Chris Jansing Tries to Link Giffords Shooter With Fringe Right-Wing
MSNBC's Chris Jansing, referencing a report by the liberal Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) on "active U.S. hate groups," asked Wednesday if the rise of radical right-wing groups coincided with the motives behind Jared Loughner's assassination attempt on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).
When asked about the "hate groups" report, guest Mark Potok of the SPLC immediately pointed to the rise of "radical right-wing groups" and attributed the rise to "resentment over the changing racial demographics," "frustration over the lagging economy," and "mainstreaming of conspiracy theories."
"The economy since the fall of 2008, of course, has really played into this in terms of unemployment, anger with the bailouts, and so on," added Potok. "It's really ginned-up anti-government feeling, in many ways."
Jansing then tried to pin the widespread angst with Loughner's motives. "Now obviously, it does seem as though this guy has some serious mental health issues. But beyond that he also did talk about his extreme hatred for the government. You have a state where immigration issues have been boiling for quite a while. Do you see those kind of direct connections?" she asked Potok.
Potok backed away from the assessment, though, and turned to more specific examples of domestic terrorism. "Well I wouldn't make the connection too directly in the case of Jared Loughner," he carefully assessed before citing examples of radical extremists planning to carry out domestic terrorism before they were caught.
The liberal SLPC's "hate map" includes the social-conservative Family Research Council on its list, for being "anti-gay." The report also labels as "hate groups" the Traditional Values Coalition (anti-gay), Federation for American Immigration Reform (anti-immigrant), and various "radical traditional Catholicism" groups.
A transcript of the segment, which aired on February 23 at 10:23 a.m. EST, is as follows:
CHRIS JANSING: Hate groups across America are growing, both in number and in hatred of the federal government. A new report released by the Southern Poverty Law Center puts the number of active U.S. hate groups at more than 1,000 – that's the first time ever. The report also shows a 60 percent spike in anti-government patriot groups, and there's a growing fear that these extremist movements could produce more homegrown acts of terrorism. Mark Potok is the intelligence project director for the Southern Poverty Law Center. Good morning, thanks for being with us.
MARK POTOK, intelligence project director, Southern Poverty Law Center: Good morning, Chris. Thanks for having me.
JANSING: As you looked into this, it's a pretty extensive report. What did you find out? What's going on here? Why the increase?
POTOK: Well, basically what we found was really quite an enormous expansion in radical right-wing groups in general, of both hate groups and nativist groups, and especially anti-government patriot groups, what we used to call the "militias" back in the 1990s. You know, I think basically there are three things driving this growth. They are the changing racial demographics of the country, and that's reflected in a number of ways, in non-white immigration and very much sort of a patheocisized in the person of Barack Obama. So there's a lot of anger and angst among some people about that. And there's a reaction. In addition, the economy since the fall of 2008, of course, has really played into this in terms of unemployment, anger with the bailouts, and so on.
(On-Screen Text)
Fueling the Hate:
– Resentment over the changing racial demographics.
– Frustration over the lagging economy.
– Mainstreaming of conspiracy theories.
POTOK: It's really ginned-up anti-government feeling in many ways. And I think the third major factor is the move of right-wing propaganda, of conspiracy theories, into the political mainstream. So you know we have ideas that originate on the far-right like the theory that Mexico is secretly planning to re-conquer the American Southwest. And those ideas have essentially moved into the political mainstream. So you'll now often hear them on cable news television, on radio talkshows –
JANSING: Well let's talk the specifics if we can, because obviously what's in everybody's mind most recently is Jared Loughner and what happened with the tragedy in Tucson and Gabby Giffords. Now obviously, it does seem as though this guy has some serious mental health issues. But beyond that he also did talk about his extreme hatred for the government. You have a state where immigration issues have been boiling for quite a while. Do you see those kind of direct connections?
POTOK: Well I wouldn't make the connection too directly in the case of Jared Loughner, although it's certainly true that he had adopted a number of anti-government ideas, and of course Gabby Giffords, the congresswoman he tried to assassinate, was the leading representative of the government, of the federal government in his reach. You know, I think maybe another way of looking at this is to think of another – an 11 day period in the same month that this occurred, in January, we saw three essentially major domestic terrorist plots. A man named Jeffrey Harbin, a well-known neo-Nazi, was arrested on his way to the border in Arizona. He had manufacured, allegedly, 12 IEDs – improvised explosive devices – that a prosecutor described as built to maximize human carnage. We don't know exactly what he was up to, but a few days later, three days later, in fact, a very large anti-personnel weapon, bomb, was found along the route of a Martin Luther King Day parade in Spokane, Washington.
(On-Screen Text)
Growing Voice of Hate:
National Numbers:
Ku Klux Klan: 221 Groups
Neo-Nazis: 170 Groups
Black Separatists: 149 Groups
White Nationalists: 136 Groups
Racist Skinheads: 136 Groups
Neo-Confederate: 42 Groups
POTOK: And then just another seven days after that, we had a man arrested in car filled with explosives parked right outside a mosque – a very large mosque – in Dearborn, Michigan, apparently planning an attack. So there's a lot going on out there.
JANSING: Yeah, it's a very sobering report. Mark Potok, thanks so much for coming on to tell us about it.
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Comments
Nuts
Submitted by nkviking75 on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 4:08pm.
Hey Chris Jansing, waiting six weeks won't add a shred of credibility to your conspiracy theory. The shooter isn't a conservative or a lib, he's just plain nuts.
“Always love your country — but never trust your government!" -- Bob Novak (1931-2009)
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
'Another Way"
Submitted by mad53PA on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 4:09pm.
As Potok said, "there is another way to look at this Chris".
Indeed, the other way is to try and distract the focus on the vile and hateful slogans and threats coming out of Wisconsin where unions, Dems and Obama's OFA is ginning up the rhetoric and demonstrations.
It seems whenever the tide is turning, MSNBC trots out this idiot to tout some report that has nothing other than the political objectives of this "group" and I'm being kind.
I have an idea Mr.Potok, go out to Wisconsin and do a study there. Then come back and tell us all how "hatred" is solely the province of the right.
The hypocrisy makes my head numb!!
Go to Guy
Submitted by libBuster on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 4:31pm.
Potok is pulled out of the box whenever there is an act of violence the left wants to pin on "right wingers". Witness the Holocaust Museum shooting in 2009. He was even called out for the Tea Party protests.
He has just about zero credibility.
When I see SPLC I think back
Submitted by ricklail on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 4:43pm.
When I see SPLC I think back to that POS Morris Dees. Nuff said.
Just a slight
Submitted by UpNorth on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 10:46pm.
correction, libBuster, after spouting this nonsense, " And then just another seven days after that, we had a man arrested in car filled with explosives parked right outside a mosque – a very large mosque – in Dearborn, Michigan, apparently planning an attack" Potok has zero credibility. One would expect the car to be packed to the roof with Semtex, and propane tanks filling the passenger space and trunk, correct? Not so.
The man had fireworks in his car, for crying out loud, " class C fireworks, including over two dozen M-80's". Wow, now that's an arsenal. Potok makes his living off of the benificence of donors to the SPLC, and he's continually beating the the racists/right-wingers are coming drums to shake down the donors.
Stockham supposedly converted to Islam at some point, but that's nebulous at best. He's mostly just nuts.
Yeah, you are right. Time to change the subject....
Submitted by Red Jeep on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 5:14pm.
....for a little while.
Been a bad 10 days or so for the MSM. Journalists getting beat up by Muslims, A Christian under a death sentence in Afghanistan for being a Christian in a Muslim country, the Left acting like fools in Wisconsin, I mean there is so much news they don't want to report.
So its back to a six week old shooting done by a non-conservative nutcase that the MSM wants to blame on conservatives and guns.
Hey speaking of that, did you hear the one about a man killing 4+ people in NYC a week or so ago in one day with a knife?
No? Doesn't surprise me. Doesn't fit the template.
The left can think what they
Submitted by jkwtrading on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 4:11pm.
The left can think what they like and attempt to do anything they like, but this shooter is one of their own, shooting one of their own.
the left base is on a bit of angry spree and it is showing all over. Even John Kerry got assaulted by the wimpy left..
the left is also uprising in state capitals or another way of showing they ain't happy..
What will we do...
Submitted by Conservator on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 4:15pm.
if/when Comcast realizes the way to better ratings for NBC and MSNBC is to fire the kooks and hire some rationale liberals and conservatives? - ah never going to happen and thus, we will always have NBC and MSNBC to kick-around.The media has a lens. That
Submitted by AJ on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 4:33pm.
The media has a lens. That lens is called "Blame the right-wing". Everything they look at they mar with blame. The right-wing is their target... all the damn time.The Southern Poverty Law
Submitted by cbeyer on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 4:45pm.
The Southern Poverty Law Center is a left wing organization that spews all kinds of supposed data and information to foment lies against conservatives. The real culprit here though is MSNBC who gives the SPLC a forum to spew this kind of nonsense. This case began in 2007 when Jared Loughner asked Congresswoman Giffords a bizarre question that had nothing to do with anti-government causes. She brushed his question off (understandably) because it was so far out of the mainstream of political discourse and questions. After that he became obsessed with her and sought to get even. He is a total homicidal nutcase and this event had NOTHING TO DO WITH POLITICS. Still, leave it to MSNBC to dredge up an organization that will stretch the facts to make a connection to conservatives, The Tea Party and anyone who opposes Obama and the left. Shameless. If the interviewer were a true journalist rather than an advocate, she would have strongly challenged the SPLC assertion that this tradgedy had ANYTHING to do with conservatives and right wing politics.
More advocacy from the supposed mainstream media. All for one side, of course....THE LEFT.
The 1990's called. They want
Submitted by rwesley2.0 on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 4:46pm.
The 1990's called. They want their talking points about "right wing extremism" back.
Jansing...six weeks late and a dollar short.
Submitted by motherbelt on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 4:55pm.
Chris Jansing...six weeks late and a dollar short.
Better late than never, to get your digs in, Chris, right?
Funny how this has to be connected to a "right wing" group, but no one wants to consider what "group" the Times Square wannabe bomber, the BVD wannabe bomber, and Capt. Hassan might be getting ideas from.....
Neo Confederates?
Submitted by ricklail on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 4:47pm.
Never heard of them. Won't be long before the POSs at SPLC consider the Sons of Confederate Veterans a hate group because in many states we have specilized tags with the stars and bars on it. Here in NC under the flag are the intial SCV. We pay 20 bucks more a year to get a tag like that.
I suspect he means the sons
Submitted by danbo on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 7:08pm.
I suspect he means the sons of the Confederacy and the daughters. And those hate filled re enacters who spend their weekends dressing up to look like soldiers of 150 years ago. Marching around cow pastures; like hicks. Chewing red man. And they fire guns and canons. Sometimes towards honorable American soldiers. They even play Dixie. You know these are hate filled wax jobs. They can't let go of the pass.
It's shocking I tell you. Just shocking. Left wingers would never do crazy things like. Mail Bombs to corporations. Hide in the trunk of a car and shoot random people in parking lots. Fly planes into IRS buildings. Shoot congress women.
"You lie!" Rep. Joe Wilson R-(SC)
Allow me to
Submitted by ant on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 4:49pm.
Allow me to translate;
Resentment over changing demographics - Only the right has been smart enough to notice the open-border invasion of non-citizens and the financial costs involved and the increased influx per Obama policy of muslims from terror-sponsoring nations. The right has also, unfortunately, noticed an outright aggression of American ideals from said groups.
Frustration over the lagging economy - Again the right has been too vocal in noticing persistently failed economic policy and a general corruption in the motivations and usage of their tax dollars, while many are out of work or threatened with less and less income they wrongly despise being told how to live while their leaders live the high-life.
Mainstreaming of conspiracy theories - Despite the fact that the left calls citizens anti-government for being concerned about the state of the Union, the people can be insulted 24/7 by their President and representatives who are never called anti-citizen. Unfortunately, the right has come to recognize lies and political bias'.
A moron babbles to a useful
Submitted by LAM SON 719 on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 4:50pm.
A moron babbles to a useful idiot and news is created. Potok is a race hustler who is only in it for the buck.
Wakeup NewsBusters!!!
Submitted by Bourbeau on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 5:21pm.
Nobody, and I mean nobody, know who Chris Jansing is. If you asked ten people in NY City, everyone of them would say "Who?" Yet, despite a clear lack of presence amongst the talking heads, most of whom would be better forgotten then anything else, NewsBusters continues to highlight quotes of Chris Jansing. Please stop!!! She's a nobody; no one cares what she thinks, or what she says. These mindless talking heads are reading scripts and questions from mindless unnamed producers. Anyone quoting anything they say is a needless reminder to those of us who pray for a reawakening of the media, just how bad off we are. So please, suspense with the Jansing mania, she's really not that bright or influential.
Well MSNBC picked the right
Submitted by Miss_Me_Yet on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 5:23pm.
Well MSNBC picked the right person ( Jansing ) to interview Potok. It's rather heart warming to see two old ( news ) whores like them sitting around, chewing the fat like that. Even though it's nothing but pure BS as usual.
Liberals ... we can't live with them, they couldn't survive without us ...
Tomorrow, Jansing reports live from New Orleans on Katrina
Submitted by SickofLibs on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 5:42pm.
Gotta give her credit for trying though; it can't be easy being the lowest terd on the MSNBC Totem Stool.
The guy arrested for the bomb in Dearborn was convert to Islam
Submitted by rolling_o on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 5:53pm.
Potok states towards the end of the interview:
"And then just another seven days after that, we had a man arrested in car filled with explosives parked right outside a mosque – a very large mosque – in Dearborn, Michigan, apparently planning an attack."
Mr. Potok should have done his homework, as this Detroit News article indicates that while the guy arrested with the explosives, Roger Stockham, was older and white, he was also bipolar and had been jailed for threatening to kill President George W Bush.
Jihadwatch found an AP story that quotes Joe Nahhas, operations manager at a bar where Stockham liked to hang out, said that Stockham was a convert to Islam:
"Nahhas said Stockham spoke of his conversion to Islam after serving in the Vietnam War and learned about the religion from Indonesian mujahedeen, or holy warriors."
I remember Morris Dees from
Submitted by Joe C Camel on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 5:53pm.
I remember Morris Dees from many years back spouting his hatred. This man is the one and his group who promote fear mongering and hatred are much more responsible for actions than the "right wing" could ever hope to promote. It got to the point where I could not stomach the rants and raves from someone who is supposed to be intelligent and educated. As far as Jennings, never heard of her, ever. Guess it does not hurt to hear her run her mouth, but i sure as heck won't be looking her up. Of course, never follow Maddow, Mathews or Olberman either. No reason to ruin an otherwise beautiful day in the neighborhood.
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE TO GO IN THE WATER
Submitted by Herbster on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 6:02pm.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the (TV News) water....up pops Jansing and Potok, two bottom feeders in the state run media. I was amazed that they both forgot to blame Bush for this Loughner's actions. I also found it interesting that the "Hate group list" left off the Black Panthers, Islamist terrorist groups, redical environmentalist (Terrorist) groups, etc. Would these two pond scum dwellers consider Hassan's murdering of troops at Ft. Hood while wearing white (Islamic) robes and shouting "Allah akbar" a terrorist event? Or would they agree with the Goebbels influenced "Government" reports referring to an "Incident" that never mentions "Muslim, Islam, Terrorism, Jihad," etc? Yes. Our state run media has been 100% Goebbels-ized.
I was amazed - well, not really - that every reporter, every pro union interviewee appearing on government news last night, used the term "Middle class" at least once in their discussions. The memo was sent out. "Middle class," Your friends and neighbors," etc. The buzz words of the day.
Until we get an honest media, we are in grave danger.
Mirror mirror, on the wall....
Submitted by Pilgrim1949 on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 6:06pm.
These self-absorbed and wholly self-referential twits, who obviously seldom venture outside of their own soundproofed, echo-chamber cacoons, have spent waaaaaay too much time -- like their patron saint Narcissus - gazing at themselves in the mirror until they at long last they start mumbling to themselves:
The whole world has gone crazy, crazy I tell you! (Looking first left, then right, then leaning in close to the mirror, in a hushed whisper they croak out...)
There's no one left but me and thee.... and I'm no longer quite so sure about thee....
*cue Twilight Zone theme...*
"Ye canne change the laws of physics....." but some politicians believe that with the right legislation you can pretend they don't really apply to your own pet projects...
HOW CAN WE TRUST CHRIS JANSING??
Submitted by Sgthulka on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 6:30pm.
When she uses the last name "Jansing"?:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Jansing
Potok
Submitted by ClinkinKY on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 6:49pm.
This slug, Potok, was being interviewed by Mike McConnell on WGN several months ago. When McConnell asked him how he could equate the Black Panthers and other left leaning groups as being "right-wing", Potok hung up on him. SPLC has as much credibility as John Edwards conducting a seminar on fidelity.
“Fueling the Hate: Mainstreaming of conspiracy theories.”
Submitted by needle on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 6:58pm.
I guess that would include Chris Jansing trying to link Giffords's shooter with “Fringe Right-Wing.” By the way, Chris, would that include Sarah Palin?
What should we call people like Chris? “Shooters”?
- Looking forward to the self-annihilation of the Manipulated Stories Machine.
Jansing
Submitted by PrimalElements on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 7:47pm.
Then the murders of the protesters in Egypt, Lybia, and the rest are Obama's fault.
Psychosis has no political affiliation.
Submitted by drsamherman on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 9:04pm.
It is a complete detachment from reality. Trying to politicize serious dissociative mental disorders for political advantage is as low as any politician can go. Congrats to the SPLC hack on achieving complete amorality. Usually, we call that sociopathy.
Now then, when some union thugs...
Submitted by Prester John on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 9:42pm.
...beat up counter protestors in Madison, Indianapolis, or Columbus, will these morons be pointing fingers at a certain Democrat Representative Capuano from Massachusetts?
"Every once and awhile you need to get out on the streets and get a little bloody when necessary."
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/145627-dem-lawmaker-on-labor-protests-get-a-little-bloody-when-necessary
(CRICKETS CHIRPING)
He must be referring to another person
Submitted by gopcongress on Thu, 02/24/2011 - 12:54am.
Lessee. Just awhile ago, DEMOCRAT Rep. Michael Capuano said, "Sometimes it's necessary to get out on the streets and "get a little bloody." So I assume that's the person Jansing is referring to. Right??
"The news and truth are not the same thing." -Walter Lippmann (1889-1974) FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER
The lefties just cannot let go of this lie, can they?
Submitted by PrairieSky on Thu, 02/24/2011 - 1:06am.
No matter that there is not one shred of evidence to support it, they keep pushing the "Loughner was motivated by the right wing and the Tea Party" bs. In fact, based on what we have learned about him, Loughner appears to be a left-wing loon, but of course the dishonest, leftist, dimbulb hacks like Jansing will never tell us that or admit it.
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction...It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them (our children) to do the same." ~President Ronald Reagan