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.
Follow Lee Stranahan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Stranahan
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Is this true? I haven't heard anything else about it is why I ask.
Gee what a shock after all the vitriol from John and Sarah.This is what campaigning with fear as a strategy gets you.Keep driving that wedge Senator,Governor.That's really putting "Country First".I did read a great diary the other day on Daily Kos that explained a family that lived on a block of McCain supporters had an Obama sign that was stolen.One of the neighbors was so upset about the theft they went to Obama HQ and bought a sign for their neighbor that was robbed.A McCain supporter PAYING to replace a neighbors Obama sign.We need more of that kind of thing.We are all Americans after all.Just try to keep that story in mind when you want to say you hate John or Sarah or their supporters.Lets not imitate the worst of them.Lets rise above it.
Even here in the cobalt blue state of Massachusetts it gets uncomfortable. My wife and I were stopped at a stop sign, across the street were some McCain supporters. They looked at us and waved their signs. I smiled gave the thumbs down and said Obama, they started screaming at us! Full throated screaming, leaning toward us, aggressive nuts! I've never seen that happen before, not here. McPalin have inspired a special kind of knuckle-dragger. It's awful to see what they're wrought and I hope it haunts them for the rest of their days.
This is horrible...my 85yr mother called me up in tears yesterday...she was threatened by someone for having Obama/Biden signs on her lawn.
Win or lose, I'm predicting much worse behavior on the part of McCain/Palin supporters in the coming days. They've lit the match on a bonfire that even they won't be able to control.
I'm afraid you're right about this.
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Harry, so sorry your kids had to witness that.
I have noticed the differences in the faces of Obama supporters and McCain supporters in photos and video clips. Obama supporters are smiling and grinning, and McCain supporters are angrily screaming and shouting and spittle is flying out of their mouths.
I can't imagine McCain feeling good about inciting such hatred and dangerous over-reactions in his supporters. I hope he has some sort of plan to defuse them after the election.
NEGATIVE campaign does it.
It teaches one to hate each other... so sad...
This is not right... further dividing our community - country...
Verbal abuse because of the difference... EMPATHY
I agree with what you are saying...
They know they're backing a loser, and they're lashing out. This is worse than the lady in Michigan who refused to give candy to the children of Obama supporters. That was beyond petty, but at least she didn't get violent. They held a McCain/Palin rally near my place of employment last week, and I left work early so I could get the hell out of there. I was truly worried about getting my car vandalized by people who didn't agree with my bumper sticker. Sad.
Ooooooops -- above I meant "have anger management problems" -- changed my text and didn't catch that.
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This is just going to get uglier over the next few days, and I can assure you, once the election is over, it's only going to get worse.
I think we can go back a few decades, and review the impact of the decision within the catholic church to conduct mass in English. This decision wreaked havoc on the church members. Their entire lives were thrown into chaos. It was a tragic time for many.
On September 19, 2008, Paulson demanded entitlement for Bush's going away present for his cronies. This was the date the members of the Republican Party learned they belonged to the Party of Corporate Welfare. America does not tolerate corporate welfare. Many conservatives have had their lives thrown into chaos. It is a tragic time for many of them. I feel no pity for any of them, and wish them ill will for the pain and suffering they have caused for so many Americans. I hope the volunteers will have to appear in court, and I hope they will move into the fringes of society and suffer greatly for a long time.
In the meantime, impeachment of Bush will be able to begin in earnest.
The local catholic church here had pamphlets printed up stating a vote for obama was for the devil or something like that I do not have the brochure with me. A volunteer had one put on her car at church. Awful Awful.
One wonders why there is usually silence in the face of such behavior. It would be so inspiring for a few to publicly call out their religious leaders and demand an explanation of how they can believe this nonsense they spew out.
we need to take back America from right-wing hate mob.
Stories like these are sickening. I will be happier than I can express in words when this election is finally over and we can cheer our new President, Barack H. Obama. I am working on the ground in South Florida, knocking on doors, talking to voters and encouraging them to get out and vote early. It is comforting to speak to so many Obama supporters, including the ones who told me they have always voted Republican until THIS YEAR. The tactics being employed by the Republican party have made them ashamed to call themselves Republicans. They are voting Obama, and are proud to say so. If nothing else, this election has shown the true colors of the Republican party. Anyone who would lionize a guy like Joe the Plumber, a guy who doesn't pay his taxes and lies on national television should fit right in with the McCain/Palin camp. Nearly every word they have uttered about Obama has been either an outright lie, or a convenient distortion of the truth. I am thrilled and excited that come January 20, 2009, this country will be on it's way to recovering it's former greatness. OBAMA/BIDEN '08!!!
I suspect there are a great many people who spent the last eight years living with the consequence of being Bush enablers who are very angry. They need to take a deep breath of the Winds of Change and refresh their humanity.
Something I saw today made me prouder than ever of being a Democrat and American: On three corners in an intersection in the city where I live, there were McCain supporters holding signs and waving to traffic. On the fourth corner, a group of young people holding "Kids 4 Obama" and "Obama 4 Change" signs, waving to drivers. The McCain supporters were met with silence, the kids waving the Obama signs were met with honking horns, waves, shouts of "Obama!" and "Way to go!" as the cars passed by. When the cars were at the red light, there was silence, as if drivers feared their honks and waves might be mistaken for support for McCain. But when the light turned green, the honking, shouting and waving was at a near-fever pitch. I drove through the intersection twice just to see if my suspicions were correct. They were. The cars passing through were almost unanimously pro-Obama. At one point, one of the McCain supporters, a woman who appeared to be in her early 40's, was shouting to drivers sitting at the red light the same tired lies, fear tactics and rhetoric that we have been subjected to for weeks. One driver apparently had had enough, and shouted back that "Obama will win, take your lies and go home, we've had enough of your garbage!". Our country has reached a turning point in favor of positive change and hope for the future. The lies are not working. OBAMA in '08!!
A friend of mine was parked at a local community pharmacy, her car adorning an Obama bumper sticker. When she returned to her car, she found she was partially blocked in. the driver in the obstructing vehicle yelled angrily to her that she was supporting the antichrist...and added a few other choice words. McCain and Palin have been totally irresponsible.
I hope the driver of the blocked car picked up his antipsychotic pill and will be back to his good self soon.
Sounds like the McCain volunteers learned about the First Amendment from Sarah Palin.
Great point - isn't the First Amendment there to protect McCain volunteers from seeing an Obama sign? I mean, duh...
My local paper has an area where individuals can blog and I've been utilizing it to bring up issues with McCain's voting record, Palin's inexperience, etc. and it amazes me the people thet leave messages stating that I don't have the right to write against McCain/Palin.
These people have the tunnel vision necessary for fascism, pure and simple.
Meanwhile, in Iowas where it all began....
Obama, an Illinois senator, was the choice of 54 percent of likely voters, while McCain, an Arizona senator, was the choice of 37 percent.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20081101/NEWS09/81101014/1001/NEWS
I've never been more proud of Iowa.
...in my adult life...
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