A new poll just released by Quinnipiac University finds very few Americans agree with the media's view that heated political rhetoric was responsible for Saturday's tragic shootings in Tucson, Arizona.
What should also surprise all of the so-called journalists that have been accusing conservative politicians and pundits for inciting Jared Lee Loughner to commit this heinous act is that people feel liberals are more responsible for this rhetoric than folks on the right (emphasis added throughout):
"Americans seem to be rejecting the blame game for the Arizona shooting. By far, the largest number thinks this tragedy could not have been prevented," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Although a bare majority of voters say political rhetoric might drive unstable people to violence, less than one in seven blame it for the Arizona incident.'
All those that have been claiming since the first bullet was fired that Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Mark Levin, and members of the Tea Party were to blame should be so proud of their reporting.
But there's more:
American voters say 52 - 41 percent that "heated political rhetoric drives unstable people to commit violence," the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. Liberals rather than conservatives are more responsible for such rhetoric, voters say 36 - 32 percent.
Add it all up, and not only have Americans soundly rejected the media's dishonest claims that heated political rhetoric caused this tragedy, they also feel liberals are more guilty of this rhetoric than conservatives.
Maybe the folks in the press should be toning down their own vitriol rather than pointing fingers at others.
(H/T Ed Morrissey)
