The tragedy in Tucson today has everyone pointing fingers. A fake Facebook page was hastily put up, apparently by right-wing operatives or advocates, to imply that the assailant was a liberal Obama supporter. Posts on You Tube and MySpace that appear much more likely to be genuine resolve a person that is not of any particular political disposition other than that of the now populist anti-government variety. They also cast definition on someone who is significantly mentally unstable. But the question that everyone seems to be focusing on is, "Was this person a Republican, a Democrat or a Tea-Partier?" My question is, does it matter?
The comments sections of most of the mainstream media's coverage of this story are filled with people on both sides of the political divide engaging in the same divisiveness that I think played at least a part in today's events.
Is today's tragedy an issue of political alignment? No. It doesn't matter if the kid was Dem, Rep, Tea, or Commie. The political part of the issue (outside the fact that two of the victims were politically significant) is in the demeanor of what passes for debate these days. This was not an act by the Republicans or the Tea Party (or Dems for that matter), nor do I think that any of the the sane members of any of those organizations would support this (there are nut jobs in all organizations though).
But one cannot take an honest look at this and deny that there is a reasonable possibility that the public stances taken by the right, and several Tea Party candidates in particular, may have contributed to this wacko's actions. I'm sorry, but you DO NOT get to threaten me, and every one else that does not subscribe to your particular brand of politics, with "2nd Amendment Remedies" as a possible outcome of you not getting your way in an election, and then deny any culpability in it when some nut job carries out that implicit threat after one of your candidates loses (I'm looking at you Sharon Angle and Sarah Palin).
Today in America have political talking heads blasting 24/7 with a tone that is not one of "The opposition is wrong and this is why" but rather "these people are evil and need to be destroyed". And this is NOT coming from the left. I'm sorry, but it just isn't. Nothing even approaching this level of acerbic discourse has ever come from Rachel Maddow or Thom Hartmann or Ed Schultz or Stephanie Miller. Ever. But it is par for the course for the Becks and Limbaughs on the other side.
We have politicians advocating for what amounts to civil war (Rick Perry) because they disagree with the Federal Government. Others are advocating for the aforementioned assassination (Angel). The former VP Candidate put out campaign literature putting her opponents literally in cross-hairs (Palin). Perhaps Palin's literature wouldn't be such a big deal, but given her very vocal support of gun rights, the tone and potential misinterpretation is clear, and NOT accidental.
Do any of these people advocate for what happened? Of course not (I will cling to the faith that these people aren't as nutty as they sometimes present themselves). They attribute their statements to hyperbole and poetic license. I don't believe they wanted this. I'm sure they have compassion for the victims. But they do not get to disown the political climate that they have created that has the potential to push anyone with a loose grasp of reality over the edge, regardless of what political persuasion those people may be. These politicians and public personalities do not need to "Man Up". They need to finally "Grow Up". They are in a position of responsibility, whether deserved or not. Accordingly, they must learn to behave responsibly.