The Impact of The Arizona Shooting

by georgecassutto in Issues, January 9, 2011

Violence in American politics is not new, but when it occurs, the nation is traumatized. Along with the victims of the shooting, American democracy suffers. This article explores the repercussions of the shooting that killed six and injured a US Congresswoman.

The sheriff who spoke to the media on the day of the shooting, Clarence Dupnik, blamed the vitriolic level of political discourse in the United States. He called Arizona a “Mecca for prejudice and bigotry.” Though it is not conclusive that the motive in the shooting was political, it appears the heated debate over the health care bill and the fever pitch of discussion on illegal immigration would make it inevitable that someone would resort to violence to make their views known. The fact that a Democrat was the target of the attack leads people to look at the Radical Right and come to the conclusion that the shooter was a Tea Party advocate fed up with Democratic policies turned into law during the lame duck session of Congress that ended last year. This conclusion has no basis in fact, but in this political atmosphere, many will decide that this is a logical pattern of events.

People of rational mind and of goodwill in and out of government have expressed the view that violence has no place in America’s political discourse. Most leaders in government have called for the pitch of America’s dialog on the issues that divide the nation to be scaled back in the name of reason and for the sake of those killed or injured in the attack. With the House of Representatives controlled by Republicans and the Senate and White House in the hands of Democrats, it may be difficult to forge a spirit of cooperation between opposing viewpoints in politics. With discussion boards on the Internet via Facebook and other outlets, people have the chance to express their views more than ever, but the Internet also amplifies the discussion, giving anyone a forum to express every extreme view imaginable. It seems as though the American people feel as though they aren’t being heard, a deafness that exists on both sides of the aisle. Nevertheless, Jon Stewart reminded us with his rally in Washington last year that it is time to restore sanity to America’s political discourse. After watching the events in Arizona, his admonition is truer than ever. America should respond by doing so as a way of honoring Congresswoman Giffords and those who died on January 8, 2011.