Incitement: McCain Fostering Climate of Violence
Have you seen McCain' and Palin's latest attacks on Obama?
Because what they are doing is nothing less than incitement. Saying that we don't know where Obama came from or who he is or what he would do to America is to say that, as President, he would pose a threat to America.
This is the message being circulated in millions of anonymous emails which fill in the "blanks" with xenophobic libels. What McCain and Palin are doing is saying, "yeah, there's some truth in those charges." They are not only disrespecting our democratic system by inciting hate against the other party's nominee, they are saying that Obama's election would destroy those things Americans hold dear. And the crowds are responding as intended.
They are, in short, inciting against Obama with no regard for how their words will be heard and by whom.
Funny, I was just addressing this on my local newspaper's blog. But our local bunch of raving maniacs have been pressing this for a week or so now: "we don't know anything about Obama."
The implication is that Obama is successfully hiding his true, Marxist dirty commie pig socialist self from us. And the less evidence there is, and the less Obama supporters can pooh pooh the claim, the stronger the claim becomes.
This is the stuff that psychoanalysis is made of.
October 6, 2008 7:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Really, we are on the verge of Kristalnacht.
The brown shirts are marching. It CAN happen here.
October 6, 2008 11:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thank God someone else saw it.
Watching McCain smiling as the crowd roars, "terrorist!"
It's as if I was watching some film school parody trying to paint McCain as the evil one, his soul searing with the power as he whipped up the hate.
But it's not a poorly acted hatchet job! It's McCain himself!
October 7, 2008 1:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed, McCain and his operatives are shouting terrorist but their endgame, I fear, is to generate hatred. (Hitler did a bang-up job, remember.)
Just as love blinds us, hatred shuts down our thinking, and reasoning - which is what McCain is really committed to accomplishing. One of his handlers even admits same when he says that the McCain campaign has to take people's attention off the economy/Obama, maneuver them into not thinking about it (or him in a positive light) - a sure-fire way to do that is to get them to hate.
October 7, 2008 1:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
c4,
agreed.
McCain is rabble rousing, the worst elements of the republican party; the socio-paths, the racists, the homophobes, the anti-semites, the easily led, the bullies, the book burners and the 'mile wide, half inch deep' crowd.
Christ, this is the gang I fought in WWII
Ernst Rohm would be proud.
October 7, 2008 3:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
The line has been crossed!
Obama has been accused of being a terrorists; if I remember right,it is now our patriotic duty to water-board him until he reveals what his little terrorists friends are.
Nothing to see here. Move along.
October 7, 2008 1:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
These are dangerous people. I am very worried for the future of our country when our leaders promote hate, spew lies, inspire ignorance, and tolerate the indefensible.
October 6, 2008 7:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
The important people to watch in the days ahead are his surrogates with political futures. People like Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty and Charlie Christ.
Pay close attention to see how many of them back off the campaign trail now that it has become a spitball circus. If the public doesn't like the tone, they will be the first to drop.
If they are willing to do McCain's dirty work they are risking those futures and should be held accountable by voters, if not the media.
In fact, that is another strategy that the Dems should employ. Kill the messenger.
October 6, 2008 7:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
The word "kill" has no place in any political campaign.
McCain and Palin themselves seem so disconnected from civilization that one should wonder if either one carries a gun. They are obviously deranged and dangerous.
October 6, 2008 8:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Remember it was Hillary Clinton that brought up William Ayers in the Democratic Debate--what does Hillary have to say now that Gov Sarah Palin is taking her talking points to the next level........
Why isn't the Obama campaign using the effective rebuttals Obama has given on the campaign trail, in the political ad wars, instead of the constant milquetoast reaction every time the McCain/Palin smear machine cranks out another "winner"...the latest, guilt by association.
October 6, 2008 8:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama is not rebutting it because he has an association with someone who blew up government buildings.
The Liberals know that if Palin had ever associated with anyone on the "fringe" such as an abortion clinic bomber, that the Liberals would be hammering nails into her and crucifying her on the cross.
If she said "I was only 8 years old" we'd all hear what a lame excuse that is.
What are the effective rebuttals that Obama has given regarding Ayers? I haven't heard any. He said that he didn't regret setting bombs!! C'mon, let's not try to say "it was a long time ago".
Maybe you can try to say that Barack never "really" was friends with him. But Ayers hosted a fund raiser for Barack's first run at the senate. And Barack was ran the CAC, which was founded by Ayers.
How can people say that they were just "passing ships in the night"???
October 6, 2008 9:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Who cares if he knows Ayers? Seriously. What does it matter?
October 6, 2008 10:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Zeno points out, below, that the Bush family has a strong relationship with the Bin Ladens. At least Obama associates with Americans. Then again, Ayers was not very effective, unlike McVeigh, who has strong associations with the American right wing.
Boy, associating is fun!
October 6, 2008 11:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ayers was never convicted, one. Ayers is now a college professor, or so I'm told, two.
What? You gonna tell me the college didn't properly "vet" him?
October 7, 2008 12:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
Two phrases:
- Prosecutorial misconduct
- Cointelpro
I, frankly, would not mind having a national dialogue about both.
October 7, 2008 9:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
Bill Ayers worked with Republicans, independents and Democrats in Chicago about school reform, so are all those people terrorists? Bill Ayers and his wife are professors at the University of Illinois, so is the University he teaches at a terrorist institutions? Are all his students terrorist. Right wing Republicans are so despicable. Here is a country going down the drain after eight years of Republican rule and all they want to do is spread fear over manufactured lies. I suppose if Obama is a terrorist Republicans like Dick Lugar who have worked with him must be terrorist too.
October 7, 2008 3:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
the new york times article answers all of your questions, refutes most of your distortions, and knocks down you straw men as well:
A review of records of the schools project and interviews with a dozen people who know both men, suggest that Mr. Obama, 47, has played down his contacts with Mr. Ayers, 63. But the two men do not appear to have been close. Nor has Mr. Obama ever expressed sympathy for the radical views and actions of Mr. Ayers, whom he has called “somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8.”
bill ayers is a phony non-issue.
October 7, 2008 8:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Apparently you were not conscious during the Vietnam era, I was. Bill Ayers had a lot of popular support, to the point where there was almost a revolution. Had that revolution succeeded, we would be better off today, as the government would know they are accountable to the people. Today they are not. We really need a system wherein we could have sent them all packing a year or more ago.
October 8, 2008 12:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
MJ, I read this and I feel so sick.
What can we do?
I sent this to everyone I know. These people aren't fit to be in the company of decent people.
October 6, 2008 9:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Let alone lead them.
October 6, 2008 9:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bwakfat - why don't you tell us why we shouldn't be concerned about Ayers. Thanks
October 6, 2008 9:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
You haven't given a reason why we should be.
October 6, 2008 10:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Your desperate grasping at straws amuses me!
October 6, 2008 10:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're a terrist.
October 6, 2008 10:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Because there is no there there.
As much as the well-respected WorldNetDaily and the Free Republic want there to be some kind of evil association between the two, doesn't mean one exists. In fact, from all accounts by those who truly seem to know, there wasn't much of a relationship between the two.
Guilt by association--when you're down in the polls and have nothing to offer, I guess that's where you have to go. John McCain lost his soul.
October 6, 2008 10:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bill, are you concerned that Todd Palin was a member, and Sarah Palin associated with/courted, an Alaska Secessionist group (the AIP) whose founder said "The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government."? If not, why not?
October 7, 2008 10:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
Senator McCain seems to have progressed from 'maverick' through 'floundering' to 'scraping the bottom of the barrel'.
I have a brother who served in Viet Nam and went through the very same stages.
But my special concern centers around the "Dumbing-Down" of the Presidency. The present holder of the Office is commonly portrayed as academically unaccomplished. Senator McCain, by his own admission, did not do as well as he could have. At present, the story is that Gov. Palin took 6 years and as many schools to accomplish what usually takes half? the time.
What a lack-luster succession plan!
October 6, 2008 9:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ronalawn - sorry I couldn't follow your post. But here's the bottom line - Our current president attended Phillips, Yale and HBS. I'm happy for the next President to come from a non-Ivy League school and be at the bottom of their class. I know alot of people I went to school with who got really bad grades but ended up being great leaders and running businesses.
October 6, 2008 10:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's "a lot" not "alot" (which is not a word).
October 6, 2008 10:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Stopp BEEing a Terrist@!
October 6, 2008 10:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
I know. Every time I correct a wingnut's spelling, Jesus steps on a puppy.
October 6, 2008 10:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well that explains all the dead, flat puppies I've been seeing all over the side of the road.
Used to be skunks.
Yet another thing I have to blame those wingnuts for.
October 7, 2008 12:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
John McCain just lost whatever honor and dignity he had left.
Let's be clear about this--his campaign this year has never been about putting country first. It's all about putting John McCain first and country last.
I once liked John McCain
John McCain was a good guy
Senator McCain, you're no John McCain
October 6, 2008 10:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Like I said earlier, you should be concerned about Obama's character because Ayers is a lunatic and Obama allowed the guy to host one of his election fundraisers and Obama also ran one of his non-profits. If it had been me, I would not have been associating myself with lunatic Ayers.
October 6, 2008 10:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
There's no legitimate link, so there's nothing to worry about.
Ayers isn't a lunatic, he's a well-respected professor who has redeemed himself and has been forgiven by the Chicago political and academic community.
Obama attending many social events in Chicago when he kicked off his political career. Ayers' was one of dozens, and it doesn't matter anyway because Ayers by then had changed his life around and everyone respected what he had done in the past 20 years as an academic and pillar of the community.
Obama didn't run "one of his non-profits." Obama was asked by others to serve on the board of a non-profit that Ayers had a connection to. It had nothing to do with Ayers at all.
You should do your research and know what you're talking about before you post this stupid bullshit here or anywhere. Did you even read the NY Times article? It sure doesn't sound like you did.
October 6, 2008 10:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
It doesn't need to read an actual article. It wants to hate, and hate it does. It is pathetic and has no hope of real life, stuck there in its mother's basement.
October 6, 2008 11:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, I know, but Destor put me in a puppy kicking mood when he called me a "terrist"!
Ha!
October 6, 2008 11:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama "ran" a non-profit? I thought he just ran for State Senate, US Senate, and President. Go figure.
October 7, 2008 12:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
MiddleCLassBill,
Ayers isn't a lunatic, its you and those that post to you (feed the wingnut) that are lunatics.
October 7, 2008 11:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
"They are.... inciting against Obama with no regard for how their words will be heard and by whom".
No regard, huh? You sure about that?
October 6, 2008 10:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Chuck Hagel (R-NE) needs to smack John McCain down IMMEDIATELY with a prime time address decimating his "old friend".
F#CK JOHN MCCAIN! He wants actual war in this campaign and people injured or killed. He's a menace.