Republican Congressman Criticizes Palin Rallies

Veteran Republican Congressman Ray LaHood criticized his party's vice presidential nominee Friday, saying that Sarah Palin's vitriolic campaign rallies ""don't befit the office she's running for."

Rep. LaHood, who has represented Illinois' 18th district for seven terms and is retiring in January, told WBBM Radio that Palin should control the racially-charged heckling at her rallies:

"Look it. This doesn't befit the office that she's running for. And frankly, people don't like it."

Some of the names Obama is being called, which include "terrorist" and "traitor," "certainly don't reflect the nature of the man," LaHood said to WBBM.

LaHood supports John McCain's candidacy, but warned that the heckling could backfire on the Republican ticket.

Comments

[cjgnew]

08:30 PM on 10/13/2008

Thank you Congressman for stating what most thinking Americans now realize as obvious. Racism in America has been "don't-ask, don't-tell" for way too long. One of the major pluses with Obama's candidacy has been that we have all been forced to take a look at our own prejudices a little closer. This, I am sure, will make all of us a bit more insightful and a little bit more compassionate. By throwing insults at each other, we're only making things more difficult for all of us. That being said, I concur that Ms. Palin's attacks on Obama's character, especially since they are so disconnected from the truth, are unfit of the office that she seeks.

Carlos Jean-Gilles
Saint Louis, MO

[RobertAndropolis]

04:35 AM on 10/14/2008

Palin's attacks on Obama's character are unfit, period.

[IcyAlaskan]

06:42 PM on 10/12/2008

When will the GOP realize that it is Palin who has turned us away from the Republican Party? Her presence in this campaign has only energized the narrow minded simpletons at the bottom of the party.
On Friday, August 29, 2008, the Republicans lost the 2008 Presidential Election.

[StandUpAmerica08]

04:37 PM on 10/12/2008

The problem with Gov. Crist is that he's not as smart as Gov. Palin!

Here's proof!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrzXLYA_e6E

[mysterygirl18]

05:44 AM on 10/12/2008

Well said, sir. Another note, these two are an insult to any intelligent, hard-working member of the republican party.

http://www.myspace.com/wakeupnowpeople

[serena1313]

03:14 AM on 10/12/2008

I agree.

The elderly senator and soccer mom's erratic, rough-n-tumble campaign-style compared with the Obama-Biden's calm, steady statesmanship-like campaign-style and behaviour are distinctly different: I definitively prefer the latter.

Obama and Biden have consistently maintained a decorum befitting that expected of our President and vice-president. I cannot say that about McCain and Palin.

[hortonhearsawho]

11:59 PM on 10/11/2008

John needs help...he is still in that cell.

[hamiltons]

06:27 PM on 10/11/2008

this is just a check to see if i'm posted

[curocat]

09:36 PM on 10/11/2008

Yeah, I get the same problem from time to time, even for words like "YUP" ... Whats up with that???

[hortonhearsawho]

11:57 PM on 10/11/2008

might very well qualify you for a republican office.

[hamiltons]

06:24 PM on 10/11/2008

i can understand why obamas wife might not be that proud to be an american. i am a combat wounded/decorated veteran and i'm ashamed at the repub. campaign, especially the stringent words of sarah palin. today she stands politically naked before us as 11repubs and 4 dems in her own state have shown her to be less than what mccain introduced us to. so lets drop the holier than thou, gee willikers, soccer mom B.S., shes a politician playing us. no i don't want joe 6 pack[her husband] in the white house, we need the best that we can get and the repubs really flubbed this one, quite obviously there is an education void, a lack of common sense issue, and numerous intelligent republicans are moving as quickly as they can from this mediocroty , even the great Conservative WM>BUCKLEYS" s
,a staunch republican is embarrassed. partisan politics should not be the politics of hatred otherwise we are no better than other countries, with vast differences. we used to show the world how we changed things in a civil manner, but now racism and horrific accusations spew out, even john mccain tried to stop the bile but his own audience ignored him. heres a thought, we all succeed together,or we fail together, our choice

[ewa]

08:08 PM on 10/11/2008

As a decorated Veteran myself I have to agree with you 100%.McCain has lost it for us,and picking this Bimbo was a major mistake what really scares me is many Reps. think this Bimbo has some thing good to say.This really really scares me.

[Trying2bthoughtful]

09:21 PM on 10/11/2008

Well, that makes three of us, doesn't it? An RVN combat veteran (class of '71), I have been a supporter of McCain's even when I disagreed with him on specific issues. But the selection of Sarah Palin as a running mate was shockingly irresponsible. And her performance since the Republican convention just grinds our faces in the gravel. This is totally wrong for America. I can't vote for this ticket. Sorry, John. I really am.

[eladora]

06:12 PM on 10/11/2008

They are promoting terrorism and they should be arrested. I still cannot believe that Rep women love Sarah and that she represents them. How truly sad.

[PLDChicago]

07:23 PM on 10/11/2008

Everyday she loses more women. Her supporters are those like her who don't read and, when they do, can't comprehend.

[Cook7]

04:37 PM on 10/11/2008

It is insulting to the electorate as well as our social and legal system, for McCain and Palin to persistently attack the democratic presidential candidate, on the grounds that he is a terrorist or an associate of terrorists. That assertion by itself, at a time when Americans are touchy on the subject of terrorism and are involved in two wars against terrorism, is a jab on Americans, suggesting that we have managed to allow terrorists penetrate our government by electing a senator from Illinois, that for twenty months of the primary election campaign, we have contributed to and supported a presidential candidate who has terrorist ties, further more, that our legal and security system is ineffectual, since there is a terrorist among us running for the highest office, and we are letting him win.
A simple analysis of the recent McCain-Palin campaign of calumny, may sound like an attack on Obama, but it is a direct affront on the American society. By their assertion, they insult our judgment in making that repeated suggestion. The Republican candidates, having run out of time and out of ideas are now indirectly insulting Americans, hoping that we will not notice. We have had to live through eight years of fear tactics,and it's ENOUGH. It will not work this election cycle, so McPalin should stop borrowing ideas from Bush strategist and come up with their own.

[iwantthatonetoo]

10:18 PM on 10/11/2008

in the 60's we fought for the rights of people (although some took the fight way to far) must we go through all the hate & violence all over again because of some like mccain-palin who want to tear this land apart ( literaly) for their own goals. i would be so ashamed to have too admit i'm an amercian too any one else in this world. it's a lot worse than bush strategy IT'S THE WORST KIND OF MC CARTHYISM I'V SEEN FOR 60 years. god help us (my god ,not palin's)

[Rnactivist]

04:16 PM on 10/11/2008

finally a Republican who is saying what we have known all along...Palin is a mistake and Mccain is a wussy who stands behind her

[Pacojam]

02:56 PM on 10/11/2008

If it does backfire, I wonder where that would put them in the polls.

[Budokan]

11:58 AM on 10/11/2008

It doesn't befit the office but it befits the GOP and The Base of screaming idealogues they kowtow to.

[kskj]

10:47 AM on 10/11/2008

I wonder if John McCain has given any thought at all to his adopted daughter. Does he want her judged by the color of her skin too?

[oscartucker]

11:54 AM on 10/11/2008

McCain has so easily forgotten what was done to him. He and Cindy both said that this would be a clean campaign. If all of this has gone on now, what would he do as president?

[PLDChicago]

07:24 PM on 10/11/2008

Bridget McCain looks emotionally abused.

[Budokan]

11:59 AM on 10/11/2008

Apparently so. Seems what happened to him in South Carolina and how Bush trashed his little girl doesn't mean all that much to him in the long run.

[Rog49Thomas]

10:05 AM on 10/11/2008

If the candidate isn't fit for the office, why on earth would one expect her conduct to be fit?