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Only 33% believe ‘harsh political tone’ had anything to do with Arizona shooting

By: Dan Spencer (Diary)  |  January 11th, 2011 at 08:41 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Most Americans, 57 percent, believe the tragic shooting in Arizona isn’t connected to politics. That’s the result of a new CBS News poll which found only 32 percent of respondents aid the harsh political tone had something to do with the shooting.

The poll of course found a partisan divide:

  • Republicans — 69 percent said rhetoric was not to blame; 19 percent said it played a part.
  • Democrats — 49 percent saw no connection; 42 percent said there was.
  • Independents — 56 percent said rhetoric had nothing to do with the attack; 33 percent felt it did.

The left-wing hate machine’s efforts to blame the shooting on the right has failed to persuade Americans, who continue to show they are smarter than many political activists give them credit for being.

Now that it is clear there is no political advantage to be gained in the political blame game, perhaps Barack Obama can apologize for his extreme rhetoric as he picks up the mantle of “consoler in chief.”

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  • rdm42

    Keep in mind that at least a certain portion of those who think rhetoric had a part in things don’t think it was CONSERVATIVE rhetoric.n So the efforts are failing worse than the numbers.

  • http://www.plumbbobblog.com Plumb_Bob

    The left-wing hate machine has a very specific goal: to criminalize conservative speech. Their intent is to remove free speech rights in the name of public safety. In order to do this, they have to convince themselves first, and later convince enough non-aligned voters, to take it as necessary when they actually remove the rights through unconstitutional court action, executive orders, or legislation. The fact that it’s bunk is of no consequence; EVERYTHING they say is bunk, but they manage to get a lot of it ensconced in law.

    This is also the goal of “hate crimes” language.

    “Progressive” political activists systematically removed the rights of free people everywhere they gained power in the world throughout the 20th century. Anybody who thinks they will behave differently here because “this is America” needs to think again. There is some cultural variation, but the progressives’ goals here are the same as their goals were in Russia, Cuba, Vietnam, Albania, Romania, China, Cambodia, and wherever else the hard left has gained power.

    • NeoKong

      I don’t think that even they believe their own rhetoric. To allege that the kid went on a killing spree because of the Palin target map is beyond ridiculous. The kid was a Hinckley type stalker and Sarah Palin had about as much responsibility there as Jodie Foster.
      The left along with their ever so willing and remarkably compliant media are using this tragedy as a hammer to try and beat back the recent successes of the right.

      The left wants to use the premise that harsh rhetoric can influence people to do a certain thing but if that was true then they wouldn’t have lost the November election so badly. If you listened to MSNBC ( I know, I’m joking) you would think Republicans were the devil.
      My point is that they were deliberately trying to influence people in a certain way with harsh rhetoric and failed spectacularly.

    • spainishirish

      as arbiters of “acceptable speech” any longer. Let’s continue to kick the crap out of them over this blood libel.

  • spainishirish

    Bad news: the liberal media is frustrated because the public knows it lies.

    Americans are too sophisticated these days to fall for the left-wing media’s old propaganda techniques, which have a certain buggy whip quality to them. The old liberal media, which knows it is dying economically and influentially, likely will ramp up the hate and deceit as it fades into irrelevancy. So we have much to celebrate from this tawdry episode, but also know the dying beast will lash out as its dies. Look for the worst left-wing offenders, like MSNBC and the NYT, to start to deliberately try to have violence inflicted on people they despise like Sarah Palin.

  • Section9

    She pulled Rebecca Mansour off the Twitter line and went completely dark. I suspected that she knew that the Left couldn’t help themselves and that this would play itself out and that a backlash would begin to develop. This took a boatload of nerve on her part, but it was well played.

    When the LibProgs lose a Tory Wet like David Brooks, you know that the propaganda campaign is starting to come off the rails.

    For our part, conservatives need to remember that this is what the MSM does to conservatives who are prominent and are rivals to the Ruling Party. We must never forget that the Left and their Outriders in the MSM used their institutions to try and destroy their opponents in the wake of a heinous mass murder.

    Nothing is beneath these people. Nothing.

    • http://travismonitor.blogspot.com Freedoms Truth

      This is not a new Palin strategy:

      1) Palin does some innocent thing that to some is a bit ‘off’ (e.g. kills a moose, praises heroes of the Alamo, buys real butter in supermarket, etc.)

      2) Left goes nuts, over-reacts, calls her names, wishes deadly diseases on her family

      3) Palin responds and shows up how small-minded and distateful her enemies are.

      Rinse and repeat.

  • spinoneone

    Adding a couple of thoughts to plumbbob’s post here. More or less in order, the governments which were “successfully” captured by communist/marxist/socialist/progressive parties, one probably has to begin with Lenin followed by Mussolini, Hitler, and then a wide variety of lesser lights. Don’t forget that Hitler was elected as the leader of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. They were “right wing” only in comparison to Lenin/Stalin, and the NSDAP was friends with the Communists in Germany and the Soviets up until 1940. The first Ministries with Nazi bosses in 1932/33 were the police [Interior], army [War] and Post [post office, telephones, telegraph, and radio]. They then bullied the media to following their line.

    • edintexas

      Let’s not forget that the Communists and Fascists were not the only Progressive/Leftist politicians with control of a government. We need only look to the Wilson administration for examples of government excess from the Left, to include imprisoning opponents. And Teddy Roosevelt needs to be remembered as the first Progressive President.

      You are certainly correct that it is libelous to refer to the NSDAP, and other Facists, as “right wing”. As a saying about the SA (Brown Shirts), from Germany in the 30s, described them “Brown on the outside, Red on the inside”.

  • steve010

    I know many younger 20 somethings that have similar interests. Being that my son is 22 years old and has been following the anarchist movement for some time and is also a leaner towards the 9/11 truthers, I know something about how these people think. And most of these people are non-violent war haters.

    Also, there is some indication that the shooter believed in the 2012 end of the universe conspiracy and probably also had questions about Building 7.
    First, off what are the chances that Jared Loughner listened to Rush Limbaugh. Probably close to zero. Maybe George Noory and Coast to Coast radio, but not Glenn Beck or Rush.

    Second, what are the chances that Loughner visited Sarah Palin?s Facebook page to see the crosshair map. Again, probably none, as he may not even have known who Sarah Palin is. Would he have frequented TED.com. Probably a good chance. But I haven?t heard anyone from MSNBC blaming TED.com or George Noory for the shooter?s bizarre notions relating to mind control.

    I don?t think the left wing lovers of central government planning understand the anarchist movement at all. The right wing doesn?t believe in no government. The anarchists believe in no government. The right wing believes in limited government. The anarchists believe that society can exist without government. The left wing talking heads get this wrong or they put the anarchists in the same boat as the right wing. But the anarchists would start barfing and retching in the same boat with the right wing as they dislike Rush Limbaugh even more than Sheriff Dupnick.

    • carolina

      I’ve never listened to Coast to Coast, but I have ‘friends’ in a web discussion group that I have belonged to since ’97 – and a lot of them listened to Noory and C to C. Those people don’t trust ANY govt (repub or dem). I bet most people here don’t know anything about C to C?
      The lamestream media missed a great ‘opportunity’ to unveil/blame something juicy. All they did was show their stupidity once again and lower their credibility even more. The dems have blown it again. cool

    • carolina

      I’ve never listened to Coast to Coast, but I have ‘friends’ in a web discussion group that I have belonged to since ’97 – and a lot of them listened to Noory and C to C. Those people don’t trust ANY govt (repub or dem). I bet most people here don’t know anything about C to C?
      The lamestream media missed a great ‘opportunity’ to unveil/blame something juicy. All they did was show their stupidity once again and lower their credibility even more. The dems have blown it again. cool

  • http://bluecollarmuse.com Blue_Collar_Muse
  • ohiohistorian

    Probably be Dems 100%, Repubs 0%, Bernie Sanders aligning with the Dems.

  • wannabeanncoulter

    As Erik once suggested doing to idiotic state legislators, all the employees of the leftwing hate machine should be taken outside and beaten to a bloody pulp.

    • Uma Richie

      You’ve had four days to scour everything that EE has written in your search to support a meme that was contradicted by facts three days ago, and all you could find was a rhetorical question about how far the government goes before people revolt.

      Please take the time you reread the diary. He clearly does not advocate violence, but rather notes that if things ever should get ugly and *others* riot and society breaks down, we’ll need to be ready to defend ourselves, our loved ones, and our property.

      • wannabeanncoulter

        I consider myself literate. I recall reading the post the first time it appeared, and I’ve reread the linked post several times since your reply. I don’t think I’ve misread it. It says what it says.

        Besides, you make it sound like beating the apparatchiks of the leftwing hate machine to a bloody pulp is a bad idea.

        Anyway, I think a lot of people are suddenly getting wussied about emphatic metaphorical speech. My everyone’s so PC all of a sudden! I think it shows a lack of character, all this scrubbing and tidying up of web pages, etc.

  • http://www.va5thdistrict.blogspot.com va5thdistrict

    try and force the tea party and conservatives to tone down their objections to the direction Obama is trying to take our country. We must maintain our voice.

    http://va5thdistrict.blogspot.com/2011/01/stay-strong.html

    • wannabeanncoulter

      n/t

  • gwalt

    RS, NB, BIG sites and all others should ban together and do an all out boycott of the “news media”. They should actually be called propaganda media.

  • swamphermit

    Democratic Party is built on hate…heck, they even teach/preach HATE in their churches, e.g. Rev Wright and the racist TUCC group. Want to see real hate and racism, just watch the audience’s reactions in one of Wright’s videos…

  • Common_Cents

    They were interviewed last night. They were being baited by the pimp media whores but they didn’t fall in the trap like the slimeball sheriff did. The sheriff is being pimped like a good little ho in the media. The media is just itching to come out of their sheeps clothes and spout off their manifesto but they let dumb people like the sheriff do their propaganda for them.

    I bet he is the most interviewed person from this tragedy and he wasn’t even there! Think about it. Gee, wonder why? Because he is saying what the left wing media wants so badly to say.

    • The_Gadfly

      he helped dig it, climbed out and jumped in of his own accord — all while smiling. It’s just that he was only mugging for the cameras when he jumped.

      • Common_Cents

        He is definitely grandstanding. But my point it he would never get all the interviews just because he wants them. He is getting them because he is the messenger the media wants to represent their inner views.

  • johnt

    You know you’re dealing with dangerous nuts when something like this can be ignored. Given his reading preferences he’s to the Left. These savages, I include the media & many Democrats, want major crackdowns, restrictions, punitive actions taken. Possibly open violence, they just want somebody else to do their dirty work. I mean, could you imagine little Kos on top of the barricades ?

    • Fernman

      George Will has done the great service of naming this attempt for what it is: “McCarthyism of the left –

      devoid of intellectual content, unsupported by data – is a mental tic, not an idea but a tactic for avoiding engagement with ideas.”

      • ruexperienced

        Burn Baby Burn….

        Other examples of “hate speech” that killed other people.

        BTW, have you heard that Jane Fonda thinks Fox News causes violence?

        (cough, cough)

        • Fernman

          The democrats will be using this incident to do the following:

          1) Regulate gun ownership
          2) Regulate “hate” speech – political discussion will be monitored.
          3) The radio through the FCC will stop further political talk

          this unless we are vigilant.

  • grandma

    And follow the left as their lord and master. Mind control maybe?

  • desertwanderer

    believe that 9/11 was an inside job, that Bush “stole” the election in 2000, that Elvis is still alive, and that there are black helicopters watching our every move.

    • http://pocketchangeproductions.net/ anotherindyfilmguy

      But it’s the hate speech of the left this guy listened to…

      The whole 9/11 trutherism was spawned not just from conspiracy theory people but from the left using it to pound on Bush for his “illegal wars” etc to either score political points or undermine the war effort of our own troops (or both the second being treasonous).

      The rhetoric of the left is chock full of literal references to violence and revolution etc against the “establishment” and those “evil rightwingers” etc and ti the ends justifying any means. If we held them accountable to many of their hate filled speeches they could be held liable under various laws about sedition/treason etc but they always claim free speech for their hate speech.

      The irony is that the left has helped to setup so many to be fringe via their own rhetoric (and those buying into it) and when the left fails to satisfy the fringe the fringe may take action that includes going after some of the left for whatever reason.

      It’s a genie that the dems have created through decades of hateful rhetoric and no new laws curtailing free speech will fix it, only inflame them more, as they show their true nature to the base that once considered them bastions of being correct/infallible. It reminds me of the man who would be a god king when his new subjects see him bleed from a cut. Not a good thing for the infallible to be seen as otherwise.

  • darcdante

    Even a majority of Democrats don’t blame the rhetoric? Good. Maybe those Democrats will see the truth of the far-Left and what they’re in cahoots with.

    • aesthete

      Even so, it is proof that the meme that the Tea Partiers are liable is crumbling. I imagine that as more information comes out, this meme will have even less support (I imagine that the bottom on this thing is somewhere around 20%).