“A remarkable aspect of the current antigovernment movement is the extent to which it has gained support from elected officials …” (Southern Poverty Law Center report)

I have shared that concern with respect to Rep. Bachmann for some time now — a concern that has become more urgent in view of our growing economic uncertainty.

History has shown that freedom is most jeopardized in times of economic uncertainty and social upheaval, when people search for scapegoats and are willing to subjugate their civil liberties in favor of submission to an authoritarian leader.

The warning signs are all around us. We see it with the Teabaggers, the Birthers, and the hooliganism at town hall meetings dealing with President Obama’s health care proposals.

In the information age, public rhetoric like Bachmann’s is dangerous when legitimized by individuals entrusted with the power of high public office.

Bachmann’s political position amplifies her voice and incites a large and growing national audience.

Her demagoguery, fear-mongering, and incendiary rhetoric energizes and mobilizes political extremists, some of whom may lack the clarity of judgment and self-restraint on which we rely for a civil society and a nation of laws.