As has been pointed out by many over the past week, the current race to the White House between John McCain and Barack Obama is increasingly being punctuated by angry outbursts from conservative crowds. In the past, Democratic candidates were often mocked at Republican rallies (and vice versa), but there appears to be an increasing amount of anger permeating public appearances by McCain and his VP-pick, Sarah Palin.
It seems that many conservatives are upset that McCain hasn't really "let Obama have it," and lots of jeering and booing can be heard at these rallies when anything deemed "left-wing" is mentioned (like The New York Times). Some rally-goers have even hurled epithets like "Terrorist!" "Treason!" and "Off with his head!" in reference to Obama. It might not hold true everywhere, but it appears that many conservatives are enraged at that thought that Obama may very well be our next president. Is this sort of anger unique to this election? Or is it being played up that way in news reports?
Even if the seething anger among the right-wing masses is not unique to this election, what disturbs me even more is how little McCain and Palin have done to discourage this sort of behavior. They have largely ignored the bad behavior among their supporters, feeding prevalent misconceptions about their rival candidate. Even if they did make an effort to rope in the mobs a bit, though, it seems too late to do so. John McCain recently told one of his crowds that Obama was a "decent person" that no one had to be "scared" of. The crowd's reaction? They booed McCain.
For whatever reason, many people are scared of an Obama presidency. Why? This goes beyond disagreement over policies, particularly when a fair number of people continue to believe that Obama is a Muslim terrorist. Could much of this anger be due to racism? I am certain that it is to some extent, especially because of allusions to Obama being an "affirmative action" candidate and the efforts of some to connect him to terrorism, but it is difficult to pin down just what these people find so offensive about Obama.
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Obama stood silently by when his supporters attacked Hillary Clinton. Yet, a few angry McCain supporters and you and the press say McCain is at fault.
Obama's supporters boo also. Note: The orginal headline was, more like Obama booed praising McCain. My guess is Obama's people had it changed.
"I appreciated his reminder that we can disagree while still being respectful of each other. I've said it before, and I'll say it again Senator McCain has served this country with honor, and he deserves our thanks for that," Obama told a north Philadelphia crowd, to a mix of heavy boos and cheers.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/11/obama-mccain-efforts-to…
I'm sorry Joel, but you fail the "reading comprehension" portion of this post. It is clear that McCain and Palin have generally turned a blind eye to the over-the-top reactions of some of their crowds, but I did ask "Is this sort of anger unique to this election? Or is it being played up that way in news reports?"
This is precisely why I asked the question; because I know there are probably some cases where candidates have said nothing when they should have.
This isn't just about "booing," though. The kind of madness seen at the McCain rallies appears to go far beyond that, and I have to wonder why. Palin, in particular, has tried to make Obama seem like a terrorist (or at least in league with terrorists). That's a pretty bold move post 9-11, particularly when a bunch of nutjobs think Obama is a militant Muslim to begin with.
I have no doubt that there has been inappropriate outbursts at rallies for Obama and McCain, but the conservative rallies appear to be much more frenzied. I was asking, in this post, if that is real or illusory, and if it's real why that might be the case.
Don't you get it? For McCain-Palin, race is their base.
The Southern Strategy worked, breaking up the stranglehold the Democrats had on the South, while at the same time realigning and redefining both the Republican and Democratic parties. The GOP continues to be the party of bigotry.
Yes, what few people are still voting Republican are racists. Some are open about it, others hide behind phrases they think can pass, e.g., "I am just not comfortable about Obama", "Obama is inexperienced", "I can't really put a finger on it, but there is something about Obama I don't like"(his skin color), etc. The rational, the decent, the normal, have by now left the GOP to rot in its own racist juices. There is no other 'valid reason' left for voting for McCain bu racism (OK, there is another: idiocy).
May I suggest a perusal of the following article written by one of McCain's buddies.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.mccain10oct10,0,75…
And as an aside I may point out that America has traditionally preferred to vote for the candidate who gives the impression of having the lesser intellect. As a nation we hate, fear, and mistrust smart people.
Hmmmm, forgot that two links send a comment to the Junk folder....
That's bullshit, Coturnix.
Brian: for EIGHT YEARS leftists have wished death, disease, dismemberment, and various other foul fates on President Bush and everyone who agrees with him on any topic whatsoever, and nary a word has been said about it, much less against it. Now the laughingly-misnamed "Democratic" Party is pushing a candidate who supports socialist policies and parties; who routinely consorts with terrorists, racists, and organized crime; who uses his political muscle to silence his critics in ways no Republican ever has. All this while attempting to steal the election with fraudulent voting, as well as buy it using fraudulent campaign contributions from foreign sources. And you wonder that conservatives are angry?
I see that the unhinged rightwing nuts, the few still left are now trolling scienceblogs....
wolfwalker - are you in one of these movies by any chance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Wroj0FLvzs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itEucdhf4Us
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjxzmaXAg9E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJghQMq49dw
Project much, wolfwalker? Just because your side thinks and operates that way, you think we do as well? Nobody wanted Bush to die: we wanted him to do his job right or move aside, and, first of all, to get elected democratically, not by theft. We have something to be angry about - the Repugs are angry at imaginary things they invented from think air just so they can keep feeling like victims.
The difference, wolfwalker, is that Bush deserved it. And you are just parroting fearmongering Republican talking points.
I guess your life for the next eight years is going to be one long mess of hell as you hide in your dark little corner from the Obamamaniacs who are going to come and rape your sons and daughters and blow up the Wasilla City Hall.
And, Brian, I don't think this is all that new. I am reading George McGovern's 1973 book containing his campaign speeches from the 1972 Presidential race. The dirty tricks are made new only by the existence of faster technology.
wonder if America is ready for a black president, or will it show the true racial legacy of the icemans inheritance
I think at least part of it is fueled by racism (which seems to me to be supported by the fact that the e-mails I'm getting about him being a Muslim are becoming more frequent as he pulls ahead), but that's probably not the entire picture. He has views on certain issues that would be considered extreme by some - gun control, abortion, national defense, and gay marriage (though he's been back-pedaling on the last one) come to mind, off the top of my head - and those probably add to the witches' brew that causes such an intense hatred of him. I also tend to think there's a sort of amorphous, vague dislike of 'The Other' sort of tribalism that comes with both parties, but tends to be strong on the Republican side. While no one remembers it now, hatred of Hillary was just as strong, if not stronger than hatred of Obama at the beginning. Personally, I cannot vote for him with a clean conscience due to his ridiculous views on gun control (among other things), but I do not think his views make him deserve the sort of hatred he gets.
I also wonder how one qualifies whether anyone really wanted Bush to die, or not. The countless comments on a few boards I visit about how they wish he would be assassinated from otherwise serious, (apparently) mentally stable posters says otherwise. If you do a little searching (try some Google-Fu) you're probably also going to find several message boards and blog posts saying that he should be put on trial and executed for war crimes. Not quite the same as saying that he needs to be assassinated, but the desire for him to die is still there.
Brain,
That's because the LWDBs (Left Wing Death Beasts) reserve their vitriol and rabid death wishes for the internet and blog posts. As Mike put it in his comment above ...
Or did I get that wrong?
Just because your side thinks and operates that way, you think we do as well?
You know nothing about how my side operates, Corutnix, because you don't know which side I'm on. For all you know, I'm an old-fashioned Democrat who is sickened beyond words by what you and your little gang of thugs have turned my party into.
But your side most definitely does do everything I listed, and more. Your friends firebomb McCain supporters' yards; take huge amounts of campaign money from illegal sources; routinely consort with terrorists past and present; work actively to steal the election with fraudulent voter registrations; and produce novels, plays, movies, and "comedy" skits that advocate assassination of Republican officeholders and candidates. I'd provide links to examples of each and every one of those behaviors, except for two things:
1) ScienceBlogs doesn't like that many links in a single comment.
2) I've found by bitter experience that arguing with traitors like you and your comrades is a complete waste of time.
Wolfwalker comments would be a great example of sarcasm - if he weren't being serious. He manages to get just about every lie, innuendo and unsupported accusation from the right wing into a single paragraph:
"supports socialist policies and parties; who routinely consorts with terrorists, racists, and organized crime; who uses his political muscle to silence his critics in ways no Republican ever has. All this while attempting to steal the election with fraudulent voting, as well as buy it using fraudulent campaign contributions from foreign sources."
Come on, justify something. If you're afraid of putting too many links in one comment, write several.
Where do you get "supports socialist policies", "consorts with terrorists", steal the election".
As to "consorts with terrorists", see http://mediamatters.org/items/200810100015?f=h_top
" G. Gordon Liddy served four and a half years in prison for his role in the break-ins at the Watergate and at Daniel Ellsberg's psychologist's office. He has acknowledged preparing to kill someone during the Ellsberg break-in "if necessary." He plotted to kill journalist Jack Anderson. He plotted with a "gangland figure" to murder Howard Hunt in order to thwart an investigation. He plotted to firebomb the Brookings Institution...." ..."Liddy has donated $5,000 to McCain's campaigns since 1998, including $1,000 in February 2008. In addition, McCain has appeared on Liddy's radio show during the presidential campaign, including as recently as May. An online video labeled, "John McCain On The G. Gordon Liddy Show 11/8/07," includes a discussion between Liddy and McCain, whom Liddy described as an "old friend." During the segment, McCain praised Liddy's "adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great," said he was "proud" of Liddy, and said that "it's always a pleasure for me to come on your program."
And on and on and on.
Liar!
Dudes. BetaDog is not a regular reader of SciBlogs; he's just another troll sent by an outside link with zero understanding of the reality-based community. It's time to ignore the trolls and start wondering how the Obama administration is going to clean up the kleptocrats' shitpile.
Better yet, start wondering what you can do for your country when you hear the call for service and sacrifice in January. Are you ready to roll up your sleeves and start shoveling?
Here is the face of your Democratic Party, Coturnix:
Last week, the Democrat-affiliated group called ACORN turned in 5,000 new voter registrations to the election board in Lake County, Indiana. As is their job, the board set to work verifying those registrations.
The first ten applications they checked were all bogus.
So were the next ten.
So were the next fifty.
So were the next five hundred.
And the next thousand.
So far, the Lake County election board workers have checked 2,100 of those 5,000 registrations turned in by ACORN. Every single one of those registrations was phony. Not a few. Not a small percentage. Every single one.
How do you like having a candidate who thinks rigging the vote is a virtuous and ethical way to win, Coturnix? Do you even care? I know I would. Maybe that's the difference between us.