Assaulted Canvasser Speaks With Obama

Nancy Takehara, the Chicagoan who was assaulted while canvassing for Obama in Caledonia, Wisconsin, was contacted by the candidate himself on the day of the incident. By the time Takehara had returned home, there was an answering machine message from the campaign. She called the number and Obama spoke to her personally with words of moral support. Takehara said this morning, "All I have to say is Mr. Obama is a wonderful man" who was very supportive.

On Saturday, Takehara was going door to door in Caledonia with another canvasser when she was verbally assaulted and then grabbed by the hair on the back of her neck and reportedly pounded on the head. (Watch a news report here.)

The Obama campaign's statement on the matter was very polite, calling the incident "isolated and extremely rare." In my original post on the incident I came to the conclusion, criticized by some, that "McCain supporters are dicks." Their criticism was correct. Not all McCain supporters are dicks, and I have decided to fall in line with the general sentiment of the Obama camp that the high road ought to be the one taken in response to such lashing out by McCain/Palin supporters.

However, before I commit myself to the nosebleed path, I'd like us all to take a look down the more subterranean one: It isn't hard to imagine what Sarah Palin's reaction would be to a McCain/Palin volunteer being assaulted. It would no doubt sound something like this:

"Some of these people just don't get democracy. They don't get that you have to be accepting of others' right to disagree. That's the American way. But they don't get it. So, like Bill Ayers, they lash out violently at what they don't understand."

Let me just ask, is it not so?

I know this election isn't going to be about who ran the most respectable campaign. But does it not speak to a vast difference in viewpoint over the responsibility of a collective organization to its individual members that the Obama campaign was organized enough to find out what happened to one of its thousands upon thousands of volunteers throughout the country, and that the man at the top of the organization, the candidate himself, before the end of the day, had spoken to the volunteer personally to express regret for what happened to her and offer gratitude for her support?

And that the volunteer in question and the campaign she works for come away, not with the urge to make a federal case out of the event, or to capitalize on it rhetorically, but speak in reasonable tones about getting past the polarization that's developed in our political discourse.

I am still not sure about going up that high road. Because I believe such an event is symptomatic of the kind of political culture deliberately cultivated by the leaders of the conservative movement in the Republican party over the last 28 years.

Which is probably what I should have said, rather than "McCain supporters are dicks."

But, uh, I was in a hurry.

Another canvasser in the carpooling caravan, which met Saturday morning at 7 a.m. at Chicago's Hideout tavern, noted that normally they worked in more working-class parts of Racine, but the particular neighborhood where the incident took place was more upscale by comparison.

The canvasser remarked, "The guy was screaming about Acorn, so you know where he got that from."

He also said the Republicans they had come across were mainly very nice people, and many of them expressed positive feelings about Obama but couldn't support him because he was, in their view, pro-abortion and anti-gun-rights.

The Hideout, which is a performance venue and bar that has often played host to progressive events, has become an unofficial hangout for many of the young folk in the Obama organization.

According to Tim Tuten, who with his wife Katie is the proprietor of the Hideout, about twenty to thirty people have been meeting Saturday mornings to carpool to Racine for the past few weeks. They may be going to Indiana next week, Tuten says, as Wisconsin now appears to be leaning toward Obama.

Comments

[Dissident Dexter]

Watch how pissed off they get when they realize that the Obama Presidency will be good for EVERYBODY!

[AlphaGator]

Civility in politics goes hand in hand with tolerance and the acceptance of diversity. Unfortunately, one side of our political discourse has lost or never had any of this as part of their fabric. I pity them but know that pity will not win over or dissuade their bitterness.

[doctordoubt]

This really goes to the heart of the matter. We are backing a gentleman. It's about time someone came along that doesn't feel he has to ride rough shod over everything in his path. That he contacted the lady is proof positive of how he will run this country. He cares. Let's all care and vote like there's no tomorrow. If Mc..........gets in, there may not be.

[CeeCee]

Better a President with class and calmness, than a President who shoots first and probably does NOT ask questions later.

One can talk intelligently, listen, and negotiate.
The other will not listen and go to war for 100 years.

American, choose wisely. Please.

[WoodyIV]

Great post, I really enjoyed reading it.

[Aesthete]

Having a black presidential candidate provides a excellent litmus test during which people reveal their true selves.

[Ryan Kerian - Huffpost Blogger]

Kudos on the well-written and interesting article. I do want to point out that violence against campaign activists doesn't solely come from Republican sympathizers. Recently, a pro Prop. 8 supporter (a ballot initiative eliminate gay marriage in California) was violently attacked while distributing"Yes on 8!" lawn signs.

Unfortunately, it seems the conservative folks, particularly at large Palin rallies have become raucous at best. It may be more apt to say that they are showing a reckless indifference to the value of human life (in this case, Obama's), dissenting viewpoints and religious tolerance. However, sadly, these acts and the views that spawn them are not confined to the right-leaning denizens of our country.

News article on attack: http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=3403

[Val49]

I really commend all the supporters and especially the young supporters that are out canvassing the neighborhood for Sen Obama. I always send him a donation because I can not go door to door I do not have that kind of nice attitude, I am a former police officer and even thought I am a female me and that guy would have been rolling around on that grass then afterwards I would have called EMS to come and pick his ass up.

[dare2tryobama]

What other candidate have we known that has done something like this? I commend Senator Obama and his campaign for how this was handled. It would be expected for some ourtage to come out of the campaign but because the ENTIRE campaign takes it's lead from their leader no such thing happened and that is to be commended by everyone involded.

[FanofPaine]

A McCain/Palin supporter came to the door with a rifle when I was canvassing in VA. It turns out he was incredibly friendly and was probably going out hunting, but it kind of terrified me because he was fooling around with the gun as I was talking to him.

[LetMeUnderstandThis]

This from another poster (Sorry I don't remember your name, but Kudos to you)

Here's a GREAT way to support Senator Obama while he visits his grandmother.....

PLEASE start posting on at least 3 blogs, per day reminders to VOTE EARLY and

ABSENTEE VOTE. Refer them to Senator Obama's website for their states

guidelines regarding VOTE EARLY/ABSENTEE VOTE in their state. This is one of

the best ways we can support Senator Obama THIS WEEK by maintaining his momentum.

If we hit big numbers THIS WEEK it will keep him in the news in a POSITIVE WAY.

http://yeswecanholdbabies.wordpress.com/

http://www.barackobama.com/voters/

Let's knocked these EARLY/ABSENTEE VOTES out the park this week.

As the song goes, let's give them something to talk about!

[honestpolitician]

It is because of the anger and fear that the McCain/Palin campaign has created....They have created angry beasts...thanks for dividing our country McCain!!!!!!!

POLITICAL AD ATTACKS! http://politicaladattacks.blogspot.com/

[shirleen01]

It's okay. He'll get his..what goes around comes around.

[Gericault]

I had one Hillary Clinton supporter get pretty "in my face" confrontationally, while I was canvassing during the California primary. I just smiled and backed away. That was democrat vs. democrat. It can get ugly, we're dealing with, must I say it,........people. Yuck.

[care4mypeeps]

We need to keep this one in the Media and make sure Nancy Takehara gets justice and punitive damages. How was this man able to escape arrest?

Somebody please talk me down on this one. Had it been a Democrat it would occupy the News
cycle until election day,

[BassMent]

He was able to escape arrest because Nancy Takehara apparently chose not to press charges. She had a witness. They both probably had cell phones. They both presumably know how to dial 911. They could have done it from right in the guy's front yard. They chose to move on.

Every time another slimy smear is leveled at Obama by the McCain campaign, I pull my hair and want to yell, "Why don't you bring up his lobbyist connections to terrorist nations and dictatorships?!? Why don't you bring up his membership in an organization that supported Central American death squads?!?" And any number of hideous things McCain has done in his career.

But then I look at the way polls are trending, the way people are trending, and the way the MOOD is trending. The violence, racism, lies, xenophobia, McCarthyism, name-calling, negativity and fear-mongering that have marked the McCain campaign have totally turned off "the REAL America." So why should we stoop to their level, when we can take the high road and win?

[nikky]

i feel the same way

[openlids]

great comment

[WoodyIV]

Sometimes I have to remind myself of this. Ultimately, and after I've calmed down, I feel the same way. One thing to consider, say McCain's tactics work in the end, he would be the president of an extremely divided country, many of it's citizens believing that lies, fear and ignorance are the American way, and a way that works. That would be very sad indeed.

[falcon17]

I followed one of the links to a newspaper story, and the canvasser is described as getting in a loud verbal exchange with this 71 y/o man and that he asked her 5-6 times to get off his property. If this description is accurate, it gives her some responsibility as well. It doesn't excuse the guy and he has said he regrets what he did, but if she was in his face arguing with him, that wasn't' a smart thing for her to do.