Chuck Schumer says Republicans have “held a gun to our heads”

  We all remember Barack Obama’s comment after the Arizona shooting, don’t we? In case you have forgotten, this is what he said:

If, as has been discussed in recent days, their deaths help usher in more civility in our public discourse,” Mr. Obama said, “let us remember that it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy — it did not — but rather because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to our challenges as a nation, in a way that would make them proud

  When soaring right wing vitriol and violent right wing rhetoric–such as Sarah Palin’s map which showed targets over districts which she thought included vulnerable Democrat incumbents–was being blamed for Gabby Gifford’s shooting it was the president who called for a new era of civility and a toning down of the rhetoric. When it was learned that Jarred Loughner was a Bush hating, 911 truther who was apolitical no apology was forthcoming by those who callously tried to blame the Tea Party for the shooting.

  Yet the left certainly hasn’t seemed obligated to follow the president’s edict, so much for leading by example; there have been numerous occasions since the shooting–covered on many conservative blogs–which show examples of leftists not living up to the standard they demanded right wingers live up to. This was most recently on display over the debt ceiling debate when–on the day that Congressman Giffords made a triumphant return to the Congress–Democrat Mike Doyle and Vice President Joe Biden compared Tea Party members to terrorists.

  Now Chuck Schumer has decided to join in on the fun–forgetting the president’s plea for civility–and declared that the House Republicans were holding a “gun to the heads” of Democrats:

It’s the issue of hostage taking. It’s as if someone puts a gun to your head and says ‘give me your money’ and then you say, ‘why won’t you give them their money?’ You leave out the whole context that there’s being a gun held to your head and that is not fair and that is not right and yet and Harry [Reid] is right, we keep getting that situation

Well, the issue that is we are here today about is you cannot run government – because the other side, our side can do it too; we can each say we will hurt innocent people to get our complete way instead of sitting down and negotiating as the founding fathers intended this government to be. And for the media to say that, ‘oh, we’re ignoring the gun held to your head now, why don’t you give into them [Republicans] and let the thing go’ is just not fair and not right and not even handed

  It is interesting to note the lengths the Democrats will go in an attempt to intimidate the conservatives into remaining silent while at the same time feeling that they can use whatever type of rhetoric is necessary to advance their agenda. They simply do not hold themselves to the same standard they hold the conservatives to.

  Barack Obama also said this:

At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized – at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we do – it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds

  Barack Obama stated that just because people do not agree on the issues it is still important to talk in a manner which helps to heal, not to divide and yet he cannot get members of his own party to listen to his words. Barack Obama’s silence on these statements made by Doyle, Biden, and Schumer is his approval of this type of rhetoric as long as it emanates from the left. He is not opposed to the rhetoric and vitriol so long as it is his side engaged in this behavior.

  The hypocrisy abounds.