This one just blows my mind. Byron York posted on his twitter this amazing observation:
Revision of year: WP suggests, without evidence, Alexandria shooter was inspired by right-wing bigoted radio talker. https://t.co/97tHJDrofH
— Byron York (@ByronYork) July 8, 2017
The piece serves up a story of a right-wing talk radio guy I’ve never heard of, who is described racist and homophobic.
And that’s apparently all the evidence the insane writer needs to pin the shooting of Republicans on right wing talk radio.
The suburban community about 20 miles east of St. Louis drew attention in recent weeks because it was the hometown of James T. Hodgkinson, the out-of-work politically frustrated home inspector who up and left, drove a van to the Washington area, and then shot four people at a congressional baseball practice in Alexandria.
The nation was shocked, but Romanik — who seems to delight in launching savage attacks on local politicians and stoking his listeners’ many frustrations about race, crime and government — certainly wasn’t. Despite being a die-hard supporter of President Trump who has perfected the art of the dire populist message, many of Romanik’s biggest fans in southern Illinois are disgruntled Democrats like Hodgkinson.
“I can’t say for sure if this Hodgkinson guy listened to me, but he probably did,” Romanik said in a recent interview. “If people would be honest about what drove Hodgkinson to the point of violence, you’d probably see a lot of people right on the same page with him all over the country. But around here, for sure.”
WHAT THE LIVING HELL would make anyone draw that conclusion?! The dude loved Bernie Sanders and MSNBC!! This is such bull$#it.
UN-frickin-believable.
Oh there’s one more line that pathetically attempts to make the tenuous connection between Hodgkinson and the right.
The writer talks to black church-goers who have heard of Romanik:
At the church, members said it would be unfair to suggest any link between Romanik’s words and Hodgkinson’s actions but noted that Romanik speaks to a humiliating pain among the white working class that black Americans have felt for a long time.
That’s it!
How can anyone possibly be so stupid as to write this drivel, or be so incredibly idiotic to read it and believe it?
I’m not the only one asking:
Absolutely disgusting revisionist history from @peterjholley. @washingtonpost has no credibility left. https://t.co/tDdk9JNLVG
— basedb0b (@basedb0b) July 8, 2017
We know from his Facebook page that the Alexandria shooter watched Maddow and other MSNBC shows
So @peterjholley tries to indict RW radio https://t.co/N0V63F4QNv
— Cameron Gray (@Cameron_Gray) July 8, 2017
Nice try to shift blame, @peterjholley. Hodgkinson was a Bernie Bro and talk radio had nothing to do with him.
— Taro Tsujimoto (@RCannon74) July 8, 2017
The only possible explanation I have for this insanity is that the writer Holley wanted some rage-clickbait. So don’t click on the article. But send him your warmest regards via twitter….
[Editor’s note: fixed the headline, sorry!]