(Jake Turcotte)
McCain campaigns for Obama at McCain event?
By Jimmy Orr | 10.11.08
At this late stage in the election, Republican nominee for President John McCain would undoubtedly prefer not to promote rival Barack Obama at one of his own campaign rallies.
That’s what he had to do yesterday. More than once.
State of the campaign
There’s plenty of criticism that McCain brought this on himself because of his campaign’s tenor over the last two weeks. Then there are others who believe that questions about Obama’s past dealings with questionable characters are legitimate questions that need to be asked.
Still yet others believe that this is the sole remaining card McCain has. The backdrop of an imploding economy is at every campaign stop — Republican or Democrat. Unfortunately, for McCain, the GOP is getting the lion’s share of the blame. So a strategy of questioning who Barack Obama is may be all he’s got left.
But if going down that road encourages some supporters to yell out “terrorist” or “off with his head” when Obama’s name is mentioned, McCain’s got another problem — attracting instead of repelling those moderate undecideds.
“Arab”
Yesterday, a woman at a rally in Minnesota announced she didn’t trust Obama because “he’s an Arab.”
“No, ma’am, no ma’am,” McCain countered. “He’s a decent, family man, a citizen I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues and that’s what this campaign is all about.”
Scared
Another supporter said he and his wife were “scared” of raising their child under Obama presidency.
“I want to be president of the United States and I obviously I do not want Senator Obama to be,” McCain said. “But I have to tell you, I have to tell you, he is a decent person. And a person that you do not have to be scared of as president of the United States.”
YouTube
Obama supporters are more than happy to help portray McCain followers as extreme.
Take Ohio blogger Tim Russo. He went to a Sarah Palin rally on Wednesday, filmed the footage and came away with:
“I’ve been doing blog video for a while, and presidential rallies a lot longer. And this is the most strange, ignorant, uninformed, angry, up-to-no-good, and gullible group of people I’ve ever seen at a political rally.”
Sure, if you look into his background you’ll see that he’s decisively partisan. Even the New York Times said his “questioning is clearly aimed at putting his subjects on the defensive.” He knew what he was going after when he went there. He’s no friend of the McCain-Palin ticket.
Regardless, the YouTube video was the third-most watched on the video sharing website Friday. At the time of this writing it had been viewed nearly 1 million times. As the Times mentions, viewership appears to break down along partisan lines as well. (This would be difficult to calculate, however. Perhaps, a more accurate way of putting it would be that the comments seem to break down down along partisan lines.)
A videographer could do the same thing at an Obama-Biden rally. If you come in with an agenda, you can create what you want to create.
But when your candidate is leading, you don’t go into a rally upset. You’re feeling pretty good. So it might be tougher to find the outliers.
Tough week
It wasn’t just yesterday. Earlier this week, on two separate occasions, introductory speakers decided that by adding Barack Obama’s middle name (Hussein) to their respective remarks, they would help the campaign out. This, despite the fact that John McCain as early as February denounced the tactic, and has told supporters to knock it off.
So, instead of the McCain message getting out, the McCain “we don’t condone these remarks” message got out. The story reported was “Guess what the McCain people said today?”
Anger
So despite the call from many GOP strategists that McCain needs to get angry and he needs to tap in to the anger of the American people, it is a strategy that is full of risks.
He’s got to keep fighting but can’t afford more rallies that produce incendiary sound bites. He said it all yesterday.
“We want to fight and I will fight,” he said at the rally. “But we will be respectful. I admire Sen. Obama and his accomplishments. I will respect him.”
McCain supporters have to follow suit. The first test will come today at a rally in Davenport, Iowa
<< Palin on Saturday Night Live? You betcha’ | MainComments
3. thoren58 | 10.11.08
The key will clearly occur at Palin rallies. She is in a corner and I realize my comment here puts her deeper into it by my claim that her beligerant nationalism marks as something which although I’m sure she knows is bad I am also confident she doesn’t know what it means. I hold McCain responsible for selecting a running who is so unsophisticated that she doesn’t even realize and has no ability to realize that she is a fascist.
4. WorkingClassDem | 10.11.08
At least he’s doing the right thing now and refuting the blown out of proportion fear mongering that’s been going on this week. To do otherwise would be wildly irresponsible of any candidate.
5. Jack, Tolland, CT | 10.11.08
Scary group at these rallys. Don’t know why the author here needs to get some digs in against a liberal blogger. Major advantage to McCain is the incessant need of the media to try and portray some/any opposing view. There are unethical, ignorant, and evil elements in this election and they should be pointed out, without the need to offset it by saying the person exposing it supports Obama. The facts are the facts. Politics is a rough business, but McCain has crossed the line when it comes to honesty and ethics. It is the media’s responsibility to report this without feeling gulity and having to report that McCain’s behavior is excusable or “that one” is bad too.
6. Dan | 10.11.08
There is something not quite right with Obama. He’s obviously where he is because of other people’s (Bush) failures. Not on his own merits. If Bush had even a 50% approval rating Obama would have been a distant memory. Fighting extreme right with extreme left is not the answer and will keep this country divided.
7. TJ | 10.11.08
McCain is too little too late. It doesn’t change a thing that he was told, probably by the Secret Service or the FBI, to stop the invitations to violence. Today, Sarah is giving a sermon, now, on “the culture of life”, instead of the culture of violence and terror that they perpetrated for 1-2 weeks. She has her 3 younger children on stage, introduced them, and is exposing them to potential violence, because when you carry on the way those two carried on, it works 2 ways; no one is safe.
This woman is a “front” for the seceesionists in Alaska, infiltrating a mainstream political party. That is one of their goals. She needs to go back to Alaska and face her people, some of whom are probably pretty fed up with Sarah, the governor.
McCain will return to the Senate, where I hope he is censured for unAmerican activities during his campaign. Having lost all “honor and respect” gifted to him in the past, I hope he is shunned. He will probably sponsor a bill on campaign rhetoric; it’s what he does. Anything he sponsors, whether it is legislation on Savings and Loans, campaign finance reform, or, now campaign conduct, is to turn his own misconduct into something positive, to minimize his own misconduct. That is what he has done all of his life and he has gotten free passes.
The FBI has been in Anchorage and Juneau with the Stevens trial. They should stay there, maybe open an office there, as there seems to be plenty of shady, subversive characters there that just may be potential “domestic terrorists”, and they are Pals Of Palin.
8. Yolanda | 10.11.08
Thanks Bryan, I’ve been waiting for factcheck.org to publish a more in depth analysis of the Ayers - Obama connection.
How interesting that high powered republicans had more to do with Ayers than Obama ever did, but then… that was a couple years ago when Ayers only had a “rowdy past” now that the McCain campaign has upgraded him to “terrorist” I would suspect all those prominent republicans that sponsored and paid Ayers way through the Chicago Annenberg Foundation must be feeling… tarnished?
tsk tsk republicans… what a tangled web you weave when first you practice to deceive.
9. Pachu Kovalan | 10.11.08
I didn’t see this kind of anger by the Democrats when the President of the U.S. was called as Satan by President Chavez at U.N. or at numerous anti-war rallies where Bush was called “Hitler”. That is not extreme I guess…just free-speech. Such hypocrisy!
10. Bubba Tex | 10.11.08
Ronald Reagan never (never) verbally assaulted his opponents, questioned their patriotism, or claimed they willfully “palled around” with people who intended America harm.
Why? Because he had faith in his message and in the American people. I truly believe the Gipper would have run the same campaign today as he did in ‘80 and ‘84 because he believed that Americans chose their presidents based on the “better angels of their nature” (from another GOP visionary) and not the hatred and fear currently on display.
Republicans please take a look at your party lately!!!! I’m not saying you need to vote for Obama. Just ask (heck, you should demand) that your party returns to the values that define American greatness: a willing contest over ideas, a faith in the public’s inherent fairness, a commitment to really put country first (RR selected one of the most competent VPs in modern history; should the old man kick the bucket… does anyone think Palin is anything but a political hit (wo)man? Certainly not the McCain campaign, if you read their comments).
Until I hear Repubs vocally demanding that their party leaders reflect what (I think) is still the core of the GOP, I’ll continue to assume that they are interested only in bitterness, anger, racial division, and cheap cultural dirty tricks. (And you may want to read some comments by Reagan, Eisenhower, TR, and Lincoln about the wickedness of claiming God prefers one political party).
As a lifelong Republican, I can’t tell you how disgusted I am with the state of me party. While I will vote for local Repubs who still seem committed to our core values, I will never again pull the lever for a national candidate who doesn’t recognize that our party is very very troubled right now.
11. gns100 | 10.11.08
It seems that the strategy of inciting by McCain’s campaign backfired. I guess someone in his campaign realized the strategy could be considered a hate crime. Good thing McCain wasn’t campaigning somewhere where the wrong words by the attendee would have really messed up McCain.
Although it’s probably not what he wants to do, I’m glad McCain is stepping up and defending his opponent against these derogatory verbal assaults. The only thing now that McCain might be able to do to save his campaign is to campaign on the the issues, and provide details on what he IS going to do, and how he really is different from the old administration, and not criticize what Obama is going to do (thereby giving Obama more name recognition).
12. Matt | 10.11.08
Extreme left? Obama is a centrist, left-centrist at best. The ‘left’ equivalent of, say Bush/Cheney is left of even Ralph Nader. Obama is anti gay marriage, anti universal healthcare, pro death penalty and even pro US unilateralism (see Afghanistan comments). The extreme left is tired of being misrepresented!!
13. Maxiillian | 10.11.08
What’s wrong with being an arab. Why did’t McCain tell her that although O is no one, arabs, muslims, mormons, russians, etc are just people like her!
14. spitlube | 10.11.08
McCain saying “we will be respectful” is like an aside in a play.
Man: “I love you.” (Aside) “Now go away.”
He says one thing outloud but his supporters really know he means something else. When you cannot get by on the issues resort to generating fear and loathing.
15. Robin Landseadel | 10.11.08
Jimmy Orr: “A videographer could do the same thing at an Obama-Biden rally. If you come in with an agenda, you can create what you want to create.”
No so. The developing story of the McCain/Palin rallys is the resurgence of the lynch mob. While an ingenious video editor might be able to cook up a bogus crazy mob out of one of Obama’s rallys, “conditions on the ground” will not back it up. McCain asked his Frankenstein’s monster of a mob to back down yesterday, possibly aware of the blowback about to gust from the Troopergate hearings. Racial intolerance—the “Southern Strategy” resurrected once more–is all the Republicans can hope to win with this year. But it won’t work, we have reached a tipping point not only in general acceptance of racial diversity but in the racial make-up of this country as well. That sound you’re hearing is the death knell of the Republican culture wars. Within a year Pat Buchanan will be unemployed, God willing.
16. Bill H. | 10.11.08
McCain and Palin were responsible for toking the flames of hate among their supporters. And it wasn’t until the WaPo, the media and the democrats called McCain out and only then did he halt the hate. McCain was everything people use to like in a politician, now he’s just a political pawn and hack.
17. Rich | 10.11.08
McCain is a hypocrite. He sees his hateful tactics are backfiring and now he sees the need to turn out the fire he started himself! Guess what, his true colors are exposed! How does Obama get called anti-American by guilt of association yet Palin alllows her Husband, who is a seperatist from Alaskan Independence Party gets access and conduct his personal agenda from a Governor’s office?
18. Philip | 10.11.08
This McCain campaign is continuing the tactics that I first saw in the Reagan years. The Republican party, while openly being a party of the rich and priveledged uses fear, racism, hatred, inuendo, and lies to turn the middle-class/working poor against themselves. By creating divisions along racial lines, appealing to peoples fear or being ridiculed or called “liberal” (whatever that means) or “unpatriotic” they are able to get enough working class people to actually vote against their own interests and for the policies that favor the ultra rich. You can’t fault them for wanting to win and promote their own agenda, but you can fault them for the tactics they employ and you can stop being fooled. If only the people who actually benefitted from Republican policies voted Republican they would be the Third or Forth party after the Greens and Libertarians and would get, maybe, 5 percent of the vote.
One final point, I think its too bad the Republicans don’t believe paying taxes is Patriotic. I’ve always believed that supporting my government country and paying my fair share in taxes like everyone else is a priviledge and the most Patriotic thing a person can do, after voting.
19. cav | 10.11.08
I’m so tired of republicans bent on destroying the U.S. We have the greatest Constitution EVER. Let’s let it work and let’s use it to our advantage!
20. frank burns | 10.11.08
By implyiung that an “Arab” is not a decent person, nor a family man, McCain maybe tried belatedly to tone things down, but I guess he just lost every vote of every Amercian citizen and registered voter of Arab ancestry and background.
21. Diane Lynn | 10.11.08
McCain’s words in support of Obama as a decent human being made me think of John as a decent human being. I would even consider voting for him if he got rid of Palin. There are so many better choices. She should withdraw now, before it is too late.
22. linda mack | 10.11.08
If Obama wins I am worried that it will be the “left” that brings him down. If he wins it will be the first time in decades that the democrats can show that they can do a better job than the republicans. The in fighting and self center fights of the republicans have been at the expense of the public. My hope is that forget about reach across the aisle what about one party just working together for the common good. I hope that the democrats prove that they can work together for the common good. If this can actually become a bipartisan movement it would be more than I believe possible. Just think it would be amazing - just think all congressmen actually working for the people, together -possible or impossible?
24. ThinkingVoter | 10.11.08
Thank you Bryan for the fact check on Ayers. This clears it up for me and serves to solidify my opinion that Obama is a thoughtful, clear advocate for improving our country.
I’d like to see a thorough public discussion of McCain’s role in abandoning our MIA/Prisoners at the end of Vietnam.
25. Merlyn Aya | 10.11.08
I was so glad to see the real McCain come to the surface. I know that deep down inside, he is a good man. He and his team has focused on winning no matter what; so we have seen things get to the point of violence. This is not the way of American democracy. McCain stepped up and dropped party and competitive lines to speak truth. I’d like to see and hear more of this from the real McCain (not the worried McCain). The real McCain, I am sure, is truly a warrior and hero for truth.
26. linda smith | 10.11.08
do you really think the more educated Obama supporters (look at the demographics) are going to call mccain a terrorist, or yell off with his head”
relook at the demographics of who supports whom. The Republicans have been stoking the culture war, the evolution hating, science hating, end-days waiting, xenophobic, under-educated and under-informed for a long time. Palin is the perfect example, Joe Six pack who could not run a country, a hospital, be a general, go to a military academy, but is somehow smart enough to run the country. This is a clear danger to the county, pushing mob style stupidity.
They are reaping what they sowed. Joe McCain is clearly disgusted with himself, but not brave enough to stop it.
27. erik | 10.11.08
McCain-Palin rallies just happen to be the most un-American thing I have witnessed during this election. Wow, some ignorant old lady says he’s an arab, well hes not but its automatically bad? Thats how these people think, arab=terrorist. Forget about the Arab doctors that save lives in this country everyday, that have small businesses that help this country’s economy. Nope arabs are brown, Barack Obama is brown, they are terrorists… Wow it must feel good to be a McCain supporter. Your stupidity supersedes you.
28. sUNIL | 10.11.08
McCain cannot control the divisiveness and hatred him and his partner have started.
29. Karen | 10.11.08
It just shows how poor decisions screw things up, eventually!
McCain may have picked Palin to “excited” the base, but I dont think he planned on her catching it on fire and burning it down.
Lip Stick on a Pig! Remember when that was the “worst thing said about someone”? How soon we forget. Now Palin is stirring the POT to excite the Hate Mongers. I heard off with his head and kill him, on TV at her rally when she was speaking about Obama. And she just smiled away. They found her judgement guilty for using her office power against her brother in law, but she puts it to bed by saying Its not true. Too easy sweet heart!
Wake up people, see whats going on and please do not vote this woman into office, if she can upset this many people so quickly, what will she do to the evil leaders that really are waiting for an excuse to go against the USA?
30. Monk | 10.11.08
Hey Dan,
If Obama was white, McCain would have already conceded this election. The only thing holding McCain’s campaign together are racist, bigoted, ignorant whites!!!
31. Barbara | 10.11.08
I just believe that Senator Obama is the only choice for our great country. When I seen Senator McCain I see Bush, When I hear Senator McCain I hear Bush. No matter how much distance he tries to put between himself and Bush he is still Bush. I also believe Gov. Palin has done nothing to help McCain. She has been more of a henderance if anything. I can’t figure out his reasoning behind that choice. Senator Obama will do a fine job for us and bring a fresh youthful air to my country.
32. W. Johnson | 10.11.08
The McCain campaign is now reaping the harvest it sowed when it decided to court the most racist elements in this country. Did they figure that their candidate would be put in the position of defending his opponent from these bigoted attacks?
McCain’s latest gaffe, “my fellow prisoners,” speaks volumes about what he is going through. Anyone who has been a prisoner, whether it’s in a POW csmp, a dysfunctional family or abusive spousal relationship, has a deep, abiding fear of ever being trapped again. McCain now finds himself in a situation he can no longer control — trailing in the polls and forced to cozy up to people whose racist views violate every code of decency and honor he’s ever held dear.
It’s a sad spectacle to see a man that many of us admired reduced to this. Still, he must be defeated so that the racists and religious extremists in this country continue to be kept in check.
33. JD | 10.11.08
This is all that the liberals can come up with against McCain’s policies? The fact that his supporters are angry is not newsworthy, it’s Common Sense. The mainstream media all but declared our next President a Democrat in November 2004, about 30 seconds after John Kerry’s concesssion speech. Pull your heads out.
34. ar | 10.11.08
Sometimes I am wondering if McCain/Palin are working for democrats. Do they think before they open their mouths? Don’t we have enough troubles as it is to have to deal with these rubbish?
35. drpimk | 10.11.08
McCain had to calm his supporters down because he didn’t want to be blamed if something happened to Obama. He and Palin are the ones who incited the crowd to get to this point.
36. Sandra | 10.11.08
I have to agree with Matt (post#12): As someone who happily voted for Kucinich twice, I take offense at anyone who calls Obama “extreme left.” He is barely libral enough to get my vote, and I’d vote for practically anyone to keep angry McBlame and his Alaskan parrot from attaining office.
37. emmarose | 10.11.08
i am amazed that people are so easily duped into believing anything. it’s scary. fear tactics still fear with ignorant uneducated people.
38. carport | 10.11.08
With regard to McCain’s decision to “defend” Obama’s character, it’s too little too late. If it took McCain this long to realize just how incendiary and racist his supporters’ comments are, then who has the poor judgment and who is the more “dangerous” of the two? There’s little question that McCain finally spoke out because he does not want to be held accountable if one of his fanatical supporters were actually to take action against Obama. This despicable strategy of the the McCain/Palin has fascist undertones, and that is both dangerous and scary!
39. Rich | 10.11.08
McCain is going to lose big! When he incited hatred in the campaign, it turn off alot of Independent voters and now he is going to lose his base of hooligans if he does refer obama as a terrorist/arab. Nov.4 He will be left wondering what happened to his tactics? He has put himself in a difficult situation where he lost the confidence from swing voters by inciting hateful campaign. At the same time if he backs up from his latest hateful tactics,the hooligans will also back up on the election day! McCain and palin can kiss the whitehouse goodbye!
40. Dave | 10.11.08
Speaking of patriotism: McCain is a hypocrite. He sees his hateful tactics are backfiring and now he sees the need to turn out the fire he started himself! Guess what, his true colors are exposed! How does Obama get called anti-American by guilt of association yet Palin alllows her Husband, who is a seperatist from Alaskan Independence Party gets access and conduct his personal agenda from a Governor’s office?
41. Andy2 | 10.11.08
It was definitely to McCain’s credit that he started to counter the anger and hostility that was getting out of control
It is also still unfortunate that McCain and Palin supporters seek to blame anything and anyone other than their candidates for the fact they are now training in the polls.
It could be simply that the Democrats have the better candidate this time. Yet you hear from the Republican supporters allegations of dirty politics, lies, media bias, anything except a willingness to admit that they may be in danger of losing a fair context.
42. DemcratsWithGuns | 10.11.08
McCain has referred to Barack as a friend and a colleague, now he lies to us suggesting to simple minded followers (like grandparents I know) that he is a terrorist. Truely disgusting.
We should be looking to him for respectful wisdom, a father in politics. I can not view him as a hero or a good person today as I did 5 or 6 years ago.
This type of politics is exactly what can cause corruption in Washington, McCain is lying when he says he will change corruption.
I used to really like John McCain before about 4 years ago when he turned on his own people for power.
What is deeply disturbing is that he is about as good as it gets - a hero, doesn’t believe in earmarks, a survivor (I can’t think of much else he is good for really).
When he is dead, I will honor him only as a war hero that turned against us in a time of need.
43. DemocratsWithGuns | 10.11.08
McCain has referred to Barack as a friend and a colleague, now he lies to us suggesting to simple minded followers (like grandparents I know) that he is a terrorist. Truely disgusting.
We should be looking to him for respectful wisdom, a father in politics. I can not view him as a hero or a good person today as I did 5 or 6 years ago.
This type of politics is exactly what can cause corruption in Washington, McCain is lying when he says he will change corruption.
I used to really like John McCain before about 4 years ago when he turned on his own people for power.
What is deeply disturbing is that he is about as good as it gets - a hero, doesn’t believe in earmarks, a survivor (I can’t think of much else he is good for really).
When he is dead, I will honor him only as a war hero that turned against us in a time of need.
45. G. L. Monahan | 10.11.08
Obama’s response should be, and soon; Of course I attended a fund raising event by Mr. Ayers. I don’t have a habit of vetting every supporter but I didn’t pick him for Vice President!
46. salem | 10.11.08
Mccain realizes he is losing. And he understands that it would be a good time to try to make amends for his hideous behavior.
He also has been pressured by donors and senators to tone down the lynch mobs. It is clear from the polls that mccain is keeping the estremist base while handing over his moderate-republican voters to Obama.
Moderate voters—either party—don’t like threats, anger, hate, violence or intimidation. Moderates of both parties do not want klan-type antics or frightening extremists representing them. Mccain has a HUGE problem now because that violent fringe element is now annexing the GOP, and the moderates do not want to be associated with embarrassing extremists. It is becoming shameful to be known as a republican, and the polls are showing a slow steady migration of moderate REpublicans over to Obama.
Obama is winning the minds and hearts of Democrats, independents—and moderate republicans.
47. Lorac | 10.11.08
If Palin is fascist, then Obama is a Socialist. They are equally extreme in opposite ways. If you’ve paid any attention to Obama’s past voting record he is the MOST left senator in the US senate.
48. Wes | 10.11.08
Well, is he a friend of terrorists or not? A decent, respectable family man, is not a friend of terrorists. You can’t have it BOTH ways.
Also, note Bill Ayers is not Arab. I work with decent, respectable, Arab people. Few Arabs are terrorists.
Take off the gloves John.
49. Emily | 10.11.08
I guess someone considered “Arab” can’t be a good person, then. I honestly think I like McCain more than any of his supporters.
50. JunkKicker2008 | 10.11.08
The best thing in an OBAMA administration would be 4 years of me telling you I told you so…
51. Marilyn Jones | 10.11.08
You could NOT get the same result from going to an Obama rally with a video camera.
The question being asked was “Do you think Obama is a terrorist?” These people did NOT say “No.” Maybe there were a bunch who DID say no that were edited out, but there were plenty of the others for the film maker to work with.
Obama has not been pandering to the lowest common denominator in his fans as has McCain. And Palin, of course. No one is screaming “Kill him!” at Obama rallies. No one is making snarky comments that can only be judged as racist at Obama rallies.
53. moderate people win in the end | 10.11.08
I doubt a videographer would get people calling McCain an Arab or “Kill Him” at an Obama Rally. I don’t blame McCain for this, he truly seems embarrassed about these unhinged extremists, it’s about the whipping up of hatred by Palin. She has an agenda and is setting herself up as a leader of the far right, there a lot of money for her there.
As for the blogger, he is obviously partisan. But he states this and states that he is a blogger and not a journalist.
54. Real Republicans | 10.11.08
The Republican Party has lost it’s ways! Sadly, it is now controlled by these extreme loonies. The REAL Republicans need to step up and take control of it’s party again! We do not need this type of extremism from the “right” or the “left”! These people at McCain and Palin’s rallies do not represent the majority of the Republican Party!
55. anti-fascist | 10.11.08
To the author of this piece:
Let me say one thing up front–I don’t support Obama. I think he represents the same interests as McCain–they just have different ways of going about that. But let’s stop being relativistic here. What the McCain campaign is unleashing, even if McCain himself is backpedaling a bit, is racist hatred. Don’t act like you haven’t seen the YouTube videos of rabid McCain crowds who are absolutely certain that Obama is an “Arab terrorist,” that he has “the name” and “the bloodlines” to ensure allegiance to “socialism” and “terrorism”. There’s nothing remotely equivalent coming from the Obama campaign.
56. JE Townsend | 10.11.08
With all that has been thrown at Barack Obama by the McCain group, it’ s not surprising that “herd rancor” has become so strong. I hope that people will see that this kind of raucous behavior does not help their candidate but puts him in a strange position. It also shows that “That man,” and other ways of characterizing Obama are poorly-veiled slams at his ethnic mix–which is a hair’s width from using the “race card” which has no place in our country in this century. We ought to be bigger than that!
57. BMagical | 10.11.08
Wow…if Macain REALLY cared he would have commented on all the Arab Americans who are upstanding citizens. He and Palin are using violence and those crowds scare me. Especially knowing our miliary is being trained to turn on civilians…is that what the republicans plan to do if they lose? Obama is not progressive or even closely leftist…he just isn’t a neo-con/fundamentalist who thinks he has the right to manipulate the system so that the rich get richer and the rest of us work harder for less…let’s elect him and then work on the senate and house to get some equality back into the system…fyi, I am a jewish american who still believes that violence is violence no matter who is conducting it. And it is wrong!! Have we learned nothing from history??
58. Rob | 10.11.08
After all the sound and fury recedes, lets all keep on mind that we need to vote our beliefs on November 4, and, perhaps most importantly, keep a really CLOSE watch on those who actually count the votes.
59. Independent | 10.11.08
McCain extraordinary man; patroit; leader of the people during crisis again did the right thing. The media including this writer are against McCain. Look at the title for this blog/article. I really wish that McCain wins this election..
60. Tom | 10.11.08
John McCain said that Barack Obama is ‘a person that you do not have to be scared of as president of the United States’. I disagree. I think Obama has an agenda and it won’t be one that benefits the American people. We already know what he thinks about bitter small town people clinging to their guns and religion, which could refer to the majority of Americans, but much more serious are his attempts to grab power. He never intended to run for president in 2008. He made it very clear in 2004 that he would not be running as he didn’t want to neglect his job in the Senate. His sudden change of heart was motivated by his hatred of Hillary Clinton, who he was determined to knock down. He accomplished that in a bitter campaign that upset a great many Democrats and lost the respect of many voters. He’s now taking that viscious attitude to the national race, going so far as the current scandal over fraudulent votes. Over one million votes have been cast so far, most of them are expected to be fraudulent. Barack Obama is a dangerous man. His actions look like those of a dictator in the making. The most troubling thing of all is not knowing what he would do if he attained the presidency. Thanks to Bush, the president now has the power to do virtually anything he wishes without the need to seek approval. Barack Obama cannot be trusted with ultimate power. That kind of passive-agressive, inexperienced, calculating personality is a disaster waiting to happen.
61. Mark | 10.11.08
I was really on the fence, and I really admire McCain for rebuking his own supporters, I know that was not an easy thing to due, but it was the right one. And I hope if Obama was in the same situation he would do the same. However I think we fail to realize that these sentiments (and the information that backs them) is partially caused by the McCain campaign. With the ads trying to link him to terrorist, and saying this in that dark voice with that evil sounding music, I feel partly caused these remarks to be made. Either way I will be choosing Obama because I have just a really bad taste of McCain/Palin, first because of the debate, then because of the video’s and ads incorrectly (my opinion) attaching him to a “terrorist” from 30 years ago, and now with the news about Palin abusing her power. Sorry McCain very impressive about standing up to ignorance, but you lost me.
62. MLS | 10.11.08
3.thoren58 that said Sarah Palin is (unbeknownst to her) a fascist. So I wanted to refresh my memory on what a fascist actually is.
According to the definition of fascism, I believe thoren58 is correct. Think about how she has conducted her part of the campaign and her Governorship, and read the definition below:
dictionary results for: fascism
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
fas·cism /ˈfæʃɪzəm/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[fash-iz-uhm] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1.(sometimes initial capital letter) a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.
63. Jim R | 10.11.08
Once upon a time there was a new President. The people that supported him rejoiced that their president was in office. But soon after the rejoicing was over and everyone went back to their own business, a strange thing happened. They received a letter in the mail from the government. The letter contained a personel ID number for each person in the family, form the baby to the grand parents. The letter also stated that the government was now taking control of all 401k plans, retirement plans, health insurance and personel saving accounts. And each person’s money would be divided equally with the rest of the population. Prices would be frozen and restrictions on driving and home energy use would now be controlled by the government. The people who wanted more freedom now found themselves under a new taskmaster. The moral of this story is freedom is not free.
Vote to keep America free.
64. Don | 10.11.08
Obama is for the 21st Century while McCain is stuck in the 20th Century…
We’ve been in the 21st Century for the last 8 years. Its time to move on… into 21st Century.
The old days are over, McCain. Its time for you to retire in peace.
65. sammy | 10.11.08
I so upset that McCain and Palin can say such ugly things and then
turn around and say something nice. This is how their Presidency
and Vice-Presidency would be. I mean we would be the laughing stock
of every nation with these two.
I can hear it now, I’m going to destroy you, then turn around and say
oh, you are a great country we can work this out. IDIOTS!!! THAT IS WHAT
THESE TWO!!
Do not trust either one of these two to run the country.
Do you get Palin’s little speech this morning, I just watched it for
5 minutes, when she is talking about her children and her son in Iraq.
She is one happy, happy Mom that her son is in a war.
She has got to go around and always say my son is in Iraq.
With a smile on her face. If my son were in a war I could not
ever smile until he came home safe and sound. I really can’t
smile until all our soldiers are home safe. My heart breaks for
them and their families. I’m proud we have such wonderful men and women
who want to protect us but my God I don’t ever want to see them in
a war. What is wrong with this woman.
Bush lied so there should not be a war!! But for her to be so
d— happy that her son is over there really bothers me.
66. Tafkah | 10.11.08
Let’s just hope one of those ignorant, uninformed, Palin-worshipping nutjobs who are screaming “kill him” and “terrorist” doesn’t take a shot at Obama. Does the Secret Service protect presidential candidates???
67. sue | 10.11.08
Mccain said they would back down but Obama is still doing it. what a man. I hope Obama wins not because people think he is the better man but because when he does and thing go bad the dem’s have no one to blame but their selfs. Obama said in a speech that he would go through page by page personally on reports on everything from spending to what has been going on in the government for years. if he does that he will not have time to be president. Those were his words. He says so many things he will not be able to do and people believe he can do all this stuff.he may be able to do a 4thof this stuff. wake up.
68. L.B.E.G. | 10.11.08
This article presents the idea that perhaps the McCain campaign has few strategies left beyond asking “Who is Obama?”. Unfortunately, McCain’s VP, in particular, has done so in such a way that it incites some Republican supporters to think and spew ultra-negativity. The article then states that this leads to another problem: losing independent and moderate voters turned off by such negativity.
I’m surprised the writer has missed two other much more supremely important problems caused by such negativity: 1) that feeding hatred to people and not, until now, discouraging rabid responses can lead radically unstable folks to take deadly action. We’re talking potential assassination. If that horror were to occur, we all have an unthinkably awful “problem” and McCain/Palin would have a life-long “problem” because they might be seen to have blood on their hands. The CSMonitor should be alerting readers to this so they can be aware and work in varying, constructive ways to defuse such assassination possibilities. CSM: please don’t neglect this issue. Many of us have seen video footage of these rallies, and the hatred is astounding and deeply disturbing. The possibility of assassination is out there and other national publications are beginning to look at it head on. Take the lead to help raise and change thought to block out and blot out such a scenario.
2) Also more important than McCain campaign negativity just turning off moderate and independent voters is the deeper divide it is causing in our polarized country. We are the UNITED states, and rousing your base at rallies to be so divisive over personality issues and threatening violence to the opposing side is going to make it that much harder to pull us all together no matter who wins in November. Our country has many pressing problems at this point that it was unprepared for. We are a good people and a good land, and our collective goodness must be allowed to rise above our individual, differing views of exactly how to politically insure such goodness continues for our country and our world.
I hope both campaigns move forward with the “respect” McCain has rightly called for so that all hearts can come together to work together on the challenges of the day. Our collective commitment to being a great country can move us together beyond partisanship to find common ways, digestible to all, that can continue to grow our country forward.
69. Chris | 10.11.08
This is the John McCCain I thought I knew. He has stepped back from the brink of what the ultra-conservatives were wanting him to do. This reflects that he is a good Amercian and knows inciting hate of Obama will be bad for this Country. Now if he can get a muzzle on Palin maybe we will discuss ideas and policies in this campaign insread of fear and hate.
70. marty | 10.11.08
i see the Obama group will not stop the slamming of Mccain because Obama will not stop go figure.
71. JennyO | 10.11.08
Just wanted to say thanks to Bubba Tex (No. 10) for your thoughtful comments as a Republican; I’m what most people would call a leftist wingnut, but I realize that to move forward we need thinking people of all persuasions, including Republicans. (At least Republicans who don’t deny evolution and believe we have work to do other than get ready for the end times.) I probably won’t end up agreeing with the strategy or the underlying beliefs (in the free market to cure all ills, that personal responsibility always trumps government interventions, etc.) but if there were more Repubs like Bubba Tex around and vocal, at least I could respect their opinions and not feel like we’re coming from different planets.
I also agree with Sandra (no. 38) in that Obama’s nowhere near liberal enough for me…. but I do hope he can actually bring people together more than Bush has done the last 8 years. The current political environment is waaaay to antagonistic and polarized to be good for anybody.
72. Astrochicks.com | 10.11.08
McCain and Palin have started a campaign of anger and fear. I think the voter they’re are attracting are a direct reflection of who they are personally. Scary stuff. They preach lies, hatred, racism, etc.
Obama took the high road on several issues about Palin. Why can’t she do the same?
I am absolutely DISGUSTED with the tone of this campaign. They are completely desperate and I’m embarrassed to watch such uninformed and closed minded voters get so much air time.
If you want to vote for McCain great! Do it because you admire him, he would be the best president, etc. Not because you’re SCARED of Obama. I’m scared of these VOTERS!!!
What’s next? McCain/Palin show up at a Ku Klux Klan rally? They call themselves Christians? They are nothing but hypocrites.
73. Jim Campbell | 10.11.08
LOOK FORWARD Senator John McCain. Too much effort attempting to discredit your opponents (with sometimes half truths). Remember, we’re listening to help ourselves decide who’s going to be our next President. Think LEADERSHIP!!!!!! http://www.LikeSoup.com
74. George Douglas | 10.11.08
As a veteran and a lover of freedom it is scary to read the ultra left responses in this blog, by unread, so called educated people. Barney Franks, Barack Obama, and Chris Dodd were some of the biggest recipients of money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Barak Obama is very closely tied to the ACORN organization which has been charged with voter fraud in many states. Obama even paid ACORN for some of its work and at one time represented them. The afore mentioned Democrats were very instrumental in the failure of Fannie Mae and Freedie Mac, as well as the financial failure on Wall Street. It was people like Obama, coercing Fannie Mae to give home loans to people that did not deserve them, that caused the failure. Obama couldn’t even pass a basic U.S. government security clearance. He has had close ties with at least four radicals that are anti-white as well as anti-America. His wife, in her thesis, wrote about how she didn’t like whites and would always put blacks first. Barak and her both are extreme racists, yet the ultra liberal, pro-socialist young people being turned out by our biased colleges are supporting this dangerous man. You reap what you sow. If he is elected, America will fail due to his socialist agenda. After all, can you picture Al Sharpton as his Secretary of Defense? McCain is not my favorite as a candidate, but he, unlike Obama, is an honest honorable man. He fought and suffered for his country, which Obama would never do. He didn’t take ear mark pork at all, while Obama took almost a $1,000,000 per day. Putin and other dangerous leaders around the world would not dare cross McCain. They would laugh at a wuss like Obama and view Ameria as weak with him as president.
75. Keith | 10.11.08
McCain has been unfavorably compared to Reagan, but Reagan was not above playing the racism card. He just did it more subtly:
“In August 1980 Ronald Reagan kickstarted his first run for the White House with a speech at the annual fair of Philadelphia, a small town in Mississippi. It was an odd choice of location for such a high-profile event, just days after he had accepted his party’s nomination as presidential candidate. A community of a few thousand people, Philadelphia is well off the beaten track. But as he spoke in front of an enthusiastic and all-white crowd, his purpose became clearer. He famously posed on stage in a rocking chair, Nancy on his knee, her shoes caked in Mississippi mud. Then he started addressing the crowd.
“He was in favor of states’ rights, he said, earning a lusty cheer. That sounds innocent enough as a political statement, but made in the deep south it had resonance. It was a euphemism, widely recognized at that time, for support of southern racial segregation and opposition to the meddling anti-racism of the federal government.”
Quoted from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/28/uselections2008.race
76. kindmind | 10.11.08
Mr. Obama could hammer on an endless list of associations, and what ‘he said, she said’ allegations and created confusion about his opponents characters but he’s stuck to appropriate themes. The information is out there for both Sarah Palin and John McCain or frankly any of us. But other than pushing back some, Obama has stuck to the issues. Again, it’s out of touch for McCain to create bogus claims and make Mr. Obama out to be a terrorist, socialist, hater of America to a population that culturally many think in black and white and not expect to incite hostility. Poor judgement, poor leadership. Taking a sorry VP pick and using her looks to portray an opponent, a fellow American as someone evil is transparent and symbolically an unfortunate center piece on the mantle of a long career and legacy of a lifetime.
78. Webster | 10.11.08
McCain’s attempt to rein in the outlandish comments and behavior of his supporters may be “too little too late,” as some of you feel, but it reflects the tone and spirit most Americans want to see in our political process. Respect and courtesy shown by each side to the other is desperately needed. Once the election is over, we have to work together as one nation to overcome the enormous problems facing whoever is elected.
I appreciate the earlier campaign speeches of Obama, where he emphasized that we are all Americans, that we need to work together to oppose the divisiveness and partisanship that are tearing our nation apart. If that isn’t the message of “Country First,” I don’t know what is.
With so few days remaining until the general election, and millions already voting early in many states, we need to hear specific details about the plans and policies proposed by each candidate. It’s time for the negative campaigning to give way to honesty, openness, and intelligent discourse. We are watching the total meltdown of our society, and we seem unable to rise above the petty name-calling and taunting of school-yard hoodlums.
We deserve better than this from ourselves. We have become our own worst enemies.
79. Linda | 10.11.08
Last time I checked it is our responsibility to defuse irrational behavior. It is a sign of a leader. Good going Mr. McCain.
80. Oregon4Obama | 10.11.08
whoa whoa whoa everyone……
McCain is not supporting obama…..he is saying what he needed to say to calm the crowd…..
look, go back and look at Obama’s rallys http://www.youtube.com/barackobamadotcom and every time obama references McCain, he THANKS HIM for his service especially when talking about foreign policy….he even says “i dont think John McCain doesnt care, its that he just doesnt know”….its still an attack, but its at least respectful first or in a “gentlemanly” way….
People in the Mccain-palin crowds have been giving mccain a bad name…..what was he suppose to do? let it continue? NO….if anything happened to Obama, McCain would go down in history as the candidate that stoked the fires of hate and discrimination
Again, Mccain did NOT endorse Obama, he just calmed his crowd…..Obama has had to do the same at his own rallies…I remember an African American advocacy group in one video that did not like Obama and wanted him to do more for African Americans….Obama said to them “you can ask your questions, just be respectful, thats all” he calmed those activists….
obama has quelled hate at his rallies and I tip my hat to Mccain for doing the same…..McCain is an Honorable man
81. Kathleen | 10.11.08
If anything is scary, it’s the hate mongering that McCain and Palin have been putting out there, an absolute disgrace. Palin was picked to pander to the extreme right and she certainly has brought them into the fold. But, what are they? Fearful, ignorant, hate-filled people. Dangerous people.
I’m glad that McCain has had to backpedal on this hatred but, I’m afraid it’s not enough. He’s opened a very ugly can of worms. Instead of working for change through dialogue, legislation, or their votes, people like his right-wing followers—yelling “kill him” and “off with his head”—are very likely to prefer violent action. These are the very gun-toting people who think it’s their duty to kill someone, and expect to be hailed as heroes. Sound familiar? John Wilkes Booth thought he was doing a service to his country when he assassinated Lincoln. Lee Harvey Oswald had similar visions of grandeur when he assassinated Kennedy.
McCain is a ruthless old man who has no idea what he’s dealing with in his extreme followers. He needs to get every one of those nasty worms back in that can. I doubt that he has the guts or the honor to do it.
I agree with Jack, Tolland, CT who said: “There are unethical, ignorant, and evil elements in this election and they should be pointed out, without the need to offset it by saying the person exposing it supports Obama. The facts are the facts.”
You need to call a spade a spade and just tell the simple truth: McCain and Palin have been inciting their followers to violence. Period.
82. Jill | 10.11.08
McCain has allowed this type of garbage to go on, and it’s come back to bite him. He seems quite content to send Palin out with an intent to agitate, distort, and mislead, and his own campaign ads that he approved are more of the same. What did he expect? It’s just another case of a man without a positive message of what he would do, that has reduced himself to slandering an opponent. His main problem is that he just wants to “be” president, but he’s lost track of why?
83. jzw | 10.11.08
As an Asian American, I am very surprised to eyewitness last two weeks GOP campaigns degrading into a third world country political games, does it imply some bad fortune for this country, I really wonder and I hope not.
84. Coriander | 10.11.08
Bubba Tex,
As a life long, dyed in the crib, Dem, it would be my honor to shake your hand. We are all so diminished when a discussion that should be about the staggeringly difficult issues facing us today sinks to the vitriolic spewing of hatred. I was never a fan of Ronald Reagan’s policies and never will be. That goes back to when he was governor of my state. But you are so right in that he offered hope in his rhetoric rather than hatred (at least of fellow Americans). Until recently I held John McCain in great respect, no matter how much I deplored some of his ideas. Men (and women) lose elections every year. There are no winners without losers. But it is a sad sad thing to watch a man lose his honor. Or a woman (though I’m having a harder time determining if Sarah Palin ever had any.)
86. anonymous | 10.11.08
You can’t blame Obama by association but Factcheck org is pathetic. According to it Bill Ayers is “unapologetic former terrorist”. If you are apologetic you are still a murderer.
87. overdue | 10.11.08
McCain, who claims to put country first and accuses Obama of being a “celebrity,” sure does fancy himself in the spotlight.
**** do anything to get attention; first by “suspending his campaign” (good free publicity) then putting out all those hate ads (more free publicity) now announcing “peace to all” (yet again, free publicity)
But when it all goes against him, like Troopergate, he screams “UNFAIR LIBERAL MEDIA!!!”
But guess what? That just garners yet even more free publicity for him!
For a guy who should be in a win-win situation with all the free publicity, he sure seems to be on the losing end…..
88. Anon | 10.11.08
I saw O’bama yell “YO” at someone the other day.
Do we need a ‘YO-YO’ president!!??
Is such illustrative of a true presidential demeanor!!??
YO, YO, YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…………………..
89. Tom C | 10.11.08
I used to think McCain was an “honorable man.” Although I planned to vote for Obama, I thought that at least Mac was, at core, a decent human being.
With his relentlessly negative, mostly false attacks, I’ve seriously reconsidered that. Anyone who would so compromise their core values in order to win at any cost is NOT an honorable person. The fact that he’s trying to tone down the rhetoric at this late hour is laughable; he started the fire, and now he’s worried that it might burn down all our homes.
John McCain is not an honorable man.
As to Obama being far-left, that’s just ridiculous. Obama is about as centrist as you can be and still be called a Democrat. This “Obama is the most liberal guy EVER” meme from the Right would be comical if it weren’t so outrageously false.
I used to roll my eyes at the “anyone who doesn’t like Obama is a racist” line from my own party. But more and more, that’s what I’m seeing — the only reason people can give to vote against him (other than the manufactured controversy du jour from the McCain camp) is that he’s “scary” and “different” and “other” — despite the fact that this is a fairly plain-speaking, Christian family guy, just like 99% of the rest of America. The only really “other” thing I can see about him — and I truly did NOT want to come to this conclusion — is that he looks different.
Sad. But hopefully the angels will win the day over the forces of intolerance and racism.
90. NinaK | 10.11.08
9. Pachu Kovalan | 10.11.08
I didn’t see this kind of anger by the Democrats when the President of the U.S. was called as Satan by President Chavez at U.N. or at numerous anti-war rallies where Bush was called “Hitler”. That is not extreme I guess…just free-speech. Such hypocrisy!
—————————-
What is extreme is the calls from McCain-Palin supporters is the fact that people are shouting such things as “off with head” and “kill him”. Calling him a terrorist while we are fighting the real terrorists goes beyong the pale. There are some sickos out there, and it looks like a lot of them are attending the McCain-Palin rallies and things could get very ugly and very dangerous. The fact that McCain and Palin instigated such lies and slander about Senator Obama, they are in fact inciting, inciting, encouraging, and promoting such dispicable behavior. IF anything happens to Senator Obama we will hold McCain and Palin responsible for instigating this line of dispicabele thinking. I am very, very shamed of McCain and Palin, they are doing and saying whatever “THEY FEEL IT TAKES” in their effortse to get in the White House without regard to the great damage they are doing to the United States of America and its values, dignity, honor, and how the rest of world sees us. The rest of the world already has a very negative view of the USA and Palin’s and McCains is making things for the United States of America that much worse!! McCain and Palin do NOT care if they destroy our country and turn their supporters into dispicable mobs who want to behead and kill Senator Obama. Fellow Americans, please vote wisely, vote for Senator Obama who has stayed on course, who has run a superb campain, who has surrounded himself with good and decent people, who truely cares about and dearly loves America. A gentleman of superb intelligence and intellect, wisdom and vision, and the ONLY candidate who can bring the country and us back to our feet to stand tall again. For too long, middle-class and poor America has been on its knees because for the past eight years the administration has catered to lobbyists, big business, and their buddies. It is time to lift up America and our people! Obama-Biden 2008!
PS, please remember that bigoty begets bigotry, hatred begets hatred, resentment begets resentment, evil begets evil and this is exactly what McCain and Palin have been instigating, inciting, encouraging, condoning and promoting. Fellow Americans, please, WE, THE PEOPLE, DO NOT DESERVE THIS KIND OF LEADERSHIP!! We need STEADFAST STEADINESS AND SENTATOR OBAMA IS THE ONLY PRESIDENT WHO CAN PROVIDE US WITH THIS DURING THESE ECONOMICALLY CHAOTIC TIMES. Again, please vote wisely, please vote for what is best for the United States of America and what is best for our citizens. Thank you so much.
91. dick bohanon | 10.11.08
when you eliminate the moderate/intellectual portion of your party
what are you left with?
the present day republican party.
when you disavow any dissent from the party line
what are you left with?
a party that loses elections for years to come.
when the party line is so narrow a construct that
tens of millions are marginalized
what are you left with?
a party of the lunatic fringe.
support the republican party’s quest
for a better america
just ignore todays realities.
as nelson muntz once said
“some of us prefer illusion to despair”
92. dennis | 10.11.08
John McCain and Sarah Palin are supported by TERRORISTS! Domestic TERRORISTS! support them. They attend TERRORIST! meetings peopled by (un)known TERRORISTS!
Argghh, run for your lives! TERRORISTS!
93. cport | 10.11.08
McCain and Palin wittingly fueled the fire that ignited the incendiary, life-threatening remarks that now seen to be commonplace at their rallies. If McCain were truly a “good man” he would never have let his campaign take the sleazy, Rovian route to the White House. He may have been a war hero 40 years ago, but today “my friends” he’s a pathetic, desperate loser who has chosen to put the country and Obama at risk with his erratic, irresponsible actions — top among them being his pathetic choice of Palin as V.P. If McCain/Palin are the best the Republicans can offer, this country is in serious danger! We cannot let the Republicans steal yet another election…Vote Obama/Biden!!
94. NinaK | 10.11.08
37. drpimk | 10.11.08
McCain had to calm his supporters down because he didn’t want to be blamed if something happened to Obama. He and Palin are the ones who incited the crowd to get to this point.
—————————
When that woman told McCain Senator Obama was an “Arab”, McCain responded with, “No, no, he is not an Arab, he is a decent man, a good family man…”
McCain is saying Arabs are NOT decent people and are NOT good famly parents. Wow, he cannot help but get himself deeper and deeper into his own pot of witchstew!! Furthermore, I do not believe McCain tried to “calm the mob” on his own; it is my belief the Secret Service Ordered McCain to clean up his act and stop promoting hatred, bigotry, division, and a mob environment!! McCain had NO choice but to DEFEND Senator Obama!! Believe me, he did NOT do it WILLINGLY!!
95. NinaK | 10.11.08
9. Pachu Kovalan | 10.11.08
I didn’t see this kind of anger by the Democrats when the President of the U.S. was called as Satan by President Chavez at U.N. or at numerous anti-war rallies where Bush was called “Hitler”. That is not extreme I guess…just free-speech. Such hypocrisy!
—————————-
What is extreme is the calls from McCain-Palin supporters is the fact that people are shouting such things as “off with head” and “kill him”. Calling him a terrorist while we are fighting the real terrorists goes beyong the pale. There are some sickos out there, and it looks like a lot of them are attending the McCain-Palin rallies and things could get very ugly and very dangerous. The fact that McCain and Palin instigated such lies and slander about Senator Obama, they are in fact inciting, inciting, encouraging, and promoting such dispicable behavior. IF anything happens to Senator Obama we will hold McCain and Palin responsible for instigating this line of dispicabele thinking. I am very, very shamed of McCain and Palin, they are doing and saying whatever “THEY FEEL IT TAKES” in their effortse to get in the White House without regard to the great damage they are doing to the United States of America and its values, dignity, honor, and how the rest of world sees us. The rest of the world already has a very negative view of the USA and Palin’s and McCains is making things for the United States of America that much worse!! McCain and Palin do NOT care if they destroy our country and turn their supporters into dispicable mobs who want to behead and kill Senator Obama. Fellow Americans, please vote wisely, vote for Senator Obama who has stayed on course, who has run a superb campain, who has surrounded himself with good and decent people, who truely cares about and dearly loves America. A gentleman of superb intelligence and intellect, wisdom and vision, and the ONLY candidate who can bring the country and us back to our feet to stand tall again. For too long, middle-class and poor America has been on its knees because for the past eight years the administration has catered to lobbyists, big business, and their buddies. It is time to lift up America and our people! Obama-Biden 2008!
PS, please remember that bigoty begets bigotry, hatred begets hatred, resentment begets resentment, evil begets evil and this is exactly what McCain and Palin have been instigating, inciting, encouraging, condoning and promoting. Fellow Americans, please, WE, THE PEOPLE, DO NOT DESERVE THIS KIND OF LEADERSHIP!! We need STEADFAST STEADINESS AND SENTATOR OBAMA IS THE ONLY PRESIDENT WHO CAN PROVIDE US WITH THIS DURING THESE ECONOMICALLY CHAOTIC TIMES. Again, please vote wisely, please vote for what is best for the United States of America and what is best for our citizens. Thank you so much.
96. Jed | 10.11.08
Am a legal resident of the United States and has watched the economy go down in the last couple of years because of mismanagement and dumb founded policies. It is pretty obvious who is telling the truth or not. After hearing the ethical irresponsibility of Sarah Palin as a governor of Alaska yesterday, i do hope people will use that information well.
97. Thomas shea | 10.11.08
Obama associates with known terrorists and cop killers.
Vote for Palin not McCain. She’ll be the president by 2010 anyway. McCain is a washed up shell of a man. So vote for her, not him.
98. Da Truth | 10.11.08
“I didn’t see this kind of anger by the Democrats when the President of the U.S. was called as Satan by President Chavez at U.N. or at numerous anti-war rallies where Bush was called “Hitler”. That is not extreme I guess…just free-speech. Such hypocrisy!”
TRUE, VERY TRUE
I also do not remember anyone calling Billy Bob Clintonian a “Terrorist” when he bombed Iraq.
Click below to read Billy-Bob’s own words, His own speeches……………..So Telling!!!
VERY, VERY IMPORTANR LINKS
—Bill Clinton’s own words—
http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1998/12/16/transcripts/clinton.html
http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/02/17/transcripts/clinton.iraq/
Why has the Media so totally ignored these speeches (of course we all know the answer to that one DON’T WE)
Why did no one call CLINTON A TERRORIST !!!!!!!!!!!!!
99. Steve | 10.11.08
Hey Pachu Kovalan
Ho one got angry when Predisdent Chavez blasted Dubya because he was right!
Dubya is the absolute worst leader this country has ever seen and we are all stuck with the devastation he has created. If there is a Satan…. Dubaya must be a relative
100. rwm | 10.11.08
sounds like the only honorable words that have come out of McCain’s mouth in quite some time.
101. Chris in Seattle | 10.11.08
McCain and Palin both have instances and relationships in their backgrounds that should be questioned directly in the mainstream media. McCain supported some weirdos in Oregon linked to the shooting of a doctor who legally performed abortions, and Palin has ties to a secessionist group in Alaska that routinely speaks disparagingly about the United States. Her husband Todd was a member of that group until last year, and she spoke at their meeting, telling them to “keep up the good work.” Let this stuff be known too.
As for inciting rage and a mob mentality, Sarah Palin is responsible for the bulk of it, though sanctioned by both McCain and his staff. He backfired on him yesterday when he had to defend Obama. (That’s how bad it got.) It was very scary and does nothing to relieve the fears people have now that our country is “going to **** in a hand basket.” This most stop.
102. wolf | 10.11.08
What McCain did, by squelching some of his supporters false remarks, was right and honorable. If he had been waging that kind of campaign all along, the polls would have been much, much closer.
We’ll have to see, if this version of McCain lasts or if he falls back into the less honorable one.
103. P.A.M. Dirac | 10.11.08
McCain is ‘defending’ Obama while simultaneously running commercials of equal tenor.
104. steve iowa | 10.11.08
that lady who said that obama was an arab is represenitive of most of mccain supporters…they latch onto a lie or rumor and then use it as fact to try to prove what a bad choice the dems are making…i can see being a lifelong supporter of a national party, but to go to these ignorant extremes is embarrassing to mccain and the usa as a whole…..
105. Rolanda Woo | 10.11.08
To be honest, I am more than disappointed by the American people, by the underturn of your so-called American spirit.
You claim that your country has the freedom, has the humanity, has the respect to people who are intelligent and work hard. But all these are not able to cross the bias set by the line of race and colour. After decades, you American people still do not have the courage to see yourself and you could not bring yourself to stand a black person - no matter how intelligent he is, no matter how hard he works, and no matter what kind of good intention he wants to serve the country - to be the lead of your country.
How ironic and also how sad it is. American spirit, after all, just a painted surface above the old ugly face of human.
You attack him, as you feel fear that your status of superior as white colour can not be substantial anymore. You eventually cannot accept a black man whose race has been slaved a century ago becomes the president of your nation. Don’t try to find any side-reason to accuse him, be brave to face yourself: You American people are just disappointing to be just! And no priority of the country, only the priority of the race.
I felt jealous for your having such an intelligent guy to work on your good future. But now I feel that you don’t deserve this and I am concerned someday you egoistic people will kill this honorable young man with a bullet.
Such a shame!
106. Rolanda Woo | 10.11.08
To be honest, I am more than disappointed by the American people, by the underturn of your so-called American spirit.
You claim that your country has the freedom, has the humanity, has the respect to people who are intelligent and work hard. But all these are not able to cross the bias set by the line of race and colour. After decades, you American people still do not have the courage to see yourself and you could not bring yourself to stand a black person - no matter how intelligent he is, no matter how hard he works, and no matter what kind of good intention he wants to serve the country - to be the lead of your country.
How ironic and also how sad it is. American spirit, after all, just a painted surface above the old ugly face of human.
You attack him, as you feel fear that your status of superior as white colour can not be substantial anymore. You eventually cannot accept a black man whose race has been slaved a century ago becomes the president of your nation. Don’t try to find any side-reason to accuse him, be brave to face yourself: You people are just too disappointing to be just! And no priority of the country, only the priority of the self-interest.
I felt jealous for your having such an intelligent guy to work on your good future. But now I feel that you don’t deserve this and I am concerned someday you egoistic people will kill this honorable young man with a bullet.
Such a shame!
107. Suffield, CT | 10.11.08
I will most likely vote for Obama, but I give McCain high marks for calming the negativity, and proving both candidates are worthy of the presidency. Trying to paint either candidate as a one-dimensional image is unfair and untrue. The question is who is best to lead the country and our world image in a positive direction.
108. no-palin-please | 10.11.08
Thank God someone got McCain to see the light and try to tell these morons to knock it off. I will give him back an ounce of respect becuase he had lost it all recently. It’s really not him that’s the problem, it’s the judgement he had to agree to pick Sarah Palin, he needs to yank in that pitbull because she’s the one who’s trying to cause some violence towards Obama so that she can find her way to the White House. She is so ambitious and doesn’t care about this country at all. I hope she gets sued for her breach of ethics case in Alaska. The people of Alaska and our country deserve better than her. Too bad for McCain, he seemed reasonable until he picked her.
109. jim | 10.11.08
McCain didn’t say Arabs were not decent.Speaking of taking things out of contest.
110. Andre | 10.11.08
You mean you’d find something like this at an Obama rally:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ_7mEWoWI8
111. margaret | 10.11.08
Since Nixon, the Republicans have been employing variants of the so-called Southern strategy, nothing more than an effort to harness racism and xenophobia to keep them in office. Sarah Palin and John McCain have been so plain in their incitement that FINALLY this country has said ENOUGH. Sarah’s 15 minutes are just about up.
112. Kevin | 10.11.08
McCain needs to stop supporters from becoming violent. No matter what the situation is, people should not get into violent acts but McCain did not have to praise Obama. The election is not over yet and there is plenty of time left. Go McCain-Palin!
113. serious voter | 10.11.08
The fact is McCain is more experienced than Biden and Palin is more experiences than Obama. Look at what McCain and Palin have accomplished. They deserve medals!
114. No nonsense | 10.11.08
Either party are capable of solving current problems, now the question is who is more trustworthy and honest. The answer is McCain. He was a war hero, he certainly will serve the country with honesty and dignity.
115. Trey | 10.12.08
“A videographer could do the same thing at an Obama-Biden rally. If you come in with an agenda, you can create what you want to create”
Really? Wow. What a delusional statement. What precisely do you think you could push Obama/Biden supporters to say that would come close to “terrorist” and a derogatory use of “Muslim”?
What a goofy concept that you could squeeze racism and xenophobia out of anyone regardless off who they are. Nice attitude toward your fellow man. So if I asked your mother the right questions in the right order she’d deny the Holocaust? What? Really?
No matter how hard you milk a cow you can’t make beer come out. The reason you get milk is because there is milk to be had.
These people aren’t being “talked into” saying these things. They are being set free!
116. bunny fufu | 10.12.08
@ Rolanda Woo,
So in your country, there is no racism? There aren’t poor people? The people in your country don’t think that their country rocks?
@ no nonsense, serious voter,
Being a war hero is not sufficient qualification. And firstly, really? How many other Navy-men do you know crashed more than one plane before his wings were taken away? And did any of those Navy-men eventually become the Navy’s representative to Congress? I do not mean to say that his sacrifices should not be honored. The fact that he served in the military, was a POW and suffered greatly is greatly admirable. But you have to ask yourself, how far would this man had come had his father and grandfather had not been admirals. (See that hatchet job at Rolling Stones if you want some really harsh accusations against McCain). I doubt he would have been chosen as the Navy rep to Congress had his relations not previously held that position. But no matter how he got that job, thus began his career in Congress. Now in his Congressional career, there was that whole Keating-5 scandal. Congress found that he displayed “poor judgement.” I’m not quite sure why someone who Congress has found to display “poor judgement” is at all a good candidate for President of the USA.
In terms of the last couple of weeks, I find it deplorable what John McCain and his campaign have allowed and propagated in their rallies (not that it began there… sex ed for kindergartners?) regarding a fellow Senator. Even if you give McCain the benefit of the doubt and assume he didn’t know what his surrogates were doing, doesn’t that just prove that he cannot lead even his own campaign? Calling off his campaign to sink the first bailout bill (which his campaign manager has admitted), picking a deplorable gimmick of a VP candidate, accusations of guilt by association… all of these strike me as awful judgment calls. And don’t forget that he lied about bringing Congress together for a bailout when he really sank the first bill. That’s not honesty.
And let’s not even go into Palin. When at least half of the credible Republican pundits call her awful, “a cancer on the Republican party”, it’s safe to say anyone who thinks this woman is qualified needs some therapy (with the exception of people whose ONLY issue in voting is abortion).
@original article
You wouldn’t find that vitriol at Obama rallies. You might find as “stupid” a supporter at Obama rallies, but you would not find anyone who would call for dismemberment of the opponent. And that is because the campaign has never implied that McCain is un-American or thinks America is “imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists.”
117. Thozmaniac | 10.12.08
Obama’s gonna lose,…big time.
True American’s know the score. We’re not brainwashed about your messiah Obama.
You’re lemmings at best, and stupid at worst.
You blindly follow a man with little experience. Obama will never set foot in the Oval office.
118. Concerned | 10.12.08
“He’s an Arab.”
“No, m’am, he’s not. He’s a decent man.”
Do we need more proof of republican bigotry?
Obama/Biden 08
119. Nomo Stew | 10.12.08
Big difference between Obama hatred and Bush hatred: Bush earned his.
Bush invaded the wrong country for the wrong reasons, costing us a trillion dollars (at least) and the lives of over 4,000 of our finest citizens (plus the lives of many thousands of Iraqis, the large majority innocent bystanders). He suspended our Constitution, the chief pride of our nation and the thing above all others that makes that shining city on the hill. His financial deregulation and top-end tax cuts enriched a small circle of get-rich-quick supporters, as a result ruining our property values, our investments, our incomes and jobs and now threatening the entire economic stability of our nation. He took over a government that was in a position to run balanced budgets indefinitely and racked up a preposterous debt that we will take generations to pay, if ever. He ignored Clinton and Gore’s briefings and thus ignored al Qaeda, and so booted a chance to prevent the destruction of the World Trade Center, with all its lose of life, prosperity and security. Then he botched the effort to defeat our real chief enemy, al Qaeda. He is not just the worst President in history. He makes up an entirely separate category, the genuinely destructive President, and is not likely ever to have a peer in that realm.
And he took power using exactly the tactics McCain now uses against Obama. Down at the level of fact, nothing McCain and Palin are using against Obama even washes; you can’t hate the man without buying into some species of very large lie. Bush, by contrast, has given us concrete, material and enormous grounds for hatred. But yet, we have no reports of Obama rallies that threaten him.
120. Da Truth | 10.12.08
I saw a report somewhere that the people who think O’bama is ‘qualified’, are the same ones who though OJ was ‘innocent’.
Is it the ’same’ mindset at work?
121. Catherine | 10.12.08
First of all, John McCain is a gentleman…he found it totally inappropriate for someone at his rally to cast aspersions on the opponent without proof.
What the McCain supporters and Independent voters are having problems with are the Obama statements, or lack of, he’s made to the press regarding his past. He either does not answer personal questions regarding his past or dances around the questions. The people commenting on this article have brought up Ayers and the connection Obama has to him and his foundation. When Obama was initially asked about Ayers he said, hey he’s not a close friend, he lives in my neighborhood. Obviously, the person asking knew the truth…they knew that they were on a board together for several years, working for a common educational cause. SO, people are asking themselves, WHY is this guy not telling the WHOLE TRUTH?? Why is Obama pretending there is no real relationship? Is it because the truth is that both Ayers and Obama have very liberal ideas as to how to educate the youths of Chicago/Illinois? After all they are both liberals. And/or the truth is that Ayers’ past brings with it a negative undertone, if connected to OBAMA?
122. Catherine | 10.12.08
In reference to DaTruth comment: I agree totally with you…this OBAMA campaign is being run by the LIBERAL press…that means
ABC
NBC
CBS
MSNBC
CNN
C-SPAN
PBS
the only one left is FOX and they having been running an unbiased news coverage…..they do have talk shows that are not NEWS and they tilt right, but that is NOT news coverage.
Today on MEET the PRESS, Brokaw was pathetic….absolutely pathetic bais in his questioning of his panel….
123. JD | 10.12.08
Hey ‘Concerned’ is that what we’re doing now? We’re holding our candidates accountable for the things that some of their supporters say? I just want to make sure we’re doing that before I start talking about NAMBLA, the communist movement, E.L.F. and other domestic terrorists like Weather Underground, etc. Just let me know if we’re making that leap of logic, and we can begin. So far we were looking at important associations, but if things that supporter say can and will be held against the candidates, I think we’ll have some serious fun!
124. Rob | 10.12.08
who says that…”off with his head” my GOD I live in a country with these simple minds? These are McCain supporters? WE THE PEOPLE forgot about BUSH and CHENEY crime? I would expect MORE. VOTE NOVEMBER 4th….yes people for the BLACK MAN….MY GOD. the white guys robbed you BLIND…and for the socialist thing look at McCains HEALTH CARE PLAN….5,000 (not many zero’s there honey) when it cost 700.00 per month you ‘lil brains will run out before Memorial DAY (I know what your thinking…these folk like people are not that bright) …black man still = HUMAN. unlike ya’ll…. git yur gun….yee haa. Abortion BAD but shoot-up your neighbor OK???????
125. Rob | 10.12.08
Vote twice …..for a BAD choice (BUSH/CHENEY). A 3rd time…..think people!!! you already had a white dude rob you blind. AGAIN??? and for those who are NOT racist …still voting for McCain for the ABORTION thing ….(like my sister) they didn’t do a damn thing about it. ABORTION is still legal!!! IDIOTS. It’s a sight to watch these REPUBLICAN voters lose their jobs, pensions and 401K. Blame the senate like the RIGHT WING MEDIA (RUSH..GLEN BECK…LAURA..you know the type I listen to them ALSO) BRAIN-WASHED you FOLK….like a REPUBLICAN once told me it takes someone in control of the government 4 or more years to make a difference. DEM senate=2 years……Republican senate =6 years…….HEH!!!!!!!!! THINK about….if you still have your OWN MIND.
126. katharine | 10.13.08
It’s sad to see all the negative attacks go on and on. The important thing is, who is really going to cut taxes for the average person, not the oil companies or the rich? Who will make sure our boys quit dying in some foreign country for a foreign cause and bring them and the money home to make America safe and strong? Who will make sure that you and your kids get health care when you need it and that you don’t have to sell your house to get it? Who will make sure your kids can go to college? The Democrats, with Obama/Biden, are the only answer to this crisis.
127. bunny fufu | 10.13.08
@Catherine
Around five years ago, I went to a talk being given by the then-president of the National Academy of Sciences, Bruce Alberts. He was speaking of his time in Washington and how as an academic, he felt about the politics he encountered while at the NAS. One of the things he mentioned was how the NAS had recommended that mercury regulations needed to be as high or higher than what was law. The Bush administration flat out lied about the NAS findings and lowered the regulations. The Bush administration released statements about the deregulation that were word-for-word echoed by Foxnews. You could hear the frustration in Dr. Alberts’s voice when speaking about this and how he felt Foxnews was a puppet with the Bush administration pulling the strings. This was not a commentary, this was what Foxnews considered “fact.” And this is why I believe Foxnews is in no way unbiased.
128. kpeacen | 10.13.08
There is a sobering article in Rolling Stone about the real McCain:
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/23316912/makebelieve_maverick/print
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Jimmy Orr has worked in politics for the majority of his professional career working for two U.S. Senators, two Governors and one President. Most recently, Orr served as White House Spokesman and Internet Director for President George W. Bush and Special Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger for Internet Communications.
David Cook is Washington bureau chief of The Christian Science Monitor and host of the Monitor's newsmaker breakfasts. He was the Monitor's editor from 1994 to 2001. Cook is a graduate of Principia College, served in the U.S. Army, was a Bagehot Fellow at Columbia University, and is a member of the Gridiron Club, Washington's oldest journalistic organization.
1. Bryan | 10.11.08
Regarding Ayers, check the facts and reference them on your site
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/he_lied_about_bill_ayers.html
Other interesting points that you should point out:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/5/18/03541/2524