The return to violent discourse

Back in Jan, a US Congresswoman was shot in AZ. Immediately after that shooting, the left found some vague references to “targeting” certain congressional districts for defeat in the 2010 elections…and decried that and other “violent rhetoric” for contributing to the shooter’s rage and actions.

Eventually it was revealed that the shooter was simply insane, but before then there was a considerable outcry from all sides for civility and decency in our public discourse. Whatever happened to all those cries, especially from the Dem side of the aisle? In the midst of this debt limit crisis, these same folks evidently feel no compunctions about accusing the right of all kinds of evil intent, including terrorism, extortion, treason or worse... The violent and apocalyptic rhetoric used during the past few weeks far exceeds that represented in the obscure symbology found on defeated VP candidate’s website…for example:

Rep Judy Chu “In 200 days they’ve in fact tried to put 2 million Americans out of work, and now with the default negotiations they are holding the American people hostage …to their agenda of tax cuts to the rich..”

Rep Mike Doyle – “We have negotiated with terrorists…. They have no compunction about blowing up the economy to get what they want”

Biden - “They have acted like terrorists,” The vice president characterized the fight as a hostage situation, saying Republicans have a “gun to their heads,”

Wasserman-Schultz – “This is almost like dictatorship. I know they want to force the outcome that … their extremists would like to impose. But they are getting ready to spark panic and chaos, and they seem to be OK with that.”

Pelosi – ““What we’re trying to do is save the world from the Republican budget. We’re trying to save life on this planet as we know it today.

Joe Klein – “Their stand means higher interest rates, fewer jobs created and more destroyed, a general weakening of this country’s standing in the world. Osama bin Laden, if he were still alive, could not have come up with a more clever strategy for strangling our nation.”

Paul Begala – “Seems to me the GOP seeks a banana republic: a toxic blend of right-wing populism, anti-intellectualism, debt defaults, and an end to the ladder of economic opportunity. They would divide us into a few Haves and a lot of Have-Nots. And they would slowly crush the heart of progressive America—the rising middle class created by Democratic economic policies of education and empowerment. All while preserving, protecting, and defending a tiny oligarchy of millionaires and billionaires.”

The inconvenient truth that both sides routinely ignore is that noone wishes this country harm. Both sides are simply trying to do what they feel is right and in the best interests of the nation. It serves no purpose (other than political gain) to demonize the other side. It’s been said before but is worth repeating....The time has come for all sides to stop with the rhetorical lies and exaggerations and simply get the d__n job done. Only when both sides recognize this fact in each other will we begin to see this country come together again.

URL: http://able2know.org/post/discuss/politics/