Paul Krugman debunks the Both Sides bullshit:
Where's that toxic rhetoric coming from? Let's not make a false pretense of balance: it's coming, overwhelmingly, from the right. It's hard to imagine a Democratic member of Congress urging constituents to be "armed and dangerous" without being ostracized; but Representative Michele Bachmann, who did just that, is a rising star in the G.O.P.
And there's a huge contrast in the media. Listen to Rachel Maddow or Keith Olbermann, and you'll hear a lot of caustic remarks and mockery aimed at Republicans. But you won't hear jokes about shooting government officials or beheading a journalist at The Washington Post. Listen to Glenn Beck or Bill O'Reilly, and you will.
And, again, even if Rachel Maddow slipped in a gun metaphor now and again, her audience isn't biased towards militarism and firearms. It's a metaphor without real influence. And above all, Rachel and Keith are on the air for two hours a day -- compared to hundreds of hours a day of right-wing talk. Suggesting there's equal guilt is like suggesting that because a few non-smokers die of lung cancer, smoking must not cause cancer.