Yesterday, Politico ran a story about how Republican 2012 hopefuls are responding to the shooting Saturday of Democratic Ariz. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (among many others) in Tuscon. She wrote,
“Palin, for her part, has practically gone underground since posting a message of sympathy for the victims on her Facebook page and removing the target map from her website.”
Map from SarahPAC, depicting target districts for the 2010 election, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords'.
That was the story yesterday regarding Sarah Palin. Despite being at the eye of Hurricane Rhetoric, Palin all but ducked. (The target map mentioned can be seen above. SarahPAC depicted target swing districts with a rifle’s crosshairs, including Rep. Giffords’ district).
But that was yesterday. Today, Palin released her video response, “America’s Enduring Strength” (catchy title, huh?). In it, the Mama Grizzly rejected the idea that violent or heated political rhetoric could contribute to actual violence, saying:
“Acts of monstrous criminality stand on their own. They begin and end with the criminals who commit them, not collectively 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 by law-abiding citizens who respectfully exercise their first amendment rights at campaign rallies.”
Later in the video, Palin says:
“Within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence that they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible.”
So there you have it: Rhetoric from Sarah Palin cannot possibly contribute to violence in society. That unique power is the sole propriety of journalists.
</logic fail> </insanity>
Journalator 