Limbaugh says Dems playing politics with Giffords shooting
Washington (CNN) - Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh offered a vigorous defense of himself and Sarah Palin Monday in response to claims from some media commentators and those on the left that their charged statements and colorful language may have inspired the Arizona shootings.
"[The media] is unnecessarily stirring up the country in ways that don't merit," Limbaugh said on his radio program Monday. "It's fatuous and silly to even verify and justify these accusations by defending them. The premise is insane, it's silly, it's beneath these people. Or is it? It is who they are."
Limbaugh's comments come in response to accusations that the charged political atmosphere of 2010 – of which Limbaugh, Palin, and others played a central role – may have incited the use of violence among troubled individuals like Jared Lee Loughner, the suspect that is accused of opening fire outside a Tucson supermarket, where Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was meeting with constituents Saturday.
"We are we constantly admonished not to rush to conclusions. Now…reporters are bending over backwards to link this shooting to me, to Sarah Palin, to an entire industry - talk radio," Limbaugh said. "Only in these instances is something said in the media said to influence public behavior. Go out and try to tell these same people that one of their top grossing movies has influenced has influenced abject perversion or radical behavior and they will attack you left and right.
"All of this has been pure politics, disguised as compassion and concern for a congresswoman," Limbaugh added.
From CNN Politics
- These 5 states will be the first to kick residents off Medicaid starting in April
- 10 Cards Charging 0% Interest Until 2024
- Inside the long and winding road to Trump's historic indictment
- Listen: After negotiating a peace deal, Jimmy Carter taught this Bible class
- Abortion foes take aim at ballot initiatives in next phase of post-Dobbs political fights
- Untitled
Rush, you should watch your back. It's hateful people like yourself that provoke these kinds of attacks. I can;t wait til someone cuts your head off.
None of the comments I have seen from either the media or Sheriff Dupnik have been pointed at any particular party or person. The sheriff was right on point and I guess if you feel guilty then perhaps you SHOULD defend yourself.
Bullseye, oh wait, I mean directly to the point!
Can we send this big mouth idiot to another country. He is worse than palin.
Or maybe Americans are saying ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! whether this shooting is linked to Palin or not, you and Palin's violent rhetoric flamed this kind of response from the nutjobs. VIOLENCE IS NOT THE ANSWER RUSH! Go to Iraq if that is what you favor.
Oh, that is so you. You make people angry, then you wonder why people get so angry. You do it so well, stirring up the country, then accusing others in the media of doing the same. Rush, you are part of the media.
Leave it to Rush to fan the flames so that the spotlight shifts to him and Caribou Barbie. What a self-centered DORK!!!
Yeah, right, Rush...your response is like the pot calling the kettle black. Something unspeakable happened, and a portion of it deserves to be at your feet and Sarah Palin's as well. All the hate and fear you stir up with your rhetoric; and now you're whining when something like this happens? Saying that it's all the Left and the media stirring things up? Gimme a break!
I can't believe that the self-appointed "values" party still pays attention to this admitted drug addict.
Rush is the #1 radical cleric of the American fundamentalist terrorist movement, he just doesn't want to admit it, and they call themselves patriots. But don't disown what you have created. When you call people to arms, don't be shocked when a bullet is discharged.
Rush cites the DNC, Politico, Newsweek, MSNBC, Durbin's, the sheriff of Pima Co., comments which blamed Fox, Talk Radio,Palin. This is an old playbook of the Left since OKCity. Mark Penn told Obama, he needed an OKCity to blast...the Teas. All of this is an act of liberals to kill right wing free speech. Clyburn said the FCC had now to put out the Fairness Doctrine again. Maloney of NY again called for complete Gun Control. With all the lefty hate speech around Reagan, Bush that the Dem Senate, Kos, Moveon and other lefty complainers, you would think that W would be dead by a sniper. And oh yes, Reagan was shot, remember. Not by a Rt winger but by a liberal loon. Free speech that was the call of the '60's is now wanting to be restricted as long as the RtPub party is the the speaker: the sheriff said so on Megan's Fox program yesterday.
Shut up you idiott, you are just as much the problem as Sarah Palin. JERK!
Limbaugh is accusing others of playing politics? How rich! This is a guy who has made himself immensely wealthy tearing at the fabric of our society. His success has helped spawn an entire cottage industry of inflammatory idiots all helping in the fabric tearing process. Now he wants to avoid responsibility? Why is it that it is always others who are expected to behave responsibility, and not these conservative blowhards?
You and the other vitrolic hate and fear mongering profiteers on the right have finally been called out Rushblow...The tide has turned against you slick and soon "normal" Americans will be rejecting you, FOX and the ultra nutty tea baggers party as well...
Spin away, Rush. You and your ilk can sure dish it out, but when real-life consequenses like this occur, you run for cover awfully fast.
One must wonder how Limbaugh can close his eyes at night with all the damage his rhetoric has done to public discourse in this country. It must be the drugs that help him sleep at night.
Shut up you fat crap sack. You are the worst of the lot. You have no defense for your vitriol and hatred.
No one says that you are directly responsible. The FBI has not found a note from the alleged killer that says" I did this because I listened to Limbaugh and Palin." However, whether you want to admit that you, Palin or anyone esle is indirectly responsible if they pollute political discourse in this counrty with violent language, symbols or insinuations is another matter entirely. And to do it just for a buck, well that would put you in one of the lowest categories imaginable. The message should not be "how dare you accuse me", it shoud be let's all act and speak responsibly.
"Only in these instances is something said in the media said to influence public behavior."
He forgets that most of the rhetoric being tossed around by Obama critics actually came from him/Palin/Fox News. Death Panels are still flying around, Obama's "200million dollar a day trip" is still flying around. SOCIALISM/MARXISM definitely is going strong. Why does he not realize that he actually holds influence over people?
Dems are playing politics? I don't think so, for 2 years the Dems have been on the receiving end of some pretty vicious attacks; from having their offices vandalized to having their supporters heads being stomped on by the opposition. Now a Democrat congresswoman gets shot in the head and to say that somehow the violent rhetoric (which has mainly come from the far right) doesn't have anything to with this incident is an insult to our intelligence. The fallout from this incident should be nothing short of a full rebuke of the rhetoric which has permeated the airwaves over the past 2 years.
Would this windbag ever step back and take a look at himself and his industry and say maybe we should stop with the hate speech, the 2nd amendement remedy retoric, etc. No. lets just come out at the Democrats and lie even more. Rush, you are pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.
I hate the fat pill popping devisive idiot who didn't vote for the first time in his life until his mid 30s but he does have a bit of a point. There does seem to be a drive from moveon crowd to use this for political advantage and like most of what the far left does it will backfire. Still for the most part pathetic to see right so scared of left when for the most part they are too wimpy and disorganized to be much threat to anyone.
It is funny when he plays politics with national tragedies it is alright but when anyone else wants to recognize these horrible events for what they are he attacks them. He and the other hate mongers like him will not stand for Americans to come together to pull the nation away from the politics of hate which these people espouse. It is time to turn away from the Limbaughs, the Becks, the O'Reilieys and all of the other purveyors of hate and for all of us to pull together to take our country back and put it on the right track.
"[The media] is unnecessarily stirring up the country in ways that don't merit," Limbaugh said on his radio program Monday.
Pot meet Kettle! I can't believe he could even fix his mouth to utter those words. This coming from the man created words like "feminazi" and halfrican America. this from the man who calls our president a "man-child" He is the KING of inciteful political rhetoric. I like the way he tries to separate himself from the media that he is apart of.
RUSH, YOU LEAD THE WAY ON POLITICAL HATE SPEECH!
rriiiiight... "hate hate hate kill em all hate hate hate politics politics"...bang bang bang..."hey, don't look at me, I'm not the one who did the shooting. It's not my fault. You're making this about politics, the guy was obviously crazy, blame him. It's not my fault. I'm not inciting anyone here, this is satire and what I do is protected by free speech. It's not my fault."