David Gergen, No time for finger pointing - B.S.

[OregonBlue]

(CNN) -- Until we have more definitive information about the shooter, pointing fingers at who might bear responsibility for the Tucson, Arizona, massacre only contributes to what we must end in America: a toxic political environment.

Soon after the news broke, the internet lit up with accusations, even before we knew anything at all about the man who pulled the trigger. Much of the early commentary, especially from the left, blamed the Tea Party, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, etc. for employing a rhetoric of militarism and creating a climate of hate.

Commentators from the right soon retaliated, arguing that the left was just as guilty of rhetorical excess and through bad governance, had inspired a citizen revolt. As of this hour, we have a country that is not only deeply saddened but even more divided than we were before the shooting.

We can do better -- a lot better.

more.....http://gergensvoice.blogspot.com/2011/01/no-time-for-finger-pointing.html

My response to him:

If not now, when? You in the media sat by while Sarah Palin basically placed a hit on Gabrielle Giffords and 19 other Democratic Congresspeople. I didn't hear one peep from you or anyone else on the right. So you tell us, when is the time to play the blame game? After another congress person is dead? After some nutcase kills the president? After some innocent child is killed. Oh, excuse me, that already happened.

If you sanctimonious "consultants" had spoken up when all of this hate speech was being spouted day in and day out, if you cowards had had the guts to criticize those Tea Partiers walking around with their guns and don't tread on me posters, this might have been avoided. But you didn't.

And we all know why you didn't. Violence sells, controversy sells, sex sells. Serious discussions about the problems facing our country don't sell.

Any thoughtful person could have told you and all those other "consultants" what publicizing hate speech 24/7 would lead to and YOU DID NOTHING. You sat by silently.

Please don't tell us now is not the time.

[Whisp]

1. That pretty well nails it. Gergen is a despicable enabler for the Repugs

and most of his colleagues on CNN are the same, shameless liemongers

[malaise]

2. Great post

K & R

Too late Gergen

[fascisthunter]

3. He's Part of the Problem... you Can't Sweep this Shit Under the Rug

sorry... I'm a liberal and these threats endanger me, my family, my neighbors and my friends. Gergen is a perfect example of why we see the shit we do today.... they all allow it to happen without pointing any fingers. He's definitely a shill for the right..

[eleny]

4. Good for you

He's been pushing this bs since yesterday. Good for you. That's a spot on response.

[NRaleighLiberal]

5. David Brooks just said the same on Newshour. Shields vigorously disagreed.

I don't know how Brooks can live with himself...then again, that goes for all Republicans, in my book.

[Matariki]

6. No, it's WAY past time.

They've been enabling their hate peddlers for far too long. Anyone with a lick of sense could fortell only tragedy coming from the filth they've been spewing.

No one should allow them to change the conversation away from the real problem.

[EFerrari]

7. No reg needed to post a comment. n/t

[Lint Head]

8. Because the finger points toward his side of the political spectrum.

[Waiting For Everyman]

9. The time is - after the trial, the appeals, and the appointed commission whitewash

says it was only the fault of a "lone nutcase". That process takes years, and according to people like Gergen, nobody should even form an opinion until then, when all the facts are in.

By that time, it's a cold issue so no blame ever gets placed and no one is held accountable for it.

That was the Warren Report template and it's been used lots of times since then, and it always works - to whitewash and cover up the crime. Including 9/11, I might add.

I call bullshit on it too.

[DCKit]

10. "...only contributes to what we must end in America: a toxic political environment."

And, that's all we've been asking for: and end to the toxic political environment and a return to logic, reason, sanity and polite discourse.

There's going to be a monstrous butter surplus if these RW talking heads keep spinning in this manner.

[Raine]

11. NO ... it absolutely has to be talked about NOW

otherwise it will never be talked about!

[SammyWinstonJack]

12. Typical repug response. NOT THE TIME FOR THE BLAME GAME.!

Except when it is and the repugs decide that. ALWAYS.

[Arkana]

13. Gergen isn't inherently evil but he's being deliberately obtuse.

You cannot look at the violent politics in this country and conclude that both sides are contributing equally to it. You just CANNOT say that. It's apparent to everyone with a brain.

[Rainbow Wave]

14. I'm sure many of us have...

that teabagger relative who copies us on their vile, racist emails. The ones that spread lies and disinformation. The ones that make up stories showing how great the patriotic white Christian is and how horrible and/or despicable the Muslim/Hispanic/Black/feminist/gay is. If we know they're doing this, the mainstream media knows they're doing this. Yet somehow they've managed to maintain this fiction that teabaggers are a legitimate political entity, that we must all somehow dialogue with them in order to come to some kind of compromise. How exactly do you compromise with people whose main political premise is that you have no right to exist in this country? I think the mainstream media has been aiding and abetting a bunch of racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic know-nothings.