According to OpenSecrets, Sarah Palin posted the ad below to her Facebook page last year. The graphic shows 20 Democrat-held districts in gun sights — the political targets of her high-caliber political action committee, SarahPAC.
One of these targets–Representative Gabrielle Giffords–is now fighting for her life after being gunned down yesterday in Tucson. Six are dead and a dozen more injured by a mad man with a semiautomatic handgun. Perhaps the shooting is unrelated to the ad above, but even if that’s the case, I don’t think there’s anyway for Palin to safely distance herself from this grotesque lack of good judgment.
Of course, we use the terms “target” and “targeted” all the time in marketing. Literally, every day. But that’s over now. Prospects are prospects, not targets.
In a remarkable segment from last March, Giffords tells CNBC reporters what it feels like to be “targeted” by Palin in this fashion.
“When people do that (put other people in their crosshairs) they’ve got to realize there are consequences to that action,” says Giffords.
[UPDATE] Here’s how the Tucson Tea Party sees Giffords:
By the way, on Friday, one day before she was shot, Giffords was advocating for members of Congress to take a 5% pay cut. In other words, this is a highly sensible person and dedicated public servant. She definitely doesn’t deserve the kind of harassment outlined above. No one does.
