More Hatred At Rallies: "Off With His Head"

After not attacking Obama in last night's debate as forcefully as his campaign had in previous days, McCain was back on the offensive today at a rally at Lehigh University with his running mate Sarah Palin.

As seen at recent McCain events, this afternoon's crowd was vocal in their support for McCain and their anger with Senator Obama. At one point one man could be heard yelling, "Off with his head," when McCain spoke about Obama's tax plan. That enthusiasm was even more present during Palin's remarks, and as other observers have reported in the past, today there was a sizeable number of people making their way towards the exit after McCain's running mate left the podium.

Read the whole story here.

The incident follows previous outbursts at McCain-Palin rallies this week.

Yesterday, a member of the crowd at a Palin rally in Jacksonville, Florida yelled "treason!" after Palin accused Obama of criticizing U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

And on Monday, a supporter shouted "Kill him!" when Sarah Palin started attacking Obama's association with William Ayers at a rally in Clearwater, Florida.

Comments

[plaidlemur]

I made some maps of educational quality and educational level, and compared them to the way the electoral map looks like now...maybe that's part of the reason for this foolishness? Poorly educated, ignorant voters that think in more black and white terms (pun not intended), and may be more apt to think along racial lines.

http://plaidlemur.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/education-quality-and-political-leanings/

[Yve72]

Why does the McCain-Palin campaign bring out the worst instincts in society?

People poked fun and mocked Obama for his slogan of Hope, but it appeals to our higher selves. You don't hear that garbage at their rallies.

I know that Hope will win out.

[sclucie]

The McCain Palin campaign brings out the worst in Americans because they are now making it the basis for their campaign. How can anyone who does this claim to be a Christian?

[Yve72]

Anyone can be a Christian POSER. Walking the talk is what counts. They are crippled.

[solanus]

McCain/Palin doing this just shows what they will do to us! Think about it.

[TivoliEclipse]

"...it just shows what they will do to us!' Puhleeze. Live free or die!

[iamheasyouare]

Yes, I like New Hampshire liscence plates as much as the next guy, and also the self-responsibilty tack you are aspousing...but a biased and stacked hard right Supreme Court IS something "they" can do to "us"...and long long term. Lifetime terms, baby, lifetime terms. (my version of drill, baby, drill, if you will)

[seriously29]

exactly. they are telling us who they are and what they plan to do, believe them. if this continues it will just be a matter of time before somone is attacked. what about minority republicans. mobs do not stop and think. this is dangerous, dangerous and irresponsible.

[joeyscamps]

Hope not fear for those of you who like positivity here a great new obama song .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8iIvrgnp-I

stay postive

[TivoliEclipse]

This is racist sociopathology... Ensure you are standing in line at 5:00 AM on 11/4/08! Shut this foolishness down!

[Yve72]

Amen.
My husband's taking off from work on the 4th because the lines are going to be around the block and then some.

[TivoliEclipse]

Yup! Around the block and then some...

[iamheasyouare]

I agree totally with your basic premise, that if it's not being heard in realtime, that there must be a response next day. But as someone who works in audio engineering, I CANNOT see how a microphone is picking up these crowd responses clear as a bell, and that they are not being heard at the podium. Call me a professional skeptic in this instance.

This IS America however, so...benefit of the doubt and innocent till proven guilty.

[vincie]

WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND IS THE OBAMA CAMP AND THE SUPPORTERS JUST NEED A LITTLE SOMETHING TO START WITH RACIST. JUST LOOK AT WHAT THEY DID TO THE CLINTON'S. BILL CLINTON, THAT DID SO MUCH FOR BLACK AMERICAN GOT CALLED A RACIST, JUST SO OBAMA COULD WIN A PRIMARY, HILLARY GOT CALLED THE SAME THING. THEY ARE A BUNCH OF HYPOCRITES AND MARK MY WORDS, WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND AND I CAN'T WAIT.

[fedupinfla]

I went to that rally in Clearwater so I could hear for myself the crap McPalin spout off and you should have heard the garbage that was said!!! The guy who yelled "kill him" was less than 100ft from the stage and Palin looked in his direction and gave a half smile before continuing her tirade. DO NOT BE FOOLED! She most definitely heard him and sanctioned it by her silence. Others said far worse..I heard the "N" word used like a noun and people saying that it was a shame they didn't allow lynchings anymore!!! Yeah, it takes REAL "mavericks" to encourage racist & hate mongering comments to win an election!!! McPalin are disgusting and I can't wait til Nov. 4th to see them get what they deserve!

[EvoMan]

Definitely not real "Mavericks."

http://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/2008/10/06/maverick-family-to-mccain-no-way-are-you-one-of-us/

[BruntLIVE]

Get the jails ready, after Obama wins this country will revert to 1960. Southern GOPers will not take this.

[chs1965]

Real enlightening comment. You sure don't show your prejudice.

[hyjanks]

Maybe we can go back to separate drinking fountains, you know, one for the idiots and one for Obama supporters.

[Yve72]

I don't think it will get anywhere near that bad, but I expect the extremists to rear their heads.

[whizkid]

This is again an article claiming spoken words with no basis in fact.

[BillyT]

spoken like a true McCain's "fellow prisoner...."

[lainey]

Since the Secret Service is now looking for the person shouting "kill him", I would say that you were wrong. Facts are most helpful when making a post. The condoning and refusal to address these words are both unAmerican and unpatriotic, not to mention sickening. Both McCain, Mrs. McCain and Palin are inciting violence. It will be a blessing when they are all gone come November 4th.

[EvoMan]

Whizzer, go take a whiz, will ya?

[Slice]

You can't really expect a speaker to hear everything said in a crowd, and so they can't respond on the spot. However (maybe this has already been said elsewhere), there is no excuse for not denouncing those stupid comments afterwards or at the next rally. The longer Palin and McCain let this happen, the more inexcusable it gets. Silence is approval.

[solomnibuslucet]

It's not like the crowd became aroused for no reason. McCain and especially Sarah the pit bull incited the mob on purpose with inflammatory lies. They are the instigators!
By the way, such technique is routinely used in the so-called public trials by the communist regimes.

[chf2go]

It's truly unAmerican and the Republican party should speak out against this horrific conduct that the McCain and Palin team are condoning. Silence by the Republicans is condoning it and they will pay the price this fall not only at the head of the ticket but all the way down the line and their party may be finished for decades to come. It's an outrage! It's like a third world country to allow this kind of behavior to be tolerated. It's threatening the lives of candidate for the highest office in the land and these people need to be rounded up and prosecuted and Palin is an inciter of near rioting. She is indeed a cancer that will kill any shred of decency left in the Republican party. Have they no honor left at all? Are they so partisan that they will sell their country out completely vs. speaking out against such acts? Outrageous!

[BigMike75]

Is anyone in the media gonna talk about this other than what you find on the Huffington Post? I can't believe that in 2008, these hatemongers are allowed to incite rampant hatred like this, and pass it off as campaign tactics. Are these the types of people that Americans aspire to run our democracy? Don't we need leadership that inspires the best in us, and not the worst? Republicans make it real easy to detest them with fiery emotion, and the bottom of the barrel voters they appeal to with detestable rhetoric like we're seeing, have got to be the dumbest we have in America.

[hyjanks]

But remember: The Palin/McCain team will bring us together after January 20th! Be sure and bring your flak jacket and steel helmet to their "togetherness" party.

[boycottrightwingthings]

I can't wait until these facists are out of our faces, 27 days and counting!! I have never in my LIFE heard such evil people speaking such garbage at rallies. I wonder if the McCain-Palin people put these people in the crowd as a plant to incite anger and want to cause riots. It really shiould be answered to, and these people prosecuted, as it is illegal to make terroristic threats against US Government officials! Obama Biden 08'

[iamheasyouare]

Well, I do hope that these "cowards in crowds" do a reality check and realize that we are a nation of laws, and that now the Secret Service is involved in investigating this hate mongering. Like Nixon before them, the "law and order" crowd seems to be forgetting that these basic laws of public conduct apply to allow...and thank the Founding Fathers for that.

[quintus]

McCain: a man of honour? Not by a long shot.

And Palin? I think we can now use demagogue to best describe her. Not a word she would likely know the definition of. Nevertheless.