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Palin Plays the Victim Card
CBS ^ | 01/12/2011 | Dan Farber

Posted on 01/12/2011 12:49:33 PM PST by Responsibility2nd

It's becoming increasingly clear that Jared Lee Loughner is mentally unstable. Sarah Palin's bullseye on Arizona Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords did not direct Loughner to shoot Giffords point-blank in the head on January 8, 2011.

Did the vitriol in political discourse, crosshairs and phrases like "Don't retreat, reload" (by Sarah Palin) or "If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun" (by President Obama) influence Loughren's state of mind?

Perhaps in an idiosyncratic way, according to Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, chairman of psychiatry at Columbia University. "Political rhetoric provided some of the context for his thinking, the pretext for his actions, but the core reasons for his actions were his psychosis," Lieberman told National Journal.

Regardless of what motivated Loughner to pull the trigger, the tragedy in Tucson has put the tone of political discourse, and those who tend to inflame more than inform, in the spotlight.

Campaigning has often been rough and tumble and full of venom and half-truths since the founding of the country, but as Giffords told MSNBC on March 25, 2010, after her campaign headquarters in Tucson was vandalized, "In the years that some of my colleagues have served--20 to 30 years--they've never seen it like this."

In reference to her district being targeted with the image of a crosshairs gun sight by Sarah Palin, Giffords said, "We're on Sarah Palin's targeted list, but the thing is, the way she has it depicted, it has the crosshairs of a gun sight over our district. When people do that they have to realize that there are consequences to that action."

But Palin doesn't seem to think that there are any negative consequences associated with her campaign words and images.

(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: alinskytactics; bloodlibel; bloodlibelbycbs; cbs4obama; cbsbloodlibel; danrather; democrats; freepressforpalin; giffords; palin; rathergate; sarahpalin; seebs; tucson
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To: Responsibility2nd

We’ve entered the post-statement phase where Democrats flail wildly in an effort to find a talking point that will make next week’s media meme.


41 posted on 01/12/2011 1:03:02 PM PST by Nickname
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Comment #42 Removed by Moderator

To: Responsibility2nd

This is worse.

The best thing to do is let it die. Instead, they double down.

This is what caused them to lose in November.

Have at it kids.


43 posted on 01/12/2011 1:05:04 PM PST by OpusatFR
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To: brytlea

This has nothing to do with LEFT OR RIGHT. It is a time of national concern and mourning to honor the victims the families and those left behind. Anyone with a shred of common decency or half a brain would realize it not a political debate.


44 posted on 01/12/2011 1:05:09 PM PST by IH8DEMS (.)
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To: Responsibility2nd

There is a real opportunity to seriously hurt the MSM by reminding those who still watch the news or read newspapers, that THEY PAY MONEY TO READ WHAT THESE IDIOTS PRODUCE. Any output produced by these people is worthless, devoid of logic and superficial. Better journalism is produced in high school newspapers than by these “professionals”.


45 posted on 01/12/2011 1:06:02 PM PST by Conan the Conservative (Crush the liberals, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of the hippies.)
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To: Mr. K

“OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS IS HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!”

It’s a million roadrunners going off the cliff at a billion miles an hour.

Looney tunes...


46 posted on 01/12/2011 1:06:54 PM PST by OpusatFR
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To: Responsibility2nd
Regardless of what motivated Loughner to pull the trigger, the tragedy in Tucson has put the tone of political discourse, and those who tend to inflame more than inform, in the spotlight. Campaigning has often been rough and tumble and full of venom and half-truths since the founding of the country, but as Giffords told MSNBC on March 25, 2010, after her campaign headquarters in Tucson was vandalized, "In the years that some of my colleagues have served--20 to 30 years--they've never seen it like this." In reference to her district being targeted with the image of a crosshairs gun sight by Sarah Palin, Giffords said, "We're on Sarah Palin's targeted list, but the thing is, the way she has it depicted, it has the crosshairs of a gun sight over our district. When people do that they have to realize that there are consequences to that action." But Palin doesn't seem to think that there are any negative consequences associated with her campaign words and images.

Regardless of what motivated Loughner to pull the trigger.....we're going to blame it on Sarah Palin.

There. Fixed it.

47 posted on 01/12/2011 1:06:58 PM PST by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all -- Texas Eagle)
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To: adorno

Better known as projection.


48 posted on 01/12/2011 1:06:58 PM PST by brytlea
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To: Responsibility2nd

I argued for a while with a lib on Facebook who was determined to defend the Democrat use of targets while condemning Palin’s use of crosshairs. I could not get that POS to admit that crosshair are would you look through, targets are what you HIT (and therefore equally significant in this debate.)


49 posted on 01/12/2011 1:08:53 PM PST by A_perfect_lady (Islam is as Islam does.)
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To: ozzymandus
So according to this leftie, Sarah isn’t guilty, but she’s still guilty.

You're right. And, according to "them", Palin needs to sit down, shut up and just nod her head in agreement while crazy people publicly accuse her of being an accessory to the brutal murders of innocent men, women, and children.

50 posted on 01/12/2011 1:08:53 PM PST by lonevoice (Where the Welfare State is on the march, the Police State is not far behind)
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To: Nickname

I like your nickname, btw.


51 posted on 01/12/2011 1:08:56 PM PST by brytlea
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Comment #52 Removed by Moderator

To: La Enchiladita

That psycho Loughner, was following Giffords since 2007.

Regardless of what you think of Palin it had nothing to do with her.

Loughner attended one of Giffords rallies in 2007 in which he asked her a question and didnt like one of her answers. He fixated on this poor woman ever since.

It is very unfortunate. Giffords seems like a true role model human being and an example for the rest of us.


53 posted on 01/12/2011 1:09:38 PM PST by IH8DEMS (.)
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To: FlingWingFlyer

It did not matter how SP responded, the LSM would go in the direction that they thought would hurt Sarah the most.

Do you need a 4yr degree to think like that?


54 posted on 01/12/2011 1:09:48 PM PST by Delta Dawn (The whole truth.)
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To: Conan the Conservative

Its hard to tell who is more out of touch with reality, the shooter, or the MSM.

_________________________________________________

Don’t forget to add Sheriff Douche-nik into this mix. He should be charged with obstructing justice.


55 posted on 01/12/2011 1:10:18 PM PST by Responsibility2nd (Yes, as a matter of fact, what you do in your bedroom IS my business.)
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To: La Enchiladita

Hey enchilada or whatever your handle is. You seem not to understand political metaphor. When our country was founded political disputes were often settled with duels or eye-gouging fights. If you can’t handle the ubiquitous expression Of “targeting an opponent” you could be part of the PC problem. Just because Sarah put a surveyer’s target on key political races has nothing to do with advocating violence. To even think that is beyond the pale.


56 posted on 01/12/2011 1:10:28 PM PST by 2nd Amendment
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To: Responsibility2nd

And where was CBS when two gays guys hung Palin in effigy from the top of their house in West Hollywood, Halloween 2008? It made the national news, but I don’t remember hearing any liberals decry violent imagery then.


57 posted on 01/12/2011 1:11:09 PM PST by A_perfect_lady (Islam is as Islam does.)
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To: La Enchiladita

I’m sorry, but your post is nonsense.

Any honest debate over the political tone has to account for the words and actions on both sides. You are simply regurgitating the media’s character assassinations here. I find it deplorable, and less than honest.


58 posted on 01/12/2011 1:12:12 PM PST by MortMan (I am in no mood to be amused! (Ebenezer Scrooge))
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To: Responsibility2nd
Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, chairman of psychiatry at Columbia University. "Political rhetoric provided some of the context for his thinking, the pretext for his actions, but the core reasons for his actions were his psychosis," Lieberman told National Journal.

Yes, I am sure Dr. Lieberman has met with Loughner in order to give his diagnosis! Especially when he was called a loaner then suddenly everyone knows everything about him and gets on TV and in the news with their 15 minutes of fame.

The Mother Jones article [see site] did some good coverage referencing the sovereign-citizen movement is a philosophy. The Mother Jones site pointed out by Megyn Kelly [Fox News]..which discribed that Jared was not overexposed to politics but just life overall from the "teachers, pigs [police?], front runners--he was kicked out of community college and school mate said he seemed to go down hill after his expulsion--he only had the intellect of education to keep him going. Media chaos was mentioned by a "friend" who said Jared would expect that and perhaps bask in the success of being the cause of such chaos.

How did you trust your child with them fraud teachers and front runners, listener? Did you now know that the teachers, pigs, and front runners are treasonous!-Jared

The story goes on to say;" People identifying as sovereign citizens have also on occasion fired on police officers trying to enforce laws, and there are rare cases of extreme violence—most notably Oklahoma City bomber Terry Nichols, who identified as a sovereign citizen and even tried to use the movement's arguments in his legal defense."

"These people are bookworms trying to use words, quote the Constitution, and make it their business to learn and commit to memory the definitions," says Adask. "But if people won't hear their words, sooner or later they will hear bullets."

Jared knows why he did what he did--and only he.

59 posted on 01/12/2011 1:13:30 PM PST by fight_truth_decay
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To: Responsibility2nd
A nightstick the size of a telephone pole and the muscle to wield it effortlessly.



60 posted on 01/12/2011 1:14:24 PM PST by onyx (If you truly support Sarah Palin and want to be on her busy ping list, let me know!)
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