["We have a president who says, 'I could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and nobody would care,'" she (Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader) said. "When you have people saying, 'beat him up and I'll pay your legal fees.' When you have all of the assaults that were made on Hillary Clinton." On the other side, Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, argued on the day of the shooting that violence in the U.S. is "coming from the left." And on Thursday, he blamed former President Obama.]
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/bipartisanship-quickly-erodes-one-day-after-congressional-baseball-shooting/article/2626124 Bipartisanship quickly erodes one day after congressional baseball shooting by Pete Kasperowicz | Jun 15, 2017, 3:18 PM [Video] One day after House Speaker Paul Ryan declared "we are united" after a gunman targeted Republican lawmakers, the bright light of bipartisanship that was welcomed by both parties started fading, and was steadily being replaced by the usual partisan bickering. The shooting shocked Republicans and Democrats alike, and Wednesday was filled with pictures of Democrats praying for Republicans, bipartisan press conferences in which members compared each other to family members, and vows to "play ball" together at tonight's charity baseball game. Congressional Solidarity in Aftermath of GOP Shooting Watch Full Screen But there were already plenty of signs Thursday that once the ballgame ends, it'll be business as usual. Many lawmakers started blaming the harsh political discourse for the shooting, since the shooter was a volunteer for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who reportedly hated President Trump. But as the hours passed by, lawmakers started pointing fingers when it comes to which side is to blame for that harsh discourse. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who urged togetherness on Wednesday, charged in a Thursday meeting with reporters that Republicans were mostly to blame. When asked if she thought both parties were each contributing an equal share of bitter partisan rhetoric, she replied, "No, I do not," and cited Trump's campaign as a major problem. ***"We have a president who says, 'I could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and nobody would care,'" she said. "When you have people saying, 'beat him up and I'll pay your legal fees.' When you have all of the assaults that were made on Hillary Clinton."*** [Emphasis added.] ***On the other side, Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, argued on the day of the shooting that violence in the U.S. is "coming from the left." And on Thursday, he blamed former President Obama.*** [Emphasis added.] "I do want to put some of this at the feet of Barack Obama," King said in a radio interview. "He contributed mightily to dividing us. He focused on our differences rather than our things that unify us. And this is some of the fruits of that labor." One Republican seemed to agree with Pelosi that Trump bears some of the blame. Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., reported hearing elderly people at a senior center telling each other "F you and F you and F you" over politics, and said Trump is likely part of the problem. "I would argue that the president is at least ... partially to blame for demons that have been unleashed," Sanford said on MSNBC. Lawmakers and others also debated the role being played by the media, and whether left- or right-leaning news outlets were riling people up with harsh rhetoric. Personalities like radio host Laura Ingraham pointed out that the media is usually quick to cite links between harsh right-wing rhetoric and violent events, but didn't have much interest in pointing out the shooter's progressive background this time around. She tweeted out a ThinkProgress.org article that complained about the "rush" to link the violent act to progressives, even though the group said in 2011 that the GOP's use of the phrase "job killing" legislation was cited as a factor in the shooting of Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz. The New York Times also tried to remind readers about how right-wing rhetoric led to the Giffords shooting, only to be corrected by readers who reminded the Times that no such link was established. The issue of the media's role inflamed some even on the day of the shooting. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, not only blamed Trump, but blamed "fake news" outlets, which he said include the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Examiner. He said only the right-leaning rhetoric was the problem, and said it was a "false equivalency" to bring up heated rhetoric used by the left. But he was countered on the right by Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, who implied on the House floor that the left-leaning media's crusade against Trump was a proximate cause of Wednesday's violence. "The invective, spite and venom they hurl daily at the president contributes to an environment of hatred and violence," Smith said. "The media's constant barrage of personal attacks can incite someone to take irrational actions." Smith noted that the shooter's Facebook page said, "It's time to destroy Trump and company." "That's not much different from the tone of many media articles," he said. "A study last week month found that the president had received a higher percentage of negative coverage than any recent president." -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. 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