Allow me to introduce myself. I am a traitor and an idiot. Also, my mother should have aborted me and left me in a dumpster, but since she didn’t, I should “off” myself.
Those are just a few nuggets randomly selected from thousands of e-mails written in response to my column suggesting that Sarah Palin is out of her league and should step down.
Who says public discourse hasn’t deteriorated?
It seem that this right wing talking (writing) head had offended the base. She has looked at Palin and found her to be lacking, in about everything. She has gone on record asking her to resign from the ticket so that McCain could find a qualified candidate.
And she is shocked I tell you, shocked to her very soul by this outburst of hate, irrational anger and threats of violence.
the past few days have produced responses of a different order. Not just angry, but vicious and threatening.
...
The picture is this: Anyone who dares express an opinion that runs counter to the party line will be silenced. That doesn’t sound American to me, but Stalin would approve.
You have to wonder what has caused this type of outburst. How has our society fallen this low? Why are we unable to engage in civil discourse?
Well, how about we consider this, another Op_ed written Mrs. Parker about 5 years ago. This was about the Democrats running for President in 2003. So what did she talk about then (I have not tried to see if it was published by The State)?
Here's a note I got recently from a friend and former Delta Force member, who has been observing American politics from the trenches: "These bastards like Clark and Kerry and that incipient ass, Dean, and Gephardt and Kucinich and that absolute mental midget Sharpton, race baiter, should all be lined up and shot.
Yep, she is shocked when she is attacked, but fails to see how her own past actions, cheerleading partisan violence and promoting it to a national audience, is one of the key factors in the decline she now fears. She appears to think that this hate and vitriol is fine when aimed at others but when aimed at her, it's another matter.
The right wing talking heads have been working at this since the late 70s, creating a double standard for discussions. It has been very effective and about the only time that anyone on the right notices is when they are the target of the attack, and not the attacker.
Tags
Republicans, Violence
