The Giffords shooting has truly separated the wheat from the repugnant chaff.<\/p>\n
Paul Krugman in the NYTimes?\u00a0 In\u00a0 a column released on the NYTimes online before the last body was cold<\/a>, and indeed looks pre-written?\u00a0 Chaff:<\/p>\n A Democratic Congresswoman has been shot in the head; another dozen were also shot.<\/p>\n We don\u2019t have proof yet that this was political, but the odds are that it was.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Krugman goes on to give no evidence that Loughner was politically motivated in any way.<\/p>\n She\u2019s been the target of violence before.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n And in Paul Krugman’s world, correlation equals <\/em>causation – even if there’s no correlation!<\/p>\n And for those wondering why a Blue Dog Democrat, the kind Republicans might be able to work with, might be a target, the answer is that she\u2019s a Democrat who survived what was otherwise a GOP sweep in Arizona, precisely because the Republicans nominated a Tea Party activist. (Her father says that \u201cthe whole Tea Party\u201d was her enemy.) And yes, she was on Sarah Palin\u2019s infamous \u201ccrosshairs\u201d list.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Watch for the drumbeat over the coming weeks; “Rhetoric” will be targeted.\u00a0 Oh, just certain kinds <\/em>of rhetoric; political “crosshairs” bad, “war” on obesity good.<\/p>\n Just yesterday, Ezra Klein remarked that opposition to health reform was getting scary.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n To be fair, Ezra Klein is scared of the Constitution<\/a>, freedom<\/a>, and Girl Scouts selling cookies.<\/p>\n Actually, it\u2019s been scary for quite a while, in a way that already reminded many of us of the climate that preceded the Oklahoma City bombing.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n And there, finally, Krugman is right.<\/p>\n The left, shredded nationwide in the past election, needs <\/em>a Reichstag Fire.\u00a0 Oklahoma City helped give Bill Clinton the horrible, emotionally-wrenching distraction\u00a0 he needed to regroup after his drubbing in 2004 (and by that I’m calling him an opportinist, not a conspirator); Krugman knows not to “waste a crisis”, too.<\/p>\n You know that Republicans will yell about the evils of partisanship whenever anyone tries to make a connection between the rhetoric of Beck, Limbaugh, etc. and the violence I fear we\u2019re going to see in the months and years ahead. But violent acts are what happen when you create a climate of hate. And it\u2019s long past time for the GOP\u2019s leaders to take a stand against the hate-mongers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n “When did you stop beating your wife”.<\/p>\n Update: I see that Sarah Palin has called the shooting \u201ctragic\u201d. OK, a bit of history: right-wingers went wild over anyone who called 9\/11 a tragedy, insisting that it wasn\u2019t a tragedy, it was an atrocity.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n And with that noxious tu quoque<\/em>, we’ll move on to a more local example.<\/p>\n “Matt McNeil” is a “host” at AM950, a liberal talk “radio station” in the Twin Cities. \u00a0He popped up on Twitter a few times yesterday:<\/p>\n The rhetoric of the right<\/a> is playing out. I can’t wait for the righto’s saying “Who could have…”<\/p>\n As we’re all shocked<\/a>, every Republican is meeting with their staff right now to figure out how they can seem sympathetic but not critical.<\/p>\n Oh screw you<\/a> – all of those who are now saying “don’t rush to judgement,” We all know where this rhetoric was headed, don’t act surprised<\/p><\/blockquote>\n All three before we knew who the shooter was, much less that Loughner is apparently insane<\/a>.<\/p>\n Never waste a crisis, I guess. \u00a0There are enemies to tar.<\/p>\n