Juan Cole: Sarah Never Does Anything Wrong

seafan

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Mon Jan-10-11 11:10 PM
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Juan Cole: Sarah Never Does Anything Wrong

Juan Cole:

January 10, 2011

Sarah Palin’s aides are claiming that the crosshairs marking the targeted Democratic candidates (including Gabrielle Giffords) on her infamous poster (scroll down) were not crosshairs but a ‘surveyor’s symbol.’

But Palin called the symbols ‘bull’s eyes’ in a tweet, so the surveyor symbol business is just b.s.:

....

Actually, Palin has a long history of using violent rhetoric and then denying it.

Palin said of Julian Assange, “Why was he not pursued with the same urgency we pursue al Qaeda and Taliban leaders?” The US uses drone strikes against the latter.

When Assange complained that she was calling for his assassination, she claimed he had misquoted her.

Back in 2008, Palin repeatedly accused then candidate Barack Obama of “palling around with terrorists who would target their own country.” Obama had in fact denounced the terrorist past of the person Palin was using to smear him.

Palin whipped up her frenzied campaign crowds to shout “terrorist” at Obama, but then denied that she had heard them doing so.

It is not just Palin but also the candidates she endorses. Jane Hamsher points out that Giffords’s opponent in the last election, supported by Palin, “Held June Event to “Shoot a Fully Automatic M16″ to “Get on Target” and “Remove Gabrielle Giffords”. That site, like Palin’s own PAC site and lots of other right wing web pages around the internet is now being scrubbed of such material.

.....

Right-Wing Keeps Denying the Consequences of Its Violent Rhetoric, January 9, 2011

Gabrielle Giffords shooting reignites row over rightwing rhetoric in US, UK Guardian, January 9, 2011

But, the spigots of poisonous rhetoric are the "victims", you see.

And they don't like the way the narrative is developing.

The Right's reaction to Gabrielle Gifford's attempted murder. Credit: AP Photo

(Hat tip to the Daily Beast)

"When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government – the anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country, is getting to be outrageous. And unfortunately, Arizona, I think, has become the capital. We have become the mecca for prejudice and bigotry." ----Pima County, Arizona Sheriff Clarence Dupnik

Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik continued criticizing political rhetoric on MSNBC today, saying that "millions of people in this country are upset with the tenor and the attitude of our people. I think America has become very angry."

He also had some thoughts on the media, telling host Chuck Todd: "There are people in the industry that you're in who make a pretty good living off of keeping the public very angry. And I think that there are a lot of political people that feel that it's to their advantage to keep people angry at the government." ----Pima County, Arizona Sheriff Clarence Dupnik

This tragedy will be forever cement the lasting legacy of the debacle unleashed onto the national stage in 2008 by John McCain.