It’s sad when a tragedy divides more than it unites. Let’s look at the aftermath of the assassination attempt yesterday in Arizona.
Much of the controversy that erupted after the shooting stemmed from a post by Sarah Palin last March in which Giffords was one of twenty senators quite literally put in the crosshairs of a fundraising map; Palin also encouraged supporters to “reload” on Twitter that same day.
There are really two separate issues in play here. Most criticism seems to be focus on whether Palin’s map contributed to the motives of the shooter and whether Palin should be accountable for his actions. Just as important, I’d argue, was whether the map was a good idea in the first place.
Many people (including a number of Palin supporters) have argued over the last 24 hours that the shooter was clearly unstable and, even if he cites Palin’s map as a motivation for carrying out the act, couldn’t possibly have interpreted the map as it was intended by Palin. It’s a good point; no sane person would ever gun down a representative in a crowd and kill innocent people, among whom were a federal judge and a nine-year-old girl. Was the shooting the fault of Palin or other politically-charged figures, like Giffords’s opponent last year who felt it was a good idea to hold a campaign event to “target” Giffords in which supporters could shoot an M16? No. They can’t be held accountable for the actions of crazy individuals.
But was the map a good idea in the first place? As Giffords herself said in March, there are “consequences” to energized and polarizing speech. Was it really necessary, and does it help advance political discourse in this country? Conservatives have no shortage of material to use when appealing to those who disagree with the liberal agenda. Escalating partisanship to its current levels will inevitably lead to an increase in violence; as Paul Krugman writes, “violent acts are what happen when you create a climate of hate.”
Palin’s team conceded, in essence, that the map was in poor taste when they removed the page with the map from its original location shortly after the shooting yesterday. The question we face is whether this tragedy will cause us to reconsider how candidates appeal to their supporters; will it encourage them to be civil and respectful about those who hold elected office, or will we continue down the path to turbulent black-and-white politics?