[Sarah Barracuda]

I wonder what the reaction would have been if someone from a Conservative publication had tweeted a joke about killing Obama, or Hillary Clinton

[KyCats]

It would be top story on every news program for 24 hours and every republican in the country would have to go on record to denounce it.

[SamuraiScot]

if someone from a Conservative publication had tweeted a joke about killing Obama . . .

Bear in mind that Douthat is very conservative. For all we know, someone at the NYT was the source of the story.