prison yard who just like them want to kill Trump. The similarities are more than obvious to a mind with an eye to see. It’s always obvious that you are mentally milling about in the yard with your heroes.
Friends this what happens from an addiction to fox news. Tit’s soliloquy could be heard just before someone gets 4 point restraints in a psyche ward, or just before an episode of projectile vomiting.
Of all the USEFUL IDIOTS plying their trade on the current situation throughout the country— this idiot is in a league of his own. I imagine the Secret Service is banging on his door about right now.
49% voted for these people in the last election. This is a problem.
This guys claim to kill Trump will be good enough to win every Dem vote in Ohio. TDS is real.
BillyG, I’ve got Donald Trump in my head and I can’t get him out.
The left is making it abundantly clear they no longer support the rule of law in any capacity. It needs to be said often: they are insane. If the moderates even exist, they have had plenty of time to speak up, and the silence is deafening.
Well said James. Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones boasted about killing his opponent and his children and he STILL won. Greg
Turls is a connoisseur of rage. It most obviously motivates and just barely subtextually drives him…so he’s perhaps a bit oversensitive when he sees it around him.
Thing is though, what trump and cabinet have to be cognizant of is that their meetings early on in which obvious permission was given for extrajudicial killings being used in order to enforce a clear channel of prisoners for trump’s private prison kickback scheme put the upper admin in clear death penalty discussion territory.
Rage connoisseur? He’s giving the public what it wants. Where else can the America’s geriatric population find entertainment.
Another example of why closing most asylums was a terrible error.
Gee, I would’ve thought you’d try to contradict my point. But, clearly, you can’t.
There aren’t enough asylums to hold all these democrats.
Can you go back and change his grade?
Do any of the lawyers here think that the AG candidate has violated the CPR?
There are no lawyers here. Real lawyers work during the day.
We know it is the FOOLish voters in VA and Philadelphia (who look only for the “D” on the ballots) to blame for those two. Now … let us see if being anti-President Trump works in a D primary.
Hey its America and loony tunes can run for office and even bigger loony tunes can vote for them! Ohio may become the new Californication! Let’s see how this turns out and then all of America can see where NOT TO LIVE and drive up UHAUL outbound trips! Haha.
This is the fallacy of trying to make the exception seem like the rule.
Fallacious writings have no credibility and should be ignored.
And yet here were are discussing fallacious writings.
Thoughts and prayers for Charlie Kirk?
weird how kind and gentle Democrats always want to kill people?
Where Republicans just want to be left alone….from Democrats trying to KILL THEM!
I don’t think they are smart enough to realize that there will come a “tipping point” when those of us who are normal will have had enough of this from the Left and will simultaneously rise up and crush them into bits. Small bits.