Clyburn: Palin 'Intellectually' Incapable Of Understanding Arizona Shootings

WASHINGTON -- Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's first spoken words on the shootings in Tucson, Ariz. -- a lengthy denunciation of both violence and pundits who are "manufacturing a blood libel" -- was more an effort in media critique than post-tragedy reconciliation.

And in the immediate aftermath, the reaction to it was a bit of incredulity, shock or simple confusion. Assistant House Minority Leader James Clyburn (D-S.C.) became one of the first lawmakers to weigh in Wednesday morning.

"You know, Sarah Palin just can't seem to get it, on any front. I think that she's an attractive person, she is articulate," Clyburn said on Bill Press' radio show. "But I think intellectually, she seems not to be able to understand what's going on here."

Clyburn's comments were tame compared to the chilly reception and head-scratching that Palin's statement received on the Internet and cable, where the anti-Semitic roots of the term "blood libel" did not go unnoticed.

"Whether it was her intention or not today, she is feeding the beast of what has really been a pretty nasty ideological finger-pointing fight that we have been watching on Twitter and the Internet and on some forms of cable television," NBC News' Chuck Todd said on MSNBC.

"There was some sympathy for Palin over being tied to shooting, + she chose to go inflammatory," The Daily Beast's Howard Kurtz wrote via Twitter.

All of which should serve as a telling backdrop for President Barack Obama as he takes center stage during the memorial service for the shooting victims on Wednesday evening. Whereas the defining tone from Palin and others is one of self-defense and even victimization -- former Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle accused her critics of being "dangerous and ignorant" on Tuesday -- Obama is likely to stick with his default positions: projections of civility, calls for unity, pleas for depolarization.

Comments

[Weatherly Sokol]

04:29 PM on 01/22/2011

FINALLY!!!!!! I have found a place which is immersed in sanity, intellegence, and a real sense of a community which really "hears" what is being communicated in writing-of course; and tries to respond in a factual, non bigoted, non vitriolic, non hate-spewed fashion of so many of the other political blogs out there. And, if someone does "cross the lines" they are very quickly brought
back in and reminded that in a place where intellegence, fair-play, truthfulness, diversity, and common sense hold the highest ground, hate, bigotry and lies hold NO ground!

[AZreb]

08:39 AM on 01/16/2011

Palin was inviting everyone to her personal "pity party" - no, thanks.

[mickflynn]

12:10 AM on 01/15/2011

Ask Israeli's who they would rather have as president, Obama or Palin, and they'll tell you Obama scares the H%ll out of them. Anti-Semitic, are you kidding me? Who's side did Obama take when terrorists tried to infiltrate a flotilla into Gaza? He sided with the terrorists as did most on this site. Palin did not! She had the foresight to see that the flotilla was nothing more than a Trojan Horse. This blood libel is nothing more than a smoke screen that the left wants to keep in the news. Palin scares the h%ll out of you libs and for good reason. She's your worst nightmare: Attractive (and thats putting it lightly) articulate, tougher than nails, loving mother and wife, great example for the country and experienced. I can't wait for Palin to debate Obama. She will dismantle him piece by piece.

[ctcadguy]

04:10 PM on 01/14/2011

After Bush and Palin this country needs to stop voting for nitwits.

Of course Bush stole his 2 elections and Palin/McCane ticket was 7 percentage points behind. It was not possible to steal that one.

[Chris]

08:30 AM on 01/14/2011

Is this the civility that Obama talked about?

[CarolNC]

10:57 AM on 01/16/2011

You can't tie Obama to this. Sorry.

[TheDragonSlayer]

07:19 AM on 01/14/2011

Palin has proven time and time again that she is intellectually incapable of understanding anything more complex than a tooth brush. How is this news, because this person stated the obvious? "In additional news, The Dragon Slayer stated that the sky is blue! More to follow!"

[CTtransplant]

04:30 AM on 01/14/2011

I agree with AHML Clyburn.  I don't think she understands at all. Words matter, words have consequences as well.  For example, words from her book:
 
“Your leaders will be in the enemy’s crosshairs­­. You never win
playing defense, get on offense! The crossfire is intense, so
penetrate enemy territory. Use your weapȏns. Shȏȏt with accuracy; aim
high and remember it takes blȏȏd, sweat and tears to win. No matter
how tough it gets, never retreat, instead relȏad!”

~~ Sarah Palin (Biography­­, America by Heart)

[TheDragonSlayer]

07:22 AM on 01/14/2011

She has this affectation with firearms and military analogies. Quite an insult to those that served considering she didn't.

[DUSAA-1775]

08:17 AM on 01/14/2011

You have determined that by Palin using military analogies, she insults those that served.?
That is some very strange thinking you've got going there!!

[senseandnonsense]

08:25 AM on 01/14/2011

Her biography is even more appalling than her statements in person. She never turns the other cheek. I wonder whether she has ever read scripture with understanding?

[frameofmind2]

12:35 PM on 01/14/2011

Not a chance $aint $arah understands scripture, let alone read scripture, HA!!

[frameofmind2]

12:49 AM on 01/14/2011

Dear, Assistant House Minority Leader James Clyburn (D-S.C.)

I have been watching the work you do on behalf of the American People leaves me no choice but to give you my deepest respect and admiration, for the maturity, the intellect, the humility you display anytime I see you. America is a far greater place with your presents on the Hill, Sir.
Rep. Clyburn, you are a true "gentle man" in every sense of the word.

Being a middle-aged red-neck, ex-homophobe, ex hater, tradesman, I stand in amazement of the class of character you bring to the job on a day in, day out basis.

Sincerely,
Michael.

[CTtransplant]

04:25 AM on 01/14/2011

I most assuredly agree!  Fanned and faved!

[RTIII]

08:07 PM on 01/17/2011

...That's quite a list of "exes" you have there! Good For You!

[JDZSB]

11:55 PM on 01/13/2011

There is a lot of time and space wasted with attacks and criticisms of Sara Palin that seems to be unending for the last two years. If those that are always critical of her would just drop it and spend more time on the issues that are important to the country we all would be better off in both the short term and the long run. All these criticisms do is continue to give her more press and making her more rich in the process. She is probably loving the attention and the opportunity to speak out in reply.

[spiegelp]

02:26 PM on 01/14/2011

But people are actually having fun with her asinine mistakes, "refudiations" and condemnations. It's like watching Archie Bunker.... you know he's wrong, you know he will always lose, but watching him do it is so much fun.

[jdfcasey]

11:37 PM on 01/13/2011

Lets set the bar.....
She is not intellectually strong enough to be a greeter at Walmart.

[RTIII]

08:09 PM on 01/17/2011

She'd get so frustrated having to be nice that she'd undoubtedly quit - possibly half way through her first shift.

[gialla]

11:24 PM on 01/13/2011

The half-governor needs to look for a new set of advisors. It is too bad that Larry, Moe and Curly are not still around.

[gottanuf]

08:13 AM on 01/14/2011

Beck, Hannity, and Limbaugh!

[PoorRichardsHeartache]

07:26 PM on 01/14/2011

Very good lol

[woodstein76]

10:58 AM on 01/14/2011

After this latest faux pas, I don't they'd be interested, The Stooges were Jewish. Just sayin'

[americancolonyinhell]

10:08 PM on 01/13/2011

I'm a progressive so don't attack me for what I'm about to say, but it's somewhat understandable that she would defend herself. After all, people were saying that those cross-hairs were in fact the reason Ms. Giffords was targeted. We now know that wasn't the case at all. Use of the term blood libel, although unwise, makes a kind of sense in this context. And It's hardly anti-semitic to cite a false charge against Jews. (I still hope she's toast, though.)

[RABSR]

10:53 PM on 01/13/2011

“I'm a progressiv¬e so don't attack me for what I'm about to say, but it's somewhat understand¬able that she would defend herself. After all, people were saying that those cross-hair¬s were in fact the reason Ms. Giffords was targeted. We now know that wasn't the case at all. Use of the term blood libel, although unwise, makes a kind of sense in this context. And It's hardly anti-semit¬ic to cite a false charge against Jews. (I still hope she's toast, though.) “

I’m a Conservative who thanks you for having the strength of character to step outside the ideological bubble to see the situation as it really is.

Personally I find it refreshing to have a political figure who actually, “tells it like she sees it”. You certainly don’t have to guess where she’s coming from.

I can understand why she irks you. To each their own.

[americancolonyinhell]

11:03 PM on 01/13/2011

Thanks.

[DLCA]

11:03 PM on 01/13/2011

would have been nice if she put herself on the back-burner and used her 8 minutes to talk about the real victims, including a little girl the same age as Piper. Guess that's beyond her and that's what Rep Clyburn was addressing.

[spiegelp]

02:34 PM on 01/14/2011

Defend herself? She made herself the victim. Six people were killed and a member of congress suffered a gunshot wound to the head, yet she paints herslf as the victim. Its incredible! Her narcissism makes her incapable of admitting that use of crosshairs targeting members of congress, whether they caused the incident or not, was wrong. Instead she defended her actions. She defends antagonizing those with whom she disagrees or just plain hates, she blames others for the very thinngs of which she is 100% guilty. Then she insights more anger with her "blood lible" excuse. I'm dumbfounded that anyone... ANYONE can defend her. Her continuous diplay of distasteful behaviour and lack of intellect is unlike anything I have ever seen before.

[Larry Gibby]

10:04 PM on 01/13/2011

So what do the shootings have to do with political civility? Where is the evidence of a tie between what a person has said and the the events? If there is a tie, MSNBC and this site would be on death row for all of the murders they have inspired with their venom and nastiness. The guy was as sane as Charles Manson. Who made him act? Rush Limbaugh?

[DLCA]

11:10 PM on 01/13/2011

Guess you don't pay attention to the news....
Rep Gifford's offices were vandalized because she voted a certain way
Other Democratic congress people had their offices vandalized as well as having shots fired at their homes, gas lines cut, and threats to them and their families. Yes, this guy is very, very mentally ill, yet, we seem to forget that this is not an isolated incident but one in a long string of incidents since 2009.
As of now, it looks like this guy had his demons in his head, but what about the others who have done violence against those they don't like?

Words have consequences, serious ones, and that is why we can't yell FIRE! in a theater.

[pezmusic]

11:18 PM on 01/13/2011

Republicans had thier office vandalized at time as well.

[ogaraj]

12:16 AM on 01/14/2011

The reason the rhetoric is at issue is simple: when you have a sociopath like this Loughner guy, the pathology needs only a catalyst to turn to violence. Hearing/reading violent rhetoric from a person in a position of leadership or power can easily give said sociapath the moral justification they to proceed with an act such as what just happened. I'm not saying rhetoric is the direct cause, but its very easy to see that it won't help. Every responsible police chief around the country knows this, which is why the Arizona Sheriff blasted Limbaugh directly for his irresponsible vitriol.

As far as your comments about MSNBC and HuffPo, it is flat out laughable and a flagrant lie. You can't provide a single example of anyone at MSNBC or any blogger/journalist on this site who has called for violence against their opposition- and I CHALLENGE YOU TO TRY.

On the other hand, Limbaugh and Beck have routinely made comments about killing off liberals, Giffords' TEA party opponent asked for someone to shoot her with an M16, we all know Palin's "palling aorund with terrorists" comments and now her "blood libel" theatrics, and also Sharon Angles 'second amendment solutions to political problems" comments, to name a few. *ALL* that I have mentioned, and many many more, are 100% verifiable thanks to the internet.

The claims you regurgitated from too many hours of Limbaugh and Beck are a failed attempt at finding a moral equivalence.

[Donnie4488]

09:37 PM on 01/13/2011

Clyburn describes Palin as "articulate"???Seriously?

[JBS]

09:34 PM on 01/13/2011

What do you expect from a narcissistic sociopath.

To Sarah, no one's real but Sarah; no one has feelings but Sarah; no one matters but Sarah.

[DUSAA-1775]

09:45 PM on 01/13/2011

So this is an example of civility that Obama was asking for from the loony left?

[Lu4PUMA]

10:58 PM on 01/13/2011

They cannot help it. They have to distract themselves for the EPIC FAILURE of their anointed messiah.

I am still waiting for him to go through the Federal Budget line by line and eliminate enough waste to deliver health care reform that will not bankrupt the country.

[devildog09]

10:00 PM on 01/13/2011

Narcissistic- for lashing out against the most hateful and irrational attacks in recent history, from a group of people who are are committed to destroying her reputation, family and career? This is a very unhealthy infatuation the left has with Palin

[Don in CT]

10:29 PM on 01/13/2011

The only person with an infatuation for $$$$$arah Palin is $$$$$arah Palin.

[ogaraj]

12:25 AM on 01/14/2011

1) She destroyed her own political career when she quit her job as governor when her home state's republican party set a record with the amount of ethics violations they charged her with, rather than face them
2) She is clearly narcissistic when she pretends she is on the same playing field as Obama, or ANY elected official for that matter; also lets not forget her 'blood libe' theatrics which is her making herself part of this issue rather than being part of the healing process
3) She has slowly destroyed her own reputation every time she speaks without a script
4) She has made her own family public fodder by parading them around in the public and hiding behind them every chance she gets
5) She is not lashing out against an attack, she simply went into defense mode immediately when the tragedy happen, bringing the spotlight on herself by the way she chose to respond to the tragedy
6) The left *LOVES* Palin, becuase her presence in GOP politics guarantees Obama's re-election, as no *real* conservative republican will support her, because she is more divisive amongst the GOP than she is on the left