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Giffords, the debt ceiling, and left-wing hypocrisy
The Battalion ^ | 08.04.2011 | Taylor Wolken

Posted on 08/04/2011 2:36:53 PM PDT by tysonbam

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords returned to Washington, D.C. Monday, seven months after her tragic attack to cast her vote in favor of raising the debt ceiling. Her timing couldn't be better to unveil the absolutely relentless hypocrisy of left-wing media and politics.

The vicious attack on Giffords sparked a whirlwind of criticism over the violent rhetoric of the right in which the media castigated the tea party for its tone. Sarah Palin was criticized relentlessly over a map depicting crosshairs over vulnerable democrats, similar to the DNC's use of targets on Republicans. Most heinously, Giffords' attacker, Jared Loughner, was assumed by the media to be a right-wing nut job aligned with the tea party, of which only the nut job part was true.

A favorite of the left, Paul Krugman crooned in The New York Times, "you could see, just by watching the crowds at the McCain-Palin rallies, that it was ready to happen again."

Democrat Senator Richard Durbin opined, "we live in a world of violent images and violent words," and went on to cite a Sarah Palin tweet, "don't retreat, reload."

ABC's Jane Cowan noted, "Political candidates, especially those aligned with the grassroots Tea Party movement, have increasingly invoked violent imagery."

It's hard to miss the irony when Giffords returned to the house, left-wingers and Democrats who refuse to use the term, "War on Terror," "terrorist," or "jihadist," to describe "enemy combatants," are using all those terms to describe the tea party congress members and their role in the debt ceiling debate.

Liberals lament the debt-ceiling compromise they think was manipulated by extremist "tea-hadists" though it gained more bipartisan support than Obamacare.

Joe Nocera of The New York Times in an article titled, Tea Party's War on America, complains, "You know what they say: Never negotiate with terrorists. It only encourages them," and accusing tea party members of having "waged jihad."

Vice President Joe Biden sniped, "The tea party acted like terrorists."

Michael Lind penned an article for Salon titled, "The Tea Party, the debt ceiling, and white Southern extremism" which explains, "Today's Tea Party movement is merely the latest of a series of attacks on American democracy by the white Southern minority, which for more than two centuries has not hesitated to paralyze, sabotage or, in the case of the Civil War, destroy American democracy in order to get their way."

Let me be clear. I have nothing against heated rhetoric. When Americans talk about passionate issues from sports, to religion, to politics, people are bound to spout off and feelings are going to get hurt.

I am however against blatant hypocrisy. It unveils the political opportunism of liberals in the Giffords tragedy where they insisted right-wing rhetoric poisoned the atmosphere regardless of the facts. Now, seven months later, Giffords returned to Congress and there is not even a whisper about civility as these same opportunists call fellow Americans hostage takers and terrorists.

It's fine to believe that liberals are shrill mouth breathers or that tea party jihadists are trying to destroy America. We all have opinions. Just be consistent.

Heated rhetoric I can stand, hypocrisy, I cannot.


TOPICS: Government; Politics; Society
KEYWORDS: ceiling; civility; debt; debtcrisis; giffords; giffordsstatus; rhetoric; teapartyterrorists

1 posted on 08/04/2011 2:37:04 PM PDT by tysonbam
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To: tysonbam

“Democrat Senator Richard Durbin opined, “we live in a world of violent images and violent words,” and went on to cite a Sarah Palin tweet, “don’t retreat, reload.”

Why do you think they call him Dick?


2 posted on 08/04/2011 2:42:31 PM PDT by jessduntno (When you want to rob Peter to pay Paul, you'll always have the support of Paul.)
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To: tysonbam

I saw her wave the crowd. There was something that was not quite right about that whole episode.


3 posted on 08/04/2011 2:44:15 PM PDT by gov_bean_ counter (JMO but I reserve the right to be wrong...)
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To: jessduntno

I thought they called him “Durbin the Turban” for his love of Muslims.


4 posted on 08/04/2011 2:44:33 PM PDT by Venturer
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To: gov_bean_ counter

Notice how she has not done any interviews-there is a reason for that


5 posted on 08/04/2011 2:47:06 PM PDT by funfan
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To: tysonbam
"She’s now a member of the cracked head club!”
- Joe Biden

Violence, insensitivity and utter stupidity almost completely ignored by the media.

6 posted on 08/04/2011 2:48:34 PM PDT by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
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To: funfan
Didn't want to say it, but her facial expressions and physical movements resembled that of a mentally retarded individual.

Unless something dramatic happens, she will not be seeking reelection.

7 posted on 08/04/2011 2:53:35 PM PDT by gov_bean_ counter (JMO but I reserve the right to be wrong...)
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To: gov_bean_ counter
Giffords' triumphant return
8 posted on 08/04/2011 3:07:40 PM PDT by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open ( <o> ---)
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To: tysonbam

Michael is a former neo con who was shut out of a position in the second Bush administration and became a turncoat selling his pen to the rats. His historical analogy is bs also. For starters how was secession threatening ‘American democracy’?


9 posted on 08/04/2011 3:14:33 PM PDT by robowombat
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To: gov_bean_ counter
That is what makes her voting even more disturbing. Maybe it was her idea to come and vote which in itself would not be a bad thing. If it was her decision and hers alone I would say more power to her because that would mean she is getting better. However if the Dem party drug her in there
just for a photo op than that is in poor taste. I hope she does get better and she can then choose what the future will hold for herself.
10 posted on 08/04/2011 3:16:02 PM PDT by funfan
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To: dead

Imagine if a prominent Republican had described her as being in the cracked head club. Sheesh..........

I know that Joe had some brain aneurism (sp?) surgery and wants to poke fun at himself. That’s one thing. But to make jokes about someone who survived a shooting is in such poor taste that I’m speechless.

And the MSM is speechless because he’s a good Democrat. They would have plenty to say if he were an evil Republican.


11 posted on 08/04/2011 3:17:54 PM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: gov_bean_ counter

She was waving with her left arm, but not the right.

Did someone rush her out of rehab too soon, to get this photo op????

Sadly, she suffered permanent injury. I hope it’s not more severe than we have been led to believe. The MSM makes it sound like she’s back to work and back to normal. Time will tell.


12 posted on 08/04/2011 3:20:54 PM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: tysonbam

I thought the whole scene was disgusting!

They used her like the “poor little black kids” that they trot out when they sign a healthcare bill.
And all those Libs trying to make sure the camera was on them right close to her...

I’m sorry she got shot...but really, her policies suck.


13 posted on 08/04/2011 3:32:54 PM PDT by Recovering Ex-hippie (where is the Great Santini when we need him??)
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To: Venturer

“I thought they called him “Durbin the Turban” for his love of Muslims.”

Possibly. When I see him, I just see a Dick. Figgered the name fit, why give him another one?


14 posted on 08/04/2011 3:33:49 PM PDT by jessduntno (When you want to rob Peter to pay Paul, you'll always have the support of Paul.)
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To: funfan

i believe they 100% used her.


15 posted on 08/04/2011 3:40:06 PM PDT by sappy
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To: gov_bean_ counter
For her to remark that she needed to be there to cast her vote so the whole economy wouldn't collapse is a classic response for a person with a brain injury. They don't always process information accurately and take everything literally. If she sustained frontal lobe damage, that would effect her executive functioning, her reasoning.

It is a tragedy and no fault of her own, but it doesn't change the fact that she really should step aside. She needs to focus on her recovery, and the pressure of the job could hinder her recovery, even to the point of causing her to relapse.

16 posted on 08/04/2011 4:47:58 PM PDT by FrdmLvr (culture, language, borders)
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To: tysonbam
>> Wolken, "sparked a whirlwind of criticism over the violent rhetoric of the right"

The justification for this quoted assertion is...


17 posted on 08/04/2011 10:01:09 PM PDT by Gene Eric (May our dreams converge for a free and prosperous nation.)
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