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McCain: "Who Is The Real Barack Obama?" McCain Supporter: "Terrorist!"

After John McCain delivered the central question of his speech today -- "Who is the real Barack Obama?" -- the first, and loudest, supporter seems to yell:

"Terrorist!"

That's what John Aravosis and Marc Ambinder heard, and it does sound like it.

McCain seemed to pause, and didn't denounce the epithet. I'd argue that there's no way to arrive at a conclusive answer as to whether he heard it or not, short of asking him and getting a frank answer. McCain could have been pausing to admire the pith and artfulness of his smear, or to bask in the adulation it brought. And McCain is not responsible for what some whackjob yells at his rally.

That said, the moment is uncomfortably revealing: McCain is now dabbling in the tactics employed in the most viral smears of Obama, if not to the same degree. No honest observer would dispute that McCain's speech today was about sowing fears of Obama as a risky, unknown, and vaguely sinister "other," and this supporter, at least, read the subtext, intended or not, loud and clear. And when McCain delivered that line there was a gratified, even visceral roar from McCain supporters, as if this attack -- fear the alien in our midst! -- was the gloves-off moment they'd been waiting for.


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It's simple:
McCAIN is a dangerous a-hole.

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Yes. My only problem with his treatment by the North Vietnamese is that they let him go. Other than that, he deserved what he got.

Ouch, let's not go that far expat! To respond to hate with hate?

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Well yeah - In the first place, the man's character is terrifying once you know about it. So of course he's going straight to his Final Solution:

Don't vote for the N*****.

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Actually, the GOP'ers played this game in 2004, too. On more than one occasion, a Bush rally degenerated into cries of "Kerry is a terrorist!".

The big difference this year is that their numbers are a lot smaller. And if they want to get violent, I think they'll find themselves on the losing end.

They should really stick to nonviolent rhetoric and stay away from the anti-American sentiment, and live with it if they lose. They'll discover the alternative is far worse for them.

I remember some of that from 2004, mostly in picket lines though, not ginned up by Bush specifically during the event.

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Actually, it's not October in an election year until I hear some wing nut say, that if the Democrats get elected, they are going to outlaw the reading of the bible.

BTW: who is McCain?

A guy who will cut Medicair by over $1 trillion dollars, a guy who backs Bush 90% of the time, a guy who proposes 100 years of war in Iraq and Iran. A guy who wants to give the billionares more tax breaks a guy that hates regulation of financial institutions.

A man who cloaks his recklessness under the term maverick.

Copper Girl "loves" your hate its powerless(accept what about to happen, biyach) and makes me laugh keep it coming.

Copper Girl "loves" your hate it powerless(accept what is about to happen biyach) and makes me laugh - keep it coming

Copper Girl "loves" your hate it powerless(accept what is about to happen biyach) and makes me laugh - keep it coming

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Clever!
Clever!
Huh?

He actually had a brief look of consternation on his face. I hope he steps up and puts his Country First and ends this line of attack now.

It is very dangerous to any society when the political opposition starts down this road...

I am watching Keith Olberman and Obama, I think got the last word of today!!! There is a video that shows McCain on a bus in 2000 responding to the negative attacks that were thrown his way. He says something like, I don't think the American people will fall for the negative campaigning, they want to hear more about what you are going to do to better the country. I am not quoting it but the video was beautiful!!!! I hope someone can post it on this site.

no doubt.

but, why should we not believe people are planted at these events to scream out exactly what we heard?

You can also hear the accompanying laughs and cries of approval in the video.

It is entirely possible that McCain planted a shill in the audience. It is certainly consistent with his new message of character assassination.

When I view the video, I see JM look to his right as he (stumbles) over his line about Who is BO?, and look again to his right as the very first person to yell out (interesting timing) "Terrorist!!". Then I see JM sort of pause to poll the audience reaction. Next he smiles, all happy with himself, that it worked. Scary, but plausible, especially in a Rovian campaign.

Don't want to be paranoid about this, but this has become an anything goes campaign of dis-honor.
Anyone else consider this possibility?

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I'm totally convinced it was planned as Mac paused clumsily and didn't get his lead-in just right and had to kinda nudge the guy to "do it now". He was so self-satisfied afterwards...mission accomplished.

I've never been able to settle on a McEpithet for JSMIII until viewing this rally.

I'll be referring to him as McKlan after this.

Fuck these bastards! To think that I served in the US Air Force to defend these assholes' right to utter such statements makes me want to vomit. The Bush years have been the worst in my 61.

If this kind of thing happens again, someone ought to contact the local field office for the secret service and demand an answer...are they going to protect Obama or not? Good lord, you can't even JOKE about a bomb when you're in an airport...they'll snatch you up so quick you won't know what hit you...this is the same thing, IMO.

I think he heard it loud and clear.

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Yeah, it looked like everyone around him heard it. Depends, I guess, how loud his hearing aid was turned up.

Clearly. You can see him react to it, like "I wasn't expecting *that*" and then he just moves on...

yea I agree you could tell he heard it his face just after it gave it away also the whole crowd heard it so he could not have missed it

just shows all this he has honour stuff is rubbish with him not putting it right by telling the guy

Does this period remind anyone else of the Florida/Michigan issue that Clinton stoked beyond recognition? This is dangerous stuff and the fact that McCain is trafficking in it for some electoral advantage is very revealing.

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This is dangerous stuff indeed.

From today's WaPost:

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.

I'm guessing that the turd in the audience proposing to "Kill him" is referring to Ayers. Nonetheless, this is over the line.

If Palin and McCain keep this up, there's going to be a chant started in the audience, and it's not going to be pretty.

This is how lynch mobs used to get started -- outbreaks of mass hysteria stoked by some slimy rable rouser. (Yeah, I'm calling John McCain a slimy rabble rouser.)

That's not fair to all the other perfectly innocent slimy rabble-rousers . . .

This is way past Florida and Michigan.

McCain is peddling in a path which, taken to its conclusion, would justify military intervention to prevent an Obama administration from taking office - at least in the minds of those holdout 25%'ers who will still support McCain. If Obama's an alien, an unknown who will ruin this country, unfit for office, "should be disqualified for what he's said", he's opposed to the military... a terrorist...

if this is all really true, then what means would justify the end of not having him take office?

I'm not saying it will happen. I don't have my tinfoil hat on nearly that far. But McCain is playing with fire.

McCain's language, his conduct, is unbecoming of one running for the leadership of a constitutional democracy

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Conduct unbecoming. And unfit to lead.

I think we are in agreement. My point was the recklessness or callous disregard the proponent in each case had with respect to the direct outcome of their argument. Clinton didn't seem to care a wit about the damage she could do to the Democratic Party and McCain cares even less about what he does to the country.

I think we are in agreement.

That we can agree on. ;-)

Hard for me to tell with crappy computer speakers but what might give it away is the way he pauses and furrows his brow like, "what? That's a (wink wink) bad thing to say".

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"Another angry barrage of insults".

After someone just yelled out that Obama is a terrorist?

Whatta loser McCain has devolved into.

Hope the Republicans are really proud of their brand right now. Anyone who doesn't stand up and denounce this bullshit should be seriously ashamed of themselves. This goes way beyond the normal smearing and fearing of the Republicans.

That's exactly what I came away with. Irony is lost on this man.

lets not forget this is karl rove all over is he not an advisor I really hope some of this comes out tomorrow at the debate and really shames mcsame

as someone said this is stocking hate lets say when obama wins and something happened we all would know who started all this would we not

Wow. This is nasty stuff. Stoking up the worse and the ugly in his audience too. Hope crap black splatters all over this guy.

It's time to intervein on McCain,,,, and Palin,, that racist dog whistling is exactly what David Duke and those other friendly neighborhood folks in the white robes say to make sure some wacko gets the message and takes care of the uppity nigger. The script is almost verbatum.

Remember Medgar Evers, remember Emmet Till ?? We've had reported one "terrorist" and one "kill him" - at a Palin event - today,,,,, much more of this and some one is going to take a shot at Obama.

These fools play for keeps.

I agree completely. Consciously or not, they are pushing the crazies to the point of violence.

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Exactly.

Is someone on the right going to call McLame out on this/

No.

This has been another edition of 'Simple Answers to Simple Questions'...


A few years ago, I took several undergraduates to the Holocaust Museum in DC. For those who've not been there yet, the tour starts at the top story of the building, and follows the historical record floor-by-floor to the basement.

The uppermost floor chronicles the nationalist rhetoric and fear mongering that brought the Nazis to power. While I've always been reluctant to be an example of Godwin's law, I found the parallels between the language of pre-Nazi Germany and the extremism we've heard from our own reactionaries over the past seven years to be quite striking.

It can't happen here ... until it does. We must stamp this out before it metastizes.

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And what is this teaching America's young people?

This is reckless to the extreme.

He heard it and he doesn't care.

Anything to win, indeed...

Who's the angry man now?

The old man, John McCain.

What a f....... A-hole!

Actually, if you look at the people in the background, there is one woman in particular to the right of McCain (as we are looking at him) who you can see turns and looks at companion and covers her mouth as if "Oh my god, I can't believe someone said that".

Then again, I could be projecting my own disbelief on her...

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Probably. You seem way too nice to be a crowd member in a McCain rally. : )


Thanks. I wouldn't be caught dead at a McGrumpy rally. Unless I was there for pure cultural/historical/wierdness factor.

My sister, her husband and her best friend -- all three of whom were Republicans at the time -- happily attended a campaign rally for TERxas Gov. George W. Bush in October 2000 in Arlington Heights, IL, where Bush offered that:

"It's important for us to explain to our nation that life is important. It's not only life of babies, but it's life of children living in, you know, the dark dungeons of the Internet."

All three came away from the event completely aghast at the man's utter incoherence, and all voted subsequently for Al Gore. Further, all three have since become Democrats, and my sister's friend is now one of the top people heading up the Obama campaign's efforts in Wisconsin.

And her comment could be made either with shock or giggles.

Yeah, you know how folks giggle nervously when they hear something that's bad...

Pardon my frank talk. But this guy is a major, first class fuck up and so are the people who are hollering in the background. A bunch of fuck ups who believe Obama is a terrorist. Plain and simple.

The problem is if he riles all these people up, they are on the path to be extremists. How can this be 1) bi-partisan 2) Country First 3) Considered good for anyone in the long run

These people will hold on to these sentiments, America is ready to heal, and this guy wants to pour gas and toss matches like these during the speeches.

Imagine McCain and Palin after the election, neither of their careers are gonna be worth a dime. She is going back to Alaska to face them and troopergate. He is gonna be an old fart who lost his integrity. People with a lot to lose if they lose are very dangerous, and do very unpredictable things. As you can see from McCain's actions during his campaign...

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But it's as if he's hell bent on sowing seeds of destruction, like someone burning everything in the path of an enemy. Is he going to plow salt into the ground too?

First "Kill him!" and now "Terrorist!" ... Did anyone of the MSM catch that too? People should know what the fuck those nutjobs are doing. This is wrong... incredible.

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I'm not defending anything, but I think the "Kill him!" remark could be interpreted to be in reference to Bill Ayers.

Not that that's substantially better, of course.

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Maybe. Maybe not. This win at all costs methodology could really devolve into something nasty. Where's the dignity that McCain supporters used to talk about?

I really feel for the McCain campaign staff and especially for the Hero himself. What's the world coming to when you can't call a n***** a n*****?

Dagnabbit, with Sarah Sweetness by his side calling out the field hands, the Metamucil Maverick just about has this thing wrapped up!

What an asshole.

And yet, TPM will still have its share of posters who say they feel some sympathy for him and/or Palin, for some reason.

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I think the number of people feeling sympathy for either has been dwindling by the millisecond lately.

Meet the real John McCain, who has long protected violent domestic terrorists.

Go to this link and click it on up. Thanks.

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/10/meet-the-real-john-mccain-and.php

For a man who has been the architect of what before this campaign seemed an impossible turnaround, McCain's anger seems hard to fathom. Who else, in a single stroke, could have restored the dignity and reputation of Dan Quayle?

This shit is outright scary. I just watched the video and was immediately reminded of Mussolini working the crowds. Fascist mob, anyone?

It looks pretty damn similar. I'm just waiting to see the mob with torches saying "lynch him!"

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Like someone inciting a riot.

So how come the reporters covering THIS riot didn't get arrested for inciting it, like the ones at the RNC?

Excellent point, I assume the gestapo have Mondays off..

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And Greg? I really think you're too complimentary about the crowd.

It's not aliens they don't like. It's black people. They probably wouldn't fear aliens as much as they fear a black guy actually getting elected President. An alien getting elected? No problem!

Just not a black alien, that is.

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It's not aliens they don't like. It's black people.

homo = alien
black = alien
commie = alien

It's that kind of alien, not the literal (from Mexico or Jupiter) alien.

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Yes. Anybody different. Could be atheist. Or Muslim. Very Dangerous. Encouraging a crowd to project like that. And once you have a big crowd, being whipped into a frenzy, people's ego boundaries loosen and it's much easier for them to forfeit a conscience and give in to madness.

Demagoguery.

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HAH! Here I was, interpreting it in the literal sense: E.T., Yoda, the critters from Close Encounters, the body snatchers, etc.

This is scary for numerous reasons - what if Obama wins...OK, WHEN Obama wins, you're going to have crackpot righty extremists thinking Obama is a terrorist and something very tragic could result!

So, I ask Republicans out there if these accusations are "tee hee silly" or as dangerous to them as us in the real world know they are!!

STOP THE HATE because it's dangerous!!!!

Sounds like he's going all "PUMA" and "No Quarterish" on BOH. . It's all going to backfire and the MSM is basically going to laugh in his face (like they've started to do already).

Pardon me, that's BHO

ter·ror·ist /ˈtɛrərɪst/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ter-er-ist] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. a person, usually a member of a group, who uses or advocates terrorism.
2. a person who terrorizes or frightens others.

Are they trying to frighten us?

CT,

I feel this is more a Muslim fear than a skin color fear. It could be both, but if that is the case, then the Muslim fear takes the majority of the blame.

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Possibly. I think Muslim fear, deep down inside, is really just "OMG! He's a powerful black man!!!" That, however, couldn't actually be admitted, so it's "I hear he's a Muslim, and there's something just not right about it" instead.

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I do adore your avatar, by the way - if that's you, you're adorable.


I think it's pretty much an all purpose smear, frankly. It covers the whole gamut: he's black, therefore he's different, what do we know - he might be a Muslim and therefore a terrorist -

It's a boiler plate smear.

And he is talking to the loony 26% at this point and I don't know what he thinks he's doing but someone needs to talk to him.

...Says the person with an attractive avatar as well.

What's seriously worrying about all of this, though, is that people (idiots, thankfully) have already been arrested for plotting to take Obama's life. (See: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0826082dnc1.html )
What if someone actually succeeds? Before the election? Would/could the Dems still win? Biden? ...Clinton? Then the nasty rumours (The Clintons plot assassination to take presidency, don't vote for them!)...

I hope they're protecting that guy REALLY well.

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I feel this is more a Muslim fear than a skin color fear.

Good point.  I'll add it to my list:

heretic = alien

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Heretic. That covers it. It means un-American. Dangerous. Evil.

He's inciting a riot. That's anti-christ baiting right there.

Dishonorable John must be decimated immediately for the good of humanity. F him.

Does McCain have any idea of what he is doing here?

HE is the terrorist.

The old man has lost it. He's in his black socks screaming on his front lawn. He's needs to close the front of his robe and go back into the house.

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Seems to me that there is a world of difference between the way Obama can "inspire" a crowd and mcShame's demagoguery. Nevertheless mcShame must be getting a "powerful" feeling from this. It feeds his narcissism and wards off the underlying shame. Very dangerous though. Very dangerous to feed one's narcissism through empowering a mob.

Is the rift between democrats and republicans is so wide that whoever wins may have to incarcerate the losing party in interment camps just to make the people of the winning party feel safe? The intolerance of the republicans for anything not republican sounds like something I was taught in high school; the evils of communism. We've replaced our distrust of people with different skin tones with people of different political values and those aligned with religious values that are not considered to be christian mainstream.

The country is very sick.

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Leaders have arise who pander to the lowest dregs of humanity.

I do not believe that the American people are basically "sick." But some leaders pander to the sick and infect crowds with sick messages.

Truly, we are at a very dangerous moment in our history. I pray we pull back from the brink mcShame and others (still in power) would lead us to.

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Leaders have "arisen"

McCain is a pathetic loser-asshole.
This does whip up the crazies, and he knows it.
Moreover, he doesn't care, if it will give him a sense that he's solidifying support.

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If it will give him a sense he's a "leader."

Scary!

Adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it. Case closed.

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O indeed and every adversity he's faced has proven he's a coward, among many other things.


A coward. A liar. A cheater.

And totally beneath contempt.

Yes, John. You will lose. You will lose badly. And you will lose badly to a Black man.

Suck on that.

Amen!

Calling McCain a terrorist is the complete WRONG thing to do here - not only is that sinking to his level, but it also fuels the very fear we all have here...extremists going "yeah, he is a terrorist and I should do something about that."

McCain is one pathetic man for going against his original promise to keep this a clean campaign, but now that he's gone back on that and taken the desperation route, he better watch what he and his supporters say...sometimes the wrong people listen!

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He may be pathetic, but he's engaging in demagoguery.

I agree with Chicago Joe about stopping the hate. We need to stop insulting each other, stop using bad language, which is offensive to some people, stop being rude. For a positive future for Barack Obama, for the United States of America, and for the world, civility, respect, and a lot of "love thy neighbor" is what is needed. I am a 70 year old white woman and a very strong supporter of Barack Obama. In fact I can almost not write his name anymore without saying "President Barack Obama."

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O god.

I'm sorry language offends you. I thought we were all adults.


Fuck. That.

That's what lost us 2004. It's time to hit back hard.

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I'll speak up for civility.

Nevertheless, I completely understand the anger. And I don't see people here as inciting anything. Indeed, yesterday I believe we were speaking about how much we disagreed with Palin, but that we would not wish her physical harm.

So I think we can express our rage, but I honestly don't think anyone here - except for the occasional troll is calling for chaos and anarchy.

Thanks. I think my response came off harsh. Here's what I meant:

I do not agree with the type of passive campaign Kerry ran. I do not want to see that happen again. I endorse any attacks Sen. Obama or his surrogates or supporters use to tear down McCain.

If that includes foul language and hurt feelings, so be it.

Tena,

My avatar? If so, yup...that's my bulbous melon head! Thanks!

Maybe the Secret Service will take care of this problem?? I'm not saying McCain would listen to them, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear that they told him to ratchet it down a couple 100 notches.

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I wish someone would - this goes beyond the bounds of acceptable campaign rhetoric.

For real -

I think there's a good possibility this might happen. None of us really knows how difficult it is keeping the candidates safe. I'm sure they're not happy with old man McCain stirring up the nutjobs.

I wonder if those assigned to Obama communicate with those assigned to McCain. I'm sure there is a fellowship amongst them, and don't look through the political prism, in much of same way as many in military see things.

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I hope so. But I also fear that this type of thing has never been a factor before. Can anyone recall that during the time candidates had secret service protection anyone incited emotions that could have resulted in violence? I can't.

Yeah. They're aware of it and I wouldn't be surprised if they know who said it. They got toys that would make 007 wet his pants for. I remember seeing Gore in 1999. I was about 15 to 20 feet away from him. In broad daylight I could easily spot the agents. But what really shocked me was the one I saw looking straight at me and talking into his lapel mic. I guess I caught his attention checking out the agents. They don't miss much.

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If what Obama is offering me is The Good Ship Lollipop, I want out.

Now.

Thanks, no thanks it took me years to get here. I intend to go to hell in own way.

no offense.


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Call me clueless, dear Tena, about this comment.

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O, I'm being snarky about bad language and being rude and all that stuff that apparently Obama doesn't want us to do.

I am somewhat attached to bad language and a certain amount of rudeness when circumstances demand it.

;)

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I have no problem with your language, or your enthusiasm.

Or your sayings: Jesus Christ on a cracker is a particular favorite of mine...

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We know you and love you. But I think some people are definitely scared by mcShame's behavior and imagine it could be 'catching' or something.

Go right ahead, Tena. You're an asset here, and you and your off-color commentary a constant reminder that if we aren't angry, we haven't been paying attention. ;-)

Every day that goes by, McCain looks more and more like the dangerous extremist he is trying to paint Obama as.

That image will not be lost on people.

Reasonable people and much of the MSM will move further and further away, especially if it appears that McCain is inciting violence and hatred.

Crash The Plane McCain has jumped down the rabbit hole: Now, his campaign is all Alice in Wonderland type stuff.

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Crashing his cam-plane.

Gotta jam, folks...home, dinner and a Olbermann/Maddow marathon! Be back tomorrow to celebrate even higher Obama numbers!

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Later, ChiJoe.

What a difference a week makes - I was so nervous about that stupid vp debate and right now I wish the next prez debate was tonight. I can't wait.

We finally see the real McCain, although he been doing such an awful job of hiding it ;)

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LOL!

i like your handle, too.

New Rasmussen Polls:

Florida-Obama 52 Mccain 45

Colorado Obama 51 Mccain 45

Missouri Obama 50 Mccain 47

Virginia Obama 50 Mccain 48

Ohio Mccain 48 Obama 47

+7 in Florida. And this is before they find out McCain is going after Medicare.

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Holy shit - look at that - Missouri, Colorado!

Between that and the Keating 5 documentary, which it seems McLame wasn't prepared for, he's going to lose it tomorrow night.

Damn I wish it was tonight. He wouldn't have any time to cool down.

Just about to post these. Very good numbers (though I'm not sure why Ohio is resisting, but if this keeps up I could careless if McCain wins Ohio).

Just about to post these. Very good numbers (though I'm not sure why Ohio is resisting, but if this keeps up I could careless if McCain wins Ohio).

Stop the hate, but I sure don't mind the bad language! If it makes the point hit harder, then so be it.

Tena, like you I was nervous about how (supposedly) good she did in the VP debates...but after hearing the pundits note discrepencies and things I missed, I felt a lot better and now know she accomplished nothing at all with "a lot of talk and a badge." Sorry, couldn't resist quoting DeNiro in The Untouchables.

OK, I'm outtie!

Despicable.

McCain has totally lost all moral bearings.

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I agree 100%.

If I can hear "terrorist" through my tinny phones on the PC, with McCain standing right there, he must have heard it, unless he is hearing impaired. But even though he heard it, I don't think it registered in his mind. He is consumed with his own cholera, to the extent he is not listening any more.

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He did seem determined to finish that point which obviously he memorized. Rather like his running mate.

They're very conscientious about their recitations; you have to give them that much. :)

Isn't that the exact behavior he exhibited earlier when someone in his audience shouted "how do we beat the b*tch?" referring to Hillary?

Yeah, I remember that as well. Did he respond to the person who referred to Clinton as b*tch? Or just laugh?

But, I do think that this instance with Obama is a new low. This is dangerous-and McCain doesn't seem to care who he hurts or what the consquences are, as long as he's elected.

This is disgusting and disgraceful.

To quote Barack: ENOUGH!!!

That's exactly what I just remembered. He's had one opportunity after another to show some of his much vaunted "honor" but rather opts to show who he really is.

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these are dead-enders he's talking to. my crazy 50 yr old aunt actually believes the old
"he's going to pay reparations to all the blacks after he wins" bullshit. mccain and his plastic wife are truly pathetic creatures. watch for moderate repubs to start backing away from him over the next 30 days. the writing is on the wall and some repubs aren't completely stupid.

"some repubs aren't completely stupid."

If you are still a Republican after the last eight years, you are completely and utterly stupid.

So, yeah, slightly different than completely.

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I'm laughing. But .... scary too.

I wonder how many guns McCain has lying around his house(s).

Thinking he might "swallow his weapon" as they say about retired cops?

Fascinating how his attacks on Senator Obama would really best be applied to himself... McCain is truly one fucked up puppy.

Love that avatar!

I was a big fan of Grim Fandango and had a great time playing it.

His campaign is looking more and more like the Nuremberg Rallies. Xenophobia, demonization, and references to our home-grown Reichstag Fire.

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Fascism. Very scary.

Wow. "Who's the real Barack Obama?" -- "Terrorist!"

I'd have to say that within the context of that event, John McCain did subsequently say something accurate in that clip:

"My friends, you ask that question, and all you get is an angry barrage of insults."

Certainly, truer words were never spoken. What an ugly, despicable thing it is to bait your audience into saying such horrid invectives about your opponent.

I come from a military family, and as a former officer myself, I used to really respect this guy. But now I have to ask, "Who kidnapped John McCain, and replaced him with this vile, petulant old troll?"

I just hate to think that we're indeed seeing the real John McCain, but after watching him these last few days, I'm now quite willing to entertain that notion. In fact, I'm changing its likelihood status from "possible" to "probable."

And if that's the case, then this is truly a pathetic ending to what could have otherwise been considered a great political career, regardless of the election's outcome four weeks hence.

And the only person John McCain can blame for his campaign's present state of affairs is himself.

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We know that. If he did, he'd resign in shame.

They are responsible for the mood they create through words and actions BUT, I wouldn't go so far as to say they are directly responsible for someoone shouting out "terrorist".

What bothers me is that, if McCain heard it (and we'll never know for sure) he should've stopped it dead in its tracks. I think he heard it and didn't say anything which makes him directly responsible *for not taking a stand* against that bullshit and for it possible gaining traction.

But, what can we expect given what we know about him? Utterly w/o honor.

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I keep wondering if McCain can survive the debate tomorrow night. I can see Obama using his calm cool demeanor to dig McCain a bit, probably about the Keating 5 scandal, and McCain totally losing control of his temper. Should be good TV.

It is hard to understand how this type of stump speech will persuade undecided voters. Isn't that what the game plan is about for McCain?

The debate tomorrow should be interesting.

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They've given up on the undecided's and gone for the crazy's. The good news for Obama is that while dangerous, the crazy's are not a big chunk of the electorate. This thing is over.

As an expat, and absentee voter, I would like to remind you that THIS IS NOT YET OVER. Do not get complacent and assume everything will go the way you want: you still need to get out and vote, and in such numbers that it will be impossible for the election to be stolen again !

I hope I am just exaggerating but I must say I am beginning to sense some real danger in the McCain camp's increasingly ferocious attempts to smear Obama. It's the danger of violence or, more precisely, assassination attempts. I am not sure if the McCain folks realize that racism is still alive and well in this country and it's extremely dangerous to stir up those sentiments. They will be really sorry if they see blood on their hands.

I strongly agree. But sadly I do not think the extreme wing nuts could care less about blood on their hands. Remember the extremists who killed the abortion clinic doctors. Some years back, my neighbor's name, address, and home phone number were listed on one of those "baby murderers" web sites and on hate literature left all over our neighborhood. Right-wing radio and the Sean Hannitys of the world fame the flames of true hate every day.

And is it my imagination or is that scrapple on the side of his face beginning to morph?

I think a close, extended time-lapse photographic examination of McCrumbum's face would resemble a Jackson Pollock painting in perpetual motion.

Not pretty, by any measure.

How soon before the first audible racial epithet is thrown from one of these goons? And what will McGrampy's (non)response be?

Well, as they head to the southern states that they now have to try and regain the lead, it shouldn't be long.

Well, I think McCain is toast and the toasting process fried his brain - or maybe it was Palin gave the old man to much of a thrill. Anyway - the first thing I thought of was this came out the day the campaign said they wouldn't issue crowd numbers. They are talking to the bottom of the barrel gang. That's it. And yes those people are scary but this tactic is only going to drive away the last of the sane clinging to what they thought was a remnant of the republi party. The part I find funny is Clinton tried a milder version of this and it didn't work. Why repeat something you have seen NOT work? The only thing I can do is ask the universe to protect Obama. I sent the last money I could in on Genghis shirt thing and now I find out he really isn't taking his shirt off - doggonit!

Actually, I strongly suspect a lot of his crowd are simply party activists, shipped out there to make it look like a bigger and rowdier crowd. The activists are usually the ones who start the chants, often on a well-timed cue.

Excellent observation. This is really depressing. See RealityChex.com at http://www.realitychex.com -- which features Greg's quick take -- for more on today's disgusting campaign developments.

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My thoughts exactly. Why does a crowd of highly agitated mouth-breathers cheer the line “Who is the real Barack Obama?” Because they take it as a validation of what they’ve “known” all along, that Barack Hussein Obama is a secret Muslim who wants to destroy America. McCain acts surprised, but this was exactly what was intended.

Obama needs to call this garbage out for what it is now, before things get out of hand. And so should the Secret Service, for that matter.

Remember when McCain revealed the classified departure date of Obama’s trip to Iraq? Does anyone still think that was just an accident? And the attack ads insinuating that Obama is the Anti-Christ, released just after that rightwing nut shot up a Universalist church in Knoxville? Could McCain really be unaware of those meth-heads in Denver, adding obvious context to all this? Doesn’t seem to me that McCain is inclined to stop at CHARACTER assassination. He’ll do whatever it takes to "win".

In the same way that Clinton nearly turned herself into a republican to ascend the ladder of power, McCain is turning himself into a fascist. He will bring out the worst in what's left of America. I welcome the purge. Obama will win and if he can stay alive, we may even become a better nation because of him.

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You nailed it.

I have a question:

If McCaballist's poll numbers begin tanking still further after this new and offensive offensive, does his campaign stick with it? Do they really ride to November on this horse if it proves to be as lame as the others for them? Or do they dare engage in even more openly racist themes? Have they, in short, committed themselves to going as low as it is conceivable for them to go?

Yes.