CNN Blames Political Climate for Giffords Shooting

If you find the media struggling to grasp the violence against Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, it is because they have been unable to place the blame on their usual suspects. After months of talking about possible violence from the right wing and the Tea Party, the media can't believe that the shooter was, in fact, a left-leaning individual who had no connection to the right.

Despite what anyone in the media says, there is no proof the current political discourse, whether liberal or conservative, is responsible for this violence. However, the statements of some political figures and the local sheriff in Tucson have opened the door for some in the media to make it an issue.

After portraying Tea Partiers as angry, pro-gun nutjobs for the past two years, the fact that they aren't responsible for this crime leaves the media reaching for answers. If they can't blame the Tea Party for the crime, however, they can blame them for creating the climate in which this crime occurred.

As the story unfolded over the weekend, John King of CNN made a concerted effort to try and link the violence to the "tough talk" of politicians like Sarah Palin and members of the Tea Party who are vocal about their gun ownership. He made numerous mentions that the political climate is featuring more hostile language, and many are using "military terms" and "sharp language" in their discourse.

It doesn't matter that there is no connection between the discourse and the shooter's actions; in trying to make sense of this tragedy, King seems adamant to blame someone. When he interviewed Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), he allowed him to speak of some of the online hatred and vitriol Giffords received before the election, but when King pushed for specific examples, Smith refused to do. King, of course, was still trying to link hate speech to the right wing and the Tea Party, all the while failing to realize that no matter what specific hate talk could be linked to the right, it wasn't the source of the violence against Giffords.

It is clear the person responsible for the shooting had no love for, or connection to, the right wing or the Tea Party. He was, according to people who knew him, a pot-smoking loner with left-wing leanings. He was angered by seeing a Bible at a military recruiting center. He took interest in the mayhem-oriented message of a particular heavy metal band. Instead of making those connections the possible motive of his actions, however, the mainstream media insists they don't know what truly motivated him.

That is the correct move, of course. Being a left-wing liberal doesn't make you a killer. Neither does smoking pot, hating Jesus, being an anarchist, or listening to heavy metal music. The shooter is a depraved person who found an opportunity to kill and took it. Unfortunately, if this person had any sort of link to the right, the media would not be so diplomatic to avoid making a connection. King's continued efforts to tie the crime to the current political discourse generated by the right proves it.

When a depraved person flew a plane into an IRS building in Austin, CNN and many other media outlets were quick to characterize him early on as a right-wing anti-government nut. When the truth became clear that he was, in fact, a left-winger, they made no effort to clarify the facts. To this day, many believe he was a Tea Party fanatic.

Several times, King openly asked if the tragedy will force us to reconsider "toning down the political rhetoric." He speaks not of himself, of course, or his peers in the media who make mountains out of molehills for the sake of ratings. He only hopes it is the public's voice (that is now drowning out his own) that is toned down, so that his alone is the only one that is heard.

Instead of simply reporting the facts, CNN spends hours in analysis and commentary mode, pushing an agenda that benefits them. That is a disservice to the victims of this tragedy, and to the truth.