Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
After the Real Thing, Nunes Gins Up a 'Coordinated Attack' on Democracy
bill-new-mug-002
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 3 years ago on
January 11, 2021

Share

Rep. Devin Nunes isn’t a lawyer, but he plays one on TV.

He isn’t a political scientist either, yet he throws around words without understanding their meaning.

And, he certainly isn’t a statesman trying to appeal, as Abraham Lincoln said in his first inaugural address, to the “better angels of our nature.”

Portrait of GV Wire News Director Bill McEwen

Bill McEwen

Opinion

Nunes is a flame-thrower for whom a day without headlines is a day of regret.

That makes the Republican Tulare congressman one of the most dangerous elected officials in America at a time the radicalized right seeks to incite our nation’s second Civil War.

Without Parler, Nunes Says He’s Been Silenced

I don’t know whether Nunes’ rantings flow from political ambition, deep-rooted insecurities, or a combination of the two.

Given a forum by Fox News host Maria Bartiromo to address the nation on Sunday after the Capitol Riots, Nunes talked about his recent book “Countdown to Socialism” and blasted the decisions by Amazon, Apple, and Google to suspend the conservative social media platform Parler.

There “should be a racketeering investigation on all the people that coordinated this attack on not only a company but on all of those like us,” Nunes said.

“I have 3 million followers on Parler. Tonight I will no longer be able to communicate with those people and they’re Americans.”

Typical Nunes. Again playing the victim. Again peddling fake news.

For the record, Nunes still has a Twitter account and The Devin Nunes Podcast, which is available on multiple platforms. I mean who wouldn’t want to listen to “Pee Tape Truthers Should Not Be Confirmed” again and again?

Moreover, Nunes could schedule an old-fashioned, in-person town hall, which he is loath to do because he might actually hear from Democratic constituents. He also has carte blanche from Fox News.

As for a coordinated attack on democracy, that’s what took place Wednesday in D.C.

Thus far, Nunes hasn’t been concerned enough to issue a statement condemning the death and destruction at our nation’s Capitol.

Yet we don’t hear Nunes telling the radicalized right to stand down. Or for Americans to come together. He’d rather conjure more unsubstantiated conspiracy theories, deny that Biden won the election, and sow division.

Amazon, Apple, and Google are businesses. Clients agree to their terms and conditions. If you violate them, you get cut off. Pulling the cord on Parler had nothing to do with censorship or free speech. It was a business decision and a recognition that some of the people using Parler were afforded free rein to plan their attempted coup and keep President Donald Trump in office.

But this no-shirt, no-shoes, no-service reality didn’t stop Nunes from falsely claiming the decision was a violation of First Amendment rights. As Schenck v. United States in 1919 determined, free speech doesn’t protect the right to incite actions that would harm others.

Nunes Must Have Slept Through Poly-Sci Classes

Nunes the wanna-be political scientist is as dangerously inept as Nunes the wanna-be lawyer.

Depending on the day, he describes the left as socialists, communists, or fascists.

The reality is, America’s many governments are hybrids. They blend capitalism and socialism.

That is, to say, our governments combine free markets while providing public education and building Nunes’ beloved highways and dams. The U.S. also offers a public safety net — unemployment insurance, food stamps, and social security, for example. There are subsidies to farmers so they can grow the crops that feed Americans and people around the world.

Nunes may hate socialism, but I’ve never heard him complain about government help for farmers.

Fascism, meanwhile, opposes state ownership. The far-right ideology promotes extreme nationalism and authoritarianism and could care less about economic inequality. Fascist countries typically are led by dictators. Which Trump pined — and still does — to be.

Nunes Really Is a Farmer: He Sows Division

Earlier this year, we saw the seeds of insurrection when protestors stormed past police into state Capitol buildings in Idaho, Michigan, and Oregon.

Last Wednesday, some of the insurrectionists in D.C. wore black t-shirts proclaiming “Civil War Jan. 6, 2021.” And, the FBI says that extremists are exhorting Trump supporters to “storm” the U.S. Capitol again and stage “armed protests” at state government buildings across the country ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.

Yet we don’t hear Nunes telling the radicalized right to stand down. Or for Americans to come together.

He’d rather conjure more unsubstantiated conspiracy theories, deny that Biden won the election, and sow division.

[activecampaign form=19]

 

DON'T MISS

Blockchain Expert Unravels Misconceptions and Realities of Bitcoin Documentaries

DON'T MISS

Did Fresno Trustees Violate Brown Act in Superintendent Search Decisions?

DON'T MISS

LA Judge Deals a Blow to Law Allowing Duplexes in Single-Family Tracts

DON'T MISS

US Announces New Patriot Missiles for Ukraine as Part of New $6 Billion Aid Package

DON'T MISS

Andy Reid and Taylor Swift Agree: Fresno’s Xavier Worthy Is a Great 1st-Round Draft Pick

DON'T MISS

The Protests Over the Israel-Hamas War Put a Spotlight on College Endowments

DON'T MISS

Fed Plan to Rebuild Pacific Sardine Population Was Insufficient, California Judge Finds

DON'T MISS

Egypt Sends Delegation to Israel, Its Latest Effort to Broker a Cease-Fire Between Israel and Hamas

DON'T MISS

Antony Blinken Meets With China’s President Xi as US, China Spar Over Bilateral and Global Issues

DON'T MISS

Key Questions About CA Budget Deficit Unanswered as Deadlines Loom

UP NEXT

Legislation Pandering to Tribal Casinos Is a Bad Bet for Fresno Cardroom Employees

UP NEXT

Newsom Criticizes Local Response to Homelessness. He Should Look in the Mirror.

UP NEXT

By Remembering the Genocide, We Can Help Rebuild Armenia

UP NEXT

Californians Worry About Crime, Setting up a Ballot Measure Showdown

UP NEXT

McDonald’s Ice Cream Machines Are So Unreliable They’re a Meme. They Might Also Be a Climate Solution.

UP NEXT

Will State AG Rob Bonta Jump Into 2026 Race for CA Governor?

UP NEXT

Local Leaders Must Put Their Shoulders Into Making Fresno ‘Education City USA’

UP NEXT

Carbon Capture Isn’t Nearly as ‘Green’ as Fossil Fuel Promoters Make It Sound

UP NEXT

CA’s High Construction Costs Limit Housing. A Supreme Court Decision Might Help

UP NEXT

A Fresno Edition of Monopoly? That’s Capitalism at Work, Baby!

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

US Announces New Patriot Missiles for Ukraine as Part of New $6 Billion Aid Package

2 hours ago

Andy Reid and Taylor Swift Agree: Fresno’s Xavier Worthy Is a Great 1st-Round Draft Pick

2 hours ago

The Protests Over the Israel-Hamas War Put a Spotlight on College Endowments

3 hours ago

Fed Plan to Rebuild Pacific Sardine Population Was Insufficient, California Judge Finds

3 hours ago

Egypt Sends Delegation to Israel, Its Latest Effort to Broker a Cease-Fire Between Israel and Hamas

3 hours ago

Antony Blinken Meets With China’s President Xi as US, China Spar Over Bilateral and Global Issues

3 hours ago

Key Questions About CA Budget Deficit Unanswered as Deadlines Loom

7 hours ago

Is This Your Next BFF? Meet Girlfriend, a Professionally Trained Adventure Dog!

7 hours ago

Tennessee Lawmakers Pass Bill Criminalizing Adults Assisting Minors in Gender-Affirming Care

20 hours ago

Wittrup: Vote to Table Bullard Fence Contract Was ‘Retaliatory’

Local Education /

21 hours ago

Blockchain Expert Unravels Misconceptions and Realities of Bitcoin Documentaries

Picture this: you’re sitting comfortably on your couch, popcorn in hand, ready to dive into the world of Bitcoin and blockchain throug...
Crypto the Wonderdog Show Episode 5 Title Card

Blockchain Expert Unravels Misconceptions and Realities of Bitcoin Documentaries

Local Education /
51 mins ago

Did Fresno Trustees Violate Brown Act in Superintendent Search Decisions?

2 hours ago

LA Judge Deals a Blow to Law Allowing Duplexes in Single-Family Tracts

2 hours ago

US Announces New Patriot Missiles for Ukraine as Part of New $6 Billion Aid Package

2 hours ago

Andy Reid and Taylor Swift Agree: Fresno’s Xavier Worthy Is a Great 1st-Round Draft Pick

3 hours ago

The Protests Over the Israel-Hamas War Put a Spotlight on College Endowments

3 hours ago

Fed Plan to Rebuild Pacific Sardine Population Was Insufficient, California Judge Finds

3 hours ago

Egypt Sends Delegation to Israel, Its Latest Effort to Broker a Cease-Fire Between Israel and Hamas

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend