Sarah Palin never really had much of a chance of being elected to political office again, but her chances are now even far less. Coincidentally the news which will ensure that Sarah Palin remains popular only among the extremists of the radical right came the same week that her television career also suffered a blow.
It was recently announced that Sarah Palin’s Alaska has not been renewed for a second season and Sunday’s two-hour season finale will be the final episode. Palin will continue to make money at Fox, but she is unlikely to break out beyond their audience. Fox even helped to protect Palin against the unfavorable news following the shooting.
The shooting of Gabrielle Giffords will hang over Palin for the remainder of her career for placing Giffords on her target list. (See examples of how conservatives such have Palin are responsible for creating an atmosphere of hatred which can incite violence in the previous post). Now, not only does Palin have to contend with the problem of being ignorant of the issues and having off-the-wall ideas. In addition, like conservatives such as Glenn Beck and Sharon Angle, she will now be seen by a growing number of people as a dangerous extremist whose rhetoric can contribute to violence.
Some conservative blogs are already taking up the usual right wing stance of playing the victim, denying the connection between right wing extremist views and violence. The right wing echo chamber will no doubt continue to proclaim their innocence. The rest of the world will see their denials here as being no more meaningful than the denials of racism which in recent months have become popular in the right wing media.
Palin ate the hocky puck on this one and Fox is on her team?
Her incendiary rhetoric and graphic crosshairs images targeting her political opponents encourages/recommends violence as response. I really hope she faces endless lawsuits over this one. She has a lot of money to spend on defense lawyers earned by her clownish and bizarre presence in national focus. Maybe she will also eat the hocky schtick?
RT @RonChusid: Sarah Palin's Television And Political Careers Suffer Serious Blows In Same Week #p2 #p21 #topprog http://bit.ly/dOfb5s
RT @RonChusid: Sarah Palin's Television And Political Careers Suffer Serious Blows In Same Week #p2 #p21 #topprog http://bit.ly/dOfb5s
The Daily Kos also put a target on Representative Giffords in June of 2008- a target that was the crosshairs of a gun. The Daily Kos, as you know, is a liberal left-wing website. So your point about conservatives, Palin in particular, being in any way responsible for this horrific tragedy is just your sick way of trying to score political points using a tragedy perpetrated by a violent criminal. You should be ashamed of yourself for pandering this sort of garbage.
Sarah Palin’s Television And Political Careers Suffer Serious Blows In Same Week http://bit.ly/hvwBs1 liberalvaluesblog.com
Do you have a link to prove this claim about Daily Kos? 99% of the time such claims from conservatives turn out to be false. Typically conservatives make these claims and get repeated with nobody bothering to see if they are even true. Besides, even if this is true, actions at Daily Kos, often the subject of criticism of myself and others on the left, hardly exonerate Palin. You totally miss the point. This is not about just the crosshairs, but of the overall pattern of hate speech coming from the right wing. Did Daily Kos also talk about “Second Amendment” remedies such as Sharon Angle did? Did Daily Kos talk about “reloading” in attacks on Gifford as Sarah Palin did?
This has absolutely nothing to do with scoring political points. It is about pointing out the danger of right wing extremism–as was also noted in a report from the Department of Homeland Security (which right wingers went on to attack.) This was the main point of the previous post, with this being a follow up regarding the likely impact on Palin’s career.
It is you who should be ashamed of yourself for trying to give coverage to the hate speech of the far right and the violence which accompanies it. Conservatives must join the rest of the country in condemning the hatred spread by people like Sarah Palin, not helping to make it part of our political discourse, just as myself and other on the left have often criticized Daily Kos when they have been wrong.
To Sara Palin’s hit list & the “hemlock party.”
From the book “AN AUTISTIC WORLD (1)”
Reasoning wasn’t in most people’s agenda even though quite a few agreed with his defense. The fear it produced to let go of their past was stronger than judging Socrates innocent of instigating a rebellion, so a selected group that wanted his head on a platter moved the minds of many with hard words and slim evidence. Nevertheless, during the trial he stood defiant, loyal to his honest beliefs of giving good advice to anyone that wanted to listen. Even after his sentence, he resisted the impulse of presenting himself as a selfish philosopher, advancing the future demise of those that judged him. Socrates probably knew it was just matter of time until Sparta would make his prediction real. After all, a state without morals is like going to fight a war without soldiers.
I did a quick search through the right wing blogosphere’s lame attempt to diffuse right wing responsibility for creating an atmosphere which leads to violence by bringing up things from Daily Kos. The strongest attacks are for a user’s personal diary entitled, “My CongressWOMAN voted against Nancy Pelosi! And is now DEAD to me!”
First of all, this is hardly comparable to the hate speech coming from the right. Secondly, this is not even from the writers at Daily Kos. They are making a big deal out of what is essential a blog comment. If they want to play this game, it would be quite easy to find blog comments from conservatives which are actually advocating violence as opposed to this line.
Once again conservatives rely upon false equivalencies rather than rational arguments.
The screenshot of the Daily Kos target is up over at theblogprof-
http://theblogprof.blogspot.com/2011/01/that-was-fast-detroit-free-press-links.html
The Democratic National Campaign Committee also put targets on various Congressman to convey who was a ‘target’ to go after in the 2010 election cycle (screenshot also at theblogprof). The Democratic Leadership Committee also put out targets on Congressmen and Congresswomen whose districts were important (screenshot also at theblogprof). You might lie and make up stuff, Ron, but I don’t.
Apparently, using ‘targets’ to convey whether or not a Congressman’s district should be targeted for campaign funds and attention is a metaphore that both the right and left have been using for many many years.
So when Sarah Palin did it, it was nothing special. You using it though to score sick political points though is something special- something specially vile. You’re disgusting. Grow up and start using your brain and heart to write your posts.
Sarah Palin is a pump and dump politician. Used and then dumped! She will take Facebook down along with her.
» Sarah Palin's Television And Political Careers Suffer Serious … http://bit.ly/dJuG8s
Conservative Teacher,
Your examples do not support your claims. A blog like Daily Kos, which many on the left have been critical of, is also hardly comparable to leading Republicans (especially when conservative blogs are resorting to digging up things in an individual’s diary and not even on the main site). The use of targets doesn’t come close to the use of rifle crosshairs while calling for supporters to reload as Palin did. Nor does it come close to the hate-filled rhetoric used by Palin and others on the right. Have you ever watched the hate filled events at a Palin rally?
Or maybe you have–I can see the effects of how people like Palin instill hated and irrationality in your comments. In your case you post irrational comments full on insults on others’ blogs, showing no ability to engage in civil and rational discussion. Those even more deranged than you go even further and are sometimes incited to commit acts of violence.
It is this incitement of violence which is becoming common on the right that I am concerned about–not making any political points. There aren’t any political points for me to make. What I say here will not have any effect on Palin. This is simply analysis of how rational people will respond to Palin. The extremists who support her will continue to do so and come up with irrational and dishonest defenses as you have, but this will make it even harder for her to receive acceptance beyond her radical base. Those of us who support a civil, democratic, and free society will reject Palin and others who incite hatred and violence as she does.
Zombee,
Actually I think that if it has any impact Palin’s use of Facebook will strengthen it. She makes Facebook a source of news followed by others. I doubt anyone will blame Facebook for what she says, recognizing FB is not responsible for what individuals say.
Sarah Palin deserves the death penalty just like she prescribed for Congresswoman Giffords.
Vic,
As much as I dislike Palin I can’t agree she deserves any legal penalty. While she should be condemned for her promotion of hatred, we need to be careful of the civil liberties ramifications of imposing legal penalties for speech. There is still a difference between her actions and actually shooting someone (or more clearly advocating this).
Ron, I think you are being too soft on that conservative teacher. The guy sounds deranged to me. If he isn’t close to violence himself, I fear how he will influence children. Someone like him should not be influencing children!!!
I see your point but often people are more rational in the real world than they behave when posting anonymously on blogs. We know that is often the case.