Politics
Leftists have shifted their goal in manipulating the Arizona shooting to their political advantage. At first, they tried to tie the tragedy to the Tea Party, Sarah Palin, talk-radio and conservatives in general. Revelations that the murdering madman was a left-of-center lunatic, as well as a general public backlash against such brazen politicking in the wake of a national crisis, ended the "blame conservatives" campaign. So, the left is now trying to use the shootings to bolster their campaign against guns.
That's fair. Reasonable people can disagree about gun ownership. Just following a diatribe about inappropriate rhetoric and the need to restore reasoned debate to politics, liberals may risk seeming a bit disingenuous by capitalizing on the emotions roused by a tragic murder to push an agenda. Nevertheless, the incident deserves a debate. Conservatives successfully defended themselves against accusations of culpability for the crime due to alleged overheated rhetoric - now they need to defend their gun policies by the same rational method.
It is commendable that conservatives have not attempted to use revelations of the killer's apparent liberal ideology as an indictment of the left. Conservatives have thus far conducted themselves well and will not be seen at the conclusion of this sad episode as the breathless, hysterical faction of American politics.
The issue of gun rights was predictable from the very beginning. And as you say, that's a fair conversation to have, though I'll admit some weariness about having to engage the discussion over and over.
It's interesting how the first impulse of liberals seems to be to seek the imposition of their view (completely normal human nature) and achieve it through suppression of the alternative voice.
Jonah Goldberg on NRO linked to a video of Mark Halperin on Joe Scarborough's show. Halperin conceded that it was, in hindsight, unfair to rush to link the shooting to the the Tea Party and conservatives.
But, Halperin seems to say, now that the water is under the bridge it would be best for the conservatives to cease talking about it, as that fosters more heated rhetoric.
And that has me steaming mad because it reminds me of the kind of behavior I see time and again from liberals:
o Make an accusation
o Keep making the accusation until a reaction is received
o Try to shame the accused for reacting
o Use this cycle to foster their own sense of moral superiority
Fundamentally that's an attempt to dictate what may be expressed, what the terms of that expression may be, and who gets to set the terms.
I know Scanlon will have several dozen links to prove I'm an idiot, but honestly ... does this not ring right with what Goldberg outlined in "Liberal Fascism?"
Oh, that's right ... that book has already been completely dismissed by leading authorities and scholars. I'd forgotten.
Justin, I'm not sure that the leftist MSM is not continuing their charges against Palin's "targets" and the atmosphere of political "disagreement" (read Tea Party and conservatives). NPR, MSNBC, and other news shows (just last night and this morning on the way to work) are continuing to interview people regarding this issue and either implying or directly stating guilt. They have added, however, the need for greater federal spending on mental health and other programs, thereby attacking the Republican call for smaller government.
"the murdering madman was a left-of-center lunatic"
Whoops, what was that Justin?
Was that you rising above the petty fray of the blame game?
The politics of lunatics matter not at all. Whatever they happen to believe in, it's like pouring jet fuel on the fire of their insanity.