After Tucson, will media tone it down?

[PBS Poll-435]

By Roland S. Martin, CNN Political Contributor
January 15, 2011 11:14 a.m. EST

(CNN) -- The conventional wisdom in the wake of the emotional and impressive memorial service for those killed in Tucson at the hands of a deranged gunman is that despite pleas for civility, we will return to the pre-shooting days of yelling, screaming and highly-charged partisanship.

In his speech to the nation, President Obama, acting as the healer-in-chief, called on all Americans to rise above the nonsense of making politics a rhetorical blood sport and have a civil debate on the issues.

"I believe we can be better. Those who died here, those who saved lives here -- they help me believe," Obama said. "We may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but I know that how we treat one another is entirely up to us. I believe that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us."

The knee-jerk reaction from many in the call for civility is to say that the First Amendment gives them the right to say what they want, when they want. But freedom of speech also gives all of us the right to say no, you're not going to talk to me that way, and we can probe and debate, yet do so without all the rancor and bitterness.

more at: http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/01/15/martin.rhetoric/

[Posteritatis]

1. Of course they won't. (nt)

[JoePhilly]

2. Fox news would have to run a test pattern 24/7.

All they have is hate.

[NuclearDem]

3. The left will tone it down...if there was anything for us to tone down anyway

The right won't. They've already proved that.

[jwirr]

4. From what I have heard they are making a token bow by praising

the speech and at the first sign of trouble will once again be calling for their guns. rush did not even wait that long. Sarah used code to call for that already. Without their hate speech they are nothing.

[Angry Dragon]

5. NO!!

Rush never stopped

[snagglepuss]

6. Actually I think the vitriol will get ratcheted up. Doubt and second thoughts must be

eradicated and this will be accomplished by going on the offensive.

[Tesha]

7. Of course they won't. (NT)

[KharmaTrain]

8. The Definition Of A Circle Jerk...

That's the corporate media attempting to anylize itself...and always from a third party perspective. It's almost always framed as the network doing the reporting is detached from the rhetoric they spew or that those who spew it really aren't the same people who are doing the report. It's almost always ends up with the "both sides do it" meme and that the media is only reporting the divides rather than fanning the flames...or if someone is spreading those flames its surely not them. It allows its partisan viewers to feel either superior or assured that the problem is from the other side...soley from the other side. Those in the middle shut it all off and turn on Dancing with Survivors or some other eye candy.

Bottom line is there are three cables that thrive on filling hours of their airtime with babble...cheap programming of paid talking heads who see politics as a blood sport. News no longer informs, it has to entertain...explaining complicated issues don't draw ratings; splashing talking points do.

[Rectangle]

9. I listened to RW talk radio--as much as i could stand, (Levin, Hannity)

on the way home from work two days ago. I was listening to see if , indeed, they
were trying to "Dial it Back" a little, y'know like the majority of Americans have
asked them to.
You know what?

THEY CAN'T DO IT!!!!!

The amplifier knob has been cranked to "11" and it's broken off!!!!

They know very well, that if they "Toned it down" and quit throwing the Red Meat out
there, their ratings would PLUMMET!!!
RW talk radio is built on a foundation of hate, lies, bigotry, extreme hypocricy
and narcissism!
They are trapped in an ideological cage of their own making!

Eventually it will be their undoing!

If we Progressives and liberals look like strong Adults, and keep our language focused
clean, and caring for the American people, we will win out over these idiots--
hopefully sooner rather than later.