Is Palin and The Rhetoric On The Right To Blame For Shooting In Arizona? Let's Play A Game Called Blame

Of course - Palin has blood on her hands.

Of course. Palin, Beck, O'Reilly, Hannity and Limbaugh ALL have blood on their hands. These people all use the standard conservative tools, hate, fear and bigotry.

The insanity was incited by the propaganda on the Right..what with "death panels" and other fear-inducing rhetoric.

Before the shooting, the talk show the View was warning that Palins irresponsible actions could lead to a tragic event. Her use of inflametory slogans and maps with cross-hairs depicting Representatives who should be 'targeted' was just a step too far. She is being blamed for incitement and rightly so. There's no smoke without fire..

Yes the political climate in this country has always spilled over into violence...the assassinations of JFK, MLK and numerous others tell the story. America's obsession with guns and the right to use it is in stark contrast to the bible thumping we are also quite noted for.

When the Right continues to incite and encourage such things--how can they NOT be blamed?

Thanks for you input....Stewart and Colbert's rally to stop the insanity was quite prophetic, wasn't it?

Everything becomes political in the view of politicians and their pundits...Tragedy turned into campaign trail fodder. Who's fault is it? Who should be punished (besides the guy that pulled the trigger)?
I thought we were all adults, capable of making rational, informed decisions...no?

Thanks for the report, Veronica; this incident, and it's coverage definitely warrant further thought.

Thanks B----Politics is tightly woven into the fabric of people's personal lives and some do not have the rationale to differentiate or separate the emotions. So when those talking heads who make a living from inciting with inflammable rhetoric, say they are not responsible for individuals do, that's disingenuous. They are consequences and blame to claim.

Shall we also blame President Obama?

I quote: “If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun.”

Thanks for your input....if the Right had only made one reference to violence.....that would be a justified argument. We both know they ratcheted the insanity on a daily basis..from the radio, television, the internet, podiums and every other avenue they could use..even from the floors of Congress.

The Left could have denounced the insanity also..they too are guilty of letting it slide for political gain. Who's gaining now?

I mentioned only one instance, since a President's words do carry the most influence.

Law professor, William Jacobson, has done some research for us: http://legalinsurrection.blogspot.com/2011/01/two-sicknesses-on-display-in-arizona.html

He concludes: "The meme that opponents of Obama are crazy and dangerous has been an explicit Democratic Party campaign strategy for over two years. Here is just a partial list of events in which the left-wing and Democratic Party media operation has immediately blamed right-wing rhetoric, only to be proven wrong when the facts finally came out: Bill Sparkman, Amy Bishop, The Fort Hood Shooter, The IRS Plane Crasher, The Cabbie Stabbing, and The Pentagon Shooter."

In 2004, the DLC published a map indicating the Republican districts to be targeted. Granted, they used bulls eyes instead of cross hairs, so I guess a bow and arrow could be the weapons of choice.
http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=253055&kaid=127&subid=171

And here are a few gems compiled by Pejman Yousefzadeh at his website: http://www.chequerboard.org/2011/01/joseph-welch-thou-shouldst-be-living-at-this-hour-part-deux/

“My Congressman Eric Cantor, and you and your cupcake evil wife…” “Remember Eric…our judgment time, the final Yom Kippur has been given. You are a liar, you’re a Lucifer, you’re a pig, a greedy f***ing pig, you’re an abomination, you receive my bullets in…your office, remember they will be placed in your heads. You and your children are Lucifer’s abominations.” – Obama campaign contributor Norman Laboom

“I know how the ‘tea party’ people feel, the anger, venom and bile that many of them showed during the recent House vote on health-care reform. I know because I want to spit on them, take one of their ‘Obama Plan White Slavery’ signs and knock every racist and homophobic tooth out of their Cro-Magnon heads.” – The Washington Post’s Courtland Milloy

“…but the kind of people who would buy a car that increases the risk to other motorists in an accident can’t be reasoned with. They’re selfish and stupid. It’s unfortunate that drivers must worry that their SUVs are being targeted by insulting stickers and Molotov cocktails, but one thing’s for sure: It couldn’t be happening to a more deserving group of people.” – Ted Rall winks at ecoterrorism

“Republicans don’t believe in the imagination, partly because so few of them have one, but mostly because it gets in the way of their chosen work, which is to destroy the human race and the planet. Human beings, who have imaginations, can see a recipe for disaster in the making; Republicans, whose goal in life is to profit from disaster and who don’t give a hoot about human beings, either can’t or won’t. Which is why I personally think they should be exterminated before they cause any more harm.” – The Village Voice’s Michael Feingold, in a theater review of all places“

F*** God D*mned Joe the God D*mned Motherf*cking plumber! I want Motherf*cking Joe the plumber dead.” –Liberal talk show host Charles Karel Bouley on the air.

“A spoiled child (Bush) is telling us our Social Security isn’t safe anymore, so he is going to fix it for us. Well, here’s your answer, you ungrateful whelp: [audio sound of 4 gunshots being fired.] Just try it, you little b*stard. [audio of gun being cocked].” – A “humor bit” from the Randi Rhodes Show

“..And then there’s Rumsfeld who said of Iraq ‘We have our good days and our bad days.’ We should put this S.O.B. up against a wall and say ‘This is one of our bad days’ and pull the trigger.” – From a fundraising ad put out by the St. Petersburg Democratic Club

Just google "Bush Derangement Syndrome" for more.

Both sides are guilty of participating in this dangerous dance. The Right, politicians and media alike, pushed their guns,bible, death panels, socialist take over, ultra conservative, agenda and the Left used it to their advantage instead of loudly denouncing it.

Your article is 100 % correct and it does not take a rocket scientist or psychologist to know that when people are disenfranchised,vulnerable and hear vitriol constantly directly or subliminaly it can trigger discontent and perhaps lead to what happened yesterday.

People need to stop labeling themselves,left,right middle because in this way they lose objectivity and cant see the woods for the trees.

Rated up ,

Have a safe day!

Thanks, ditto to you too....

They would love to say there is no connection between the home grown terrorism madness unleashed on Saturday and he political climate that exist in America, but we know better. This has been happening throughout the history of this country. Violence is part of the fabric as well as guns and the deep paradoxical touting of the bible!

Plain and simple, this nutjob listened to the rhetoric of Sarah Palin. People are wired to act upon what they visualize and focus upon. Unfortunately, this schmuck wanted to focus on what Sarah Palin was saying in regards to Rep. Giffords being targeted.

Unfortunately, there are some nutjobs, as you put it Adrian, out there---I call them home-grown terrorist.

Next thing the blamestream media will do is blame WordGirl for the shooting in Arizona. She could not harm a fly.

I am an independent, bowing neither to the left or right. But, I know wrong when I hear it. I know hatred when I hear it. And by God, I know bad taste when I see it.

Sarah Palin and her group who decided to racheted up the whackos and they had to know it. They keep telling us how smart they are and keep showing us how stupid they are. She ought to be ashamed that her name is even mentioned as a probable cause and retreat for some soul-searching. Whether anyone is right or wrong...she's in the picture

By the way, both Jon Stewart and Colbert were hysterically funny on that show and right on point. But they teach us to laugh at ourselves when Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly and Sara Palin are pushing violence.

So true....any rational, fair minded, independent thinker knows wrong when they see it. As Jon Stewart said, we need to turn the shrill noise down--the high frequency is negatively impacting some folks sanity.

Military language has always been intricately entwined with political speech. There probably will be an effort to tone it down some for a while, but don't expect anyone to unilaterally disarm.

The media have been quick to insinuate that Palin, Beck, O'Reilly, et al. are the only culprits. That's simply not true. I gave examples in my previous comment, but forgot one of the most egregious episodes.

Mayor Bloomberg crazily suggested that the Times Square bomber might be an opponent of Health Care Reform. With no basis in fact, the mayor's statement was nutty and irresponsible. Yesterday, the sheriff in Tucson made the same mistake. The killer got the benefit of being dubbed 'alleged,' while the sheriff assigned blame to unnamed others.

Demonizing and marginalizing political opponents as evil and racist only makes them stronger. Look at the Tea Party and check with President Obama. After the November shellacking, he'll be sitting down with Bill O'Reilly for an interview before the Super Bowl. Interesting, no?

Military language has always been intricately entwined with political speech. There will probably be an effort to tone it down some for a while, but don't expect anyone to unilaterally disarm.

The media have been quick to insinuate that Palin, Beck, O'Reilly, et al. are the only culprits. That's simply not true. I gave examples in my previous comment, but forgot one of the most egregious episodes.

Mayor Bloomberg crazily suggested that the Times Square bomber might be an opponent of Health Care Reform. With no basis in fact, the mayor's statement was nutty and irresponsible. Yesterday, the sheriff in Tucson made the same mistake. The killer got the benefit of being dubbed 'alleged,' while the sheriff assigned blame to unnamed others.

Demonizing and marginalizing political opponents as evil and racist, especially when it's untrue, only makes them stronger. Look at the Tea Party and check with President Obama. After the November shellacking, he'll be sitting down with Bill O'Reilly for an interview before the Super Bowl. Interesting, no?

No, it's not interesting. It is politics. That does not make it interesting. And the sheriff rightly pointed out the bigotry and discrimination that has taken over Arizona. 11 Latin foreign countries are considering lawsuits again the unconstitutional law that was passed.

CTMasters, you can probably beat me into the ground with your knowledge of politics. I am not speaking of politics. I am speaking of in-your-face hatred and damn bad manners. It cannot be denied by either side. I am not implying it is only Palin, Beck or O'Reilly, but they stand out because they intend to.

I thought the Arizona law was still being litigated. Obviously, I have no first hand knowledge, but I'd be damned frightened by the situation on the border. Until it's under control, people will be fearful and angry. Is that what's fueling the bigotry and hatred? I'm not aware that it existed to the degree described by the sheriff before now.

As to Palin and Beck, I don't know what they have done that so enrages some on the left, but the attacks on Palin, as soon as she came on the scene, were based on fear. They saw her as a threat to Obama's election.

Don't know if you're familiar with the Journolist group who were exposed, in leaked emails, coordinating their attacks on Palin and calling themselves the Democrats' "unofficial campaign." That kind of journalism is more of a threat to democracy than anything Palin or Beck have to say.

My guess is there's some truth in the tweets and conspiracies. What else explains the demonization?

I am also concerned about the situation on the border. It's the total lack of appropriate language and sashaying around spewing hate that bothers me.

Mr. Masters there are people like me out here. I am not listening to either party line. I listen to what the candidates say themselves. I was open to Palin. I am a woman after all. During the campaign, I thought she kept shooting herself in the foot and thought they had picked someone not ready. Period. I would have voted for McCain otherwise.

Beck's very persona is insulting and grating on the nerves.It is also true with O'Reilly. I listen with my own ears and follow my own instincts. It's not a conspiracy with all of us who are not for Palin.