Posted on 01/12/2011 8:50:02 AM PST by markomalley
The talk in political circles has been that Sarah Palin had a rare opportunity in the wake of the Tucson tragedy to reach out beyond her base and recalibrate her image beyond that of a gun-toting mama grizzly.
After all, the strategists said, there was some sympathy for her—beyond the Palin-haters—for being tied to the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords, even if she had erred with her “reload” talk and by posting that map with the gun-sight targets last year.
Instead, Palin chose to throw kerosene on the embers of a smoldering national controversy.
“Especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding,” Palin said in a video on her Facebook page, “journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible.”
Blood libel, for those who are not familiar, describes a false accusation that minorities—usually Jews—murder children to use their blood in religious rituals, and has been a historical theme in the persecution of the Jewish people.
Had Palin scoured a thesaurus, she could not have come up with a more inflammatory phrase.
As someone who has argued that linking her rhetoric to the hateful violence of Jared Loughlin is unfair, I can imagine that the former governor was angry about how liberal detractors dragged her into this story. But after days of silence, she had a chance to speak to the country in a calmer, more inclusive way. She could have said that all of us, including her, needed to avoid excessively harsh or military-style language, without retreating one inch from her strongly held beliefs.
Instead she went the blood libel route.
She added that blame for the shooting of 20 people should rest “not with all the citizens of a state, not with those who listen to talk radio, not with maps of swing districts used by both sides of the aisle, not with law-abiding citizens who respectfully exercise their First Amendment rights at campaign rallies, not with those who proudly voted in the last election.”
With her defiant video, Palin continued—no, escalated—her war with the press, which plays so well with her strongest supporters (despite a recent thaw in which she actually granted a few interviews to the lamestream media). She continued her us-versus-them approach to political discourse. She punched back at critics rather than trying to fashion a unifying message.
I would say that sounds like the response of someone who wants to stoke her base and further her lucrative career as a culture warrior—not someone who is plotting to run for president.
I submit it is not inaccurate.
But, a historical reference. Whether Jew, Christian, Carthagenian or man in the moon. It is the same disgusting practice of propaganda of hate.
You know, Howie, before you start writing articles, throwing stones about how Sarah should be using dictionaries and a thesaurus and other tools of the trade, how about you just get the perp's NAME correct, hmmm?
She could have said that all of us, including her, needed to avoid excessively harsh or military-style language
Oh yes, what we need are more politically correct speech codes, that would solve all of our problems wouldn't it?
Oh, by the way, Loughlin hated bad grammar, so we should modify our speech to suit your deranged sensibilities and Loughlin's deranged sensibilities, thing is, both of you have virtually the same perverse standards on speech.
The tragedy has rung the idiot bell loudly, this time Kurtz answers its call.
Something the press does understand, and probably never will, is their attitude during and after this horrific event, served to expose them for the true demons they are, whose desire is to tear down our nation, not build our nation up. One cannot spout lies, and expect respect. The press deserved no respect, after their lies within their reporting. Thus the press only received what was due.
Now that the press is upset....so what....I personally do not give a flip. Smack them down again Sarah, Smack them down harder. The press deserves such, for their lies, and their attempts to incite violence using hate speech as their rhetoric.
I'll calm down now and go back to my corner and be quiet.
They know it is hypocrisy but they don’t care. They all pick up big globs of mud and toss it all at once hoping that a whole lot of it will stick.
They know people will pick up and listen to the hype in an in an incident like this in the first hours. After awhile they lose interest and will remember only what they heard in the first hours.
Thus, a sucessful smear.
oops successful, not sucessful
they blame her of drinking of their blood, not good at all very sad
Howie....there is nothing easier than telling the guy you just beat that he should forget the depths you plumbed to do so.
You commie libs have been having a DISGUSTING POLITICAL ORGY for the last four days, accusing a mother of 5 of the murder of a 9 year old...
Sarah’s comments were so on-target! And we’re getting the same kind of nonsense from the left that we got when we started using the phrase “Islamofascism.” Even usually reliable Jonah Goldberg was a bit upset this morning about Sarah’s remark.
But as we all know, we know we’ve hurt ‘em when we hear ‘em squeal.
Kurtz's reaction is the MSM template on their response to her comments and no doubt, they will continue to attack her and link her to the shooting regardless of the facts.
The term “blood libel” is exactly right.
My question is this: where are the other so-called “leaders”?
She has waited a couple of days to give people a chance to calm down, she has waited to see if any adults would stand up, and seeing none, she has answered the attacks.
I am impressed by the fact that the other wannabe leaders are so gutless.
The main thing that impresses me about Palin is that she has the right enemies, and she sends them into apoplexy just by breathing. And she shakes it off with a chuckle and fears them not.
That is very interesting. Thanks for posting it.
:-)
Yeah...by all means, she should have just sat there and let people keep calling her an accomplice to murder. (rolling eyes)
The only successful smear is of the progressives by the progressives.
A CBS poll showing 57% of Americans don’t connect Loughton with “rhetoric” means the number is probably upwards of 70%.
What we have known for some time:
1) dums were wishing for a OK City moment for BO.
2) the template for such an occurance was set, just needed to plug in the names.
3) The Tea Party, Conserves and some Repubs were ready for them.
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