In this instance I think you're bang on. Maxine Waters is guilty of stupidly speaking out of turn - but her views were then amplified by the media and then by the right-wing outrage machine. Her words were misplaced and ambiguous - but that's the point of ambiguity, it can largely mean whatever you have a vested interest in it meaning. As my article says 'getting confrontational' and 'letting people know we mean business' applies equally to returning things to a shop and lining up troops on an enemy's border.
The right were always going to do this given half a chance - but that's only part of the overall picture. From the centre ground where rationalists should live - this is part of a larger game of tit-for-tat, one which involves taking 'the opposition' out of context and then acting disproportionately and irrationally. The left does this too and rarely holds itself accountable - from Justine Sacco to Dominique Moran. In many ways such elements of leftist social justice are more pernicious given that they are perpetrated on 'everyday' members of society rather than elected officials and enforced by public pressure on corporations.
The left and right outrage machines work with unerring diligence to find and destroy any deviation from 'acceptable' speech. Elected officials should know this and are briefed on this, that's why Maxine Waters was stupid - both sides are equally awful when it comes to policing public discourse. That is where our conclusions differ - you may only be holding the other side accountable whilst your biases discount transgressions from your own side. Such a thing happens a lot and is a product of our intuitive thinking, people who agree with us are good (and should be forgiven) people who disagree with us are bad (and should be punished). Our own confirmation bias enflames the dialogue.
That's why I can respectfully disagree with you and not shout or be toxic. You and I are on the same side (politically speaking). We both want Chauvin in jail, we both think the right-wing outrage machine is taking Maxine Waters out of context - we disagree on where to place the blame for that. I see blaming the other side as a continuation of a pointless war -and defending Maxine (who has a history of being a bit of a verbal maverick) as an overall own goal.
I'm saying an elected official was stupid to voice such an opinion on a legal matter she didn't fully understand such a statement applies to all politicians including the other side. This can be demonstrated as such to centre-right Republicans when I'm invariably accused of lefty-bias. The centre ground is about reason and being fair - and both sides are at fault when it comes to taking things out of context.
Besides, Maxine is more than capable of apologising or defending herself without my or your help - if she wants to. I expect it'll be the latter and I imagine Pelosi is going to need some tylenol to get through the next few weeks.
And yeah, the comments can get pretty damn toxic. I get ambushed by the left and the right for being a centre ground writer. A few weeks ago I was accused of being a white supremacist and a race-baiting black panther on the same day as a response to the same article. Onwards and upwards though :o)
