"A senior Republican senator, speaking anonymously in order to freely discuss the tragedy"

[ProSense]

The Giffords assassination attempt, and a telling omission

by Steve Singiser

In the avalanche of false-equivalence analytical pieces littering the public conversation since Saturday's tragic assault, it is easy to miss one important point.

<...>

To illustrate the distinction, note a telling omission from one of the most widely read pieces in the post-Giffords aftermath, yesterday's work by a triumvirate of authors from Politico.

The segment of the larger piece getting the most attention is this one:

A senior Republican senator, speaking anonymously in order to freely discuss the tragedy, told POLITICO that the Giffords shooting should be taken as a “cautionary tale” by Republicans.

“There is a need for some reflection here - what is too far now?” said the senator. “What was too far when Oklahoma City happened is accepted now. There’s been a desensitizing. These town halls and cable TV and talk radio, everybody’s trying to outdo each other.”

The vast majority of tea party activists, this senator said, ought not be impugned.

“They’re talking about things most mainstream Americans are talking about, like spending and debt,” the Republican said, before adding that politicians of all stripes need to emphasize in the coming days that “tone matters.”

“And the Republican Party in particular needs to reinforce that,” the senator said.

<...>

Why did the "senior Republican senator" in question feel the need to remain anonymous?

The stated reason (to speak freely about the event) seems a bit silly. Pretty much every elected official in America is on the record with comments about the events.

There would seem to be only two reasons for the Senator in question to wish to leave his/her name out of it. Either the Senator was afraid of political retribution from colleagues for calling out his/her own party on the matter of tone and rhetoric. Or the Senator was afraid of retribution from the political base of the GOP.

more

Odd!

[The Magistrate]

1. Indeed, Ma'am: the Senator Knows There Is A Tea-Party Bullet With His Name On It If He Speaks Openly

[kestrel91316]

6. BINGO. [phone]

[Enrique]

2. i'm going to enjoy the RWers reaction

they're going to go apeshit figuring out who the traitor is. They'll call him/her a Dupnik.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[stevedeshazer]

4. So GOP Senators are down to hiding from their own constituents?

They absolutely deserve all the scorn that can be heaped upon them.

[Jackpine Radical]

5. They only have to hide if

they call for moderation.

[phleshdef]

7. I'll bet it was Lindsey Graham. Just a feeling.

[BeyondGeography]

8. My thought as well

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

9. He CANNOT say who he is, or as we have seen with other

repubs that step out of line, will have to bow prostrate before Limbo, kiss the ring, and profusely apologize. The he will have to shine O"Really's boots everyday for a month.

I am only sort of joking; I don't think it is about potential violence. It has to do with having to humiliate themselves before the mighty heads of the republican party, Limbaugh, and the other kingmakers.

[Uzybone]

10. a GOP senator cannot even say "tone it down" without cowering

the terrorists of the right have totally taken over that party.

The big money boys of the GOP are starting to get worried.

[dave29]

11. Or, they were afraid of getting shot. n/t

[AspenRose]

12. The GOP has been hijacked.

[AlinPA]

13. GOP = Teabagger party. The extreme right now covers the entire party.

[Bluenorthwest]

14. He's a coward.

And he knows what his own are capable of.

[tanyev]

15. Tea Party vs. RINOs in Texas.

There was a story on local news tonight about this:

More on the speaker’s race and that tragedy: Quorum Report’s Harvey Kronberg reported last night that, on Sunday (one day after six people were killed at Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ event in Tucson), Ray Myers, a tea party activist from Kaufman County, circulated an e-mail critical of so-called Republicans in Name Only (RINOs).

At the end of the e-mail, he wrote, “When they come out of hiding Monday, boy are they going to be surprised. We will be there to greet them. We might even get to pick out the Rino of the year. Go after your favorite Rino on Monday. Good hunting!”

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/firstreading/entries/2011/01/10/_in_print_the_lead_2.html

Tea Partiers have a big problem with the guy most likely to be elected state House Speaker.

[LiberalFighter]

16. The unknown Senator is wrong when he says that tea party activists

ought not be impugned.

That is a major part of who they are.

[mzmolly]

17. A shame that Republicans who act reasonably have to fear for their

political life, and speak out anonymously.

[blm]

18. No kidding... won't speak truth PUBLICLY unless they lose their primary to a teabagger.

.