Even tame Palin protest too much for conservatives to handle

By Michael J.W. Stickings

The right-wing Gateway Pundit has an unintentionally funny post up, by one Jim Hoft, with the following title: "Leftists Wave Vile, Violent Signs At Sarah Palin in Oregon... Media Silent."

You see, there's been a good deal of attention, and rightfully so, on the vileness and violence of conservatives, and so the intent here, one supposes, is to show that it's the left, not the right, that is actually vile and violent -- except that the (leftist) media intentionally refuses to report on it.

I know, I know... stupid. But conservatives these days live in an unreality of their own, one in which all the shit they believe to be true, or that makes up the propaganda they spoon-feed to their followers, is actually true.

But let's go in with an open mind... Did a bunch of leftists show up at a Palin event with "vile, violent signs"? Is it true?

Take a look at the photos here. They're the two photos that accompany the post in question. Here are what some of those signs say:

-- "Eugene: A Hate Free Zone";

-- "Hope She Chokes";

-- "Sarah? How Do You Keep Track Of All Of Your Lies";

-- "Beauty Fades Lies Are Forever";

-- "Your Tea Party Is A Giant Flop Go Home, Sarah"; and

-- "Pathetic Arrogant Ludicrous Ignorant Never Ever President."

Oooooh... Aaaaah....

What's the worst here? That she's being called a liar? (She is.) That she's being called pathetic, arrogant, ludicrous, and ignorant. (She is, on all four counts.) That she's hateful. (How is she not?)

Hoft focuses on the "Hope She Chokes" sign. Ummm... does he really not get it? It's not choking as on a piece of food, it's choking as in failing to perform effectively, as she did, say, during the Couric interview. Palin's critics don't wish death upon her, they wish failure upon her.

So how is any of this vile or violent? It's neither. It's pretty tame, actually, and just the sort of thing you'd expect from political activists protesting a public appearance by a well-known political figure.

And it's nothing compared to what we've seen and heard from the right: the n-word hurled at civil rights heroes, attacks on constituency offices, death threats, etc. (For more on this, see here.)

So what exactly should the media be reporting? That some people showed up holding signs critical of Palin? Sorry, but that's not news. Not only is there no equivalency here, not even close, the balance of vileness and violence tips way to the right. Besides, it's not like the supposedly left-wing media has refused to cover the whole Tea Party "movement." They have, and they have done so enthusiastically. Some of the reports have turned negative, but that's only because so many on the right, including at those tea parties, are so negative, and so hateful, with vileness and sometimes violence directed at liberals and progressives.

Conservatives, though, seem to have such thin skin these days. They can dish it out with all the venom they can muster, but they can't take it in return, even when it's as benign as some common criticism of Sarah Palin.

How pathetic. And how incredibly lame.