Posted on 01/11/2011 12:49:18 PM PST by NormsRevenge
Former President Bill Clinton has told the BBC the US political climate must change after the shooting of a US Congresswoman and others in Arizona.
"No one intends to do anything that encourages this sort of behaviour," he said. But political rhetoric "falls on the unhinged and the hinged alike".
He said political differences should not "degenerate into demonisation".
Some commentators suggest the vitriolic political rhetoric in the US may have contributed in some way to the attack.
Speaking on a trip to Haiti, Mr Clinton said: "We cannot be unaware of the fact that - particularly with the internet - there's this huge echo chamber out there."
He called on the US House of Representatives to "lead the way" in toning down the discourse.
"This is an occasion for us to reaffirm that our political differences shouldn't degenerate into demonisation, in the sense that if you don't agree with me you're not a good American," he said.
"I'm hoping there will be a lot of good debates that go beyond turning this into politics... about how and why it happened and what else we can do to minimise those things."
Earlier on Tuesday, doctors said US Gabrielle Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, was still in critical condition in hospital.
Jared Loughner, 22, is charged with the attack in Tucson, in which six people were killed, including a federal judge and a nine-year-old girl, and more than a dozen injured. In an initial court appearance on Monday he was ordered jailed pending trial.
A Mass for the victims of Saturday's gun attack was set to take place on Tuesday evening in Tucson, Arizona, where the attack took place.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
And I’ll bet that “Plugs” said “This is a big FKN deal!” (AGAIN)
Notice he says the House of Reps should lead the way? Wonder why?
I cant believe all this crap.
Mr.Clinton:
You change first, you syphillis infested, lying, hate-monger...
Any particular reason you picked there to start, Bill?
They don't call him 'Toon fer nothing.
Gee Bill, ain’t you got something better to do like.....
The left could care less about violence-their entire agenda is centered on silencing political opposition. That’s why they NEVER acknowledge the hate spewing from the left. To them, the calls for violence against GWB, Dick Cheney or Rush Limbaugh just makes good sense. Their refusal to self-examine reveals their hypocrisy.
I hope BJ can put “some ice on it”, and cool it a bit. His rhetoric is getting out of hand.
FUBC
Smack Bill down House Of Representatives. Do not let these punks use a tragedy to push you into making a end of the party mistake.
There’s that word again....VITRIOL. Just like clockwork...
If this guy had shouted “Allah Akhbar!” and “Death to America!” and had a jihad website we’d be told it was just an isolated incident and had no link to radical islam, and the authorities are mostly worried about unfair anti-islamic backlash from right wingers.
You have the dubious honor of being the FIRST president of the USA to criticize a successor in that office, and IIRC you did so on foreign soil. Your equally loathsome little mini me, Jimmy "Second worst president of all time" Carter then followed suit.
You have absolutely no right to criticize anyone or anything, ESPECIALLY On grounds of civility or manners, after you displayed such an utter lack of patriotism, decorum, and basic human decency.
Take yourself and your alleged wife and just go already.
.... Like sell more Nukes to China for Campaign cash. That was my all time fav of Clintons Screwings.
Go molest a chubby intern, you drug-addled, disease-ridden old letch. We know all about you.
He is waiting for Obama to fetch his coffee.
Right on cue. Once again, the incompetent current President has to rely on the former President to do his bidding. These people, the left, are evil.
The end of free speech and the first two amendments is what they want to target in their gunsights.
Translation:
‘Shut up and don’t criticize your Dem/Left/Media cloud minders.’
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