On the Air, Nothing Has ChangedBy Christina Bellantoni and Steve Peoples
Roll Call Staff
54 minutes ago
As the nation reflected on the tragedy in Tucson, Ariz., on Monday, everyday politics remained frozen for official Washington. But on the airwaves and among left- and right-leaning activists, there was no cease-fire.
Liberals who immediately condemned hate speech and harsh anti-government rhetoric as contributing factors in the shooting that killed six people and wounded 14, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), came under heavy criticism from conservatives. Talk-show hosts charged Democrats with trying to exploit a national tragedy.
Rush Limbaugh said on his radio show that it’s Democrats and media outlets who are looking to politicize the violence. The conservative talk radio icon, whom many Republicans have looked to for political cues over the years, said Monday that his party does not “look to these events to move our political agenda forward.”
The Democratic Party, Limbaugh said, is “a party that seeks to profit out of murder.” He added that the political left “openly wishes for such disaster in order to profit from it.”
And...
The Tea Party Express began a fundraising effort Monday to ask supporters to help them fight against “liberals” who are attempting to link their movement to the events in Arizona. “Tea Party Won’t Be Silenced After Shooting,” read the fundraising e-mail issued Monday.
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