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Palin explains 'blood libel' comment

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I do not care for the lady, but no one should be threatening her nor her children. If you disagree with her, vote against her. Blood libel can have many meanings, so just leave it alone and forget about it.

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She is still a moron.....I remember how she misrepresented the health care reform bill and said that there were "death panels" for the elderly.

Which there were none (it is merely asking for the elderly's will on whether they want to leave as vegetable if they were hit in a coma).

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ah some local america news... she can stay there..hopefully the world wont be inflicted with here small mindedness

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Believe me it's no accident that crosshairs were chosen for that map. She doesn't have an original idea in her head. Everything she does and says is entirely scripted. That's why she only appears on "friendly" shows like Sean Hannity.

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It amazes me to see what gluttons for blowback modern American progressives (or liberals, or "the reality-based community", or whatever this year's term is) have become. They attack Palin and she just gets more popular. They go after her kids and she just gets more popular. They ridicule her base and it expands.

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"They attack Palin and she just gets more popular. They go after her kids and she just gets more popular. They ridicule her base and it expands."

What does that say about her base?

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"What does that say about her base?"

It includes more and more people who voted Hopey And Changey in 08 but won't be doing so in '12.

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Right wingers were not so innocent when they continue to press lies about Obama's birth and trying to question his "Americaness" over not wearing a American pin.....

Both the left and right wings are never innocent.

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And by the way I've seen the tsrgets she's referring to on the Democratic map. They look like blue, red and yellow ARCHERY targets.

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Unlike Palin, at least the Democratic did NOT have listing of names and cities where they serve their community.

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The longer Our Sarah stays in the public eye, the more stupid the American Right looks in the eyes of the rest of the world.

How can a woman of the intellectual, um....'capacity' of Our Sarah be taken seriously?

Only the Right knows, but the reality is they don't.

Palin - Hannity '12! :-)

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Why didn't she just clearly say in plain English that efforts to link the assassination attempt against Rep Gabrielle Giffords to conservatives' (or the tea party's) political rhetoric had no basis in fact since the shooter was a first class nut-job? Why did she choose to try and simplify it by using an expression that brings up all kinds of other issues, not the least of which is that Giffords is Jewish. I think that's pretty good evidence that she really is a moron.

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Half seriously, if I was a conservative American, I would probably vote for The Person Who Writes Sarah Palin's Tweets.

At least this individual has a sense of humor, I'm guessing it's Jay Leno? :-)

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More than half of those polled said the tone of the country’s political discourse didn’t contribute to the shootings.

ouch! a more telling statistic of the state of the union, there sure ain't!

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"The longer Our Sarah stays in the public eye, the more stupid the American Right looks in the eyes of the rest of the world."

Much of the rest of the world cannot even vote in democratic elections.

In many countries, especially Muslim ones, women are effectively barred from running for any office.

And of course the rest of the world, by definition, cannot vote in our elections. IOW - we don't particularly care what you think.

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dirigible - "IOW - we don't particularly care what you think."

Arrggh...I needed that reassurance that Americans are kind-hearted, compassionate, and clearly not arrogant at all.

Thanks for providing it! :-)

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“I think the critics again were using anything that they could gather out of that statement,”

I think this dolt of a person, proving more and more to be stupider and stupider by the day, is not taking her own criticism personally enough. People are criticizing her for misusing the term 'blood libel'? Next she'll be toasting marshmallows with her kids and calling it a 'pogram for the ages'. The woman, in trying to defend her 'set our sites' on the governor shot, defends herself with things she cannot even bother looking up?

What a tool. Seriously. Any American who thinks this woman is worthy of any kind of leadership role should, ask someone to kick themselves a few more times in the head. Won't help, in all likelihood, but oh well.

“They can’t make us sit down and shut up,”

How about just making you sit down OR shut up?

“I know that a lot of those on the left hate my message and they will do all they can to stop me because they don’t like the message.”

Nothing like turning your own blunders into criticism of someone else. It's like if the woman took a test that required a computer mark sheet, bombed said test, and accused the computers that check it of having an agenda instead of admitting her ineptitude.

“I receive a lot of death threats. My children do.”

If that's the case, then it is sad -- no one should receive death threats; it's as wrong as this woman taking stage on a mass-murder and accusing the left of having an agenda in accusing her of something. I hope she recorded the threats. I can say my neighbour threatened me, but without proof it won't mean anything. Fortunately for her the right-wing nut jobs in the tea party in particular lap up anything she says.

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IOW - we don't particularly care what you think.

It seems to me that Americans aren't doing much caring OR thinking, when it comes to guns.

Highest gun crime rate in the "civilized" world, but hey! Sure ain't got nothin' to do with our guns! lol

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"Why did she choose to try and simplify it by using an expression that brings up all kinds of other issues, not the least of which is that Giffords is Jewish."

'Blood libel ' has pretty frequent currency in recent US political commentary, from both left and right . I think Palin took the notion from the conservative (and Jewish) radio host, Dennis Praeger. She has been on his show. Praeger has been telling his growing audience that the MSM and progressive talking heads' smear of tea party participants as 'racists' was, for American conservatives, the equivalent of the blood libel for European Jewry, who heard this nonsense - beyond the pale even for that day and age - and realized their opponents were unhinged, deeply cynical and even dangerous people. The libel woke people up.

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I hope she runs for President and actually captures the Republican (tea party) nomination. The Democrats will have a field day with her.

The more she opens her mouth, the deeper the hole gets.

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Palin explains 'blood libel' comment

No need to explain. It's well understood she has a godawful understanding of world affairs, history, culture, economics, the environment, basically anything thats happened outside of Alaska so this comment wasn't surprising at all.

BTW if Sarah wants to learn about people who've been unfairly blamed for the violent actions of others, I've got some Muslim friends she can talk to.

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ilcub76 - "I hope she runs for President and actually captures the Republican (tea party) nomination. The Democrats will have a field day with her."

Me too! That's part of the ever-growing beauty of Our Sarah:

If she runs, Obama wins.

If she doesn't, Obama wins.

All good! :-)

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dirigble -- wrong on all counts. You need to get your "facts" from places other than Palin's web site or Fox news. In reality, her base is not growing. She has strong appeal to a minority of right-wing Republicans. That's all. Even the majority of Republicans question her credentials for the job of President, and she consistently ranks behind Romney and Huckabee in popularity among Republicans. Her base is strong and vocal, yes. But, it is not growing, and she is not attracting centrist voters.

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If Our Sarah was a tree, conservative Americans would become a nation of tree huggers.

The image of this is so beautiful, I think I need a tissue! :-)

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dirigible: "Much of the rest of the world cannot even vote in democratic elections."

You best thank your lucky stars for that. I suggest you just pretend you are offline and can't comment further on the topic... it's pretty clear that the dolt has once again embarrassed herself; no point dragging yourself down with her further than you have.

palin is without a doubt the stupidest person to step into politics the world has heard of. You're right, in other nations she would not be allowed to voice her opinion in politics, and while it may be for the wrong reasons it would be to the benefit of the world overall. But hey... in a few days she can always blame her critics for her own use of the word blood letting, and no doubt if she were to do so she'd misuse some other phrase and have to find a way to blame that on everyone else, too.

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"blood libel", not "blood letting". Clearly the media misunderstood what I typed and it's been used against me to further the (fill in the blank) political agenda!

haha.

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"The Democrats will have a field day with her."

Meh. Maybe. Obama is looking like a one-term wonder, a spectacular flop. So what comes after The One? At the state level the Democrats minor league, so to speak, was all but wiped out in the last election.

Jerry Brown ?

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Clearly, Our Sarah is the Right's best hope for election victory in '12.

Bad luck. Best to close up shop now. :-)

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SmithinJapan - I strongly disagree with you.

Our Sarah is a real asset.

If you are a Democrat/Global Liberal. :-)

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The Right has quite a field -

Mitt Romney is unelectable - tried and failed.

Mick Huckabee is almost unelectable - tried and failed.

Sarah Palin is definitely unelectable - tried and failed.

I vote for one of the blonde newsreaders who are always yelling at me whenever I switch to Fox. :-)

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I thought blood libel was a Sidney Sheldon book. Palin is a good looking Canadian and even as a vegetarian, I think her hunting from a plane is kind of sexy.

She's not gonna run Sushi, but I think if you look at her base with your eyes open and then switch back to whats on the progressive side, you'll see a lot more hot ladies on the TP side and that is what she brings to the table.

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Why does she have to "defend" herself now? The leftist commentators are the ones who should explain their slander.

"Blood libel" was exactly right, that is what they did.

It is incredible -- the bullies beat up on someone, then she finally fights back, and then she gets attacked for fighting back??

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Any American who thinks this woman is worthy of any kind of leadership role should, ask someone to kick themselves a few more times in the head.

Smith - the people from the great state of Alaska thought she was worthy. I wonder how many times they kicked themselves (in the head and other places) for ever putting her in charge of their state. Alaskans should be ashamed for voting her into power. She fits right in with a city council or a PTA.

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Skip - "She's not gonna run Sushi,.."

I disagree. I think she will. Everything is pointing to a run.

"but I think if you look at her base with your eyes open and then switch back to whats on the progressive side, you'll see a lot more hot ladies on the TP side and that is what she brings to the table."

Agreed. Hotness is way more important to American voters than politics.

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ElJeffeEnJapon - "Smith - the people from the great state of Alaska thought she was worthy."

Probably you would too if your State handed out oil profits to every citizen the way Alaska does.

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Agreed. Hotness is way more important to American voters than politics." Well, Obama was voted a lot on looks. Face that fact and hotness makes a lot more sense to me these days than politics. I mean, if I ran, my good looks would propel me. We are talking about a society that is glued to the TV 100 fold for American Idol than voting for the president. Video killed the radio star but also killed the good leaders too.

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The former, obviously." Well, I don't know, you guys scare me sometimes. Oh, and I'm sure it wasn't a tea partier nor a non-white. We just aren't into things like that.

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Just because Dennis Praeger used the term "Blood Libel" does not make it any better or justify it. Let's face it, Jews drinking christian baby blood is a pretty weak (as well as extreme) methophor for criticism of the tea party by liberal-backed elements of the media.

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Im not American, but I watched with great interest Sarah Palin`s very Presidential-like speech after the Tucson Massacre. I found her to be totally inspiring, a gracious and wonderful lady, who spoke words of wisdom and truth.

Those two concepts seem to be alien to many of the posters on here, and to many of my liberally minded American friends, who constantly seem to be spewing venom and hatred against her. Are they afraid of her becoming President when the Great Obama loses in 2012? President Obama`s speech was also inspiring - the most inspiring I have heard him in a very long time. Perhaps the recent decisive defeat for the Democrats at the polls have forced him and his Leftist cronies to temper their policies and their words.

I find Sarah Palin to be a breath of fresh air in the political world. She is articulate and speaks common sense. Sure, she might make the odd mistake - who doesn`t? The fact that people like Matt Damon and other Hollywood upstarts are against her makes her an even more attractive choice for the Republican Candidacy in 2012. I think the world might actually be a better and safer place with her resident in the White House.

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Realist - own goal for the Hard Right. Well done. :-)

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About the only thing funnier than Our Sarah is the feined indignation and protestations of her faux supporters when they feel their Savior has been unjustly hassled.

Palin-Hannity '12! :-)

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40 plus comments for an article about a private citizen in America, a woman, defending her Constitutionally - guaranteed right to free speech.

Interesting, isn't it. This person is a national cynosure (and judging from contributors here, also an international one).

Much bigger stories unfold and impact Americans' lives: The bond market is edging towards collapse, the dollar continues its slide, unemployment is at ten percent and "underemployment" is at 17 per. I get the impression that the establishment libs in the media hate Palin as only progressives can, but they are keenly aware that no one in American politics right now generates the buzz that she does. I hope she does not run for prez (America and the world cannot afford two American Idol - type presidents) but remains the high profile gadfly, the shrill voice in the heads of American and foreign progressives, the way Dubberz was for 8 long years...

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The way Our Sarah's frettin', Obama's 2nd term is becoming more likely by the day.

All good. :-)

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It's pretty freaky watching the Hard Right pour vitriol on people who point out that sorry Sarah, black isn't white and up isn't down.

It's a real shame that the Right have allowed their minds, attitudes and opinions to be dictated by whichever right wing talk show host shouts at them the loudest today.

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ElJeffe: "Smith - the people from the great state of Alaska thought she was worthy."

Until she walked out before her first term was over, of course.

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About the only thing funnier than Our Sarah is the feined indignation and protestations of her faux supporters when they feel their Savior has been unjustly hassled.

Pretty sure if the Media narrative was that a mental nutcase was upset because President Obama had caved in on the Bush tax rates for the wealthy your attitude would be quite different on this.

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realist: "I find Sarah Palin to be a breath of fresh air in the political world. She is articulate and speaks common sense."

Okay, I just couldn't take your trolling any further after the 'articulate' part before I burst out laughing. You do realize they had to coin a new word in the dictionary last year to give the woman a little more credibility in terms of what she says. Nothing will ever, EVER top her interview with Katie Couric. THERE you got to see the dolt's true character.

SolidariTea: "40 plus comments for an article about a private citizen in America, a woman, defending her Constitutionally - guaranteed right to free speech."

It's amusing to watch you guys pull this 'so many comments' or even worse bottom-of-the-barrel 'arguments' when you cannot defend someone. This woman says something you THINK is good and you use it to further your political beliefs. She embarrasses herself and the party (about 90% of the time she's in the news) and suddenly it's everyone else's fault.

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Sailwind, problem is the 'media narrative' - as you very accurately put it - is being created by a bunch of ignorant thugs over on the hard right who are harming your country.

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sailwind: "Pretty sure if the Media narrative was that a mental nutcase was upset because President Obama had caved in on the Bush tax rates for the wealthy your attitude would be quite different on this."

palin is a 'mental nutcase' (three cheers for redunancy, sail... is such a thing as a 'non-mental nutcase'?), but I don't see what that has to do with Obama and taxes. Do you have a comment on the thread at hand?

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Smithinjapan - Our Sarah, as we all know, is a certified Quitter. I'm harboring very uncomfortable feelings that this is why so many conservatives identify with Savior Sarah. It doesn't have to be this way.

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palin is a 'mental nutcase'

Civility does start with being able to capitalize the first letter in a persons surname. Oh and calling her a 'mental nutcase' isn't exactly the civility message President Obama imparted in his speech to the nation.

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Let's face it, Jews drinking christian baby blood is a pretty weak (as well as extreme) methophor for criticism of the tea party by liberal-backed elements of the media.

Agreed, and I'll do you one further: The fact that you even have to point this out is a sad commentary.

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Palin is an idiot and because she is an idiot she uses idiotic terms like BLOOD LIBEL, now the stupid idiot is trying to dig herself out of the hole she made, all by her ignorant self!

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I have to disagree again. 'Blood libel' is apposite in this instance.

Palin was essentially accused by the liberal media in America of murder by proxy - and it is as ridiculous as the hoary, bigoted, neanderthal charge made against Jews in the Middle Ages (and to this day in the Arab world), from which we get the term.

The watchdog site "Newsbusters" can help the ppl here with short memories or a thorough ignorance of American politics:

"it appears the network has not always thundered with righteous indignation at the use of the term.

"There was no reaction from MSNBC's Chris Matthews in 2000 when Jack Kemp used the term to describe a harsh radio ad the NAACP had used against then-Gov. George W. Bush (R-Texas) nor in 2006 when Mike Barnicle used the term in reference to Sen. John Kerry having been criticized by a group of Vietnam War swift boat veterans."

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Palin was essentially accused by the liberal media in America of murder by proxy - and it is as ridiculous as the hoary, bigoted, neanderthal charge made against Jews in the Middle Ages (and to this day in the Arab world), from which we get the term.

She may be an idiot but she ain't no scapegoat like the left are trying to make her. Even idiots have the right to defend themselves. Funny how the left leaners go crazy when she does.

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Well, how ever it is, it hasn't become good for Palin. According to the recent Washington Post / ABC News poll released Jan 17th Monday, only 30% approved of the way Palin has responded to this Arizona shooting incident. In contrast, 78% approved of the way Obama responded (including 71% of Republicans approved), and 53% approved of the news media.

So what ever Palin thought she did, an overwhelmingly low portion of America believes her.

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lostrune2:

" So what ever Palin thought she did, an overwhelmingly low portion of America believes her. "

If that is so, what do we learn from that? Blood libel pays off in American politics? That is pretty depressing, if you ask me.

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WillB - "If that is so, what do we learn from that?"

That Our Sarah is an idiot.

But we all knew that years ago.

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“You can spin up anything out of anybody’s statements that are released

Sarah should know this very well. She spun the fact that Obama and Bill Ayers once served together on a Republican-funded education committee as "pal-ling around with terrorists." A statement that caused the cries of "kill him!" to be shouted among her fans at a campaign rally.

Americans need to keep in mind that the Republican leadership has endorsed a policy of misinformation and preemptive violence against any they consider the "enemies" of America. And for many, liberal Democrats are high on the enemies list as people who support a candidate who "pals around with terrorists." The misinformation campaign we see daily on these forums.

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WilliB at 10:26 PM JST - 18th January

lostrune2:

" So what ever Palin thought she did, an overwhelmingly low portion of America believes her. "

If that is so, what do we learn from that?

That she screwed up, for one.

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lostrune:

" That she screwed up, for one. "

She defended herself against the outrageous blood libel lobbed at her by liberal talking heads. Should she have sat still and accept the victim role?

You may say you don´t like that, but "screwing up" it is not.

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She defended herself against the outrageous blood libel lobbed at her by liberal talking heads

She was the one who chose to use the term without understanding its connotations. After eliciting cries of "kill him!" with some of her other rhetoric, she ought to have cooled it a bit, but didn't, and won't.

Rest assured, it will be the Republicans who end up throwing her under the bus. And, rest assured, the act will be portrayed by right-wingers as just another example of liberals taking down a "patriot."

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There are two explanations for Palin's mouth. Gross stupidity and an overarching lust for fame and money.

I'm not in agreement with the press trashing Palin for the shootings, that's just stupid and vindictive as well. But Palin has really put her foot in it this time.

The result is that, at this rate, she won't get nominated for president. The media might have done the Republicans a huge favor.

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I am against Libs that do not take responsibility for their actions (-a good reason Libs should not be allowed to own guns). Commentary by the media/Palin have nothing to do with the shooter or the chain of events leading to the shooting.

=The media needs to look deeper into the circumstances of the shooting instead trying to make excuses. The American people have a right to know.

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People like Ms. Palin have to say outrageous things to keep their names in the news. This and also to satisfy their base and hopefully keep marginal fans sympathetic. But it can also backfire and cause those marginal fans to leave in droves. Again, as I said before I'm sure words and phrases like "blood libel" are carefully chosen by speechwriters. No slip of the tongue here.

Moderator: I can't seem to access the "show all" comments. When I click on that nothing happens.

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It is true that you must cater to the LCD (lowest common denominator (5th grader) crowd now.

=keep hitting the "show all" comment button if it entertains your intellect.

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The liberal U.S. media immediately blamed the entire Tucson shooting on Mrs. Palin. Her response was -- and still is -- correct.

RR

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Just a few quotes from some of our esteemed posters here.

Palin is an idiot and because she is an idiot she uses idiotic terms like BLOOD LIBEL, now the stupid idiot is trying to dig herself out of the hole she made, all by her ignorant self!

That Our Sarah is an idiot.

There are two explanations for Palin's mouth. Gross stupidity and an overarching lust for fame and money.

So, these are the people that are calling for the 'rhetoric' to be toned down? The woman gets death threats, but thats ignored because you hate her, and what she believes. So much hate from the left. Its a wonder more people don't go around flying planes into buildings, or shooting up their co-workers. Guess it does explain some of the violence from the left though.

Blood libel is an appropriate term, for trying to falsely portray someone as being responsible for the death of others.

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"So much hate from the left."

Not hate. Since when do you have to hate someone to think that they're an idiot.

"Guess it does explain some of the violence from the left though."

Hmmm, just where is all this violence from the left?

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Palin added, “I receive a lot of death threats. My children do.”

This is part of the strategy and pattern of misinformation that the hardline right-wing of the GOP has adopted in the fight against their enemies. If she's receiving death threats, it's more likely that her political bedfellows on the far right are sending them so that she can make the claim without pegging a lie detector.

This can be seen in how Tea Party activist and Palin supporter Kenneth Gladney provoked a fight at a rally for St. Louis Democrats and then faked that he was injured. (The case was eventually laughed at and the charges he leveled at the person who scuffled with him didn't even make it to the level of a misdemeanor. Gladney never made the record of his medical treatment available to the public.)

This is one of a number of examples of how the far-right Palin faction of the Tea Party look for ways to portray themselves as victims -- while all the time spouting violent, anti-government rhetoric themselves. You hate to believe that so many Americans are so clueless that they can't see how some of these Tea Party types are manipulating them.

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This is part of the strategy and pattern of misinformation that the hardline right-wing of the GOP has adopted in the fight against their enemies. If she's receiving death threats, it's more likely that her political bedfellows on the far right are sending them so that she can make the claim without pegging a lie detector.

It really sounds like you know misinformation very well. Or should I say more likely that you do?

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It really sounds like you know misinformation very well. Or should I say more likely that you do?

When the GOP right-wingers announce that misinformation will be a key element in the war against their enemies, I take them at their word on that one.

As for me, I strive to portray things as accurately as I possibly can, including my opinions. I do not regard anyone or any faction as my enemy, therefore there is no benefit for me in being untruthful.

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So, these are the people that are calling for the 'rhetoric' to be toned down?

I don't believe that all the people who used the word "idiot" to describe Sarah Palin are Americans, so it would be unfair to tie them to the actions of any American political faction.

On the other hand, several posters who are not fans of Sarah Palin have spoken out against any kind of threatening language directed towards Palin or any political figure. I add my voice to theirs.

It is sad that a local GOP party chairman in Arizon had to resign, citing death threats from Tea Party members as his reason. (He wasn't toeing the Tea Party line, obviously.)

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“They can’t make us sit down and shut up,” she said.

That's too bad, because she needs to

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I don't want this moron becoming President. It scares me to think that a moron who believes the Earth is around 6000years old could be in charge of the biggest nuclear arsenal on the planet. I can see Charlton Heston now on that beach in "Planet of the Apes", looking up at the almost buried Statue of Liberty, shouting out his contempt for today's politicians, and I think Palin could make that scene a reality.

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It amazes me to see what gluttons for blowback modern American progressives (or liberals, or "the reality-based community", or whatever this year's term is) have become. They attack Palin and she just gets more popular. They go after her kids and she just gets more popular. They ridicule her base and it expands.

...only, it doesn't. Palin's favorability ratings are atrocious; far worse than Obama's, Hillary Clinton's, or Bush's ever were. What she does have is a small, very dedicated base of diehard supporters who idolize her. That's not enough to get one elected to the presidency - especially as more and more Republican politicians and commentators have started distancing themselves from her.

The claim that liberal distain can only make her more popular is frequently made by her supporters; it is undoubtably true among those supporters themselves, and I would not be surprised if she got a small boost among conservatives following the rather absurd claims of Democratic partisans that she was somehow to blame for the Giffords incident. Such a boost, however, is unlikely to last for very long and will do little to aid her dismal favorability ratings over the long term.

I can't help but think these sorts of claims are the result of extreme tunnel vison; Thanks in part to the easy availability of dedicated partisan media, political demographics, and the natural tendancy for people to self-segregate socially, it is very easy to look to the left and the right of yourself and see nothing but like-minded individuals. Small wonder that people then assume that they and their neighbors are representative of the "real America" and that their opinions are sensable, moderate, and mainstream - shared by the majority of their fellow voters. This is not a specifically conservative failing, mind you, but rather a human one; liberals are equally guilty of it. With the exception of radicals (who take superiority from the belief they know better than 99% of the populace), most men see themselves and their opinions as rational and well reasoned, and therefor expect those points of view to be shared by the majority of other resonable, rational people. Taken too far, this line of thinking makes anyone who disagrees with your "reasonable" positions into either idiots, fanatics, or liaring crooks. Then the election comes along and the only reasoning that can be found for your candidate's "inexplicable" loss is that of underhanded enemy tactics and voter fraud.

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incitement, pure and simple. Palin should receive a criminal record

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Ahhhhhh Sarah Pailin. Always manages to keep herself inthe spotlight eh? she is not stupid, though she is not among the best educated politicians. I would like to go to Alaska and barbeque with her. She is very personable. She seems like a very caring individual.

But I wouldn't come close to voting for her for a major office. This whole "blood libel" thing is just ridiculous. Many in America want to relate almost anything that brings something Jewish or related to Israel stated by a non-Jew as anti-semitic. Even if spoken by a semite! (Other incidents, not Pailin of course). I love all. I have dated Israeli women and find many alluring, but I can't ever say anything related to their culture that they don't like lest I be anti semitic. This is all just media BS. Keeping our minds off what the one's in control are really up to.

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Here she was, given a golden opportunity to shine and to be a leader and palin chose to take the low road. How shocking.

It was right there for the taking sarah. All you had to do is say that it's time to put the nation-dividing rhetoric that has turned a little too incendiary and put it behind us as a nation.

Instead, it was a "me" fest and a pity party. Crimeny, how ANYONE can admire this...thing is beyond me.

I prefer cancer to her.

Taka

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Palin knew exactly what she was doing by invoking a highly-charged term like 'blood libel'. Since she has no real political platform, she can only stay in the spotlight by being controversial and playing to the angry and ignorant. ("Don't retreat, reload." Putting the cross-hairs over the map of Democratic districts, etc.) Then, she tries to portray the other side as attacking her, thus creating more 'news', a greater divide, and generating more publicity. Not unlike Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh, etc. The true victim is the American public.

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Perhaps the recent decisive defeat for the Democrats at the polls have forced him and his Leftist cronies to temper their policies and their words.

Obama is not a Leftist. He is very solidly in the center, and not even really left-leaning. We have not ever had a real Leftist president in the US, and likely never will. It is ridiculous to get all worked up about Obama being a Leftist and a socialist, when in reality he is neither.

To me the most disturbing thing about Palin is that she quit in the middle of her term as governor of Alaska to do...what, exactly? To be a celebrity? Why should this person be given any sort of responsibility when she'll just quit as soon as a better offer comes along? Also, I've never heard any of her supporters come up with a good reason or explanation for that. Why should she be given a term as a senator or president or anything, when she wasn't even able to sit through one term as governor?

I mean yeah, she's a moron, and I don't agree with her politics, but neither of those things bother me as much as the fact that she's shown herself incapable of being trusted with even a relatively minor political post.

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Equality:

" Putting the cross-hairs over the map of Democratic districts, etc.) "

There is no indication that the shooter ever went to look at Sara Palins facebook page. Why should he? He was absorbed in his own world. If anything, he would have been more likely to visit pages of liberal spouting heads, seeing that he was Bush hater and 9/11 troother.

The liberal attempts to drag Palin into this are exactly that: blood libel.

To their credit, the conservatives have not stooped down to that level.

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Blood libel never had any meaning or usage apart from the blood accusations of the Middle Ages. It is neither a common phrase nor an expression with a general meaning outside of its historical context. If Palin wants to assign a new meaning to an old word, she is free to do so, but she can't really be all that surprised when people associate the word with its original meaning.

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Smith from the Matrix rings a bell...

"Me, me, ME..."

Heh, what a low-life. Playing the victim was the obviously cowards route other than realizing that the cross-hair campaign or the "blood libel" comments that reek of ignorance. Then again, who are talking about?

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how can you actually take this woman seriously? how can any self-respecting republican say with confidence that this is a woman who I would be comfortable with as a spokesperson for, or leader of my country. maybe in alaska, where nothing really matters, you can have her around just to give the people up there something to laugh at, but please, can you imagine her on a world stage? that's almost as bad as having a Bush speak for you and control your country. idiot libel, more like it

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Man, she makes Bush look like a Texan intellectual.

Look on the upside, she's sure going to provide first class entertainment before imploding under her own stupidity.

Let's see her in an un-prompted debate with a non-partisan anchor or a Dem with a brain. That would clear up the matter of her being a bubble-head wiithin the first few frames...

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Palin: "I know that a lot of those on the left hate my message"

That explains a lot of these hate posts here.

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sarasuhz25:

" Blood libel never had any meaning or usage apart from the blood accusations of the Middle Ages. It is neither a common phrase nor an expression "

That statement just reflects on the scope of your reading. In the event, she could have just said "slander". The point is that she has every right in the world to defend herself against the virulent slander launched against her from liberal talkers.

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I've always found it ironic that those who believe they are so much more intelligent than Sarah Palin, always seem to try to prove it by how many times they insert the word "idiot" "stupid" "ignorant" "dolt" into a post when her name comes up regardless of the subject.

Must be some of that "hate speech" she inspires in folks that I keep hearing Liberals go on about when it comes to her.

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Again, we see conservatives flailing in their support of their Savior Sarah. Top failure marks go to those conservative posters on this thread who feign shock (!) at the blowback inflicted on Sarah by all those 'cruel' 'mean-spirited' 'hating' liberals while completely failing to address the reason behind the blowback.

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A key failing of Sarah's groupies is that they complain about the actions of the fireman while being completely blind to the fire. It doesn't have to be this way.

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You forgot "moron". :)

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Here she was, given a golden opportunity to shine and to be a leader and palin chose to take the low road. How shocking.

Taka, admit it, there is nothing. Nothing the woman could possibly do or say, that would in any way earn your respect. Ah wait, I take that back. If she changed parties and got that little d by her name, all of a sudden I suspect you'd be her biggest defender.

WilliB - To their credit, the conservatives have not stooped down to that level.

In the spirit of fairness, I find that all the attacks on the idiot sheriff who had the brilliant idea to go out and accuse Palin, Limbaugh, and Beck of being responsible for this, to be out of line. He is the sheriff of a huge county, covering the second largest city in Arizona, with a population of about 700k. The idea that the man ought to have known, and been responsible for the lone pschyo, is frankly ludicrous. Actually, now that I think about it, its about as realistic as trying to blame Limbaugh etc for these deaths. About the best thing you can say, and this even is a reach, is that the Sheriff's office should have been aware of the death threats, and made a greater outreach to the politicians and assigned them coverage. Even that though is pushing it.

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Top failure marks go to those conservative posters on this thread who feign shock (!) at the blowback inflicted on Sarah by all those 'cruel' 'mean-spirited' 'hating' liberals while completely failing to address the reason behind the blowback.

It's pretty apparent that the reason for the "blowback" is that she is an unabashed Conservative and a popular one at that and therefore if you do not agree with her politically she must be "destroyed" at all costs. Even to the point of calling her an accessory to murder and even the cause of a henious crime by a lunatic gunman.

I've also noticed not many comments on the smear job the media did on her after wards. I thought it was and is disgusting and never thought I could see even MSM Journalism sink even that low, but when it comes to Palin nothing is to vile to print I guess.

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"A key failing of Sarah's groupies is that they complain about the actions of the fireman while being completely blind to the fire"

Funny with groupies, isnt it. Example:They post repeatedly -- as many as ten times in response to a single innocuous article about the object of their fascination,they are often comically oblivious to their own weird obsessions, they repeat themselves, and they imagine they have soundly defeated their 'opponents' by doing so. Weird.

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Taka, admit it, there is nothing. Nothing the woman could possibly do or say, that would in any way earn your respect.

This is completely wrong. Palin would have to demonstrate that she is capable of some level of self-reflection -- enough to admit that she has some responsiblity for the controversies that she attracts -- in order to earn respect.

If she changed parties and got that little d by her name, all of a sudden I suspect you'd be her biggest defender.

If she were a Democrat, she'd be a bigger embarrassment than Cynthia McKinney.

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Solidaritea: George Orwell described this phenomenon brilliantly with the sheep in Animal Farm. Drowning out any discussion...

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"If she were a Democrat, she'd be a bigger embarrassment than Cynthia McKinney."

Tsk tsk. If a Palin supporter said that they would be called 'racist,'and Palin herself would be blamed for 'planting' such thoughts.

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It's pretty apparent that the reason for the "blowback" is that she is an unabashed Conservative and a popular one at that and therefore if you do not agree with her politically she must be "destroyed" at all costs.

This idea of politics as warfare and one's political opponents as mortal enemies has become part of mainstream, modern-day conservatism. And so the claim of wanting to destroy people is actually a projection of the writer's own wishes. It does NOT reflect the average person's view towards Palin.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, it is liberals who have become America's main enemy in the eyes of many conservatives. Thus, we see popular, conservative books with the titles such as, The Enemy at Home (D'Souza), Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terror (Coulter), The Enemy Within: saving America from the liberal assault on our schools, faith and military (Savage), etc, etc.

Also, quotes like this from Newt Gingrich: "This war between conservatives and liberals has to be fought with the scale and duration and savagery that is only true of civil wars."

In the midst of this "war" that conservatives have declared on their fellow Americans, we witness extremists putting up websites with crosshairs over the pictures of doctors who provide abortions. And then come the news reports that several of these doctors have been slaughtered in cold blood. (Can the websites be said to be accessories to murder?)

Then along comes little Ms. Palin, spouting her brand of extremist rhetoric and getting her supporters in a such a frenzy that some yelled out "Kill Him!" when she asserted that Barack Obama "pals" around with terrorists. In the midst of the war against liberals, her group puts up a website with symbols similar to the ones used in the radical anti-abortion campaign.

Although not yet mentioned by many news outlets, we read that a lethal bomb was placed along the route of a parade in observance of the ML King holiday in Spokane. (Fortunately, it was found in enough time for the parade to be re-routed and the police to dismantle it.)

When conservatives with extremist views start spouting off about "war," there are going to be people on the sidelines among the crowd who are going to think that actions need to be taken to fight the "enemy."

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This is completely wrong. Palin would have to demonstrate that she is capable of some level of self-reflection -- enough to admit that she has some responsiblity for the controversies that she attracts -- in order to earn respect.

Umm, I think she's aware. Of course I think what you meant to say was, responsibility for the actions of others. Everyone is aware that what they do and say affects others. Limbaugh himself for example attracts tons of controversies, and he actively goes out and courts new ones. Palin is no different. For Limbaugh, its about being entertaining, as well as earning a living. For Palin though, its about staying in the spotlight so she has another shot at elective office. Of course for hers its also about making a living. Staying in the spotlight means her time is valuable, and so she makes more money speaking then someone who used to be famous 10 years ago. However digressions aside, neither Palin nor Limbaugh are responsible for the actions of others. They aren't saying, go kill someone. Apart from certain Democrat politicians, no one is. Thus, if someone goes out and tries to murder someone, its got nothing to do with how frequently they listen to Glenn Beck. Now if Beck told people to go murder someone, then you would totally have a case. I'd agree with you. Until he, or someone does say that, then again this whole controversy is nonsense, and attempting to paint Palin as somehow being at fault is beyond ludicrous. You might as well go ahead and blame Santa and the Easter Bunny. Hell, thinking about it, that actually makes more sense. At least in this specific incidence.

If she were a Democrat, she'd be a bigger embarrassment than Cynthia McKinney.

But you wouldn't be calling her a racist, and would be defending her regardless. Rather like you do certain other Dems, regardless of their stupidity.

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If a Palin supporter said that they would be called 'racist

Not racist. They'd be called honest. Just as the voters of her district were when they replaced her with Denise Majette.

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Now if Beck told people to go murder someone, then you would totally have a case.

So, hammering audiences with a constant stream of rhetoric about liberals/Democrats being mortal enemies of America and are closely associated with terrorists, whipping up anger in people, doesn't come anywhere near sufficient when the killing starts.

The line for you is drawn when someone actually tells someone to kill someone else. OK.

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"When conservatives with extremist views start spouting off about "war," there are going to be people on the sidelines among the crowd who are going to think that actions need to be taken to fight the "enemy.""

give it a rest. you imagine too much. "progressives" have been telling us since the 1920s that we need "the moral equivalent of war" (William James, quoted since by many libs.) Do I think some prog is gonna shoot me for confessing that as the lesser of two evils my libertarian stance is most often best advanced by repubs?? No. What happened to the "Liberals" I knew back in the US 20 30 years ago? The ones who were all about free speech? Seems they are as scarce as the repubs who actually believed one's conservatism should begin with fiscal matters, gov spending.

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"progressives" have been telling us since the 1920s that we need "the moral equivalent of war"

Yes, waged against things like poverty, injustice, gluttony and the like. NEVER against one's political opponents.

It's unfortunate you can't see the distinction.

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@sailwind:

If it happened in Scranton, then it would be the second time that "kill him!" was reportedly yelled out at a Sarah Palin rally. The better-documented time happened in Clearwater, Florida on October 6, 2008, as Palin herself was addressing the crowd.

A little research might be in order before accusing others of lying. (Search: In Florida Palin goes for the Rough Stuff as Audience boos Obama)

Scranton, huh? Where's there's smoke, there's fire.

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Wow, the liberal women haters are out in force on this thread. They can't stand seeing Mrs. Palin defending herself.

They figure she's being unstatesmanlike.

RR

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Heh, heh, Sarah Palin always turns the liberal posters on this site into frenzied ankle-biters.

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yabits:

" So, hammering audiences with a constant stream of rhetoric about (...) being mortal enemies of America and are closely associated with terrorists, whipping up anger in people, doesn't come anywhere near sufficient when the killing starts. "

So, you are blaming Keith Olberman, Chris Matthews, and Ed Shulz now for the killing? Because your description fits.

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Taka, admit it, there is nothing. Nothing the woman could possibly do or say, that would in any way earn your respect. Ah wait, I take that back. If she changed parties and got that little d by her name, all of a sudden I suspect you'd be her biggest defender.

There's nothing she can do to earn my respect, no matter what party she belongs to, because I can't respect the fact that she blew off her obligation to the people of Alaska who elected her so that she could have her career as a celebrity or whatever. Honestly it surprises me that so many people are willing to overlook that because they agree with her politics. What she did is much, much worse than anything she has ever said, because actions speak louder than words, and her actions say that she didn't care in the least about the people she was elected to serve if doing her job got in the way of what she wanted to do. Can you name another politician, of any party, who has quit midterm for frivolous reasons and then gone on to be elected to a higher office? I don't care if she wants to have a career as a talk show host or whatever. I just don't want her to be elected to another position of responsibility that she will quit midterm. Doesn't the idea of a president who resigns midterm because they got a better offer elsewhere frighten you?

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sarah - Palin didn't quit the governorship for "frivolous" reasons as you claim.

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sarah - You want frivolous? The ethics complaints filed against Palin after she was selected as the Republican VP candidate that affected her ability to govern were frivolous.

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So what does her quitting say about her ability to govern? Why should she ever be trusted with another office?

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So, you are blaming Keith Olberman, Chris Matthews, and Ed Shulz now for the killing? Because your description fits

Actually, the description doesn't fit them at all. Moderate conservatives appear on their shows all the time and are treated with respect.

Radical right-wingers don't like them because they, per this topic, keep things focused on the inflammatory sayings of Sarah Palin and others on the far right who assert that a US Senator allies with himself with terrorists, and threaten bullets if ballots don't provide the outcome they feel necessary.

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yabits - Actually, the description doesn't fit them at all.

Actually, it does. Olberman, Matthews, Shulz, Maddow, Laurence, etc are experts at hate-mongering. They certainly have had enough practice at it.

Palin isn't running for office. Palin doesn't hold office. Palin doesn't even speak to the jurasic media on a regualr basis. The "stars" of MSNBC need to discuss everything Palin, every night, because they know that is the only way to increase their ratings. If they didn't talk about Palin, they would lose half the audience they have.

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The "stars" of MSNBC need to discuss everything Palin, every night, because they know that is the only way to increase their ratings. If they didn't talk about Palin, they would lose half the audience they have.

Just like Fox News does, huh?

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Just like Fox News does, huh?

Naw, Fox has shows that people actually watch, they don't need to rant about Palin to bring up their viewers.

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Palin isn't running for office. Palin doesn't hold office.

Palin is a political figure, pure and simple. She campaigns and fund-raises for Republican and Tea Party candidates.

What's interesting is that Fox acts as kind of a backstop for Palin when she throws out a loony, wild pitch -- which she seems to do often. I don't know of any other network that, at the drop of the hat, will arrange for a choice slot during prime time to be opened up so that a rabid partisan like Sarah Palin can weep and wail as the host dusts her off and lobs her softballs.

As the humorist said: The difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? (At some point the pit bull stops whining.)

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Actually, it does. Olberman, Matthews, Shulz, Maddow, Laurence, etc are experts at hate-mongering.

If any of them as ever so much as hinted that ordinary conservatives are enemies of America -- the way Palin's supporters accuse ordinary liberals of being -- that example would have to be provided because I've never heard anything like that coming from any of the names mentioned.

Although it certainly is NOT hatred, a constant barrage of fact-reporting must certainly feel like hatred to the faction that has openly adopted distortion and misinformation as a tactic in what Palin, Gingrich and others have termed a "savage civil war."

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I just watched the NBC News on Palin's response to her critics. Too bad her message gave more confusion to her audience. Even Fox News did not seem to back her up this time.

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“They can’t make us sit down and shut up,”

I did ages ago, only time I hear about her is on JT. filter out the crap and focus on the good

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yabits:

" If any of them as ever so much as hinted that ordinary conservatives are enemies of America -- the way Palin's supporters accuse ordinary liberals of being -- that example would have to be provided because I've never heard anything like that coming from any of the names mentioned "

Olberman, Matthews, Schulz etc. do that almost on every of their shows. So, are you going to blame them for the killing?

Come on, put up or admit the hypocrisy.

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Funny, I watch Olbermann and Maddow every single day and have never seen one of them spew the hateful rhetoric that comes out of the likes of, say, Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck. Never seen them incite anyone to violence. Never heard either encourage violence. Obviously you don't watch these programs and are just projecting what you want to be true. I don't think you could even find a sound bite out of context that would be calling conservative the enemies of America or promoting hatred or violence.

On the other hand, when it comes to Fox and their friends ...

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Funny, I watch Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck every single day and have never seen one of them spew the hateful rhetoric that comes out of the likes of, say, Olberman or Matthews. Never seen them incite anyone to violence. Never heard either encourage violence. Obviously you don't watch these programs and are just projecting what you want to be true. I don't think you could even find a sound bite out of context that would be calling liberals the enemies of America or promoting hatred or violence.

On the other hand, when it comes to MSNBC and their friends ...

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Take your pick. Fact is, there are demagogical talkers on all political sides, but only the liberals have stooped so low as to use tragical incident as platform to smear political opponents with blood libel.

How low can you sink.

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Ed Koch is a good old-fashioned Democrat, the kind that is probably made uneasy by the hard left ideologues like Obama. He is also Jewish, I believe. He has defended Palin's use of the term blood libel. The 'outrage', completely manufactured, can now be forgotten.

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Just a quote some a friend ''A semi-liter ate, self-right eous, Evangelica l former governor of a gun-toting , oil-produc ing state who has intentiona lly avoided any understand ing of other cultures, geography, economics, history, or anything else from fifth grade social studies now wants to become commander- in-chief of the world’s most powerful nation. What could go wrong? She is not a Bush, she just lives in the bush. Or at least she pretends to. But there are many more worthy people to be elected, and some of them may have a bush without sounding like one.''

The above sums up my fears of semi-education. Far dangerous than illeteracy!

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Olberman, Matthews, Schulz etc. do that almost on every of their shows. So, are you going to blame them for the killing?

I watch them quite frequently. They never, ever demonize conservatives as a group, the way conservatives like Palin, Gingrich, Coulter, Limbaugh demonize liberals.

Just yesterday, Matthews (on Hardball) showed a clip of Representative Michelle Bachman (R-MN) speaking on the floor of the House during the debate on the bill to repeal health care reform, where she went on and on about it being her main job to get rid of President Obama and the Democrats in the Senate. He asked his guests when anyone from either of the two parties ever stood up and made it their goal NOT to work on behalf of all their constituents, but specifically to end the political careers of his/her opponents.

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Funny, I watch Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck every single day and have never seen one of them spew the hateful rhetoric that comes out of the likes of, say, Olberman or Matthews.

Oh? How about when Beck called President Obama a racist who has a "deep-seated hatred" of white people? What about Limbaugh's coining and frequent use of the term "Femi-Nazi." Or his equating liberal Democrats with murderers and rapists?

Palin's rhetoric is a of a matched set with these folks. Her calling Senator Obama a friend to terrorists at several of her campaign rallies incited the cry of "kill him!" at least one of them.

I don't believe you watch MSNBC very much. Since some of the hardline Republicans have openly declared that using falsehoods and misinformation is a valid tactic to use against their enemies, one has to believe that several posters have adopted it as their own.

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Fact is, there are demagogical talkers on all political sides, but only the liberals have stooped so low as to use tragical incident as platform to smear political opponents with blood libel.

So, how does insuinating and asserting, as many hard-line right-wingers such as Palin have done, that Barack Obama is a secret Muslim and a foreigner who befriends terrorists not an attempt to smear the blood of 9/11 -- a terrorist act by foreign extremist Muslims -- on him?

How low can you sink.

Evidently, the yet-to-find-bottom, misinformation-adopting radicals on the far right are here to show us.

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"So, how does insuinating and asserting, as many hard-line right-wingers such as Palin have done, that Barack Obama is a secret Muslim and a foreigner who befriends terrorists not an attempt to smear the blood of 9/11 -- a terrorist act by foreign extremist Muslims -- on him?"

Did Palin insinuate or infer - from Obama's own words - that he was once a Muslim? At least Palin has the courage to say what Obama won't :there is no "leaving" the religion of his biological father and that of his Indonesian stepfather.Oh and Bill Ayers was/is a friend and mentor. And a terrorist. There is no argument there. I'm surprised Obama's fans still want to go there.

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Did Palin insinuate or infer - from Obama's own words - that he was once a Muslim?

There are no words from Barack Obama indicating that he was ever a Muslim. He never was. So for right-wingers to insinuate or infer it is wrong.

there is no "leaving" the religion of his biological father and that of his Indonesian stepfather

Barack's father's religious views can best be described as atheistic. He practised no religion, despite the attempts of right-wing misinformation to insinuate otherwise. Neither was Barack's stepfather very religious, and never made any attempt to convert his wife and children to it.

Bill Ayers was/is a friend and mentor

Wrong again. Ayers and Obama happened to serve on a community education board that was funded in large part by Republican donors. If Ayers was a "mentor" to Obama based on that, then he was also a mentor to all the Republican members of that board.

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yabits: "There are no words from Barack Obama indicating that he was ever a Muslim"

You must have missed this one:

"... my Muslim faith..."

Moderator: All readers, back on topic please.

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Perhaps we should read Robert W. McChesney's "Rich Media, Poor Democracy" or "The Political Economy of Media" for our better understanding on media's transgression on public discourse.

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My bad. It should be "our better understanding of media transgression on public discourse."

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but only the liberals have stooped so low as to use tragical incident as platform to smear political opponents with blood libel.

You keep using that word... I do not think it means what you think it means.

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Anyone who listens to beck and limbaugh everyday is just admitting that they are not interested in reality, and therefore are highly prone to fall for political rubes like Palin. She is a reality TV starlet, that is all. Nothing she says matters in the long run, but what she does do is incite the weak among us to violence and terrorism as we have seen recently. In that sense she is very much like OBL who calls for the deluded to become terrorists as well.

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"Anyone who listens to Schulz and Matthews everyday is just admitting that they are not interested in reality, and therefore are highly prone to fall for political rubes like Olberman. He is a reality TV starlet, that is all. Nothing he says matters in the long run, but what he does do is incite the weak among us to violence and terrorism as we have seen recently. In that sense he is very much like OBL who calls for the deluded to become terrorists as well."

See how easy it is to put this cheap polemic on the other foot? Actually it makes more sense this way. While I don´t claim to listen all the spouting heads on US media, I definitely hear much more virulent hate rethoric from the lib talkers than the other side.

But having said that, I would NOT go as low as to accuse Keith Olberman of having inspired the Arizona shooter.

Be ashamed.

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"Nothing she says matters in the long run,"

I think I have read that at least a hundred times. I like to imagine the frustration of ppl who are at this point basically shouting it. "Palin? She is irrelevant! Nothing she says matters!"

After the demented Bush-hater Jared Loughner shot the Republican judge and the Jewish Democrat who had ignored his wacky questions about language and politics the media was demanding Palin speak. "Why the silence?" "The silence is deafening" etc.

And of course when she did speak they go into paroxyms of tolerant, progressive ,liberal rage. "How dare she intervene in this!" "Who does she think she is giving a speech!".

I wanted to see her get a nice innocuous pastime like the RNC chair and go back to tweeting and book-signing.

But I think liberals are determined to give her a much bigger stage than that. It is strange.

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Anyone who listens to beck and limbaugh everyday is just admitting that they are not interested in reality, and therefore are highly prone to fall for political rubes like Palin.

lol, so funny. You did mean that as a joke right? I mean Limbaugh is a great entertainer, and for the most part, correct about politics. But him and Palin aren't even close to being on the same page. And your comment where you imply that Rush's listening audience is somehow incapable of making a proper decision, is so condescending and yet so very typical of liberal thinking. In other words, a joke.

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@WilliB - But having said that, I would NOT go as low as to accuse Keith Olberman of having inspired the Arizona shooter.

Be ashamed.

well williB it was palin who made the map with crosshairs on the persons she wanted "removed" so it would be sort of stupid to try to lay blame on Olberman when it was clearly Palin who incited this violence.

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"But having said that, I would NOT go as low as to accuse Keith Olberman of having inspired the Arizona shooter."

Funny you should mention it .Olberermann is being forced to go off the air . Countdown With Keith Olbermann is no longer.

Coincidence?

I dont think so.

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Take your pick. Fact is, there are demagogical talkers on all political sides, but only the liberals have stooped so low as to use tragical incident as platform to smear political opponents with blood libel.

Actually, demagogy is a form of populist appeal that attempts to sway people's opinion based on emotional factors, such as religious affiliation. It does not encourage people to use their minds in an attempt to become better informed about matters so that they can more meaningfully participate in the democratic decision making process.

Appealing to religious sentiment, degrading intellectuals, etc. is all part of the fare of the Murdoch empire and other right wing media. Religion has been a big part of the pitch of Palin and the Tea Partiers.

Whereas the right wing media tries to dissuade people from using their capacity for reason to gain a better understanding of a given situation, the liberal press at least tries, even if they don't do a great job all the time.

The "blood libel" comment is an anachronistic appeal to emotion in an attempt to generate reactionary sentiment.

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ubikwit:

" The "blood libel" comment is an anachronistic appeal to emotion in an attempt to generate reactionary sentiment. "

No. The "blood libel" comment is an accurate description of the hateful slander directed at Palin from liberal commentators. Palin did not start this, she RESPONDED to slander. It is up to the liberal talking heads (shall we call them the "Soros empire"?) to explain their slander. Check your facts.

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Taking the words out of the context running deeply into a religious strife and screaming for BL… is just like saying "fire" in your stump speech.(LOL) And you'll get credit for this. Kudo to a semi-sincere, pseudo-intelligent--or a clueless hockey mom, who wants to be a next president candidate next year!

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study after study show that listening to limbaugh or lox news makes you stupid. The right can play he said, she said all you want but MSNBC does not manipulate news like Fox does resulting in their fans to be totally clueless about reality. Most of them still think there are WMDs in Iraq for example. Or that Obama is a muslim. Its crazy.

The shooter is Tucson was parroting Beck word for word, the gold standard stuff and anti-government rants. Beck often links Obama to Hitler is his crazed presentations. He is inciting loonies to terrorism, as does limbaugh and fox news indirectly. So wake up and see reality for what it is, the republicans with their gun for everyone screeds and hater mentality are debasing democracy in America, just like OBL. The real enemy of the US in within, you can see it in the posts above.

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yabits:

" There are no words from Barack Obama indicating that he was ever a Muslim. He never was. So for right-wingers to insinuate or infer it is wrong. "

I don´t know what "right wingers" or Obama have said or not said about this issue, but that is irrelevant to the topic. By islamic law, every child of a muslim man is muslim, and O. was enrolled in his Indonesian school as such. Make of it what you want, but that is a fact.

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zucronium:

" The shooter is Tucson was parroting Beck word for word, the gold standard stuff and anti-government rants. "

How you come up with bizarre stuff like this? Either you have not read anything from Beck, or anything from from the shooter. Or both.

So where does this outlandish stuff come from?

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The shooter is Tucson was parroting Beck word for word, the gold standard stuff and anti-government rants.

Palin and other hardline right-wingers want to believe that the Tucson tragedy was an act that should be viewed in complete isolation. Palin, in her interview with Sean Hannity spoke out of both sides of her mouth when she said, on the one hand that the act was not tied to politics while on the other suggesting that Loughner's politics were leftist. (Which is crazy.)

But the attack on Giffords was not isolated. Since 2008, there have been politically motivated attacks by far right wingers which have left over a dozen Americans dead -- and other attacks, like the attempted bombing of an MLK parade in Spokane, Washington, which have been thwarted.

For examples:

On July 27, 2008, David Atkisson walks into a Unitarian church in Knoxville, TN, and opened fire, killing two innocent people. When asked for his motive, Atkisson said that he thought all liberals should be killed.

On February 26, 2009, in Miramar Beach, CA, a former Bush/Cheney campaign worker with a fiery obsession against illegal immigrants shot five visiting students from Chile and killed two of them in cold blood.

On April 4, 2009, three police officers were killed by Richard Poplawski, who was a fan of Glenn Beck and Tea Party supporter. He completely bought into the Beck line that the Obama administration was going to cause massive social upheaval and that the government was going to come after his guns.

Taxed enough already: On February 18, 2010, Joe Stack flew his private airplane into an IRS building, killing one agent. Stack's anti-tax, anti-government manifesto reads like a Tea Party tract.

In total the number of dead, including Tucson, is over 20 with over 40 wounded in over dozens of attacks. And many more attacks that have been thwarted. Is it any wonder why Palin would reach for the grotesque rhetoric of the "blood libel" in an attempt to wash her hands?

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Yabits,

You turn a blind eye to liberal attacks on conservatives. This past week, your buddies in Congress equated those opposed to Obamacre to NAZIs. That was AFTER the call for more civil discourse. Conservatives have been vilified as racists. The name calling is on both sides. It's part of our current political environment. Giffords shooter is a whacko. He hates conservatives too. Should we blame the rhetoric of the left for that?

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You turn a blind eye to liberal attacks on conservatives.

In order to really put Palin's "blood libel" comment in perspective, how many conservative targets have been wounded or killed by inflamed, anti-government types over the past three years -- when the virulent, violence-endorsing rhetoric of the right-wing has become so prominent.

This past week, your buddies in Congress...

And you know that the representative of Tennessee, who is of the Jewish faith, was the only one to make such a comment. He was commenting on how many on the right wing make use of the tactics of the big lie. And he apologized for the reference to Nazi Germany. Your altering the comments of one person into the plural "buddies" is part of a general trend of dishonesty on the part of many conservatives.

[Giffords shooter] hates conservatives too.

He specifically stalked and targeted a Democrat. He obviously didn't hate the conservative who said, "If ballots don't work, then bullets will," since Loughner finalized his intent to kill Giffords after she defeated her conservative opponent in November. Loughner obviously didn't hate the conservative who said, "I want my constituents armed and dangerous," since he completely fulfilled that specific request to be both.

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@RoninGaijin - There's a difference between putting cross hairs on a district on a map (which is what appeared on Palin's site) and putting cross hairs on a person's face. Get your facts straight. Do you see how a little, convenient manipulation of the facts can be used to make Palin seem more guilty than she is?

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There's a difference between putting cross hairs on a district on a map (which is what appeared on Palin's site) and putting cross hairs on a person's face. Get your facts straight. Do you see how a little, convenient manipulation of the facts can be used to make Palin seem more guilty than she is?

And so the question becomes, "Will every mentally disturbed person be able to tell the difference and not read the crosshairs as an invitation to a 'second amendment remedy?'"

I like this phrase you used: "more guilty than she is." Yes, the facts should not be manipulated to make her more guilty, but she does share in the guilt to some extent. Would that she and more of her supporters accept their fair portion of the responsibility.

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@zurcronium - "MSNBC does not manipulate news like Fox does"?? You've got to be kidding me. Most Americans know that MSNBC is a promotional arm of the DNC and the Obama administration. Why do you think General Electric Co. President Jeffrey Immelt was recently appointed to head the White House "Council on Jobs and Competitiveness"? A little payback for MSNBC (owned by GE) towing the party line? "Or that Obama is a muslim. Its crazy."??? There's nothing "crazy" about assuming Obama is Muslim. His religion was listed as "Islam" in his Indonesian school records. And the way he panders to Muslims at every turn (search "platitudes and naivete" in Google and read Robert Spencer's article) it's clear that he has some strange affinity for Islam while claiming to be Christian. Really strange. But, of course, it's hard to find out who the man is when he has sealed virtually every record on his history (he forgot about the Indonesian school record apparently!) and all we have to go on are "Dreams of My Father" (penned by William Ayers) and "The Audacity of Hope" - two books that contain about as much fact as Harry Potter. Back to Palin - the left hate her because they fear her and the fact that she could kick Obama out of the White House in 2012.

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I believe she meant the term as a metaphor and was not trying to insult Jews. However, her ignorance of the historical context of the word is her problem. In order to be an effective communicator, she has to use words to get her message across not to use words for the sake of their own existence. If she wants to appeal to more than her fans then she has to become more intellectually serious about the way she communicates.

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yabits:

" He specifically stalked and targeted a Democrat. "

He stalked her since she had cut him short when started asking demented questions about mind-control 3 years ago. That is widely published information, although maybe not on the polemical sites you base your comments on.

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He stalked her since she had cut him short when started asking demented questions about mind-control 3 years ago.

So? The claim that Democrats and liberals are trying to brainwash and indoctrinate Americans didn't originate with Loughner, and he certainly isn't the only one who holds that opinion. He also was passionate, the way some folks here are, about the Federal Reserve and going back to the gold standard.

With 20+ dead and over 40 wounded as a result of targeted attacks on Democrats and liberals over the past three years, how long will it take before those right-wingers using rhetoric that suggests that violence is a suitable option start to wonder how many sick people they are pushing over the edge?

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Yabits,

Ever hear of the NCTC....National Counterterrorism Center, an agency of the U.S Government? They have this real neat data base that tracks all terrorist incidents from all over the world. It's called WITS NextGen, just google it. Has a real neat sort feature, you can go by country only and date and time frames.

For example I just used your time frame and went back three years for the U.S only. Got 16 incidences, 7 of which were done by Animal Rights Activists, you know those "Tea-Party" eco-types. Only two attributed to what you would call right wing extremists, 1 unknown group and the rest Muslim extremists.

I guess we need to tone that "Global Warming" rhetoric also, seems to push people over the edge. No mention in the data base yet of that Enviro-wacko that took all those hostages at The Discovery Channel Building in Silver Springs Maryland yet though, It'll be on the next update to the database I'm sure.

Here is an example of the entries you'll find there.

00813649

2 Aug 2008

Several civilians including children wounded in incendiary attacks by suspected animal rights activists in Santa Cruz, California, United States

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Only two attributed to what you would call right wing extremists

A search of the DB came up with no record of the attack on July 27, 2008, in which Jim Adkisson shoots and kills two people at a Unitarian church in Knoxville, TN. Adkisson called the act a "symbolic killing" because he really "wanted to kill...every Democrat in the Senate and House, and the 100 people in Bernard Goldberg's book," but was unable to gain access to them.

So much for your "real neat database."

I guess we need to tone that "Global Warming" rhetoric also, seems to push people over the edge.

If there's a point there, it must be that no one among the mainstream liberals and independents who are concerned about global warming ever uses such rhetoric as "armed and dangerous" or "if ballots won't work, then bullets will." In other words, making direct inferences to the use of violence to advance their cause.

It seems odd how the conservative who has either crossed the line over into radicalism or is close to it will look for these false comparisons.

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The end result of the whole thing is where Palin screwed up. And the end result is that only 30% approved of how she handled it. It's not just the "blood libel" part.

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