The partisan rhetoric in the wake of the Arizona shooting was escalated to a new level Monday.
Appearing at the WashingtonPost.com, two political cartoons sought to capitalize on the aftermath of the shooting that claimed numerous lives and critically injured Ariz. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to score political points.
One, by Lalo Alcaraz of LA Weekly, depicts Sarah Palin shrugging her shoulders and saying “Whoops!” with the two “o’s” being drawn as crosshairs. The caption of the photo reads, “Sarah Palin Releases Statement on Arizona Congresswoman Giffords Shooting.”
The other cartoon was drawn by Jeff Danziger. It depicts a crazed-looking man climbing out of a tea pot, shooting a gun. Though no words accompany the cartoon, its obvious implication is that the Tea Party is at least partly responsible for Saturday’s tragic events.
So far, no evidence has emerged linking the alleged shooter Jared Loughner to the Tea Party movement. His obsession with Giffords appears to have begun at least as far back as 2007 — before the Tea Party movement even existed.
