"both sides need to tone it down"

[DaveinJapan]

I'm hearing this more and more...

I found myself replying to a friend of a friend (in other words, a complete stranger) on Facebook just now on this very subject...

He said "You know, there was a similar map published by Dems in this last campaign using bullseyes"

I replied "Nice try. Those were "targeting" states to work on turning Democratic, not individual PEOPLE like Palin targeted specifically (district by district)."

His reply "Don't get me wrong - I'm not a Palin apologist (I just appear that way on *****'s FB wall). The Dems map did not list people - true. But they do refer to the Republicans as the enemy. All I'm saying is that there is indendiary rhetoric on both sides that needs to be toned down and no single person is to blame for the volitility of our political environment. I read that sentiment here on this wall just yesterday. (And I believe I made the same point on Saturday, before the shooting.) What I hope not to see are people from both sides calling for calmer discourse while at the same time throwing gasoline on the fire."

To which I vented "Sorry to say, but I find the "both sides need to tone it down" meme patently offensive given the circumstances.

There was only ONE side calling for violence in this case, threatening "second amendment solutions" and telling people to "reload", holding signs talking about "watering the tree of liberty" (that's with blood, by the way...google the original quote!), and so on over and over and over...carrying guns to their rallys and all sorts of other offensive, threatening gestures.

No, I'm not buying the "Both sides need to tone it down" crap one bit!

And now people are dead, including an innocent child, and a United States Representative lies in critical condition."



This "everyone is at fault" crap is extremely disturbing to me. Were they blind to what was going on with all the guns and threats by THE RIGHT WING whackjobs all these past months!?

[ck4829]

1. I'm willing to bet the people who say this are the same people who throw fits when someone compares

a guy who shoots a doctor who provides abortions to an Islamic terrorist.

[TheCowsCameHome]

2. The local bedwetter's talk station WXTK started off with this crap today...

...of course they've been pounding the Dems and Obama relentlessly for years, calling them just about every slur and disparaging name they can get away with and still remain on-air.

And now they want everyone to play nice.

SCREW THEM.

[DaveinJapan]

5. agreed. nt

[TheCowsCameHome]

8. I edited my remarks

I hope it didn't affect your response.

[DaveinJapan]

16. no, i still agree. :p

[seabeyond]

3. another thing that is significant. the "thing" was a target, not a weapon. the scope is a weapon

pointed at, to kill.

BIG difference that people are not speaking out as a difference.

siting some one with a gun is different than looking at a target

if we saw a crossbow AIMING at the target, then it would imply kill

[muffin1]

4. Agree 100%

I'm waiting for the invasion of the right-wing nutjobs on my page, too. For some reason, almost everyone I went to high school with is a fundie. So are many family members. :-(

[Swamp Rat]

6. Where's Karl Rove?

[rhett o rick]

10. Karl now has an unlimited budget and is working on stealing the 2012 election for the BCF.

Thanks to John Roberts and those that put him in the SCOTUS (including Democrats) and his Citizens United decision, Karl now has an unlimited budget to get Jeb elected in 2012.

[bullwinkle428]

7. Cokie Roberts was pushing this meme this morning, and accusing Democrats

of "trying to score political points" by bringing up Palin's gunsight map.

Particularly loathsome, as she's regarded as such a "respectable journalist" by so many.

[chelsea0011]

9. Plus Palin and her ilk are using verbal phrases to drive home their point

lock and load, reload, second amendment remedies, and the latest, how many guns do you own. They speak it.

[bluestateguy]

11. The old Everybody Does it Defense

Everybody is responsible therefore nobody is responsible.

[TBF]

20. +1 nt

[DaveinJapan]

12. Got an utterly unsurprising reply back just now...

"Well, you're wrong. “If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun,” President Obama said at a Philadelphia fundraiser. I understand the emotions of what's happened here, but for anyone to say "You must tone down, I must shout louder" is adding to the problem."

Unsurprising as I've seen this one crop up about a thousand times over the past couple of days (mostly on Free Republic and Hannity.com etc...).

Debating whether bothering with a reply is really worth rolling around in the ignorance any longer...

[arthritisR_US]

22. Dave, to your original OP I couldn't agree with you more. To that ass's latest

response the only thing I have to say is that watering down responsibility (which is what the right are engaged in) is what's adding to the problem. When do they ever take responsibility for the shit create? The list of their carnage is unfuckingbelievably long! Excuse my language but I am so mad and fed up with their shit!

[Xenotime]

13. these gun fundies don't understand that they are responsible for what it to come.

[JVS]

14. You tell that fuckwad the score!

[DaveinJapan]

15. Perhaps futile, but I did reply one last time to his Obama comment...

I wrote "Why am I "wrong"? Are you really claiming that the President was calling for violence with that quip? Do you really equate that with watering the tree of liberty with the blood of tyrants, or stating that political opponents should be be dispatched with bullets if ballots don't work?"

I think I'm done with that guy though...ugh.

I feel as though the political discourse has reached maximum farce, up is down and I should report to the Ministry of Peace for my reeducation or something.

[TBF]

17. The thing to remember is that we don't have a comparable party to their teabaggers -

I think it is an extreme element in their party that is causing most of these problems (led by Palin et al). We simply don't have a comparable fringe group on our side. We have moderate Obama supporters, and we have old-school dems. Our communists/socialists, for the most part, were purged from this country 50 years ago. The few of us that are left are such an insignificant voice that you'd be hard-pressed to even come up with much of a list from those who post at DU. They are comparing apples to oranges.

[The Backlash Cometh]

18. We should say:

Okay, from this point on Liberals won't talk about shooting conservatives if conservatives don't talk about shooting Liberals.

"Both sides need to tone it down" isn't specific enough.

[ClassWarrior]

21. Good one.

:thumbsup:

NGU.

[Patiod]

24. +10

[ClassWarrior]

19. They're not blind. That's a classic RW diversionary tactic. When a Rape-Publican gets in trouble...

...his allies squawk, "They ALL do it!! They ALL do it!!"

NGU.

[socialist_n_TN]

23. BINGO! It's a misdirection that I've seen .........

innumerable times in arguments with RWers. If they can't win by facts, then bring up a peripherial distraction. And they ALWAYS use the "Everybody does it." meme. I'm fucking sick of it and I'm calling it every time I see it.