"Blood Libel" Claim Casts Sarah Palin as the Victim in Tucson Shooting
Sarah Palin's address where she attacks the media for casting her in the role of instigator of the Tucson shootings leaves us wondering who the real victims were. by Bill Gee
(centrist)
Friday, January 14, 2011
Tea Party Leader and Republican Presidential hopeful Sarah Palin made a calculated and potentially costly political error as she addressed the nation via her website. In the eight-minute video, after providing the obligatory condolences and condemnations for the slaughter on January 8th, she goes on to attack the media for their suggestions that it was her angry rhetoric that was somehow connected to the shootings. She went on to describe the attacks as "blood libel", which is a historical reference to the lie that Jews used the blood of Christians in their rituals as justification for their persecution and eventual extermination in the Holocaust.
If ever there was an opportunity for Mrs. Palin to alter her image as the "pit bull with lipstick" and instead present herself as truly "Presidential", this was it. If ever there was a politician that failed in that regard, this was it as well. Where she could have urged her followers to pursue a more civilized discourse of our political differences, instead she casts herself as the victim of a heartless and relentless media whose sole objective is the destruction of her character. Historians may look back on this moment be able to pin-point to a single phrase that ended her political career.
On the one hand, we have President Obama who is speaking of coming together, setting aside political rhetoric and collectively healing from this horrible tragedy. On the other hand we have Mrs. Palin who appears to be making the claim that she and the members of her movement are about to be rounded up, persecuted and killed for a crime they did not commit, which is what the phrase means when taken within its historical context. Who would you prefer to have in the White House?
A petition by CREDO Action, a division of the Working Assets Company has been circulated on the Internet asking Mrs. Palin to stop making violent threats (figuratively and politically) going forward. At last count, over 262,300 people have signed this petition. You can, too.
No doubt the 2012 Presidential race is going to get ugly, but it's not too late to add a level of civility to the debate.
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Posted By: Bentree
Date: January 15, 2011 12:48:16 PM
Really, on what basis do you criticize Sarah Palin for defending herself, or is the mere temerity on her part to call out progressive double speak and hypocrisy. Is your problem with her the willingness to fight back? I know you would prefer that she would be more civil, your obviously more civilized rules, in her own defense and the defense of conservative speech.
The shear audacity to accuse Sarah Palin, Limbaugh, Hannity and Beck for pure political advantage, Progressives are using the death of a 9 year old girl in and attempt accomplish their pathetic political goals. If Blood Libel doesn't describe what has taken place on the part of progressives, what the hell dose?
Even Allan Dershowitz, “The term “blood libel” has taken on a broad metaphorical meaning in public discourse. Although its historical origins were in theologically based false accusations against the Jews and the Jewish People,its current usage is far broader. I myself have used it to describe false accusations against the State of Israel by the Goldstone Report. There is nothing improper and certainly nothing anti-Semitic in Sarah Palin using the term to characterize what she reasonably believes are false accusations that her words or images may have caused a mentally disturbed individual to kill and maim. The fact that two of the victims are Jewish is utterly irrelevant to the propriety of using this widely used term.”, defended her verbiage, but you knew that even before your comments. Is your bottom line just that a terrible event such as the death of this little girl shouldn't be wasted if it can in some way be turned to political advantage? So Sarah has been truthful, the progressive accusations are out there and she has used the correct phraseology. Maybe it is the context that you don't understand? Yeah, that must be it and right now I'm visualizing the proper use of a certain petition.
Bentree, A Father and Grandfather
Posted By: Don Goins
Date: January 15, 2011 02:55:27 PM
Great article Bill. Many valid points. I've heard the Right claim that she has the right to defend herself. Of course she does. But by doing so she demonstrates her lack of composure under fire. Obama has taken hits from all over and I haven't seen him lower himself to take on Palin, Hannity, Rush, or even Beck who called him a racist and mocked his children. Same is true with W. He took punches for eight years.
If Palin wants to stay put as head cheerleader she can fire back at her critics all she wants. But if she want to be President, she'll need to turn the other cheek.
Posted By: Bill Gee
Date: January 17, 2011 07:30:22 AM
The point of my commentary is that Palin, Beck, Limbaugh, et al should not be on the defensive, and the fact that they are only demonstrates their inability to demonstrate the level of humility and self reflection that a situation like this calls for.
I'm sorry, but putting Mr. Dershowitz into the debate is beside the point. I was not making the case that Mrs. Palin did not have the "right" to say what she said, just that doing so would likely do more harm than good to her Presidential prospects.
Indeed, just as the saying goes - "only the guilty will run away from a crime", those who staunchly defend their use of gratuitous language in the face of a national tragedy are only further casting themselves as the instigators of political vilolence in this country.
