L.A. Obama Supporter Attacked By McCain Volunteers In Front Of His Children (Update)

I just got this email from a friend of mine, Harry.

Just to paint the picture, Harry is in his late 40s and built like a graphic artist; tall and thin. He has two daughters aged five and eight who were with him when this attack occurred near Woodland Hills, a residential suburb of Los Angeles.

"You should have been there! I was standing on a busy corner in my neighborhood with my daughters waving my Obama/Biden sign. I was kitty-corner to the San Fernando Valley Campaign Headquarters of John McCain. For two hour I was getting about 8 honks for every one honk for McCain.

Three McCain volunteers came across to my corner and one of them physically attacked me. She started yelling at me for wanting a Socialist State, and then grabbed my Obama sign, threw it into the street, and started cussing me out, all in front of my kids. I asked her to stop cussing in front of my kids, but she wouldn't. Two 17 year old kids (children of Obama supporters) witnessed the whole thing and came to help me stop this insane McCain volunteer from scaring my kids. I gave a report to the police after they responded to my 911 call.

I'm glad we're on the side that wants to STOP fighting."

Harry told me that the McCain volunteers came from inside the campaign office. He phoned the McCain office and the person he spoke to said the people inside the office were aware that Harry was there with his Obama sign and daughters prior to the attack by volunteers.

Update: Harry writes
I saw that some of the people that posted comments on Huff Po wanted an update. I did not press charges. My time is better spent with my family and supporting positive people and issues. Today after working for 5 hours at a Habitat for Humanity site I returned to my corner on the boulevard across from the (now beefed up) McCain Headquarters and waved my Obama sign for another hour or so. My honks for support still beat out the McCain ones by about 8 to 1. No violence this time, but the McCain volunteers seemed to be pleasing themselves with whoops, hollers, whistles and bad dancing.

Lee Stranahan is a filmmaker whose current project is the YouTube based 30 Days | 30 Reasons I'm Voting For Barack Obama.

Comments

[DarkWitch]

Hopefully the last gasp of a dying beast.

[Vurz]

I am sorry you and your children had to go through this. I know that you have explained to your children why you did not press charges and that they are proud of you.

It is awesome that you were getting a 8-1 honk for Obama!

[laylahb]

I can't believe that this happened in Woodland Hills, presumably on Ventura Blvd-- and that there were no Democrats to come to his rescue. The Valley--particularly Woodland Hills-- is Democrat country. Why would the Repugs even bother to open an office there (or anywhere else in L.A. County). Shame, shame on any person who would physically and verbally assault someone, particularly in front of his young children, because of his political beliefs.

This is what we can all do for Harry. Find your closest Obama office and volunteer Monday and Tuesday. You can do it on your lunch hour, between classes, after work. Offices are open, with extended hours on Monday and Tuesday (our site in Santa Monica opens at 6am on Tuesday). If you can't, make it into an office, use the neighbour to neighbour tool on www.barackobama.com and make phone calls from home. We can all help in one way or another to take back the White House.

[Dorksforobama]

It's really too bad that the republicans have to use fear, intimidation and violence to make their points. truly tells you how much they care about truth.

i'm so glad that we have a candidate that is cool, calm & collected and that most of us democrats are peaceful, happy and encouraging folk.

i have hope for my child's future in Barack Obama.

(is there another planet we can let the fear-mongers live on?)

[SilviaMaria]

The truth of the matter is that the McCain-Palin ticket has injected racism, intolerance and hatred into this race; in fact, Palin is the main responsible. She has been the attack dog for the campaign; but the sole responsibility of this act is McCain's; he knew what he was doing; he knew that he could not win on issues. He knows that many of his operatives out in the field believe all those lies and smears about Obama and that they are spreading them as well and he has done nothing to stop. A simple memo stating the facts would do it.

The other thing is that he is mad, probably at himself for allowing the Bush advisers take over his campaign (the same people who smeared him in 2000(, for choosing Sarah Palin for VP; the Republican Party is mad and angry. This anger reflects in their base; they are looking for a scapegoat, someone to blame for everything because these people can not face the reality: the fact that the Republican Party has screwed up big time, so their base are projecting their anger on any Obama supporter. It is FEAR controlling their minds.

The sad thing is that I doubt very much that this Republican base make more than $200,000 a year and that they would be better off with Obama's tax plan.

[collegemadhous]

Kudos to Harry for taking the highroad and not pressing charges. (Personally I'd have had them in arrested for physical assault, verbal abuse, and infringing upon my Constitutional rights.) The police however, when given witness statements and verification from the McCain campaign office that their people left the building to physically and verbally confront Harry, in front of his children, should've charged McCain's people with risk of injury to minors. Thank goodness no one, particularly the children, were injured.

[fazoolynj]

I worked the telephones for the Obama campaign yesterday for 8 hours. The Obama people I spoke with were so pleasant and nice. The McCain people I tried to speak with were angry and down right nasty, some even made racist comments. I used my cell phone to make the calls, and some obvious McCain supporters called me back continuously throughout the course of the evening. Instead of calling me, maybe they should have volunteered their time, just like I did, to make some calls on behalf of their candidate. I guess they're too busy being frustrated and wanted to vent their anger on me.

[kathy001]

What a great example of "Family Values." I'm so impressed with the way this b**ch practiced what she preaches - what all Rspublicans preach. Cussing in front of Harry's children, behaving violently against peaceful people - oh yeah, that's the kind of people I want running my country.

Ignorant. Vicious. Hypocrites.

[kycatfan]

And this is surprising because?......

Desperate people do desperate things. The McCain koolaid drinkers are seeing the handwriting on the wall, and it isn't pretty. After running an invective-filled, hateful Republican campaign, they have pretty much guaranteed we will have president Obama for the next four years. Thanks for the help, McCain supporters!!

OBAMA 2008

[FlamingLibrul]

By the way, have you noticed the rage, anger, and violence common among many of many republicans? Is this any way to lead?

I live in a conservative area of Maryland, where you would never believe MD is a Blue State, I am too scared to put an Obama sticker on my car, let alone attempt a yard sign. I have only seen ONE Obama yard sign in my neighborhood, and I believe it's disappeared already.

I have heard really vile r a c i s t and downright i g n o r a n t statements from supposedly educated people here. It is beyond disheartening. As for leading- repubs don't care about leading, they care about being in power and in control.

[BLinCincinnati]

" I am too scared to put an Obama sticker on my car, let alone attempt a yard sign"

And that right there "my friends" is why Obama is going to have a landslide. It's the "Obama Effect". I personally know of 7 people now that publicly say they are supporting McCain but intend to vote Obama. And they say that because of this very reason... fear of being attacked, vandalized, or ridiculed.

I live in Cincinnati, a very Republican city for a long long time.... many are "supporting" McCain because it's the popular thing to say... but in the privacy of the ballot booth... they'll vote Obama.

[Burgess]

At the end the loud and the irrational vitriolic and bullies seem to get their way if there is no leadership on top. We need a mechanism to protect us from the racists, uninformed, unreasonable and from those with their empty rhetoric and dogma and the ignorant mob.
One must be vigilant not to give in trying to be PC to censure the wrong people and give a platform to bigots!
My three teenager nieces had an unpleasant experience this summer on ASPCA on line community where they had formed an Obama for Anima Rights group. They were ruthlessly harassed and attacked and mobbed by bunch of ASPCA members, who were frankly racist bigots.
They were Republicans and they formed their own group called McCain for Animals rights (what a joke) These awful people started to post highly unacceptable material and untruths and pictures about Obama calling him a muslim terrorist and posting abortion pictures (as these, so called life loving hideous people are pro life) The ASPCA monitor turned out to be highly ineffective and easily bullied by these ignorant people and at the end my nieces Obama group( which was posting Humane Society and Wildlife for Defenders material and votesmart.org and endorsements of Obama from animal rights community ) got banned along with the other group.
So I am not surprised by their aggressive posture, on the street or on the internet, they are full of hate and anger.

[CommonSenseMom]

This is Sarah Palin's fault. She has spread nothing but FEAR with her LIES and DECEITFUL campaign speeches. She has brought out the WORST OF THE WORST Republicans as they wave their Dixie Flags and walk around calling Obama a "TURR-IST" and an "A-RAB". Redneck Racist Idiots love Sarah Palin and her hate-talk.

The Obama campaign should sue Sarah Palin. She and John McCain have come just short of yelling "FIRE" in a crowded movie theater with their Fear-Tactics.

Shame on you John McCain for running the worst possible negative campaign. That's what you'll be remembered for after Tuesday buddy.

[TimeToUnite]

I live is PA, McCain/Palin are in and out of this state all the time lately and it seems the more they are here, the more incidents like this take place. I believe it is a reflection of the candidates. For many, McCain, a highly respected man before he got the nomination, has lost his dignity and principles. If (when) he loses, what will his message be to his supporters? Will he work with Obama to unite this country? How does he do that with all that has been said? And what will Sarah Palin do? What will Obama supporters do and say to help Obama with his process? Let's not forget, it doesn't end on Nov 4, it is the beginning...

[kami-kz]

Violence is the logical result of intolerance. McCain, like Bush before him, relies on demonizing the opposition instead of discussing issues.

[KathieKH]

It is a sad state of affairs when one cannot peacefully support their candidate. What the heck was this woman thinking? Attacking a man with his young children present? What about respecting public discourse? She couldn't muster the language skills necessary to address this and has to resort to violence? I truly think he tried to diffuse the situation and asked her not to cuss in front of his young children - yet she wouldn't stop. Absolutely unacceptable behavior. Can you imagine the trauma to his young children? I think this comes out of frustration that McCain is losing and the hate speech spewed by McCain/Palin ticket and their supporters.