at a certain point calling it a mere difference of opinion is a lie

[rm]

I have to confess, I've hit the point in this race where I'm waiting for McCain of Palin to have a A Few Good Men moment in which someone loses their temper and says exactly the evil and vitriol they've been dying to unleash since the beginning of this.

I've been watching reports about this on the news, and the Republican commentators shrug it off as the party firing up their base and some people getting out of hand.

Sorry, not good enough. These people want pitchforks and torches and they scare the shit out of me. It's bad, BAD, when I've run out of eloquence for what's happening.

We are losing our grip on ourselves as a nation.


Effigy of Obama alarms George Fox campus
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/09/racial_incident_rattles_george.html

NEWBERG -- Students and campus leaders at George Fox University denounced the hanging of a life-size cardboard cutout of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama on campus, vowing to work together to fight racism and intolerance.

A custodial crew at the 3,355-student Christian university found the Obama likeness hanging by fishing wire from a tree at 7 a.m. Tuesday and tore it down before students arrived for classes.

A sign taped to the cutout said, "Act Six reject," referring to a scholarship program for Portland students, many of whom are minorities.

*

Who'll Call Obama A Terrorist?
http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/10/wholl_call_obama_a_terrorist.php

You can hear it clearly on this video clip taken from MSNBC-- after McCain asks "Who is the real Barack Obama?" the first, loudest voice can be heard answering "Terrorist!"

*

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/07/obama-hatred-on-display-a_n_132572.html

In the latest instance of inflammatory outbursts at McCain-Palin rallies, a crowd member screamed "treason!" during an event on Tuesday after Sarah Palin accused Barack Obama of criticizing U.S. troops.

*

Unleashed, Palin Makes a Pit Bull Look Tame
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/06/AR2008100602935.html

In Clearwater, arriving reporters were greeted with shouts and taunts by the crowd of about 3,000. Palin then went on to blame Katie Couric's questions for her "less-than-successful interview with kinda mainstream media." At that, Palin supporters turned on reporters in the press area, waving thunder sticks and shouting abuse. Others hurled obscenities at a camera crew. One Palin supporter shouted a racial epithet at an African American sound man for a network and told him, "Sit down, boy."

...

"One of his earliest supporters is a man named Bill Ayers," she said. ("Boooo!" said the crowd.) "And, according to the New York Times, he was a domestic terrorist and part of a group that, quote, 'launched a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon and our U.S. Capitol,' " she continued. ("Boooo!" the crowd repeated.)

"Kill him!" proposed one man in the audience.

*

McCain, Palin, Tacitly Approve Assassination
http://thepoliticalcurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2008/10/campaign-is-becoming-dangerous.html

Twice yesterday and again today, when McCain was giving a speech and asked the rhetorical question, "Who is Obama?" someone in the crowd shouted back "terrorist" followed by someone else yelling "kill him," to hearty and approving applause. The same threats echoed during Palin speeches since Sunday, as well. The videos are all over YouTube.

Neither McCain nor Palin stopped their speech to lecture the audience about offensive, inappropriate and illegal comments. Why not?

...

When McCain and Palin use silence to give tacit approval to suggestions from supporters that their opponent should be shot, then they are tacitly signalling that it'd be alright for someone to take a pot shot.

Comments

[billijean.livejournal.com]

I have a question.. I admit to lacking any real knowledge or understanding and being completely unsophisticated about all this..

Those people who are yelling,"terrorist", and such.. are those people plants? Or are they just regular people who showed up for the rally? Twice yesterday and again today, when McCain was giving a speech and asked the rhetorical question, "Who is Obama?" someone in the crowd shouted back "terrorist" followed by someone else yelling "kill him," to hearty and approving applause. Three times in two days seems unlikely to be random. It seems more likely to be intentional and planned - perhaps to incite the crowd, to start rumours, or.. I don't know.

So, I come to that conclusion and then another part of my brain goes, "Really? You would believe that?". I don't know what's real anymore. What do you think is going on?

[rm.livejournal.com]

I think they're plants, simply because yeah, people are this nuts and ignorant. I'm not saying the campaign wouldn't stoop to that -- just saying they don't need to.