If you read Twitchy regularly (and of course you should), you’re familiar with the “Republicans pounce” school of journalism, in which Democrats do something stupid and the media’s take is always how the GOP has “pounced” on the opportunity to make Democrats look bad.
John Sexton of Twitchy sister-site Hot Air has found what’s he’s calling the inevitable piece in which Republicans pounce on Broward Co. Sheriff Scott Israel.
Here's the inevitable 'GOP seizes on Scott Israel' story and man is it bad: https://t.co/1iI9bx1wWy
— John Sexton (@verumserum) March 3, 2018
Michael Grunwald writes in Politico Magazine a piece describing how Israel “became the NRA’s perfect foil.” Grunwald writes:
Israel, a career cop who has served as an undercover narcotics officer and a SWAT commander, stepped right into a nasty partisan fight: He has become a shiny ball used by Republicans to distract the public and change a politically awkward subject — in this case, the debate over gun restrictions after the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High.
Gee, Israel was cheered by the crowd at CNN’s show trial where NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch had to be escorted out by security. What possibly could have come to light since then to make Israel that “shiny ball used by Republicans” to argue that the NRA is not the problem?
Grunwald can't quite say the failure of Scott Israel is a non-story, because it's obviously not. All he can do is say 'But these Republicans are seizing on his failures!'
— John Sexton (@verumserum) March 3, 2018
It's not "whataboutism" to discuss law enforcement failures after a mass shooting. Because, guess what, it's law enforcement's job to prevent and respond to mass shootings.
— John Sexton (@verumserum) March 3, 2018
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What's actually happening here is the opposite of what Grunwald claims. The media has seized on the shiny object of student-led gun control efforts, which are actually being run by partisan gun control orgs and PR firms.
— John Sexton (@verumserum) March 3, 2018
Can we get an Amen?
Instead of admitting that's not the whole story (given the FBI failure and the local police failure) Grunwald is signaling that those issues should be ignored as a distraction to the one true issue: the shiny object of gun control.
— John Sexton (@verumserum) March 3, 2018
But he can't even really make that case so he has to resort to the tried and true "Republicans seize on…" narrative in which anything Republicans are talking about is suspect. Grunwald's whole piece is a faulty partisan dog whistle.
— John Sexton (@verumserum) March 3, 2018
The real narrative on every single issue is the one progressive Democrats are pushing. Everything else is a distraction from that. If you start from that premise, all you have to do is yell "Stop trying to distract us!" at the GOP and your work is done.
— John Sexton (@verumserum) March 3, 2018
The best part of all of these 'GOP seizes' articles is when the author admits the person being criticized really is a screw up, but then adds 'But they have bad motives for saying he's a screw up!'
It's so predictable and so tiresome.
— John Sexton (@verumserum) March 3, 2018
Here it is. Critics may be absolutely right about him…but damn them for seizing on this actual, relevant failure! pic.twitter.com/9QqHD3p4Io
— John Sexton (@verumserum) March 3, 2018
Yeah, get this:
The critics argue that the sheriff’s office failed to prevent the shooting despite dozens of warnings about the shooter, then failed to stop the shooting once it was underway. Israel has not made a persuasive case that they’re wrong, quibbling instead over how many calls were made to his department and how many deputies failed to enter the school, while insisting that if mistakes were made they weren’t his responsibility.
The “critics” argue. Damn those critics and their facts.
So yeah, let’s not be “distracted” from the need for gun control by the attacks on Israel and his rampant failures.
Thread. I've been talking about this "Republicans seized on" phenomenon since at least 2004 and Big Media still does it. https://t.co/3t9TIg8rCE
— Patterico (@Patterico) March 3, 2018
Related:
Republicans pounce! Paul Krugman thinks Harvey Weinstein scandal is a lesson in right-wing projection https://t.co/jWg6vZUKFU
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) October 7, 2017
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