Sometimes you have to punch a bully in the nose to stop his bullying.
I know – violent rhetoric. That’s a bad thing. Some Democrat sheriff will now blame me for the next schoolyard scuffle.
I, and other conservatives, have sat idly by for years, turning the other cheek, after hearing the most vile attacks on George W. Bush, Sarah Palin and others. You’ve heard them. Calling Bob McDonnell “Taliban Bob” – I don’t have enough time to go into everything they call Ken Cuccinelli.
But this past weekend, when a few loud, albeit not leading, loudmouths of the left hit the television airwaves blaming the Tea Party and political rhetoric (but only that of the right wing) for having provided motivation for the shootings, most conservatives decided that was the last straw.
We reacted. We pointed out the hypocrisy. We pointed out rhetoric on the left that went much farther than any of the examples the left provided about our side. We pointed out that there was, and for the record still is, no evidence that the shooter followed politics at all, listened to talk radio, or ever heard a word Sarah Palin ever said.
He was a registered independent, by the way. I guess the left didn’t see too much upside in attacking the “heated rhetoric” of independents.
Then something happened.
A poll.
A mere 35% agreed with the left about this “rhetoric” idea being a legitimate point.
35%! That’s amazingly low. That means Democrats disagree with the anti-Republican message. That means, again, independents turned against Democrats’ message.
That poll was Tuesday.
Guess what’s happened since then. Newspaper editorials have suddenly decided the “rhetoric” theory is not only wrong, but destructive and counterproductive.
President Obama decided 35% doesn’t win many elections and said the next day, “Let’s remember that it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy. It did not.”
Of course it did not.
It’s not the first time this happened. Heck, after JFK was shot, Democrats were salivating to blame Texas rightwingers for the act. Imagine how stupid they looked when the shooter turned out to be a far left pro-Cuban Communist.
So, yes we fought back. We both pointed out how dumb their attacks on us were, and we pointed out that even if the attacks had merit, they were guilty of far worse rhetoric than we have been.
In fact, some of the more experienced in this trade, like me, saw the beginnings of using this tragedy to demand that no one use rhetoric the left doesn’t like against President Obama until at least, maybe, November 2012.
Saner voices of the left are speaking now. They’re backpedaling from the irresponsible charges that littered the airwaves in the 48 hours after the shooting.
But, believe me. If the American people agreed with them, there’d be no backpedaling today. It would be full speed ahead.
One poll stopped it all.
