Can't We All Just Get Along?
I would like to know what rock David Gergen has been living under for the last two years if he thinks this tragedy in Arizona is possibly just the beginning of a period of violence. Someone needs to tell him to go read our contributor Jon Perr's post if he actually hasn't been paying attention to how many people have already been killed over the last couple of years. We don't need to know "what part of that culture" of violence led to the actions by the shooter in Arizona to know that it's long past time to tell the right wing in this country to quit using violent rhetoric as a political tool to terrorize those they disagree with.
I'd also like for him to explain who he's talking about that supposedly "hurled" violent rhetoric at George W. Bush? And if he's going to start hurling around words himself like "malgovernance" in respect to this astroturf tea party and their list of grievances, let's hear some specifics and not sweeping generalizations. If anyone's been guilty of "malgovernance" for the last ten years, it's the Republicans who have absolutely no interest in governing whatsoever.
If Gergen wants us all to get along, maybe we could start with pundits like him promising to quit coming on the television and lying to the viewers week after week, or telling us to have an "adult conversation" about how to dismantle Social Security? How about that for some good will David?
GERGEN: Absolutely, we need to cool the rhetoric, we need to cool the accusations John because twenty four hours later, you know this man who is charged remains a complete mystery to us. We don’t know what he was motivated by.
We do live in a culture of violence, not just the of politics of violence, but we don’t know what part of that culture contributed in some way to his derangement or possibly sparked him and until we do, accusing each other of being responsible for going off, you know there were a lot of charges coming on the Internet yesterday, right after the shooting, before we even knew basically anything about this man from the left saying that this obviously traces back to Sarah Palin, the tea party, Glenn Beck and all the rest and then the right counters the charge and says wait a minute, what about all the rhetoric that you all hurled at George W. Bush, the violent rhetoric that you had used against him. And what about your malgovernance that has sparked a citizens’ revolt in this country?
And the charges and the counter-charges went back and forth and what have they left us with? We still don’t understand what happened and yet we’re… even as we’re deeply saddened tonight, we’re even more divided than we were before this happened, so if we’re going to pull back from the brink on this, we’re not going to have… Matt Bai had I thought a good piece in the New York Times today saying this may not be the single product of what’s going on in our country. It may be the beginning of a period of violence as we saw in the sixties when there were many assassinations as you and I recall so vividly.
So this is a time for us to cool the rhetoric, for everyone to take a second look. I think the sheriff… I didn’t agree with everything that sheriff said yesterday, but I do think when he called for soul searching that was wise advice.
The Gergster's so tall he might be oxygen deprived.
"...Matt Bai had I thought a good piece in the New York Times today saying this may not be the single product of what’s going on in our country."
holy shit-balls Dave...
wtf is a "2nd amendment democrat". Is there a wing of the democratic party that wants to remove the 2nd amendment? That's BS, I've never met a democrat with that position. What she means, is loose gun laws, stupid fucking TV box.
The liberal politician that wants to take away everybody's precious guns. Most liberals have no problem with responsible gun ownership, and think hunting rifles and some handguns are fine. But the GOP and the NRA needs to keep this their issue, so they keep amping up the crazy by extending the 2nd amendment to allowing citizens the right to parade around in public with military grade weapons. I'm sure there are plenty of Republican leaders that are uncomfortable with the results, but this is the deal they made with the devil to stay in power.
Eric Rudolph, the killer of Dr. Tiller and other abortion clinic terrorists, McVeigh, the Unibomber (he attacked "leftists" throughout his "manifesto" if you remember), this gunman, the Beck fan who was busted on the way to the Tides Foundation with the intent to kill, the recent mailings to government officials containing bombs, the insane right wing Cuban terrorists living free (with a pardon from a Bush) in Florida like Orlando Bosch, the insane, scary gun culture, the militias, the talk of "second amendment solutions", and on and on, ALL of it on the ideological right. There isn't a left wing equivalent, but somehow the left is equally at fault because people can find a picture of someone holding up a sign of Bush or Palin? Or the 40 years ago Weather Underground?! Are these people nucking futs? Do these people really believe this nonsense? Is that the current brain dead talking point?
It's amazing, isn't it? The closest thing the left has as far as "terrorism" now might be the ELF burning some SUV's. We would have to go back to the Weather Underground and before that probably to the anarchists in the earlier 20th century to have similar violence coming from the left. The media, by doing this, has blood on its hands. We can't deal with the problem unless we can admit a problem and be honest with ourselves. Creating an equivalence, time and time again when there isn't one, is another form of denial and self delusion. I am so sick and tired of the media in this country, they are worse than useless.
Here's a map and time line of recent right wing violence:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?oe=UTF8&client...
I agree. I'd add that the false equivalencies that the mass news media like to push are as destructive as any angry rhetoric, since they effectively create controversy from nowhere. There also seems to be a problem with people in the news media, as well as in the public at large, confusing rhetorical moderation and idealogical moderation. As if moving to the center politically will tone down the angry rhetoric and vice-versa. Often, some of the nastiest, most divisive talk comes from the political middle.
Non-existing phantom acts of violence by the left are obviously proof of a "pattern." However, the many acts of violence by the right are clearly "isolated incidents."
The implicit message has always been that the "left" is un-American, an "alien" aspect of this country. Therefore it is "safe" to deride, ridiculize, and blame the left. However, everything and anything conservative is as American as apple pie. Therefore, blaming the right would be equal to indict our very own country.
So when conservatives use hateful and eliminationist rhetoric, it obviously must not be the reason why someone would go off and kill someone. It must obviously be an "isolated incident" an anomaly of an otherwise unbroken record of good, because if the right wasn't all good it would not be "all American," would it? So we must look elsewhere for the blame because, well... we're Americans and we're incapable of bad/evil. And there is nothing more American than the American right, ergo they are the least incapable of doing wrong...
That's the beauty of circular logic and fallacy, both which are deeply loved by conservatives... and it's easy to see why.
CTHULHU 2012 "Why vote for a lesser evil?"
The right wing are psycho and/or numerous. The fact that sales of guns and ammo surged 300% upon the election of Barack Obama says a lot. In a country this size, it really takes some doing just to move the needle on purchases of anything at a national level -- much less 300%.
Reslugs have always been slow to catch up to reality.
been repeatedly guilty of taking things out of context and using them to prove his points.
What he calls for might be seen with a jaded eye! To be ignored!
Now is time to attack these bastards for creating a culture of anarchy, complete disrespect and violence.
Fuck Republicans...no mercy.
what exactly is "anarchy"?
Are you playing stupid, or been this way your whole life?
This is the same message President Obama's administration sends to the progressives: It's your fault for not simply agreeing with me. Granted, the President doesn't joke about killing me.
Murders with firearms in one year.
USA 9300 deaths, no gun control.
Canada 144 death,gun control.
Japan 47 deaths,strict gun control.
UK 14 deaths,very strict gun control.
Since 9/11 over 90000 persons were murder with guns in USA.
A man in my area who was peacefully demonstrating with an anti-Bush (not violent, either, just a protest sign) was arrested and cited for disorderly conduct! For exercising his First Amendment rights! And does anyone remember the arrests of the couple with Bush T-shirts with the circle and slash mark over the faces? Gergen conveeeeniently forgets the serious curbs on free speech under Bush. "Violent rhetoric" -- no way. People were scared to death to do minimal protesting. Now the right flings around death threats to Obama, other Democrats and the left with impugnity. It's got to stop. At least bring back the Fairness Doctrine so the media can't stoke the violence, and make it apply to cable outlets, too.
with a few hundred little crosses to represent the dead. Her peaceful protest made the nutjobs on the right so angry that some rightwing jerk with a truck had to run over the display. Right wing radio didn't hurry to her defense, instead they continued to spread lies about her to imply she had it coming to her.
Why are all these yahoos so ready to jump on the bandwagon and tell the Left to tone it down. Why do they insinuate it is the Left's fault? Why don't they come out and say that the Right has got to tone it down. Why didn't Gergen say that Glenn Beck should shut up and be taken off the air because his rhetoric is a cancer that needs to be cut out. Why didn't he say anything about Rush Limpdick and his constant hate? Why didn't he say anything about what the Teabaggers say about Obama day in and day out? Where was Gergen when the Teabagging Republican hate mongers were ruining the town hall meetings that Democratic congresspeople were holding to gather information and inform the public? Don't they realize that if the right stopped their vitriol the problems of this country would be so much smaller. Now that some insane monster had maimed a congresswoman and killed 6 others and injured13 others he wants the Left to tone it down? Fuck you David Gergen.
by the same moneyed interests.
The thing is pointing this out will do almost nothing. We just learned that Republicans have a huge fear factor built into their brain, of course their leadership will use that against them.
From Jun 2k9
The Most Violence-Provoking Product Ever: Rightwing Website Sells "Shoot A Liberal" Stickers
obviously not, because see, "they" don't want us to, it's the old "ordo ab chao" play, it's right there on the dollar bill, no wait, it's the fifty, no , hold up, it's been so long since i've seen one of those.....
no matter, it does say "novus ordo seclorum" right there on the dollar bill, how's that for your postwar commie plot? and what about that malgovernance? huh? how do you explain that? that good old fashioned new world order, thought you could slip that one by us, huh? thank goodness we have glenn beck to guide us through this tangled thicket.
"so if we’re going to pull back from the brink on this", "even as we’re deeply saddened", "we need to cool the accusations", children.
Hey Mr. Cast Aside and thrown under the bus until you look like a flat bundle of copy paper guy...Here's an article just for you.. It's from Wikileaks.. They allege that The Swag-Hag and Hukkleberry Hound be charged with a federal crime!!! HAHAHAHAHAAHA!!!!
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/01/wikileaks-...
Chew on that for a day or so......
An insignificant clarification, but one that irks me because I have too much time on my hands--Rodney King did not say, "Can't we all just get along"..one of the most misquoted lines.
This is what he said.
What is your conceptual, continuity?
"Truth is, friends, not only are such hollow diatribes woefully inaccurate – they miss the point entirely. These same accusers of the political right as the source of all earthly evil fail utterly to just look at themselves in a mirror once in a while. Just like the right-wing, they advocate for the existence of a monopolistic institution that uses violence on a routine basis in order to domineer the lives and property of others – yet strut around pompously as such moral, peace-loving, “sensitive” individuals. Make no mistake: Behind those rose-colored glasses, behind that ebullient smile, behind that fun-loving facade is a cop in riot gear with a baton, pepper spray, and a shotgun. Behind all the lip service to higher ideals is an orders-following soldier, a machine gun, a cache of bombs. There is nothing moral or peaceful about using government as a vehicle by which to shape the world in your image at the expense of someone else’s liberty. To suggest otherwise is a pathetic sham, and flagrant dishonesty – to say nothing of intellectual bankruptcy."
http://www.strike-the-root.com/violence-beget...
"To suggest otherwise is a pathetic sham, and flagrant dishonesty – to say nothing of intellectual bankruptcy." it's true, nobody, nobody, on the left has ever, ever, considered the function of government as suppression; it's sad, why, the looney tunes lefties, they are just like little children playing with matches...... thank goodness we have freedom loving patriots to expose their evil machinations!
derekthered's picture
a monopoly of violence
derekthered — 1/10/11 2:17pm
is what the state seeks to achieve, is it not?
if the state is immoral, does the violence it exercises become immoral also?
because really, the function of the state is repression, is it not?
repression of those who would violate the rights of others?
don't think for one second that i disagree with anything david just posted, or that this is flame-throwing, i just wish for one and all to consider the propriety of the violence and bloodshed this country is responsible for, who is authorizing it, and with what justification.
WHY don't I hear this more ofthen:
Get your lemonade, watch the traitors hang
Congress' TREASON have no boundaries, so does M$M's brainwashing/sidetracking
Republicans for Voldemort
Government does work, just not for YOU. Government work ONLY on the behalf of the Tycoons
Repeal stupid
pointed the way to war....
so when they say don't point your finger towards the obvious....
as long as they have contributors saying things like this: ""Is Some Of The Lefty Rhetoric About Gun Metaphors ... Because They're Self-Neutered Wimps?" (CNN Contributor Erick Erickson)
and this: " If the Left wants to eliminate at a stroke the vast majority of heated, hated right-wing rhetoric there's a very simple way to do that: give up." (Big Government....edited by CNN contributor Dana Loesch)
Et tu, Gergen?
would have been possible without big chunk of the American media acting as enablers.
Any one expecting this same media to indict the very people they enabled is way too naive. In fact, I expect the media in this country to turn Palin and friends as the real victims out of all of this. Give'em a few weeks and watch...
CTHULHU 2012 "Why vote for a lesser evil?"
the stone Gergen have been living under. The "Bought Democrats" like Gergen is what gives a bad name of Democrats - that impairs work of the decent Democrats.
CNN DON'T "hire" pundits UNLESS they gonna "pundit" their way - talking about FREE PRESS.
Get your lemonade, watch the traitors hang
Congress' TREASON have no boundaries, so does M$M's brainwashing/sidetracking
Republicans for Voldemort
Government does work, just not for YOU. Government work ONLY on the behalf of the Tycoons
Repeal stupid
Gergen is not a Dem.
'Talk to the hand'
This "the left does it as well as the right" claim going on ad nausem can only be nailed if a journalist compiles all the violent rhetoric of the right and of the left in, say the last 6 years, and presents this to the American people now.
We can't expect the Murdoch-Wendi Deng Media to do it.And a compilation by MSNBC will be ignored.
What about it David Gergen,John King,Cindy Crawley or someone else at CNN?
Alfie46
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