Network Journalists Advance Leftist Wish to Blame Palin (and Tea Party) for Shooting

GOP senator urges media not to talk about Palin's violent rhetoric
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) urged CNN's Candy Crowley Sunday not to mention Fox News' Sarah Palin in connection with the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ). In a Sunday interview, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) noted that public figures have used violent Rhetoric against Giffords, something Palin has done. "Those of us in public life and the Journalists who cover this should be thoughtful in response to this and try to bring down the rhetoric, which I'm afraid has become pervasive in the dis...

It's time to cool the rhetoric
Saturday's shootings in Tucson, in which six people were killed, including U.S. District Court Judge John Roll and nine-year-old Christina Green, and 14 wounded, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), tells us that we desperately need to cool down an overheated atmosphere of violent and hateful political Rhetoric. Contentious political issues bring out strong feelings on all sides, but civilized people in a Democracy can disagree about things without resorting to threats of violence or d...

'Humor writer' names Olbermann a 'target' after Giffords shooting
© unknown A self-described humorist named a liberal cable news host a "target" on her blog the day after he denounced incendiary political Rhetoric in response to an Arizona shooting that claimed the lives of six people, including a Federal Judge, a congressperson's aide, and a child. Andrea Rouda's post entitled "Speaking of Target Practice" listed several historical figures who were murdered "by a crazy person" before naming MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, whom she referred to as "The Devil."...

Calls for softer tone in politics gets cool reception
DALLAS (Reuters) - Calls to reset the tone of politics in the aftermath of Saturday's shooting rampage in Arizona got short shrift on Talk Radio and elsewhere as left and right traded blame for the massacre. From the right, Bloggers and pundits labeled suspected shooter Jared Lee Loughner a "leftist" while critics of conservative super-star Sarah Palin accused her of creating a combustible political atmosphere with her behavior and Rhetoric. The Saturday shooting in Tucson killed six people and...

Calls for softer tone in politics gets cool reception
By Ed Stoddard DALLAS | Mon Jan 10, 2011 6:22pm EST DALLAS (Reuters) - Calls to reset the tone of politics in the aftermath of Saturday's shooting rampage in Arizona got short shrift on Talk Radio and elsewhere as left and right traded blame for the massacre. From the right, Bloggers and pundits labeled suspected shooter Jared Lee Loughner a "leftist" while critics of conservative super-star Sarah Palin accused her of creating a combustible political atmosphere with her behavior and Rhetoric....

Tea Party Express raising money in aftermath of Arizona shooting (Daily Caller)
Read more stories from The Daily Caller Tea Party Express raising money in aftermath of Arizona shooting Barbara Walters: 'I'm feeling bad for Sarah Palin' TheDC on TV: Jamie Weinstein on RT's 'The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann' Tom DeLay sentenced to three years in Prison Political cartoons exploit Arizona tragedy in effort to score crude political points The Tea Party Express, a California-based conservative political action committee, sent out a letter to supporters Monday requesting donat...

The Left Never Wastes a Tragedy
Ben Johnson, FloydReports.com The Left never stands so tall as when it stands upon dead bodies. Whether it is Bill Clinton blaming the Oklahoma City bombing on Rush Limbaugh, Democratic mayors suing gun manufacturers after school shootings in Arkansas and Colorado, Democrats turning Senator Paul Wellstone’s memorial into a campaign rally, or Cindy Sheehan vastly overstaying her 15 minutes of fame, the Left never lets a tragedy pass without blaming it on its political enemies and pushing ...

Could Anything Have Stopped Loughner?
The shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the killing of six and wounding of 13 others in Tucson is one of those American tragedies that threatens to be interpreted according to what one wants to believe. The shootings will be argued over and debated as more information comes forward, but what seems unavoidable is that the shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, was a nutbar through and through, and there was no way he could have been deterred. Arizona’s curious (to Canadians) Gun Laws that ...

Punching Back Twice As Hard Against Charges of Dangerous Conservative Rhetoric
What do the following quotes have in common? “If you get hit, we will punch back twice as hard.” “If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun.” “I don’t want to quell anger. I think people are right to be angry. I’m angry.” “I want you to argue with them and get in their faces.” “I’m itching for a fight.” “Fight for it!” “We’re gonna punish our enemies.” “Our job is, keep our boot on [t

Some blame violent political discourse for shooting in Arizona
Related: Suspect in attack on congresswoman to appear in court McConnell speaks to Students about Tucson shootings Obama: US grieving, shocked over Ariz. rampage Military: alleged Giffords gunman failed Drug Test McConnell calls for review of congressional security (WHAS11) - Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords remains in critical condition after being shot over the weekend. And while police work on a motive, some blame violent political discourse for the shooting. That Rhetoric was the ...

Happy Hour Roundup
* As Jared Loughner appears in court, Gabrielle Giffords's condition remains unchanged. * And for Giffords at this stage, no change is good news. * Jonathan Alter says Obama's moment of silence today worked beautifully because it's "an appropriate expression of what we need right now: Less Noise." Also: Alter predicts Obama will addresss the shooting in his State of the Union Speech. * As Chris Cillizza notes, the Arizona shooting is unlikely to do anything to stiffen resolve for stricter gun ...

Boston Tea Party:Statement denouncing shooting of Gabrielle Giffords, a judge & 8 others in Tuscon
I do not make a habit of issuing statements on behalf of the BTP or National Committee, however I believe that time is of the essence and this is one occasion where I will break this habit. On behalf of the BTP and the National Committee, I wish to denounce the act of violence perpetrated against a Congresswoman, judge & at least 8 other individuals in Tuscon, Arizona. The BTP supports “the freedom of all people to peaceably assemble and to engage in active Political Speech” an...

Buchanan wont stop public events
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, said Saturday’s shooting in Arizona won’t stop him from holding public events like the one U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was holding when she was shot. Buchanan on Monday night went ahead with a planned open house for his new offices in Sarasota. More than 300 people attended the event at 111 S. Orange Ave, in Sarasota. Buchanan said he won’t be intimidated because of one isolated event. “I don’t see ch...

House Dem To Introduce Bill Banning Speech About Congressmen That Could Be Perceived As Threatening
The Hill: Rep. Robert Brady (D-Pa.) reportedly plans to introduce Legislation that would make it a federal crime to use language or symbols that could be perceived as threatening or inciting violence against a federal official or member of Congress. Brady told CNN that he wants federal lawmakers and officials to have the same protections against threat currently provided to the president. His call comes one day after Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) was shot, along with 19 other people, at a ...

Steve Hynd Making Sense Again
Steve Hynd, whom I linked to a bit earlier, contributes a little more sense on the subject of the Arizona shooting from the Left Blogosphere: I said I’d wait until I knew more before I wrote more about the Arizona shootings. Well, here it is. […] Note that Loughner’s obsession with Rep. Giffords began at least as early as 2007, long before Sarah Palin or the Tea Party - but note too that there’s not a lot of difference between paranoid politics and the worst exces...

Quote of the Day
"Until we have more definitive information about the shooter, pointing fingers at who might bear responsibility for the Tucson, Arizona, massacre only contributes to what we must end in America: a toxic political environment."—CNN Senior Political Analyst David Gergen, who adds that "this is not a moment to point fingers and make accusations [but] to pray for the Victims." Embedded within Gergen's admonishment is the damnable lie that pointing out this act of violence does not exist in a v...

Video: Hey, lets pass a bill banning crosshair symbols or something
This moronic story was making the rounds last night on Twitter, with some people tweeting nervously, “Is that legal?” Why, er, no. Even given the limitation suggested by Brady — he wants to make the symbol illegal as applied to federal officials, not necessarily illegal in all circumstances — he’d almost certainly be laughed out of court. Here’s the leading precedent on threatening politicians. It comes from an anti-war rally in the 60s, where a speaker said...

Arizona Rep. Giffirds shot; What is Next for America
In incidents such as this, the lesser first seek to find blame.  This from Pima County Sheriff who quickly exploited the tragedy to advance an agenda against the Tea Party which the perpetrator had no affiliation.  National politicians who blamed the blogosphere and even Sarah Palin.  Politicians who blamed the Internet.  So few in this first 24 hours blame the perpetrator himself.  In a culture of entitlement and the absolution of personal responsibility, it is not a ma...

Politicizing Tragedy
The Left quickly assigned blame for this weekend’s tragic shooting in Arizona to Sarah Palin, the Tea Party, conservative Talk Radio, and Fox News. Left-wing pundits are screaming for an end to the “heated Rhetoric” surrounding Immigration Reform, tax policy, and health policy. According to the Left, this weekend’s mayhem is symbolic of the “culture of violence” the “right” inculcates. Quite surprising to the Left must be the revelation by a forme...

Pelosi & Dems Must Fear the Disgruntled Blue Dogs Ready to Break Ranks & Cut Deals with Republicans
It would appear that House Democrat Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has a difficult next two years in store for her. Disgruntled “Blue Dog” Democrats are ready to deal with the GOP and break ranks with Pelosi. So many “blue dogs” were voted out of office in the 2010 Midterm Elections as upset voters showed them the door for voting with Pelosi rather than the will of their constituents. Blue Dog Democrats remain deeply frustrated with Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s leade...

Did Jared Loughner's Family Barricade Their Arizona Home During His Court Appearance?
​Jared Lee Loughner, the alleged Arizona shooter, was in court this morning for a preliminary trial and is being described by CNN as "very polite." He wore a tan Prison jumpsuit and was chained at the feet and ankles. The judge engaged Loughner and asked him to confirm his identity and he responded, "Yes. I am Jared Lee Loughner." The preliminary hearing took about 15 minutes. When the judge talked about the Murder of John McCarthy Roll, the Federal Judge that was shot, Loughner took a c...

Tucson PD: no progress on 2010 Giffords vandalism
After Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot Saturday, many news reports noted that her Tucson district office had been vandalized soon after she voted for last year’s Democratic healthcare overhaul, which was vociferously opposed by Tea Party Activists. News coverage of the incident – in which a glass door and window were broken in the early morning hours of March 22, 2010 – indicated that Tucson police were investigating. A check of their files on Monday revealed no notable progr...

Tea Party Activist/VA Sen. Candidate Jamie Radtke on Arizona Tragedy: its really about needing to get our arms around mental hea
ABC News' Amy Walter reports: In the wake of Saturday’s tragic shootings in Tucson, Arizona there’s been an increased focus on the role that political Rhetoric and imagery may have played in encouraging such behavior. Virginia Republican Senate Candidate Jamie Radtke tells ABC’s Top Line , however,  that “instead of it being about the political part, it’s really about needing to get our arms around our Health Care, the Mental Health policy here.” Radtke, the

Lamestream Media Ties Shooting to Tea Party
“The shooter’s motivation is still unknown,” Katie Couric announced as she anchored Saturday’s CBS Evening News, but that didn’t deter CBS, nor CNN, NBC and ABC on Saturday night and into Sunday morning from forwarding attempts to blame Sarah Palin and, by implication, the Tea Party, for the Tucson shooting. You must login to comment. The Fox Nation is for those opposed to intolerance, excessive government control of our lives, and attempts to monopolize opinion or ...

Left-Wing Democrats Use Giffords Shooting to Raise Funds
Here is a screen capture of a letter sent out by 21st Century Democrats on the night of the shooting. If someone clicks the "Click here to share your thoughts" link, They are taken to a page with a duplicate of the letter, comment box and donation button. 21st Century Democrats claim to be "Building A progressive Majority" and, claim in the letter, to have helped reelect Giffords in 2010. Their 2010 Candidates page features Barbara Boxer, Russ Feingold, Keith Ellison and Alan Grayson among other...