Those Republican women voting no are trying the patience of their more responsible and reasonable male colleagues.

Throughout the ongoing attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA, aka Obamacare), female Republican senators have been at the front of a push for a reasonable plan that does not hurt millions of Americans. In June, Senators Murkowski and Collins stood up for women’s health — and specifically Planned Parenthood. And on Tuesday, July 25, Senators Murkowski, Collins, and Capito all said they would vote against repealing Obamacare without a replacement. Without their votes, that plan failed.

Also on Tuesday, Collins and Murkowski were the only two Republicans to vote against opening a discussion on repealing Obamacare. Vice President Mike Pence had to come in to be the tie-breaker to get Republicans the vote.

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Now, these three female politicians are facing backlash from their party — and it’s taking on a violent tone.

On Monday, July 24, Blake Farenthold, a Republican congressman from Texas, said,

There are some female senators from the Northeast — if it was a guy from South Texas, I might ask him to step outside and settle this Aaron Burr-style.

In other words challenge them to a duel in order to shoot them dead.

If you did that in an ordinary workplace you might be fired.

[O]n Wednesday afternoon, Representative Buddy Carter of Georgia spoke on MSNBC, where he was asked what he thinks about the president going after Murkowski. Carter answered,

I think it’s perfectly fair. Let me tell you, somebody needs to go over there to that senator and snatch a knot in their ass.

Reporters had to look that up in the urban dictionary. It means hit.

It’s not a coincidence that men are making physical threats against their female colleagues. These are women who have entered a male-dominated space and claimed power through their votes. As some men see it, who’s giving them the right to that power? Someone’s gotta tell them who’s in charge around here.

Democracy at its finest.