Unless something breaking happens, this will be my last post on this subject. It feels a little ghoulish to me to talking about all this while families are grieving over lost loved ones and praying for full recovery of those injured,
Last night I posted that it looked like the MSM was showing some restraint in how they reported and assigned blame in the Arizona shooting. After doing a little more research while I was actually writing the post, I decided maybe I was giving the MSM a little too much credit and revised the post a little to show some of the bias that was going on. Well, after another day of reflection, research, and taking steps back, I think the post deserves another revision. But I am going to leave the original post and title this one “Part Two”
There won’t be as much editorializing this time. I am just going to place a bunch of links. Many of you might have read these already, but some might be new
I want you to listen to the first 45 seconds or so of this video. Chris Matthews rhetoric is at full throttle.
He says, “…a connection between the atmospherics, the hatred of government you hear every day on radio, the hatred of Obama you hear on the right-wing, the language you hear all the time that they’re evil, their talking over the country with socialism…” (Real Clear Politics.com)
Here is Matthews again, blaming the conservative media for the shooting, singling out Mark Levin and Michael Savage. (Real Clear Politics.com)
Pima County Sheriff Dupnik was on the air early after shooting. Blaming the right almost immediately. Video towards the bottom. The rest of the story points out that Dupnik had his own issues with outrageous remarks.
Dupnik said, “ But, again, I’d just like to say that when you look at the unbalanced people, how they are, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government. The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes in the country is getting to be outrageous. And, unfortunately, Arizona I think has become sort of the capital. We have become the mecca for prejudice and bigotry.” (eyeblast.tv)
Who do you suppose he is referring to when he says “certain mouths”? Do you think he was referring the Chris Matthews or Paul Krugman? Not likely.
There are others that just don’t get it. I guess this dude just felt that he needed to stand up for his brethren. Kind of like slamming his head into a wall though.
“I think the media and the politicians have behaved pretty well so far. The thing I'm most concerned about now is the anger on the right-wing commenatariat…”, says ‘TIME’s’ Mark Halperin on MSNBC. (Real Clear Politics.com)
As always happens when a tragedy like this strikes, people are asking for tighter controls (or elimination) on guns. Derrick Jackson of the Boston Globe has this to say about guns,
“As long as we call mass killings senseless, we will never make sense out of them. ‘Senseless’ has become a code word for denial about guns.” (Boston Globe)
Of course, he had to throw something in his article about the “bitterness in our political discourse” by citing only one example, Rep Joe Wilson’s “You lie!” outburst during Pres Obama’s SofU address last year.
Over at Slate.com, Jacob Weisberg ties the Tea Party and Gun Rights together and holds them culpable for the deaths of six individuals and the wounding of a Congresswoman in Arizona.
“At the core of the far right’s culpability is its ongoing attacks on the legitimacy of the US Government –a venomous campaign not so different from the backdrop to the Oklahoma City bombings in 1995. Then it was focused on ‘government bureaucrats’ and the ATF. This time it has been more about Obama’s birth certificate and health care reform.” (Slate.com)
I don’t think anyone in the Tea Party movement or the resurgence in the conservative culture would say the Federal government in illegitimate. Most would say the size of the Federal government is what is in question and what the limits are on their powers. The Federal government overstepped its Constitutional bounds near a century ago so most of us are used to federal intrusion into our lives. With the passage of health care reform and its obvious unconstitutional mandates I think people have finally said enough.
As for the issue of Obama’s birth certificate, this is a non-starter. Most on the right have let this issue go a long time ago. It is only within a fringe of the conservative movement this issue still holds sway. One main difference between the right and the left? We dismiss our fringe (birthers), the left lets them lead.
“’Look, we have extremist in my country. A wonderful, incredibly brave young woman congress member, Congresswoman Giffords was just shot in our country,’ she said…” (Commentary Magazine.com)
Somehow, comparing this to Islamic Extremists just doesn’t compute, unless she was making a political statement which would not surprise me.
In the darkness there have a been a few shining lights on the left:
Here is Bob Beckel on FOX’s Hannity. In this video he points out that using terms like “targeting” and “battleground” have been around for a long time. (Real Clear Politics.com)
From the departments of “holier than thou”, and “Be Careful What You Wish For”:
1. Here is James Holms from ‘The Ed Show” on MSNBC calling for Obama to put a gun to the head of CEOs
“The President is going to speak with business leaders that are sitting on $1.9 trillion dollars - $1.9 trillion dollars. Maybe what we should do is put a gun to their head and just say, give us that $1.9 trillion dollars, you don’t need to read anything, just hand it to us!”
2. Last Nov Dem pollster Mark Penn suggested Obama needs another Oklahoma City:
“President Clinton reconnected with Oklahoma. And the President right now he seems removed. And it wasn’t until that speech that he really clicked with the American people. Obama need a similar kind of, yeah” (eyeblast.tv)
What scares me the most about this is that people were actually wishing for a tragedy to happen so Obama could see a boost in his political fortunes. That is is really sad.
Political Exploitation:
1. There are some who think it would be a good decision for Obama to exploit this tragedy like Clinton did with the Oklahoma City bombing. Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter is suggesting that Obama use this to change the “the trajectory of American politics”. This is low, even for a lefty “news” reporter. Why would someone suggest this tragedy should be used for something as callow as political gain? What an idiot.
2. In my previous post on this subject, I pointed out that an unnamed dem political strategist recommend the Democratic party;
“deftly pin this on the tea partiers…just like the Clinton White House deftly pinned the Oklahoma shootings on the militia and the anti-government people.” (politico.com)
Rhetoric and actions from the left:
The attempts to disrupt the RNC in MN in 2008. This stuff is actually a little scary. And they call us violent?
The various bombings, shootings, and vandalism of military recruiting station across the nation. These have resulted in deaths and injuries.
The pie throwing, shoes, and other actions when conservative speakers are at the dais.
How about the tidbits from reporters on Journolist. Keep in mind while reading these tidbits, these are the reporters who shape the news and how it is reported.
Various quotes from President Obama
If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun
I want you to argue with them, get in their faces
Here is the problem; It’s almost like they’ve got – they’ve got a bomb strapped to them and they’ve got their hands on the triggers. You don’t want them to blow up. But you have to kind of talk them, ease that finger off the trigger
I don’t want to quell anger. I think people are right to be angry! I’m angry!
We talk to these folks…do I know whose ass to kick
A Republican majority in Congress would mean ‘hand-to-hand combat’ on Capitol Hill for the next two years, threatening policies Democrats have enacted to stabilize the economy
We’re gonna punish our enemies and we’re gonna reward our friends who stand with on issues that are important to us.
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