NYT Editorial: McCain-Palin Have Sunk Into "Race-Baiting And Xenophobia"

The New York Times harshly criticized the McCain-Palin campaign in an editorial Wednesday:

It is a sorry fact of American political life that campaigns get ugly, often in their final weeks. But Senator John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin have been running one of the most appalling campaigns we can remember.

They have gone far beyond the usual fare of quotes taken out of context and distortions of an opponent's record -- into the dark territory of race-baiting and xenophobia. Senator Barack Obama has taken some cheap shots at Mr. McCain, but there is no comparison.

...

[Palin's] demagoguery has elicited some frightening, intolerable responses. A recent Washington Post report said at a rally in Florida this week a man yelled "kill him!" as Ms. Palin delivered that line and others shouted epithets at an African-American member of a TV crew.

Mr. McCain's aides haven't even tried to hide their cynical tactics, saying they were "going negative" in hopes of shifting attention away from the financial crisis -- and by implication Mr. McCain's stumbling response.

We certainly expected better from Mr. McCain, who once showed withering contempt for win-at-any-cost politics. He was driven out of the 2000 Republican primaries by this sort of smear, orchestrated by some of the same people who are now running his campaign.

Of McCain's relatively civil debate performance, the paper said:

Ninety minutes of forced cordiality did not erase the dismal ugliness of his campaign in recent weeks, nor did it leave us with much hope that he would not just return to the same dismal ugliness on Wednesday.

Read the whole thing.

Comments

[Gotcha54]

Oh no Morning Joe in the afternoon now! What's up with that????

[1Smartchik]

They are trying to figure out how to help their buddy McCain.

[NoSandwiches]

Actually I watch Morning Joe sometimes. This morning Joe admitted that it was a bad idea to have a republican congress and a republican president because they did not do right by the country.

Joe I expect to be a jerk, and he surprises by being reasonable sometimes.
Mika is terrible. She adds nothing good to the conversation, but is the most liberal one on the show most of the time.

It actually gives me hope to see that Joe has matured in his views....

[UNCLEJOE]

I was a conditioned racist by the American culture of the past. Although I empathized with the Blacks and knew how damaging to the self esteem prejudice could be having grown up before WW II as a first generation American of Sicilian parents, I still harbored my prejudices against Blacks until recently.

When Obama came along, I was able to finally throw off the last vestiges of the burden of Racism and found a new type of moral, ethical and psychological freedom that rid me of the negative baggage that weighed heavily on my mind as an onerous inhibition of leading and feeling a more complete spiritual life of caring and sharing with all humanity from Blacks to Albinos.

Racism is a self imposed prison that deters your soul from developing into a higher level of a spiritual life of love of self and loving respect for all others your whole life through.

Freedom of the soul is just as important as Freedom of the physical life... and maybe more so.

[joeythetrollslayer]

You ain't seen nothin' yet. They haven't even got warmed up. This is kids stuff compared to what is to come. Trust me, when a former Kerry swiftboater quits Mccain campaign because of moral objections...that should say it all.

[charoy69]

yes it's the worse nyt simply because over the years as far as we could remember it's has always been a white male vs a white male ,but the picture has change and the problem is it's finally looking like this would be the first in the history of american politics a blackman (yes i said it )would actually be the president ,so of course it's gonna get nasty and more nasty ,it's a hard pill to swallow,new york times you're smart guys it's easy to read between the lines ,i guess it will be a conflict of intrest for you guys if u said it out loud.obama-biden 08

[rpd123]

These bigots are starting to make me feel like an alien.

Are there any other white males out there that see Obama as an inspirational, once-in-a-lifetime leader, period?

The fact that he happens to be black just makes me ever prouder of my country.

[jhnsf]

I'm a white male from San Francisco, and yes I totally agree. I'm so proud that this country will soon arrive in a new era. Obama is just what this country needs after 8 years of bigotry, intolerance and hatred.

[wolf58]

Early in Palin’s life she had to decide what she wanted to do in life, she narrowed down her career choices down to two. A porn actress or a politician, both involving fu*king others for a living. She chose the one that didn’t require body makeup and look at her today. Drill baby drill…

[rpd123]

Both require blowing people off, too.

[mishi]

Though Sinclair Lewis said it long ago, it can't be repeated too often:

"When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross."

[AZterritory]

PLEASE Sarah, take him back with you over that narrow maritime border. Arizona doesn't want him either.

[fleaba]

I rather doubt they are going to want her in Alaska, either. Well, maybe out at the end of the chain where they can keep an eye on the Russians.

[IcyAlaskan]

I'll bet Sarah looked up the word "Xenophobia" on one of her two Blackberries.
Blackberry One=Official State Business
Blackberry Two=Secret State Business and some other private stuff.

[redhead55]

We will be a fascist nation under McCain/Palin rule. The 14 Defining Characteristics of Fascism should open a few eyes and see which road we're headed if these two come into power. Very, very scary.

[KarateKid]

I wonder if Sarah Palin really thinks she is going to be a viable candidate in 2012 or 2016? She's drunk from her 15 minutes of fame, and adulation of the bigots in this country. Hopefully by then, an entirely new generation of voters will be more savvy than to be fooled by her fake and hateful rhetoric.

There is NO sound logic for anyone voting for McCain and Palin except for racial bigotry. They are bereft of any viable solutions.

One incident from the debate hits home at McCain's dilemma. When he offered a pander by saying the government should buy up all the bad mortgages and renegotiate with distressed homeowners, the conservative base went bonkers at the big government offer.

[candlewax]

wow, I think McCain just lost it. "My Fellow Prisoners" ?????

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYFm5kK4f1k

[STEW2949]

Read this article in The Guardian (UK) to see what they think about dear Sarah.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2008/oct/03/sarah.palin.debate.feminism

[ThanksMatt]

Thank you I post this one more time so it appears first

[HarryPalmer]

And remember kids, you can't spell "appalling" without "Palin."

I'm just sayin....

[1Smartchik]

And Cindy McCain had the nerve to say Obama is having the most negative campaign in history, is she kidding? Inhaling too much of her expensive perfumes I guess. I cannot wait until mcCain has to call Obama Mr. President, did anybody see him blow Obama off at the end of the debate when Obama reached out to shake his hand he wouldn't, he is such a creep.

[kadene]

McCain's vindictive so he won't ever place himself in a posotion to have to call him Mr. President. I am sorry for him though; watching him hobble around last night speaking in his usual parsel-tongue hiss, I imagined Obama deliberately getting him mad so he would reveal some of his other multiple personalities in public.

But Obama's too restrained for that.

[DSGPSYD]

Gutless, Cowardly, Hardly becoming a War Hero. He should be ashamed of himself.

As for Sarah P and the First Doosh: They are acting way more tolerant and sophisticated then they normally would. This ain't Alaska dears...Bless their hearts.

[jayjaga]

The whole is watching and laughing as McBush's campaign turns into a shameless circus shows.

[CC2008]

What kind of Patriot sends that women out to whip the racists and bigots into a frenzy? Does The Country want another president who will stoop to anything to win? Is the man blinded by ambition for power.

Our Country is such a mess that only bringing out our brighter Angels will lead us out of dark time. The man and his pitbull have shown they know how to take the Country even farther to the Dark Side.

John McCain is not our friend, he cannot relate to average Americans. His gimmicks and tactics underestimate our determination to go in a new direction .
If you'll stoop to anything, you don't stand for much.

[oaklynne]

YES, race-baiting and xenophobia Thank you NYT for describing so well the two essential characteristics of the McCain/Palin campaign. It will be "That One" that won!