WASHINGTON (CNN) – The organizer of a "Tea Party" protest in Virginia says he intends to move forward with plans to burn House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Tom Perriello in effigy next weekend at a rally to protest Democratic health care legislation.
The event is scheduled for next Saturday in Danville, which borders North Carolina and sits at the southern end of Perriello's congressional district. Perriello, a Democrat, narrowly won his House seat in 2008 and is considered a top target of Congressional Republicans in next year's midterm elections.
When news of the rally surfaced Friday, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen condemned the plans as "shocking and despicable."
But Nigel Coleman, the organizer of the Tea Party, told CNN he doesn't see what all the fuss is about. The attention, he said, should be on the Democratic plans to overhaul the health care system.
"We're not going to actually set Perriello on fire or Mrs. Pelosi on fire," Coleman said. "But we have been trying to months to get our point across just how vehemently we are opposed to this health care legislation. For the House vote to come so close and to know that Mr. Perriello is on the other side, it's a kick in the stomach that a lot of people couldn't take."
Coleman said none of Perriello's potential Republican challengers have been invited to the event, which he expects will draw about 100 people.
"Something shocking and despicable is how they've handled this health care legislation," Coleman said, responding to Van Hollen's statement. "Going behind closed doors, writing a bill that is going to fundamentally change what America is. More people are going to be killed by this health care legislation than this bonfire."
From CNN Politics
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Sad. This is the level of discourse in this country? What's next? Armed gangs, beating each other? Sad. Each day I have less hope for this nation.
The neocons have been encouraging "revolution", rioting, mob rule, and violence since then-Senator Obama was campaigning for the Democratic primary nomination. They've used lies to gin up the anger level, hoping that one or more of their deranged followers would follow through with violent, preferably homicidal, action. When they can't steal an election, they try any other means available to "destroy" the winner.
First it's intimidation by shouting out and interrupting public forums, now it's intimidation by physical demonstration, what's next, tea baggers going Taliban on us. They're becoming the new terrorists.
Yep, this is what it has come to.............No tolerance for anyones opinion but their own.......What a bunch of losers they are..........
This act of childishness is going to demonstrate just how immature these right-wing extremists really are.
"We're not getting OUR way...WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"There's a black man in the White House...WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"People aren't voting for OUR candidates...WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
The amount of ignorance that some Americans who call themselves the informed and intelligents ones is beyond disturbing. I can't beleive the amount of time spent on negative crap instead of trying to help be a part of the solution for the betterment of the American people. People like this don't really want the attention on the healthcare reform, they want distractions so the American people won't comprehend and understand what is really at stake. This is not freedom of speech and expression this is ignorance and stupidity at it's best!
Mr Coleman, please understand the majority of Americans are opposed to you.
You can take the people out of the trailer, but you can't take the trailer out of the people. You go, teabaggers.
What is the big fuss? When they did the same in Hollywood with Sarah Palin hanging by a noose, it was (its a Halloween decoration. So when the tables are turned its OMG how dare they? Love the double standard there is the world.
These pathetic birth-baggers are not newsworthy. Their vacuous rants contribute nothing to the American enterprise. The so-called tea party issue has acted like a sieve to filter out anything and anyone meaningful, leaving what's left to drip meaningless to the ground as tea baggers.
Here is another demonstration of how ignorant people can be
they have no time to dig out the facts they only have time to protest.
Do these people not work and they really must have lots of money to go all over the country tea partying. Do they really know what a tea party is, doubt it. They should be using their money doing things for the good of this country not trying to tear ot down, how pathetic
The more you hear about republicans and their KKK group the more low down and dirty they get. And by the way since it is illegal to burn anything with out a permit, if they do this we should demand they all get arrested.
Looks as if middle east is not alone with terrorist organizations(yeppers they burn effergies of our leaders over thier).This is an insult to the American way of being and thinking and that guy is in no way in his right mind and should be looked at very carefully by the goverment for atmemting to insight riots.this bull crap is done overseas to show hate at us Americans and thies folk no doubt have lost all senses.Sir you are insulting the very institution this county was founded on.if you want to do that BS then go to Iran.
In the Tea Party" group of people, there is no limit to stupid statements made or stupid things done! I guess they don't care how foolish they look or that the majority of people think they are a one-sided group of Republican conservatives trying to get someone to pay attention to them! How pathetic they truly are.
Shouldn't republicans be trying something else like figuring out how they are going to fix the economy? I mean they already have lost the healthcare thing. If they insist they are going to retake congress next year, shouldn't they be telling us how they can fix the economy.
If the worst that happens is a few politicians get burned in effigy, the country will be lucky.
People like Pelosi, and a lot of other Democrats, just don't seem to understand how thoroughly outraged a lot of us are, how furious we're being made, by their efforts to impose a government-run health system on us.
If the proponents of government health care want to tax each other into penury, if they want to inflict second-rate health care on each other, fine. But leave the rest of us out of it.
Nice! Just like the crazy whackos on the street in Palestine or wherever. The far right is way too similar to other religious fundamentalists thinking they alone have the one true answer. Fools!
Save your faux-outrage Van Hollen . . . where was yours and your clans' voice when Progressive Anarchist physically attacked delegates, shattered windows and destroyed personal property in St. Paul during the Republican National Convention.
A whole hundred people....WOW!
Did any one see the tea party on the news...it was funny. A bunch of old people throwing loose tea into brown water. The tea blowing back on them. Looks like a cartoon...lol
If they put all the make up on the "dummy" that she wears, it will explode when they light it!
It is funny how those "rich congressionals" like to give OUR money away. Pelosi is a good example of the Peter Principal!
More hateful Republican fascists in disguise showing us who they really are. Its the rebirth of the Klu Klux Klan without the white sheets.
Just plain stupid.
why burn them in effigy? There is nothing like the real thing
The tea baggers should move to zimbabwe! they are just behaving like them!
Nigel Coleman just "doesn't see what all the fuss is about!" His plans to burn people in effigy is appalling and promotes violence in our society. It certainly does not set good examples for our children, youth, or society in general. While he doesn't see that his plans are both are "shocking and despicable," Coleman claims that the real thing that is shocking and despicable is "how they have handled this health care legislation." I would challenge Coleman's lack of civil communication–having a bonfire and burning Perriello and Pelosi in effigy. He must have a very limited vocabulary, if that is the only way he is able to express his views of the health care reform efforts. How sad!!