# Hypothetical: The reaction if it had been Sarah Palin instead of Gabby? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 10, 2011, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-reaction-if-it-had-been-sarah-palin-instead-of-gabby/567057 "2011-01-10T02:38:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-reaction-if-it-had-been-sarah-palin-instead-of-gabby/567057/1 "2011-01-10T02:38:32Z")
Keep in mind, Gabby is an elected official to the House of Representatives. Sarah is a private citizen. +1 Gabby Both seemed to like public appearances. Even. Gabby is married to an astronaut and Sarah is married to a dogsled racer. +1 Gabby. If the target of the assassination was Sarah Palin how would the the reaction have been different? I’m not suggesting that it would be as immediate and intense as the assassination of MLK but I think that it would have been much more profound in that a lot of Tea Party sympathizers would see it as a call to take up arms and start killing in methodical fashion. Hypothetical, yes. Debatable, yes. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-reaction-if-it-had-been-sarah-palin-instead-of-gabby/567057/2 "2011-01-10T02:48:56Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > Gabby is married to an astronaut and Sarah is married to a dogsled racer. +1 Gabby. Nice to know that you rate people based on their occupation. :rolleyes: > [@](#): > > If the target of the assassination was Sarah Palin how would the the reaction have been different? > > I’m not suggesting that it would be as immediate and intense as the assassination of MLK but I think that it would have been much more profound in that a lot of Tea Party sympathizers would see it as a call to take up arms and start killing in methodical fashion. Less intense than a single assassination, but intense enough to take up arms and start methodically killing people? Did you think about what a complete contradiction that was before you wrote it? Do you honestly think that an invitation to speculate about Sarah Palin is going to result in a reasonable debate on this MB? Might as well start a drinking game where we all do a shot (pun intended) every time someone mentions FoxNews. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-reaction-if-it-had-been-sarah-palin-instead-of-gabby/567057/3 "2011-01-10T02:59:29Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Nice to know that you rate people based on their occupation. :rolleyes: Hell, he’s rating people based on the occupations of their SPOUSES. I think it obvious that an assassination attempt on Sarah Palin would be ten times the sensation; though she quit her real job, she is a huge public figure and in some ways a more influential politician than Gabrielle Giffords, who was unknown to most people outside Arizona and D.C. until this dreadful event. It wouldn’t lead to civil war or anything, it’d just be a huge fucking deal. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-reaction-if-it-had-been-sarah-palin-instead-of-gabby/567057/4 "2011-01-10T03:16:20Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Nice to know that you rate people based on their occupation. :rolleyes: > > Less intense than a single assassination, but intense enough to take up arms and start methodically killing people? Did you think about what a complete contradiction that was before you wrote it? > > Do you honestly think that an invitation to speculate about Sarah Palin is going to result in a reasonable debate on this MB? > > Might as well start a drinking game where we all do a shot (pun intended) every time someone mentions FoxNews. Lighten up Frances. Yes, I have much more admiration for the commander of a space shuttle than I do for a dog sled racer. I guess that makes me an elitist. Choke on it. What contradiction? Palin had Gabby in her “gun sight” and there are a few, but enough, that take that kind of crap literally. What would they do if the table was turned? If you don’t want to debate then take a walk and pass. Don’t go away mad, just go away. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-reaction-if-it-had-been-sarah-palin-instead-of-gabby/567057/5 "2011-01-10T03:29:42Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > Lighten up Frances. Yes, I have much more admiration for the commander of a space shuttle than I do for a dog sled racer. I guess that makes me an elitist. Choke on it. Choke on it? Is that some new debate tactic? Note that the first two post to your thread pointed to that exact poisoning of the well. > [@](#): > > What contradiction? Palin had Gabby in her “gun sight” and there are a few, but enough, that take that kind of crap literally. What would they do if the table was turned? I quoted the contradiction. You said it wouldn’t be as 'intense" as the MLK assassination, but that it would be much more intense. Read your own words. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-reaction-if-it-had-been-sarah-palin-instead-of-gabby/567057/6 "2011-01-10T03:33:29Z")
I figure a lot of hand-wringing and endless analysis designed to spin blame onto whatever a particular pundit has built a career out of opposing, but life goes on and the issue eventually slips behind the reporting on the newest _American Idol_ flash-du-jour. And I see no indication Tea Party sympathizers are methodical about _anything_. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-reaction-if-it-had-been-sarah-palin-instead-of-gabby/567057/7 "2011-01-10T03:39:58Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > Hypothetical, yes. Debatable, yes. In Bizarro World am everything debatable! Am Sarah Palin shot, fight big ducks in sky! Us hate freedom and love fear in Bizarro World! Personally, I prefer to limit my debates to our own plane of existence. I find this sort of “What are the Bizarros doing on their planet?” debates to be a ridiculous waste of time, rarely even leading to good fiction and never to good politics. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-reaction-if-it-had-been-sarah-palin-instead-of-gabby/567057/8 "2011-01-10T03:42:34Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Choke on it? Is that some new debate tactic? Note that the first two post to your thread pointed to that exact poisoning of the well. > I quoted the contradiction. You said it wouldn’t be as 'intense" as the MLK assassination, but that it would be much more intense. Read your own words. As intense [immediately], more intense [long term]. Sorry you missed that nuance. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-reaction-if-it-had-been-sarah-palin-instead-of-gabby/567057/9 "2011-01-10T03:46:36Z")
Todd Palin races snowmobiles, not dogsleds, just for the record. If Palin was shot, the reaction would be just as large, but the the nature of the reaction would depend on the motive. I’m sure the right wing media would blame it on liberals and make her a martyr. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-reaction-if-it-had-been-sarah-palin-instead-of-gabby/567057/10 "2011-01-10T04:14:12Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > As intense [immediately], more intense [long term]. Sorry you missed that nuance. I didn’t miss any nuance. It wasn’t there. If you want to reset the goalposts, then do so. I’ll take it with a side of precision. Hold the nuance. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-reaction-if-it-had-been-sarah-palin-instead-of-gabby/567057/11 "2011-01-10T04:57:53Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > If the target of the assassination was Sarah Palin how would the the reaction have been different? > > I’m not suggesting that it would be as immediate and intense as the assassination of MLK but I think that it would have been much more profound in that a lot of Tea Party sympathizers would see it as a call to take up arms and start killing in methodical fashion. Yeah. 'Cuz that’s what million of middle-aged and elderly whites do at the slightest provocation. They rush out into the streets with their hunting rifles and AR-15’s and start hunting liberals. Ain’t enough :rolleyes:'s in the world for that one. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-reaction-if-it-had-been-sarah-palin-instead-of-gabby/567057/12 "2011-01-10T04:59:19Z")
Hm. A holy warrior being shot instead of a nice moderate type? I would be more likely to say that Palin had brought it on herself, which seems unfair to say about Giffords (though, yeah, public figure, target of assassination, yadda yadda). ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-reaction-if-it-had-been-sarah-palin-instead-of-gabby/567057/13 "2011-01-10T05:01:37Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > It wouldn’t lead to civil war or anything, it’d just be a huge fucking deal. Meh. More like the shooting of George Wallace back in '72. Anybody who expects a (successful or failed) assassination attempt on Sarah Palin would spark an insurrection is a drama queen. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-reaction-if-it-had-been-sarah-palin-instead-of-gabby/567057/14 "2011-01-10T06:12:02Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Todd Palin races snowmobiles, not dogsleds, just for the record. > > If Palin was shot, the reaction would be just as large, but the the nature of the reaction would depend on the motive. I’m sure the right wing media would blame it on liberals and make her a martyr. OK, snowmobiles. That still doesn’t put him on the level of Einstein (or the commander of a space shuttle, but that’s just in my elitist mind). My sense tells me that if Palin was shot the reaction would be much larger and the element that she appeals to would use it as an excuse to take up arms and assassinate anyone that they felt “deserved” it. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-reaction-if-it-had-been-sarah-palin-instead-of-gabby/567057/15 "2011-01-10T06:17:02Z")
A bullet through Sarah Palin’s head would cause deflation but no brain damage at all. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-reaction-if-it-had-been-sarah-palin-instead-of-gabby/567057/16 "2011-01-10T06:17:44Z")
If Palin was shot? The right-wingers would be desperately struggling to find a Muslim connection, a socialist connection, an atheist connection or _any_ kind of “liberal” connection to the attacker, however tenuous…the same way that left wingers right now are desperately struggling to find a right-wing connection to Gifford’s attacker, however tenuous. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-reaction-if-it-had-been-sarah-palin-instead-of-gabby/567057/17 "2011-01-10T06:23:36Z")
If it had been Palin we wouldn’t have to worry about brain damage. On the point of husband’s jobs, I happen to think that everyone is of equal dignity, regardless of their job. But I also accept that many if not most people would easily regard the astronaut’s job as a better indicator of many superior qualities. Doesn’t make either them or me right. I’m angry about the assassination of the federal judge and several people and the attempted assassination of a member of Congress by a right wing nut who also is probably a schizophrenic. It is my right to heap blame on the idiots like Palin, Fox, Limbaugh and others who are irresponsible with their first amendment rights in order to make a buck and get power. Speech causes people to do things, whether it is vote, buy stuff or commit violence. I have a responsibility to use my speech in a way that makes the world a less violent place. I am appalled that the assholes on the right don’t feel such a personal responsibility. I don’t go around drawing cross-hairs, “targeting” individuals, say “reload don’t retreat” etc. We say things so that people will take action based on those things. We might not legally be able to regulate irresponsible speech, but we can condemn, shun and boycott the people and advertisers who support irresponsible speech. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-reaction-if-it-had-been-sarah-palin-instead-of-gabby/567057/18 "2011-01-10T06:42:55Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > OK, snowmobiles. That still doesn’t put him on the level of Einstein (or the commander of a space shuttle, but that’s just in my elitist mind). > > My sense tells me that if Palin was shot the reaction would be much larger and the element that she appeals to would use it as an excuse to take up arms and assassinate anyone that they felt “deserved” it. Your “sense”? Is that you debate point? Is that what we’re supposed to argue against? Well, my “sense” says you’re wrong. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-reaction-if-it-had-been-sarah-palin-instead-of-gabby/567057/19 "2011-01-10T10:25:17Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > If you don’t want to debate then take a walk and pass. Don’t go away mad, just go away. Is this something new that I somehow missed? OPs now have the right to decide who posts in their thread? Are we allowed to post only if we agree with the OP? Or if we even live on the same planet? ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-reaction-if-it-had-been-sarah-palin-instead-of-gabby/567057/20 "2011-01-10T10:42:11Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > Yeah. 'Cuz that’s what million of middle-aged and elderly whites do at the slightest provocation. So your definition of the Tea Party is: “a congregation of million of middle-aged and elderly whites”. That’s interesting. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-the-reaction-if-it-had-been-sarah-palin-instead-of-gabby/567057.md?page=2)