Stimulus and Response In the Tucson Terror Incident

As I began to learn of the horrible events in Tucson on January 8, I also began to see the rapid response of the far right. During the 2010 elections, the far right’s online comments  were ferocious enough, but in the aftermath of Tucson, they became white hot with rage against the “other side” -- liberals, progressives, Democrats, and others. The far right commenters denied that their vitriolic rhetoric, and that of their leaders, had any role to play, instead blaming the “other side” for creating the climate of hate, and attempting to pin the blame on a lone lunatic. Some even have gone so far as to paint the indicted man as a liberal. The far right always responds this way, accusing the “other side” of the offenses they themselves have committed. As a result, the “other side” attempts to defend itself and quickly becomes mired in an unwinnable debate.

The Stimulus: Trolling For Crazies

We’ve seen the far right’s provocative tactics before, particularly in the techniques of the anti-abortion movement. They use increasingly inflammatory rhetoric to create a climate of fear and hatred, constantly demonizing the objects of their scorn. Eventually some individual with marginal sanity takes the bait and murders an abortion doctor or bombs a clinic. The instigators hypocritically and piously deny any connection while condemning the actions of the lone actor.

One-Sided Demonization

Similar tactics characterized the 2010 elections. The far right tagged their opponents as socialists, communists, and tyrants. They used language filled with violent imagery. Sharron Angle called for “Second Amendment remedies” if they didn’t get the desired results at the polls. Michelle Bachmann exhorted her followers to be “armed and dangerous” in their opposition to energy taxes. Sarah Palin’s PAC posted a map on their website showing 20 Congressional districts held by Democrats, with rifle-style crosshairs in each, with the slogan, “Don’t retreat -- reload and aim.” Gabrielle Giffords’ opponent, Jesse Kelly, placed an ad saying, “Get on Target for Victory in November Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office Shoot a fully automatic M16 with Jesse Kelly” for just a $50 contribution. During the debate on the health care reform bill, the extremists held a noisy rally outside the US Capitol. When the Democrats returned from their caucus to vote, the crowd put them through a gauntlet, harassing them and even spitting on them. Disgustingly, they spat on John Lewis, who was nearly beaten to death in a civil rights event in the 60s. Meanwhile, the GOP leadership was flying the “Don’t Tread On Me” flag from a balcony on the Capitol, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. In addition, a 24/7 campaign on talk radio and cable news has been building the narrative, making hate and violence seem normal and acceptable. The list goes on almost endlessly, but nothing like this was coming from Democrats and progressives. No violent imagery, no calls for Second Amendment remedies, no overt acts of harassment were in evidence on the “other side.”

The Response: An Apparently Unstable Personality Takes Action

The response to this climate of fear and hate was growing animosity toward government and toward elected officials of the “other side.” Town hall meetings became angry mob scenes, complete with shouting, hissing and booing. In the 2010 elections, the Republicans swept out many elected officials at the federal, state and local levels. Congress and state legislatures convened and the new majorities began enacting their agenda. Then came that terrible event on January 8, 2011. Responding to the permissive atmosphere toward violence, an apparently unstable person committed the atrocity in Tucson. His political views, his motivations, scarcely matter. He took the bait and committed the terrorist acts. All the far right activists and their leaders can plausibly proclaim they have no association with him and that he is nothing more than an individual acting on his own volition. 

Who Are the Real Terrorists?

The man now under Federal indictment committed an act of domestic terrorism, if found guilty. He was not operating in a vacuum. All of those leaders of the far right bear responsibility for creating the climate for Tucson to occur. They laid the foundation of apparent permission to commit violence when they made those statements and committed those acts of harassment. This incident has nothing to do with the “other side,” but is entirely bound up in the politics of the far right. An unfortunate individual, most likely mentally unstable, seems to have absorbed those powerful emotions until they overwhelmed him, pushing him into committing this atrocity. Those who turned loose those powerful emotions knew what they wanted, and the immorality of that is unspeakable. America is better than that.