Twitter
StumbleUpon
Facebook
Delicious
Digg
Newsvine
Google
Yahoo
TechnoratiMcCain, Suspend Your Campaign
The GOP ticket is inciting supporters to violence against Barack Obama
And this is where the satire ends and the Special Comment begins. Because this is not even remotely funny.
1:25 p.m. Eastern Time, today, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. During the warm-up act by a red meat Congressional candidate aptly named Chris Hackett, Hackett mentions Obama and a Palin audience member shouts, "Kill Him."
And Gov. Palin, as usual, does nothing about it; says nothing to these thugs and psychos. She may not have heard this one. It is impossible to believe that by now she has not heard about the other ones. Her silence is deafening. Just as, Senator McCain, you have done nothing when violence has been asserted. Correction. You have done one thing.
Asked why, in real time, you do not repudiate this hatefulness, you act as if you are the victim. Speaking today to our NBC Station in Washington:
McCain: "Sure and I repudiated it as I have on several occasions. Unfortunately, Congressman John Lewis is an American hero who I admire who made the worst, most unacceptable statement a couple days ago that I have ever heard. He accused me and Sarah Palin of being involved in segregation, George Wallace and even made reference to a church bombing where children were killed. Senator Obama has not repudiated that statement. Senator Obama should do so immediately. Its the most outrageous thing that I have heard since in politics...it is disgraceful."Disgraceful?
Obviously, Senator, you haven't heard your own speeches, and Gov. Palin's, and what people shout during them. And you haven't heard your state GOP Chair in Virginia, Jeffrey Frederick, giving talking points to 30 of your field-operatives heading out to canvass voters in Gainesville, Virginia, with a reporter present, telling them to try to forge a connection between Barack Obama and Osama bin Laden to emphasize bombings and terrorism. And you haven't heard those volunteers, your volunteers Sen. McCain, shout back, "And he won't salute the flag" and "We don't even know where Sen. Obama was really born."
Sen. McCain, these people are speaking for you! And how dare you try to claim Congressman Lewis was linking you to Gov. George Wallace's segregation? He was linking you, aptly, to Gov. George Wallace's lynch-mob mentality.
"As public figures with the power to influence and persuade," said Congressman Lewis, "Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are playing with fire, and if they are not careful, that fire will consume us all."
Sen. McCain, your supporters, at your events, are calling Obama a terrorist and traitor and are calling for him to be killed. And yet you keep bringing back these same rabid Right Wing nuts to deliberately stir these crowds into frenzies. And then you take offense when somebody who remembers the violence in our political past, calls you on it. You, sir, are responsible for a phalanx of individuals who are shouting fire in a crowded theater.
There are some things to respect and honor about you, Sen. McCain, but on this you're not only a fraud, Senator, but you are tacitly inciting lunatics to violence. If you want to again grand-stand and suspend your campaign here's your big chance. Suspend your campaign now, until you, or somebody else, gets some control over it and it ceases to be a clear and present danger to the peace of this nation.
24 Comments so far
Show All"1:25 p.m. Eastern Time, today, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. During the warm-up act by a red meat Congressional candidate aptly named Chris Hackett, Hackett mentions Obama and a Palin audience member shouts, "Kill Him."
WHY DO PROGRESSIVES FEEL THIS STRANGE NEED TO LIE??????????
http://www.timesleader.com/news/breakingnews/Secret_Service_says_Kill_him_allegation_unfounded_.html
"Secret Service says "Kill him" allegation unfounded
By Andrew M. Seder aseder@timesleader.com
Staff Writer
SCRANTON – The agent in charge of the Secret Service field office in Scranton said allegations that someone yelled “kill him” when presidential hopeful Barack Obama’s name was mentioned during Tuesday’s Sarah Palin rally are unfounded.
The Scranton Times-Tribune first reported the alleged incident on its Web site Tuesday and then again in its print edition Wednesday. The first story, written by reporter David Singleton, appeared with allegations that while congressional candidate Chris Hackett was addressing the crowd and mentioned Obama’s name a man in the audience shouted “kill him.""
I know, I have drunk the kool-ade, been hypnotized by the silver-tongued, bedazzled by the 1000-watt smile, on a sixties-RFK-kumbayah
acid flashback and have generally forsook the Path.
I know the guy is not a second coming of Eugene McCarthy or the ghost of Paul Wellstone come to save us. I know he's not a more socially acceptable, electable Nader.
Worst of all, I do know better.
(But I go forth guilt-free, as I expect my wiser, better sistren and brethren who vote Nader, or Mckinney to do...onward into the breach.)
As such, I am a Keith Olbermann devotee also.
He is no Amy Goodman. But he is mainstream enough to get national, commercial airtime...and therefore into lots and lots of livingrooms...and he often brings up topics and voices perspectives I hear only on his, and Maddow's programs...as well as on Democracy Now!
Most importantly, folks who ONLY have access to mainstream broadcasts, this guy is a LIFELINE in a world of Hannity and Limbaugh. In the desert of the mind, there is a watering-hole or two. Keith is one of them.
Anyway....I love when Keith gets all righteously indignant. This was one of his best. It is incredibly refreshing to see that white, mainstream commentators are actually GETTING this racialized "code" is not only real, but very dangerous in this tinder-box economic-meltdown atmosphere...and even they can see the tone and rhetoric whipping up the crowds are like Santa Ana winds whipping at the hot, dry hills of California...once begun, the ensuing conflagration will be outside anyones control.
"Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage; anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are."
Pay no attention to the two-headed candidate behind the curtain!
Keep your eye on the crazy redneck in the audience.
John McKKKain for Grand Wizard!!
"The only means of strengthening one's intellect is to make up one's mind about nothing, to let the mind be a thoroughfare for all thoughts." - John Keats
Are you aware that McCain has an African-Am daughter--Bridget??
This has turned into race-baiting. I'm so sick of it, I am nauseated.
Bridget is an orphan from Bangladesh; she is not african, much less african-american. But I'm not surprised that a rightwinger pretending not to be racist can't tell the difference.
Cheney has a lesbian daughter, and would have a lesbian daughter-iin-law if he & his party didn't work so hard to keep marraige segregated by sexual preference, and has a grandchild by this lesbian couple.
I can't find this information on google. Will someone please help? If McCain or Obama doesn't live until election day, what will happen about the election? Thanks, ignerthill
Nader wins! Nader wins! Nader wins!
Seriously, my wife keeps asking that one and I just don't know. McCain could kick it at any minute, and an NRA moose-hunting nut could take a potshot at Obama at any time, so maybe we'll see Biden vs Palin. More likely, Cheney declares martial law and stays on until the GWOT is completed.
My Fellow Prisoners.....
If the pundits are correct, and McCain is just an honourable man being forced to take the low road by his handlers....how do you think he will fare as Presdient?
Personally, I think McCain has sold his tattered old soul to be President, and will stoop as low as it takes, even to inciting the assasination of his opponent.
He should br arrested and charged with incitment to riot
"The only means of strengthening one's intellect is to make up one's mind about nothing, to let the mind be a thoroughfare for all thoughts." - John Keats
Good one Keith. But asking conservatives to back off is like asking the semi on your rear bumper.
McKain may be worn out joke of a man, but his handlers are not.
Time and again call to reptilian minds proved to be more powerful than intelligent people would expect.
The very tactic on relying on hatred not logic shows, albeit indirectly, that Kain is posed to win. My name is not Cassandra and I hope I am wrong but be prepared.
v.purto
I am not giving Olbermann a free pass on everything he has said during this campaign, but in this instance he is absolutely right. McCain & Palin bear responsibility for inciting their followers to threats of violence. They need to have a meeting with Uncle Karl and stop this right now.
Olbermann lost all credibility during the primary season. Now the only people who watch him are the Hillary-hating Obamabots.
I thought they were extinct ...no?
So, when Mcsame uses a racist term when talking about Obama tonight (I've long thought he'd have done so by now, his last chance is tonight) what would be the best way for Obama to react? Thumping gramps on the nose would not look good, and I can't think of a reasonable statement that would be a fitting reaction.
Then again, maybe Mcsame will be civil. Perhaps he might not break his own nose by stumbling during the debate and the race will move away from the 'Kristalnacht' rhetoric.
Good, so you admit he has not been racist so far....the crowd may be. I mean, Obama is so far ahead, that charge is just starting to sound like race baiting.
Olbermann and Matthews are so hot for Obama , they cant stand it. They are probably embarassing him--or should be. Fricking sports caster Olbermann is just a neo-liberal version of Sean Hannity. They both insult intelligence--unless you are stupid.
"Neo-liberal" is the word that European countries use to the rightwing economic policies called "conservative" in the United States, because the term "conservative" has a very different historical referent in Europe.
My fantasy response is Obama shaking his head with a wry humor and a twinkle in his eye and saying, "There you go again, John." Imagine Obama channelling Reagan with such a beautiful excuse! Wouldn't that be gorgeous?
McCain cannot be civil tonight. He has promised to bring up Ayers and made public statements that Obama 'doesn't have the guts' to say that name.
The Obama surrogate on Ed Schultz today's line was that Obama will continue to be a calm and steady leader, no matter what bile gets thrown at him, since that's what America needs.
See? You guys are jsut hot for him. It cant be any policies--its "the way he says it". Hes married, dumbass!! If youre really young, I kindve get it--if youre not--check your hormones.
REAGAN?! You guys are so culted out
Thank you, Keith!!
I hope this comment does affect McCain's campaign.
Better yet, I hope McCain's mis-steps result in a landslide victory for Obama.
That Palin and McCain don't "get it" about racism and violence is all we need to know about them.
McCain effectively suspended his campaign during the last debate. He looked like a doddering, demented grandpa, and filled dead space in his dialogue with "my friends". I think most people correctly registered that McCain had "checked out" of reality, and was in some kind of trance. Not looking very presidential there, John.
If you value democracy you will think before you vote. If McCain should win, be ready to fight for America. With him as President we will have nothing to loose but a country to fight to get back.
And with Obama, things wil be different, in what ways, exactly?
The president wil be in better shape?
We dont need a better looking neo-con
Are you the same genius who thought there'd be no difference between a Gore and a Bush presidency? Neocon?? Please get a clue.