Tragedy Exposes 'The Big Lie'

Townhall.com ^ | January 13, 2011 | Diana West

[Kaslin]

The suppression of the facts is by no means the most dangerous aspect of any Big Lie. After all, facts don't go away even amid efforts to suppress them. All sorts of inconsistencies, impossibilities and clues remain behind, and sometimes in plain sight, for anyone who cares to look. The real threat the Big Lie poses to society comes when it is not stopped in its tracks, exposed and trashed for what it is -- a lie -- but rather accepted, accommodated and, indeed, treated as if it were the truth. At that point, a Big Lie is a big success, having created an alternate reality that turns its very targets into hapless accomplices.

Unfortunately, that last bit describes most Republicans' supine reaction to the reaction -- the Big Lie -- about the Arizona massacre.

Much has already been written about the heinous movement on the Left to blame conservative politicians, political groups and pundits -- but mainly Sarah Palin -- for causing the crime, for creating the conditions unique to the crime, with "heated rhetoric" and "violent imagery." Without even examining the violence (note to liberals: I use the word metaphorically) this specious argument does to the First Amendment, I say this argument is a Big Lie.

Violent imagery ("battleground states," for goodness sake) and figures of speech are not only unexceptional in politics across the board, they are prevalent in ghoulish excess on the Left. I recommend that every reader visit Michelle Malkin's website to view her greatest-hits gallery of berserk Leftist "violence," from "Abort Palin" bumperstickers, to Bush assassination imagery, to our own President Obama's unforgettably thuggish rhetoric from the 2008 campaign trail: "If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun."

Then there is the ongoing lie within the lie (which is how Big Lies are constructed) about Sarah Palin's infamous list of "targeted districts." Assorted MSM outlets have displayed her political map that put swing districts in the cross-hairs; none of these outlets have reproduced the official Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee map that similarly "targeted" such districts in 2009 with bull's-eyes, featuring, for example, "Targeted Republican Thaddeus McCotter -- Michigan's 11th District." If I can find it online, why can't they?

Such evidence, of course, would (metaphor alert) kill the Big-Lie drive to judge Republicans guilty of the Arizona crime and thereafter sentence them to a kind of peer-pressured censorship. Robust and, lately, winning conservative debate is (metaphors ahead) the target here; the weaponry doesn't matter to the Left. Which means facts don't matter, either. To wit: "So far, there's no connection between alleged murderer Jared Lee Loughner and the extremes of the Tea Party movement," writes the Washington Post's Jonathan Capehart, arguing for "Republican leaders to tamp down the rhetoric." He continues: "But that's beside the point...."

Really?

In the end, though, what's worse than the Big Lie itself is the failure to reject and expose it -- the failure, in this case, to identity the lie as a naked influence operation to mute conservative political expression. This failure is the crime Republicans are guilty of each time they stoop to defend themselves within the phony terms of the lie itself.

When House Speaker John Boehner canceled all House votes this week, including the all-important first round on repealing Obamacare, the message was: Yes, maybe there is a bona fide link between congressional debate in Washington and the internal monologue that drove a man to kill in Tuscon. Sarah Palin, too, protested way too much in her response to the Left's "blood libel" against her. It's not a civics lesson that's required to bring the Left to "reason." Where there are no facts, there is no reason, and any painstakingly logical arguments against disreputable falsehoods only further extend the charade.

A great unmasking is what's needed here. Having twisted an unspeakable crime into a gag for their opposition, the Left must be called out, and it's the job of the Right to do it. Otherwise, as with every Big Lie, silence turns everyone into a Big Liar.

[Oshkalaboomboom]

A member of the ruling class was killed and another seriously injured, which is enough to grind Congress to a halt. If it would have been 6 schmoes at a shopping center they would have gone on with business as usual. The ruling class looks after its own.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

“If it would have been 6 schmoes at a shopping center ....”
Or 13 soldiers at an army base (Ft. Hood).

[Cicero]

Well, an excellent article. All except for this bizarre sentence: “Sarah Palin, too, protested way too much in her response to the Left’s ‘blood libel’ against her.”

Say, what? John Boehner is criticized for folding, but Sarah Palin is criticized for hitting back?

I thought her response was extremely well done, and so did many other Freepers. It’s just too bad that she was virtually the ONLY Republican who responded to this lying, leftist, murderous blood libel.

So, what does this writer want? For Republicans to answer back, or not answer back? Knock that one sentence out of the article, and it makes excellent sense.

[griswold3]

The ruling class looks after its own.

Many discussions lately about the so called ‘power elite’. The major advantage we have against them is our tradition of rebellion and our patience.
I know we’re winning when Obama has to beg businesses to spend.

737 days 14 hours

[ConfidentConservative]

I felt the same way, Cicero, when I read the article I thought it was great right up until Palin was mentioned.

She did the right thing and called out their “Big Lie” to the Dems face. Republicans need to continue to do so.

[Tax-chick]

The author wants Sarah Palin to NOT be a riveting national figure, because she herself, the author, is so much superior to Sarah Palin in breeding, educational attainment, and invitations to the right parties. You can substitute any other woman writer for Ms. West, whoever the FReep she is. They’re all dying of envy.

[xzins]

She says that instead of engaging the left in logical debate, that they should be called out.

Then, she doesn’t give details about what she means.

Call them out? To fight, to a duel, to arm wrestle? what????

[WFTR]

I have to agree with the previous comments. The commentary made sense until the author criticized Sarah Palin for calling the Democrats on their big lie. Sarah Palin was attacked, and she fought back. I don't see a need for every other public figure to jump into the mix to defend her, but the people should be behind her. She's done nothing wrong. She's not the problem.

The left has engaged not only in violent rhetoric but violent actions. Leftists have tried to disrupt Sarah Palin's motorcades as she traveled to speak in various venues. In doing so, they are using force to deny her First Amendment rights and those of her audience. Those actions are violent by their very nature. The left has made public speeches by conservative commentators impossible on many college campuses. By engaging in violent behavior at the speech or leading up to the speech, they've intimidated college administrations into not allowing conservative ideas to be spoken in a public way. Their actions are a violent attack on the First Amendment.

Conservatives are tired of being subject to this kind of violence. We're tired of not being allowed to play on a level playing field. Sarah Palin appeals to many of us because she seems to have the passion and the determination not to allow this kind of nonsense to continue. Ultimately, I don't see her as a strong candidate for president in 2012, but I want all conservatives and moderates who care about this country to be willing to take a stand against the violence of the left.

Bill

[BenLurkin]

The only way any good will come out of this incident is if it leads people to people learn the truth about the phony “blue dogs”.

The victim’s voting record gives good insight into how the “blue dog Democrats” operate.

They will find two or so issues that your District really cares about (typically 2nd Amendment and national defense) and vote “conservative” on those issues.

BUT on other issues which are damaging to America (”Dream Act”, Obamacare, abortion, unemployment extension, etc.) they will vote in a block with the rest of the Democrat party.

This is how the Democrat Party has suckered American voters for years and it is one big reason they have maintained majorities when they should not have.

Unfortunately too many voters focus on their one hot-button issue and don’t look any farther. Perhaps this will change in the aftermath of this tragedy.

[Tax-chick]

Anoreth will fight, duel, or arm-wrestle a liberal, given the opportunity ;-).

It’s the eternal cry of the confused Republican, “Do something! But not that ....!” No one is more committed to niceness than I, but there is nothing unladylike about looking evil in the eye and giving its true name. No need for invective, vulgarity, or ranting, just simple English words without compromise. Sarah Palin has the right attitude.

[mad_as_he$$]

or 30 college students.

[rdcbn]

The Big Lie here is the whole “lone crazy” story line after it became obvious that the shooter was not a Right Wing Tea Party member but was instead an angry left wing radical nihilist who wanted to produce a little “creative anarchy” in the mold of G10 protesters.

This guy would be totally at home on the Daily Kos or the DU. Based on the posting on those sites, a reasonable fraction of Kos and DU members are at least as disturbed as the shooter - they just have not acted out yet.

Now that it is obvious that we are dealing a DU/Kos style left wing crazy they want to push the “lone shooter” story line to avoid comparisons of this guys mindset with that of a large portion of the Democrat's radical base.