Dems, Media Blame Tea Party, Palin for Shooting; Shooter Linked to Leftwing Politics

As U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords fights for her life after a mad gunman shot her on Saturday, some Democrats and major media have moved to pin the blame for her attack on the tea party movement and conservatives like Sarah Palin, despite the fact that the shooter was both deranged and fascinated by leftwing politics.

Giffords' Democratic colleague, Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva, told Mother Jones magazine within hours after the rampage that the “political tone and tenor” created by Palin and the tea party movement had set the stage for the shooting.

Grijalva said Palin's “apparatus” had put Giffords' and his own life at risk.

“Both Gabby and I were targeted in the apparatus in that cycle [saying] these people are ‘enemies.’” He added: “The Palin express better look at their tone and their tenor.”

The liberal New York Times was not far behind Grijalva, publishing a lead story headlined "Bloodshed Puts New Focus on Vitriol in Politics."

The Times insuated that conservative criticism of President Barack Obama and his policies may have been at the root of this weekend's violence, noting "... it was hard to separate what had happened from the heated nature of the debate that has swirled around Mr. Obama and Democratic policies of the past two years."

The paper even suggested tea party criticisms of  Obama's healthcare plan, the debate over Arizona's new rules on police handling of illegal immigrants and even the fact Giffords was Jewish could have played a role. The Times also claimed that the fact Palin's political action committee had targeted Giffords for defeat may have played a role.