Republicans in Benton County learned the hard way in recent days how frustrating and unfair it can feel to be associated with someone with whom you’ve associated. You know, like President Barack Obama and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
In this case, we’re talking about Chris Nogy, whose wife, until her resignation last week, was the editor of the Benton County Republican Committee’s newsletter. Such party organs are common within political organizations, used to share information about events, opportunities for public involvement and, on occasion, discussion of .
It was this latter content that created a firestorm of criticism in the last few days. Nogy wrote a treatise on the Arkansas Legislature’s passage of the so-called private option to the federal (read Obama) push for expansion of Medicaid to cover250,000 low-income people, largely the working poor who do not have health insurance. The private option, hashed out by Republicans who had opposed Obamacare, redirects the federal and state money to pay for private insurance, largely on the assumption private enterprise will operate more effciently than an enlarged government program.
Nogy wrote in an opinion piece he considered the Republicans who voted for the compromise to be “turncoats.” Fair enough. But he also included nuggets such as the following: “The 2nd Amendment means nothing unless those in power believe you would have no problem simply walking up and shooting them if they got too far out of line and stopped responding as representatives,” Nogy wrote. “If we can’t shoot them, we have to at least be firm in our threat to take immediate action against them politically, socially and civically if they screw up on something this big. Personally, I think a gun is quicker and more merciful, but hey, we can’t.”
We suspect most of our readers - whether liberal, conservative, independent, fi rst-grader or whatever - will fairly quickly figure out why a columnist in a party publication shouldn’t oft er up such suggestions. In addition to its self-evident knuckleheadedness, one should refrain from doing damage to an organization one is part of.
Nogy didn’t sound overly concerned about the ideas he expressed.
“Do I regret writing this? Yeah,” he told a reporter. “Am I changing my mind about calling for strong action in regard to what happened this week? No. I still believe if the thugs run the government, then none of us can benefi t.”
We’re glad to see he’s moderated his stance.
So yes, as plenty have noted, Nogy’s commentary was in bad taste and was an embarrassment to his party. Anytime State Police have to investigate what one writes as a possible threat against a government offcial, it’s worth evaluating how one delivered the message.
More than that, though, we’re glad to see free speech at work, just as the Constitution guarantees. Nogy got to express his ridiculous notion about a political party exterminating its traitors, while others fairly had the opportunity to speak out against an ill-conceived, poorly executed advocacy of political retribution. That’s exactly what’s supposed to happen. Nogy isn’t in danger of going to jail or being executed for speaking his mind.
He just has to watch as reasonable people counter his ludicrous notion with their own ideas and reactions. That’s precisely the free exchange of ideas our nation’s founders envisioned in a robust republic.
Opinion, Pages 5 on 04/26/2013