An article titled "Republicans fear for their safety as Obamacare protests grow" recently appeared in Politico concerning the dangerous political climate facing Republicans across the country.

"The message was: One, be careful for security purposes. Watch your back. And two, be receptive. Honor the First Amendment, engage, be friendly, be nice," said Republican Study Committee Chairman Mark Walker (R-N.C.). "Because it is toxic out there right now. Even some of the guys who have been around here a lot longer than I have, have never seen it like this[.]" ...

Also discussed at the closed-door conference meeting was how to engage Democratic constituents to ensure they feel they're being heard. After Reichert (R-Wash.) spoke about the security side, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) stood up to talk about how to engage constituents in a "congenial" manner.

I have spent most of my adult life occupying senior-level security positions in both the public and the private sectors, so I don't take security concerns lightly.  However, it seems to me that the Republicans are once again in danger of falling into the "play nice trap" so often sprung by their Democrat opponents.  I sense a creeping reticence to enact bold change for fear of being unfavorably characterized.

The first step in security is understanding your adversary.  Currently, an unhealthy tension prevails between opposing points of view, the sort of tension discouraged in successful organizations.  You cannot have a meaningful dialogue with individuals or groups that have an almost religious commitment to their position regardless of data to the contrary.  They invariably skirt issues and resort to name-calling.

The current confirmation proceedings are a perfect example.  I watch C-SPAN and wonder, where have the statesmen gone?  The "questions" posed by mostly left-leaning Democrat senators are more statements about policy positions then thoughtful inquiry.  They invoke an image that Stephen Sondheim must have had in mind when he wrote "Send in the Clowns."  I have never seen such a collection of politicians without any experience in things that matter.

Thomas Sowell once wrote: "It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong."  That is exactly where we seem to be.

Not only is the moral superiority they convey demeaning to those who dare to think differently, but it inspires dangerous behavior on the part of their supporters, who more often than not don't have a clue what they are protesting.

Some security advice.

• Until the current political environment becomes more temperate, treat far left-leaning Democrats and their supporters as adversaries for purposes of security planning.
• Understand that those sponsoring the activists have a lot to gain from negative publicity.
• Don't think you can have a dialogue with someone whose opinions are held as self-evident truths.  Logic or data sets don't matter.  Their intent is to provoke a negative photo-op.  Have a security person present, and police the crowd.
• Assume that there will be paid activists in attendance bent on creating a scene.  These are not members of the Tea Party who were generally peaceful in the expression of their concerns.
• Practice access control, and ensure that those in close proximity are constituents.  Be wary of insider threats, and assess what information could be exploited for adversary advantage.
• Have an emergency plan.
• Don't allow signs on sticks, and search backpacks.
• Prosecute those who destroy property or become physical in any way, to the full extent of the law.

Stay safe. 

Joe Carlon is former assistant director for the U.S. Secret Service.