Media Matters - "Right-wing Media Rush To Label Loughner A 'Liberal'"

[TomCADem]

The corporate right wing propaganda machine is busily denying its role in encouraging the kind of violence that lead to this weekend's tragedy. Worse, they are blaming the left!

Hoft Calls Loughner A " 'Liberal' Killer." In a Jan 10 Gateway Pundit post titled "Disgusting...Media Determined To Pin Shooting On Palin Despite The Fact That 'Liberal' Killer Was Targeting Giffords Since 2007," Hoft called Loughner a "young leftist killer." Gateway Pundit, 01/10/11

Big Journalism: "Inconveniently, A Former Friend And Bandmate Described Loughner As 'Left-Wing Political Radical' And 'Quite Liberal.'" In a January 10 Big Journalism post, Christian Hartsock wrote that "there is no evidence Jared Loughner even watched Fox News or leaned right. Inconveniently, a former friend and bandmate described Loughner as 'left-wing political radical' and 'quite liberal,' and Loughner claimed The Communist Manifesto as one of his favorite books on his YouTube page where he also released video burning the American flag." Big Journalism, 01/10/11

Hoft Cites Fake Facebook Page In Attempt To Link Loughner To Obama. In a January 10 Gateway Pundit post, titled "Whoops! This Changes Things- Loughner's Hero Was Barack Obama," Hoft claimed: "Even more curious are Loughner's 'heroes.' He mentions by name Venezuelan Communist Hugo Chavez, Latin American Communist mass-murderer Che Guevara, American Socialist revolutionary Saul Alinsky, and even Barack Obama." As evidence Hoft, cited a Free Republic message board in which commenter "Scanian" posted an excerpt from a Facebook page allegedly belonging to "Jared Laughner" . After the page was shown to be a forgery, Hoft removed the post with little explanation. Gateway Pundit, 01/10/11; For screenshot, see Media Matters, 01/10/11

Power Line: "What Little Evidence We Have Suggests The Shooter Was Politically Liberal." In a January 10 Power Line post, John Hinderaker wrote: "Was Jared Loughner actually inspired by the Tea Party's 'violent rhetoric' or is that just a story the left wishes were true? What little evidence we have suggests the shooter was politically liberal, at least we know for certain that he was in 2007. Caitie Parker went to high school and college with Jared Loughner." Hinderaker later noted "I think it's likely that Loughner's politics are far less important to this story than his mental state." Power Line, 01/10/11.