Death Threats Made to Stupak, Others, Their Kids

As angry opponents of health care reform smash legislators' office windows, make death threats against Bart Stupak and Louise Slaughter, and vow to send snipers to "kill the children of the members who voted yes,” Democrats are protesting that the rage in the health care debate has gotten too personal—and that threatening their families is going too far.

Angry voters have published a photograph of Steve Driehaus's children as well as what they believed to be Thomas Perriello's home address, and Slaughter's grandchildren were placed under police protection after threats. Driehaus blames the GOP for encouraging extremists: John Boehner last week said Driehaus "may be a dead man" if he voted for the health care bill, Politico reports. Such comments are "wildly out of bounds for his position and very irresponsible, quite frankly," says Driehaus. "He’s from next door. That’s not helpful. That’s irresponsible."

(More Bart Stupak stories.)