Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen got to spend a day in Sarah Palin’s shoes over the holiday weekend.
The prolific comedy producer and his frequent collaborator were going about their business when The Washington Post’s Ann Hornaday singled them out as a reason why the Santa Barbara killer went on a rampage Friday.
Sure, Hornaday’s argument crumbles under even a cursory examination, but the fact that these two men were brought into the discussion is a sorry sign of the times. It’s also something conservatives routinely experience after national tragedies.
Remember how President Bill Clinton tried blaming conservative talk radio after the Oklahoma City bombing? The most egregious example in recent memory, though, remains how several press outlets tried to pin the savage shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on a map Sarah Palin created solely for political purposes.
This wasn’t just a crazed blogger. Try CNN, The Washington Post, The Atlantic and The New York Times.
Apatow and Rogen used social media to fire back on Hornaday, and they did so successfully. Still, tomorrow these two Hollywood players will go back to their lives. Chances are such spurious charges won’t be leveled at them again. Good.
The same, alas, may not be true for Tea Party members or Palin herself the next time tragedy strikes.