Partisan Finger-Pointing Is Hypocrisy

Limbaugh: Obamas speech was poll-driven pep rally
Glenn Beck and his colleagues on Fox News may have been complimentary of President Obama’s Speech last night, but Rush Limbaugh sure wasn’t. He criticized the timing of the memorial service on Wednesday, four days after the Tucson shootings, saying it should have happened sooner. “The reason they waited as long as they did is they were waiting for polling data,” he said. “If they polling data had been different, the Speech would have been different.” CBS rel...

Richard Klass: Victims and Imposters
If any further proof of the dysfunction and distortion in the American political scene is needed, the reactions to the Tucson shooting provide conclusive evidence. In short, some of the worst offenders in creating the climate of political vitriol are attempting to don the mantel of Victim hood to deflect criticism of their political invective. The responsible media reported the tragedy and sought to raise broader questions of gun culture, political culture, the interaction of the two and the d...

Open Letter to Sarah Palin
Governor Palin - Your widening sphere of political influence, along with the Tea Party, is changing the course of political history. A powerful shift in political thinking occurred immediately after the devastating tragedy in Tucson. Revealed to all Americans was the underbelly of the political left. Witnessed was the brazen attempt and rabid reaction by the left’s political attack dogs to use the loss of life and Attempted Murder of a congresswoman as political fodder. Victims barel...

After The Shooting: Tucson Seeks The New Normal
Tucson, AZ -- They cheered, they cried, they celebrated and they mourned. And for perhaps the first time since the deadly shootings on Jan. 8, Tucson did it as one when the city gathered for last night's memorial service on the campus of the University of Arizona. In the days immediately following the massacre at a constituent event for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), Tucson struggled to find its footing. As I was told so many times by so many different people this week, Tucson is the "Berkel...

Some simply don't want a United States
Trust me, today on some Talk Radio and TV shows a number of hosts with an axe to grind against President Obama will not give him any credit for trying to bind the wounds of not only the shooting in Tucson, but that of a polarized nation. Simply put, the greed for Ratings and a profit from hate, anger and fear will propel many who talk for a living to find fault with Obama's attempt to unite America. If there's one person who has always attempted to bring our country together, it is Barack Obama....

Limbaugh believes being called out for his violent rhetoric is part of a conspiracy to silence 'all of talk radio, Fox News'
Well, they say that paranoia is an indicator of oncoming senility, but that would mean Rush Limbaugh has been getting senile for the past twenty years. In any event, he was in prime form yesterday: This is not an isolated event. Every time something like this happens, some disaster, it doesn't take 30 minutes for the media to start speculating that it's Talk Radio, and now Fox News and the blogs on the right and everything else. I got a lot of people who sent me e-mails yesterday: "Rush, I thoug...

Todays panties buncher for liberals
From Tim Smith of RoboCeleb: “Rush Limbaugh is under scrutiny after his “Straight Shooter” billboard in Tucson, Arizona went viral on the Internet. It turns out after the recent Arizona shooting, people are looking for anything and everything to blame for the tragedy. First it was the Sarah Palin poster and blood Libel video, then Glenn Beck‘s gun toting website malfunction and now this Limbaugh bullet hole ridden billboard. This is exactly why I don’t do politics, it consist

Exclusive investigation: frantic effort to stop questions on Obama eligibility
Private investigators have revealed to Conservative Examiner the details of an investigation into the frantic effort by Obama operatives to stop all questions concerning the Constitutional issue of Presidential eligibility. The ongoing investigation has been a work-in-progress for several months, and the sources state that there is much more information to come. Central to the investigation is the inability of concerned citizens to discover whether or not Barack Obama's father was a British subj...

Are All These Calls for Civility Really Just Calls for Censorship?
Yes. Let's just look at how things progressed this past weekend. Within moments of the news of the shootings various members of the left, aided by the idiot Sheriff Dumb*** of Pima County and many in the Mainstream Media, began to claim that people like Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, the Tea Party, and others were somehow complicit in this shooting because of their "heated political Rhetoric". None of those accusations were deemed to be uncivil. However, when Palin and Limbaugh responded to those ...

OK, so it's not going to be Sarah Palin in '12 ...
One of the consequences of Sarah Palin's decision to break her silence on the Tucson tragedy just hours before President Obama was to address a nationally televised memorial service on Wednesday is that the next day's news coverage is filled with observations like this, from Politico's Jonathan Martin: At sunrise in the east on Wednesday, Sarah Palin demonstrated that she has little interest -- or capacity -- in moving beyond her brand of grievance-based politics. And at sundown in the west...

Tom Athans: Tucson: Is Talk Media Off the Hook?
At a time when we most needed it, President Barack Obama put in perspective the tragic events that took place in Tucson and offered words of healing to a profoundly affected nation. His remarks allowed all of us to grieve with the families of the Victims and, contrary to what's been happening in the media this past week, gave us direction on where to properly place our sorrow. However, as I awoke to the morning news, it was clear that those within the talk media world heard something differen...

Latest Lefty Outrage: Rush Limbaugh Billboard Has Bullet Holes In It
Oh the humanity! (Robot Celeb)- Rush Limbaugh is under scrutiny after his “Straight Shooter” billboard in Tucson, Arizona went viral on the Internet. It turns out after the recent Arizona shooting, people are looking for anything and everything to blame for the tragedy. First it was the Sarah Palin poster and blood Libel video, then Glenn Beck‘s gun toting website malfunction and now this Limbaugh bullet hole ridden billboard. This is exactly why I don’...

Gabby Giffords' eyes | Michael Tomasky
We have entered the hall of mirrors. From Media Matters: ...several conservative websites - including Fox Nation and MRC arm CNS News - suggested that President Obama lied last night when he said that Rep. Giffords had opened her eyes for the first time shortly after his Wednesday night visit to the Hospital. In a recently-completed Press Conference, Giffords' doctor Peter Rhee explained that what Obama said last night about Giffords opening her eyes was "true." In response to a question from ...

Hypocritical demands for civility and baseless smears follow Tucson tragedy
Although the Tucson shooter was mentally erratic, did not listen to Talk Radio or Fox News, and loved the Communist Manifesto, liberal lawmakers and Newspapers like the New York Times immediately insinuated that his actions resulted from an “atmosphere of hate” or “climate of hate” created by Conservatives. Now, after baselessly accusing conservatives of complicity in Murder, they are suddenly calling for “civility.” But what they mean by “IncivilityR...

Former Judge to AZ Sheriff: Shut Up Before You Do Any More Damage to the Prosecutions Case
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 By Nicholas Ballasy Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) (CNSNews.com) - Rep. Louis Gohmert (R.-Texas), a former prosecutor and judge and a current member of the House Judiciary Committee, is offering some advice to Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, who has gained national attention since Saturday for his suggestions that radio and television Talk Shows were somehow responsible for the shooting attack in Tucson that took the lives of 6 people and wounded 14 ot

It's NOT about civility
Here's Steve Benan on Rush Limbaugh on Monday: QUOTE OF THE DAY.... Rush Limbaugh actually said this on the air today. He wasn't kidding. "What Mr. Loughner knows is that he has the full support of a major political party in this country. He's sitting there in jail; he knows what's going on. He knows that a Democrat [sic] Party -- the Democrat [sic] Party -- is attempting to find anybody but him to blame. "He knows if he plays his cards right that he's just a 'Victim.' He's the latest in a n...

Rush Limbaugh Billboard in Arizona
What kind of Mad Men are in Arizona at that Radio Station that would promote bullets for a radio Talk Show personality that lives on Hate Speech and that defies the government?  Especially after the shootings on January 8th, 2011 of a democrat US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords who lies in a Hospital fighting for her life from a bullet hole to her head from an insane young man who had a certain target and who thought the government was brainwashing him. What message does this radio station...

Mayor Bloomberg: Can't Blame Sarah Palin, Rhetoric For Arizona Man's Shooting Spree
Mayor Bloomberg struck the post-partisan tone of which he's so fond when asked today about the role (or lack thereof) of overheated Rhetoric in the Arizona shootings. “This would appear to be a very deranged, perhaps on-drugs individual from what I've read," Bloomberg said of accused gunman Jared Lee Loughner. "And I think we should focus on somebody with a gun that has killed six people. And I think the president put it very well yesterday -- the Rhetoric should be at a...

Limbaugh Slams Arizona Pep Rally And Slobbering Fox News All-Stars
Rush Limbaugh took to the airwaves and wasn’t so eager to echo the overwhelming praise of President Obama ’s memorial Speech last night. Not only was he shocked by the “pep rally” tone of the crowd (something that also troubled CBS’ Mark Knoller during today’s Press Conference with Robert Gibbs ), but he also had some complaints about what was said, the timing of the ceremony and the media reaction to it. Limbaugh first doubted the wisdom of having Department ...

Raised fists and smelling salts
Raised Fists and Smelling Salts by digby When people ask where the right wingers come up with their nonsense, point this out: Limbaugh: "The Muslim Brothers Might Be Scratching Their Heads" After Obama "Regime" Quoted Bible At Memorial I think my favorite Right Wing gambit is their ability to pivot from being aggressive defenders of the right to say and do anything in a free country to a bunch of Victorian spinsters calling for the smelling salts over the ill-mannered behavior of their politi...

David Brock Explains to Chris Matthews That Beck Has Been Responsible for Three Thwarted Assassination Attempts
Apparently Chris Matthews doesn't follow any of Media Matters reporting or what David Neiwert and others have been documenting here at Crooks and Liars for some time now since he appeared to be completely unaware that there have been numerous Assassination attempts where the perpetrators were fans of Glenn Beck. Heaven forbid that might entail some time... you know... reading and researching a bit instead of talking over his guests or repeating the latest Villager common wisdom talking points o...

MSNBC Warns Changing Programing could Spell Disaster for Network.
From Diogenes “It’s About Angry Rhetoric That’s What We’re all About!” Public calls for a reduction in hate filled and inflammatory political rhetoric on Cable News networks have plunged the MSNBC News Channel into utter chaos.  A spokesperson warning that such a move could leave the network with pretty much all 24 hours to fill. Network spokeperson Shadow Pierson-Finkelroy said not to underestimate the giant hole this would create in their programing. “MSNB...

Video of Bill Maher: 2007 vs Today On Inciting Violence & Hate
How about this for heated Rhetoric from the left: ■ Conservatives Want to Kill Barack Obama: “I really think there are conservative broadcasters in this country who would love to see Obama taken out.” (Ed Schultz) Mike Malloy: The face of true hate ■ Conservatives Are Terrorists: “Do you not understand that the people you hold up as heroes bombed your goddamn country? Do you not understand that Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly ...

Why won't anyone sign Glenn Beck's self-serving violence pledge?
Glenn Beck's entire show yesterday was about how people are "afraid" to sign the harmless little "pledge against violence" he introduced earlier this week. I can't imagine why anyone would reject or ignore a weird document from an irresponsible Bircher clown, can you? You can watch Beck's show here and here (until Fox removes the clips from YouTube, anyway) and if you only know Beck through liberal blog posts or short Media Matters clips, I encourage you to try an entire Beck show, to get a sens...

The president at Tucson: How will we change?
Generational historians say that the times can change in an afternoon. This change may have occurred Saturday in Tucson, an afternoon many of us began thinking about Michael Vick and ended listening to Dr. Peter Rhee at the trauma center in Tucson. History will mark it by the president’s Speech, introducing himself as “an American.” This will define him, for the first time in a long time, as “one of us,” and define ourselves as one with him as well. He did, for the moment, &#