US | Tucson, Arizona Most Americans Say Politics Played No Role in Shooting Nearly 6 in 10 don't blame rhetoric, says CBS poll By Nick McMaster Posted Jan 11, 2011 5:39 PM CST Copied In this Jan. 5, 2011 file photo, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., takes part in a reenactment of her swearing-in, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) Pundits aside, most Americans don't actually think the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was caused by inflammatory political rhetoric, CBS News reports. Of 673 people polled on the issue, 57% said political discourse had nothing to do with the shooting, while 32% said it did. In a reflection of the opinion war being waged between liberal and conservative political figures, fewer Republicans (19%) felt the shooting was related to rhetoric than did Democrats (42%). Read These Next The 8 Democrats who bucked party on shutdown have something in common. Here's where things stand in the House ahead of shutdown vote. Trump is responding to MTG's increasing criticism of GOP. Hormone therapy for menopause was unfairly demonized, says the FDA. Report an error