Right Pushes Back About Rhetoric’s Role in Arizona Shooting

Is it wrong to make connections between the charged political climate in the U.S., stoked by divisive rhetoric, and the deadly shooting last weekend in Arizona? Some right-leaning politicians and pundits are saying so.  —KA

The Christian Science Monitor:

They say evidence is mounting that alleged gunman Jared Lee Loughner is a disturbed individual with almost incoherent philosophical beliefs. Mr. Loughner is a registered independent who did not vote in the 2010 elections, and his bookshelf includes works more commonly thought to be leftist, such as “The Communist Manifesto,” say some on the right.

“I don’t see any political trend there, more than just a mindless rage. I think to add more to that is to give him too much credit,” said Rep. Trent Franks (R) of Arizona in a Fox News interview on Monday.

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Wikimedia Commons / U.S. Congress

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona showed some promising signs Tuesday, but doctors emphasized that she had suffered very serious injuries in Saturday’s shooting and her recovery would happen “at her own pace.”