This is both disgraceful and disgusting, although not surprising. The Progressive left in this country (and I include the public unions and the SEIU among them) seems to be devolving into racist, hateful, and intolerant gangs of thugs right before our very eyes, but is anyone in the mainstream dino-media paying attention?

Most certainly Barack Obama’s White House and Department of Justice could care less; but what do you expect from a former “street organizer” who cut his teeth around social activists with a history of violence and violent rhetoric all their own? But I blame the entire Democratic Party leadership, who you’ll never hear condemn this kind of thing or the strong-arm tactics of the public service unions and their recent disgraceful behavior in Ohio last year and Wisconsin and Washington this year – Michelle Malkin has been all over this if you don’t believe me.

I guess that call for “civility” following the Arizona shootings only applies to Republicans and conservatives and not from Democrats both inside and outside the administration who really ought to know better? What a surprise there.

These public unions protesters are like juveniles throwing a tantrum because they can’t get their way anymore. If Glenn Beck’s rally last August or the Tea Party rallies throughout the last year were like this you would know about it – you can bet it would have been plastered across the media 24/7. But when Democrats or unions do it, not a peep.

Not that I would, of course, expect Obama, Nancy Pelosi, or Harry Reid to actually take a leadership role on this – they’re too busy leading the charge against Republicans who simply want to reduce the size of the federal government (like, you know, asking it to live within its means), reduce the size of the federal deficit, and put more of people’s hard-earned money back in their pockets. What a novel idea!

In the coming debate over the 2012 budget there will be plenty of opportunity for both sides – Republicans and Democrats – to put their respective plans forward and have a mature and honest debate about the merits of each approach. And that debate should be held openly and honestly in front of the American people. What there should not be is room for, and tolerance of, is thuggery, intimidation, violence, and demogoguery. And that goes for both sides of the debate. Will it happen? I doubt it.

At any rate, Paul Ryan hits this interview with CBS’s Bob Schieffer on the screws. Both Ryan and Kentucky senator Rand Paul are the ones who have my ear on this Tax Day 2011.