What was the big story on Monday? (Yes, I mean other than the passage of H.R. 3590.) Why, those Tea Partiers yelled the N-word at a black congressman! Oh, wait, they didn't? But someone heard it! They wouldn't make that up, would they? Well, multiple people were taking videos of this little setup, possibly in the hopes that someone would say something damning. And yet, I have yet to see a video in which you can clearly hear someone shouting an epithet. Yes, I'm aware that people commenting on the following video elsewhere are hearing what they want to hear, but there are no epithets clear enough to distinguish without question. Watch it for yourself and decide:
In the same WaPo article as linked above, Barney Frank (D-MA) claimed to have been the object of anti-gay epithets. No video exists of this. None. There were something like--and keep in mind this is an estimate--eleventy zillion people in and around the Capitol on Sunday, including, one would suspect, the media, and no one got video of this? It seems suspect to me.
In any case, many media sources are reporting these epithets having been shouted as fact. Fine. Whatever. The part that really riles me is that some in the MSM are using incidents which--if they even occurred--were totally isolated incidents to try to paint all people opposed to Obamacare as racists. MSNBC ideologue Keith Olbermann, for example, went so far as to say (per Hot Air, since I'm not linking to Olby), "If racism is not the whole of the Tea Party, it is in its heart, along with blind hatred, a total disinterest in the welfare of others..."
(Aside: Keith Olbermann, in trying to paint a caricature of Tea Partiers, is apparently unaware that he himself has become little more than a caricature himself.)
So, the first truth of this week in the MSM is: Tea Partiers, Republicans, conservatives, and you--yes, YOU--are all racists. (More on your status as a racist from Jim Treacher may be found here.)
(Obvious disclaimer: If, in fact, someone was yelling epithets at people, then they are (words not acceptable for publication edited).)
But after all the portraying of anti-Obamacare types as racists, there was more stereotyping left to be undertaken by the MSM. You've probably heard about bricks being thrown through Democrat office windows.
Well, they were. This wasn't made up. Some people think so little of their opponents that they resort to this type of reprehensible behavior. Democrats, Republicans, and Tea Party organizers have all condemned these actions.
And who is encouraging these attacks? It's the Republican Party leaders, right? No, it's not. It's some guy whose name I had never heard before yesterday named Mike Vanderboegh. I'm not linking to his blog, as he's already crowing about his "enemies" sending him traffic, but I will link to this article in which he boasts about the damage his comments have caused. (If you want to pursue the same strategies as Mr. Vanderboegh, please leave this blog now. In fact, turn off your computer and please try to reground yourself in real life. Kthxbye.)
I have no problem with these attacks being reported by the MSM. They should be reported. What bugs me is that two narratives have appeared: 1) only these saintly Democrats are the ones who are ever oppressed in such an egregious way; and 2) it's the leaders of the Republican Party that are inciting this. (The Republicans have leaders? Who knew?)
Let's start with a really easy item to refute. Of course both sides have their extremists who advocate violence.
For example, courtesy Big Government, here is a typical Democrat extremist embracing this sort of violent talk:
Obama’s critics keep blasting him for Chicago-style politics. So, fine. Channel your inner Al Capone and go gangsta against your foes. Let ‘em know that if they aren’t with you, they are against you, and will pay the price.
That would be taken from...CNN. ("This is CNN...conservatives can go take a flying leap.")
Here's another:
You’ve given it your best shot, you’ve tried numerous times to talk with the Republicans, to negotiate, to meet them halfway on every single matter before the American people. But they hate you for many reasons. It’s time you break kneecaps (bold in original). It’s time to destroy the Republican Party. They don’t deserve a seat at the table when all they want to do is score political points by being the Party of No.
And that would be from the Huffington Post. (I refuse to link to the Huffington Post; go back to Big Government if you want the link.)
As I said, it's now pretty much accepted as fact by the MSM that Republicans, in stating their anger with the way the Obamacare bill was forced through, are actively encouraging this week's violent offenders who are vandalizing offices, making threatening phone calls, and so forth.
A common theme in this, in addition to the usual suspects (Rush et al), has been the referencing of so-called "incindiary language" by Sarah Palin. All these stories refer to a particular tweet, which said:
Commonsense Conservatives & lovers of America: "Don't Retreat, Instead - RELOAD!" Pls see my Facebook page.
Does anyone with half a modicum of rational thought really believe that Mrs. Palin is referring to reloading actual rifles and such? Of course she isn't (though the aforementioned Mr. Vanderboegh sure is). I would hope that the regular readers of this blog, including some who don't care much for the policies of Mrs. Palin, can distinguish the true meaning of what she said.
And if one were to continue to her Facebook page, one would find the same post previously mentioned in this space. Does it have to do with targeting Democrats? You betcha. Of course, it's talking about targeting them for defeat, not violence.
(But Snowed, she had a map with crosshair symbols! Yeah, she's targeting them for defeat. I believe I just said that. What did you want her to use, little pink hearts? Maybe fluffy white clouds?)
This whole narrative is yet another attempt to paint Sarah Palin as an extremist who only appeals to people who like to throw bricks, or something like that. It's not going to work.
Watch, for example, how NBC's Ann Curry tries to maneuver Sen. John McCain into condemning Gov. Palin for her language. And watch, too, how Sen. McCain deftly deflects criticism of his former running mate. I may not agree with Sen. McCain on everything, but he did a great job defending Sarah Palin's remarks here.
You can see more coverage of this interview over at NewsBusters.
Incidentally, one Democrat extremist once expressed a wish to "kick [Sarah Palin's] [edited]". Who's advocating violence again?
But never mind that, it's all about making Tea Partiers, Obamacare opponents, and Sarah Palin look as bad as possible.
For further reading on the continued smearing of Sarah Palin, please check out "Lying Liberals Target Governor Palin" by Adrienne Ross, who's been mentioned in this blog before, I believe. Well worth the read.
Incidentally, I'm curious as to what sort of reception this article will get at the Austin Post, where I tend to cross-post some of my blog articles. The last article I posted was edited to remove the term "Obamacare", so I'm not sure this one will even make it onto the site, and if it does, I imagine I'll get a few negative votes for it. Such is the price for being conservative in Austin, Texas, I suppose.
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