Rhetoric, Violence, Cross-Hairs and Arizona

Tim Pawlenty (purposefully) missing the point

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Unbelievable. Crosshairs again, 1/2012

• Gabby Giffords and an Ominous Development in Missouri | Mother Jones  (1/25/2012) Just hours before Giffords made her way into the nation's Capitol, an unknown provocateur was stalking the halls of the Missouri Capitol, tagging the doors of lawmakers—most of them Democratic women—with images of rifle crosshairs.
• St. Louis Activist Hub: Rifle Crosshair Stickers Placed On Democrats' Office Doors (1/24/2012) 
• Police investigate rifle cross hairs stickers found in Capitol | The Columbia Daily Tribune - Columbia, Missouri  (1/25/2012) 

The Right and the Art of Rhetoric

• Newt Gingrich, "Language", 1996 GOPAC Memo
• 2007: The Right said it would make the Left fearful of speaking

An Accretion of Violence, Threats

• ThinkProgress Republican Congressional Canddiate Compares Obama to Hitler (8/6/2012) 
• WTF. Democratic Operative's Cat Slaughtered, 'Liberal' Painted On Corpse - Huff Po (1/23/2012) 
• *Republican* official in AZ resigns--fears "taking a bullet" due to Tea Party Threats (Jan 2011)

"There Was No Violent Rhetoric on the Right!"

• Kansas Speaker O’Neal asks House GOP to pray for Obama’s death - National Democrat | Examiner.com (1/14/2012) 
• Dishwashing detergent will send people over the edge
• Glenn Beck's 10 Reasons to Assassinate your Congressman (NewsCorpse, Jan 2011)

No Connection between Rhetoric and Loughner

• "The Tucson Witch Hunt", Charles Blow thinks violent rhetoric bad, but accuses Dems of overreaching for causal relationship, backfiring (1/15/11)

The Left Does it Too

• Compilation of Proof from Michelle Malkin
• Yes, but the Left critiques itself too. 
• ""The right and the left both have intemperate voices. But here's the key: only the conservative movement counts the most vile blowhards as leading lights, embraced by the leadership. Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Sarah Palin: these are among the most popular conservatives in America. Who are the folks on the left with equivalent popularity and influence?" --Andrew Sullivan, "On Extreme Right and Left, Ctd" 

It was a Psycho, Not Political

• Young Turks: of course it was political; false equivalence
• Mental Health Expert: Examining the political culture IS RELEVANT (Plum Line)
• "Let's Take Mental Illness OUT of the Discussion" of Tucson (1/19/2011): Mental illness is not a predictor of violent behavior

Sarah Palin didn't pull the trigger--but she did blow the dog whistle

• Arguing over Crosshairs misses the point--and is convenient (G Sargent, Plum Line)
• "I agree that it's a huge stretch to blame the "crosshairs" for inciting violence. That said, this is not what many on the left are pointing to as the primary problem, ...arguing over the "crosshairs" is an overly narrow framing -- perhaps a deliberate one ...
  Rather, what some on the left object to is the rhetoric ...that tacitly or overtly seeks to deligitimize the political opposition's democratically-obtained hold on power, and flirts with the idea that non-democratic means are an acceptable way of countering or undoing it."
• Stochtastic Terrorism: message thru the media (dkos Jan 2011)
• Karoli on Rhetoric: "Art of War, Media Messages..." (Jan 2011, C&L)
• Ha. Palin's aides acknowledge: words have meaning, consequences: Death threats against Palin rise. (CBS, Jan 13, 2011; after blood libel video)
• "Palin Hit List /Successful Targetting Terror", PoliticusUSA (1.15.11) 
• Giffords's cousin, and Dr. Tiller associate, speaks out: great read (1/16/11)
• Gays, Golden Globes, Guns-- David Bernstein/Phoenix 1/19/11

Critique of Violent Rhetoric from the Right (!)

• Palin Says Rhetoric From Wisconsin 'Union Bosses' Will Get People Hurt (VIDEO) | TPMDC 3/11/2011 
• Maura Liasson on Fox: Palin's aide tacitly admits link btw words/violence (1/16/2011) 
• Right wing blogger calls out his "own side of the aisle" (1/2011)
• David Frum (former Bush speechwriter): it's the PARANOID NARRATIVES that is the problem (1/17/2011)
• For example, frequent talking point from conservatives: "Nazis were Leftists". (see rebuttal, here)
• Joe Scarborough of all people, calls out Beck and Palin *(Politico Op Ed, 1/18/11)

We Were Warned / We've Been Talking About This All Along

• No one listened to Gabrielle Giffords (Frank Rich, 1/17/2011)
• Dept of Homeland Security report on rise of rightwing extremism, Spr 2010
• Violent Imagery isn't the problem: it's the tacit approval of violent actions that is Jan 11 2011

The Right STILL Breeding Apocalyptic Anti-Gov Mistrust/Resentment

• Gohmert: FBI is withholding info re: shooter bc it would "embarrass liberals" (Jan 2011)
• Limbaugh wants to know why Obama is "escaping total blame" for Tucson (Jan 2011)

Pettiness 

• "T-shirt-gate"--"Together we thrive" and Michelle Malkin (New Civil Rights Mvmt, 1/14/11)
• "Jumbotron/Applause-gate" ("if the President was surprised by the applause in Tucson speech, why did he ask for it on the Jumbotron") (1/17/2011)
• Even Rush Limbaugh recognizes that this "Jumbotron" applause thing is stupid. 
• Blood libel and Sarah Palin get their own blog entry, for suspicions of needing lots of space

Legitimate vs. Crazy Voices from the Right

• "Andrew McCarthyism", Bernstein, Phoenix, 1/2011

Reactions to Obama's Tucson Speech

• Good reaction (poll) to speech (1/17/2011)

Nazis, Hitler, Godwin's Law

• Greenwald: Godwin's Law: you're using it wrong (7/2010)

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