Sen. Dick Durbin, the second-ranking Democratic leader in the Senate, on Sunday cited imagery of crosshairs on political opponents and Sarah Palin's combative rallying cry, "Don't retreat; reload." "These sorts of things, I think, invite the kind of toxic rhetoric that can lead unstable people to believe this is an acceptable response," Durbin said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."
"The attack might be the work of "a single nut," Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva, whose Arizona district shares Tucson with Giffords' district, said Saturday, the day Giffords was shot. But he said the nation must assess the fallout of "an atmosphere where the political discourse is about hate, anger and bitterness."
Senator Dick Durbin.It is absolutely repulsive to use a tragedy like this for political gain. This behavior is odious. Apparently Sen. Durbin and Rep. Grijalva have no capacity to be repulsed.
Right now is a time to extend one's sympathies to the victims' families, to offer to help, and to draw together as a people. Instead, Sen. Durbin and Rep. Grijalva (call them DG) are trying to create sound-bites to gain political benefit. This is disgusting, creepy behavior, like the telephone fraudsters who were posing as a 9-11 victim's fund right after 9-11 happened.
It is stupid and almost criminal to suggest that Sarah Palin is responsible for some psychotic going off on a shooting binge. If conservatives suggested such a thing about a liberal, the New York Times would throw a holy, first page fit in 50 point type. Apparently a double standard is at work. Shocking.
Sadly, politicians like DG don't get it. They turn even this type of horrendous tragedy into political grist within 24 hours. They think this is slick.
DG should take a step back from the brink of the abyss and assess their own culpability for a toxic political environment. To attribute a psychotic's murderous actions to one's political opponents makes ordinary debate impossible. It is the height of folly and irresponsibility.
This is not political speech. It is slander. It is willfully untrue, and the motive is to gain political leverage.
The American people are fundamentally fair, and they prefer people who play fair. DG's "dumb and dumber" bit will cost the Democrats far more in credibility with the American people than the health-care bill ever did. The Democratic leadership had better lance this boil quickly, or the infection will go systemic.
BTW, under the DG theory of political speech, by making the systemic infection analogy, I may have prompted some psychotic to infect DG with a noxious biological agent. Of course, that's not my intent, but then, given the toxic political sewer in which DG seem to be delightedly splashing about, I guess I'd better make that clear.
I'm so used to a Pelosi/ Hollywood/ Ridiculous response after a tragedy, that it doesn't even phase me anymore. It is expected. The rest of us gasp in the face of tragedy, momentarily thank God that those we love weren't involved, and then utter a prayer for those families and individuals that were crushed by this tragedy.
ReplyDelete