Arizona shootings: Will Barack Obama stand up to the Left?s shameful exploitation of a national tragedy? By Nile Gardiner - Jan 9th, 2011
Some hot-headed figures on the Left have wasted no time in exploiting the barbaric shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 17 others in Tucson yesterday, which claimed at least six lives, and using these tragic events as a political battering ram. As Toby Harnden noted earlier, ?the President wisely did not seek to make political capital out of the carnage or jump to conclusions about the motivations of the gunman, named as Jared Loughner. That, of course, hasn?t stopped some on the Left clamouring to blame Sarah Palin, the Tea Party or Republicans in general for what happened.? See also James Delingpole?s piece on the subject here.
While there is not a shred of evidence suggesting the clearly deranged and fundamentally evil gunman was influenced in any way by current political debates, a striking number of liberal pundits and a few politicians have been quick to invoke the names of Sarah Palin and conservative radio talk show hosts such as Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck when talking about the shootings. Here are a few prominent examples.
Paul Krugman, writing in The New York Times:We don?t have proof yet that this was political, but the odds are that it was. She?s been the target of violence before. And for those wondering why a Blue Dog Democrat, the kind Republicans might be able to work with, might be a target, the answer is that she?s a Democrat who survived what was otherwise a GOP sweep in Arizona, precisely because the Republicans nominated a Tea Party activist? You know that Republicans will yell about the evils of partisanship whenever anyone tries to make a connection between the rhetoric of Beck, Limbaugh, etc. and the violence I fear we?re going to see in the months and years ahead. But violent acts are what happen when you create a climate of hate.
Michael Daly, writing in The New York Daily News:At the very least, Palin added to a climate of violence?. And, now that Palin may have the blood of more than some poor caribou on her hands, I wonder if she will continue putting people in cross hairs and calling on folks to RELOAD!
Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva, in an interview with The Huffington Post:?The climate has gotten so toxic in our political discourse, setting up for this kind of reaction for too long. It?s unfortunate to say that. I hate to say that,? Grijalva said in an interview with The Huffington Post. ?If you?re an opponent, you?re a deadly enemy,? Grijalva said of the mindset among Arizona extremists. ?Anybody who contributed to feeding this monster had better step back and realize they?re threatening our form of government.?
Grijalva said that Tea Party leader Sarah Palin should reflect on the rhetoric that she has employed. ?She ? as I mentioned, people contributing to this toxic climate ? Ms. Palin needs to look at her own behavior, and if she wants to help the public discourse, the best thing she could do is to keep quiet.?
You can also read Jane Fonda?s taseteless tweets on the subject here.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/01/08/jane-fonda-blames-giffords-shooting-sarah-palin-glenn-beck-and-tea-paIn contrast, a few leading liberal writers have already warned against the politicisation of the Arizona shootings, including Howard Fineman at The Huffington Post, and Howard Kurtz at The Daily Beast. (Hat tip: Jennifer Rubin). It?s time for the president to now do the same.
Barack Obama?s track record so far suggests that while he is usually quick to go to war with conservatives, he is extremely wary of taking on his natural liberal constituency. The president however has an obligation as leader of the American people to speak out against the sickening political exploitation of a tragic event, which was an assault on the freedom of all Americans, conservative, liberal and independent. This is a moment for the White House to cast partisanship aside and call upon those making poisonous allegations to drop them. Above all President Obama should urge them to approach the aftermath of this atrocity with dignity and respect for those who lost their lives, instead of disgracefully using a national tragedy as a political pawn. Perhaps we shouldn?t hold our breath, but this is surely an act of statesmanship the president should be making at this delicate time.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100071050/arizona-shootings-will-barack-obama-stand-up-to-the-left%E2%80%99s-shameful-exploitation-of-a-national-tragedy/
