If the Shoe fits

Someone has Thin Skin today.

Comparisons of terrorism and hostage taking to the debt ceiling extortion has given poor Jonah “Liberal Fascism” Goldberg the vapors:

So flashforward to this week. Tom Friedman — who knows a bit about Hezbollah — calls the tea partiers the “Hezbollah faction” of the GOP bent on taking the country on a “suicide mission.” All over the place, conservative Republicans are “hostage takers” and “terrorists,” “terrorists” and “traitors.” They want to “end life as we know it on this planet,” says Nancy Pelosi. They are betraying the Founders, too. Chris Matthews all but signs up for the “Make an Ass of Yourself” contest at the State Fair. Joe Nocera writes today that “the Tea Party Republicans can put aside their suicide vests.” Lord knows what Krugman and Olbermann have said.

Then last night, on the very day Gabby Giffords heroically returns to cast her first vote since that tragic attack seven months ago, the vice president of the United States calls the Republican party a bunch of terrorists.

No one cares. I hate the “if this were Bush” game so we’re in luck. Instead imagine if this was Dick Cheney calling the Progressive Caucus (or whatever they’re called) a “bunch of terrorists” on the day Giffords returned to the Congress. Would the mainstream media notice or care? Would Meet the Press debate whether this raises “troubling questions” about the White House’s sensitivity? Would Andrea Mitchell find some way to blame Sarah Palin for Dick Cheney’s viciousness? Would Keith Olbermann explode like a mouse subjected to the Ramone’s music in Rock and Roll High School? Something inside me hidden away shouts, “Hell yes they would!”

A guy who wrote a book comparing liberals to fascists probably is not the best person to be complaining about hyperbole. But does he have a point?

The Media does not care about the feelings of the poor teabaggers? Perhaps they are the real victims here. After all, the Tea Party Protest Movement didn’t spend the last 2 ½ years poisoning what’s left of the political climate with its vitriol and excess. This never happened. There were no birthers or death panels or a government takeover of health care or cries of socialism or any of that. Rush Limbaugh does not go on the AM radio every day with his poison.

The only thing that has happened, other than the poor teabaggers kneecapping the Speaker of the House the other day, was that they brought the Global economy to the edge of collapse out of love and a sincere concern over debt. It is unfair to call this hostage taking or terrorism. Why can’t the Lamestream Media understand this?

Perhaps Mr. Goldberg can propose a speech code or such so the Media will know what not to say the next time the Tea Party causes a crisis. We wouldn't want to hurt anybody's feelings again. Poor things.