Going Beyond the Pale-in: (Character) Assassination

We already knew that she was stunningly ignorant. Now she has shown herself to be shockingly evil.

John McCain is someone who has totally lost his moral compass (Sarah Palin may never have had one). He and everyone in his campaign have become what Mrs. Palin's prototype, Spiro Agnew, called (in William Safire's words), "nattering nabobs of negativism."

We have long known that many Republicans will stoop to anything to win. Karl Rove's 2004 success in depicting a man wounded in the Vietnam War as an anti-American coward and Rove's own chickenhawk president as a brave, patriotic American was disgusting.

But what the McCain campaign is doing now, principally through its winking, nose-crinkling Spiro Agnew/Dick Nixon, has gone beyond the lowest levels of Lee Atwater and Rove.

The patently false charges linking Barack Obama with terrorists not only tear the country apart, but are certain to lead some unhinged people to draw the logical conclusion. Some dupes of these reprehensible statements by Palin and McCain are going to think that a patriot must act to stop this "terrorist" from taking over the presidency.

Their shouts have already been heard from the mobs at Palin and McCain rallies this week: "Traitor!" "Terrorist!" "Kill him!" Mrs. Palin nods and winks.

When does character assassination cross the line and begin to encourage physical assassination?

Were, God forbid, the unthinkable to happen, it would not be unreasonable to charge Sarah Palin and John McCain as accessories before the fact.

They would rather lose a country than lose an election.

We knew John McCain. He was, we thought, a friend of ours. And you, McCain version 08, are no John McCain.

Have you at long last, sir, no sense of decency?

If you do, stop this evil line of campaign lies before it's too late.

{Historian Robert S. McElvaine is Elizabeth Chisholm Professor of Arts & Letters at Millsaps College. His latest book is Grand Theft Jesus: The Hijacking of Religion in America .}

Comments

[zanzig]

And to think we got upset with Senator Clinton when she made that stupid comment about assassinations in June. In comparison with Palin's demagoguery that was a much ado about nothing (ghastly as it was).

[Kadaniel]

Here here... McCain, Palin, Cindy and their little cohort are playing a game that could have outcomes far beyond winning and losing elections. They need to cool it and cool it now.

Bring your ideas and energy John and Sarah, if you have any, but leave your bigoted slime at the door. If you end up winning the election by way of slander, you will find the country ungovernable.

[elizaconnors]

I tried to post a comment two days ago that said exactly this. The reviewers must have considered it to be too extreme at the time because it never was posted. What a difference a couple of days makes.

Many of us (women) saw this coming with Palin. Her enthusiastically ignorant and disrespectful convention speech was a clear indication of what she was willing to do to promote her career. She is not simply a spunky, aggressive woman. She is the small minded, careless, vicious, power hungry but essentially lazy woman that many of us have to deal with at work.

This woman will stop at nothing. If anything horrible were to happen to our Obama, she would say that he had it coming.

Is there any grownup in the Republican party that can talk with McCain about ending this insane behavior? I guess that raises the question of whether or not McCain can do anything to stop it. My guess is no. I think that he has become irrelevant to his campaign.

The press has a role in this also. It would help if they stopped covering the campaign. Perhaps a short suspension of coverage would be in order for the sake of common decency and safety, not political agenda.

There I go being all naive again.

[LAB11]

If Falin Palin had half of your "naive" she would be twice the woman she is now! You go, girl!!!

[Sundialsvc4]

The question, Robert, is whether anyone seriously believes anything that these people are saying to begin with. I seriously doubt that they do.

What Americans do need to consider is that there are actually more than just two names on the ballot in every State. It's just that only two of them have (literally...) billions of dollars to spend on media campaigns.

And no, in this third paragraph I am not going to spout the name of a candidate. "Go find out for yourself."

What sort of nation do you want this nation to be? Is "war," and the horrific "indebtedness" (sic...) that finances it, really the top-dog on your version of the national plate? This certainly is what has built hundreds of paid-in-full mansions in the hills surrounding the Beltway. But is this the America you want?

[batguano]

Sarah Palin is a contemptible country girl! She shows no sense of decency, accuracy, integrity or truthfulne­ss........­the perfect Repub lying shill and rable-rous­er.....and her actions are a danger to our republic. I believe that the voters are seeing that truth now, and are shifting to Obama /Biden in droves.

[eanderso]

Seriously, let's not take this sh** sitting down. Show up to McCain and Palin rallies with these under your sweaters and sweatshirts:

Barack Obama "This one is voting for THAT ONE" t-shirts
http://www.cafepress.com/eanderso
http://www.zazzle.com/eanderso

The lunatic fringe needs to know they're not the majority. Let's show them our numbers.

[NotMcCain]

I don't think we should be talking about this.

Let's call the McCain-Palin strategy for the hate speech that it is. And do everything we can to correct (rather than desseminate) their inaccurate statements about Ayers, terrorism "Hussein" etc.

The rest of it, like this, is very counterproductive.

[SilverFoxUna]

On the question, "When does character assassination cross the line and begin to encourage physical assassination?" When someone in the crowd says, "Kill him!" I am amazed at the lack of action on the part of the Secret Service. Their public statement included their assertion that they had not received a complaint from anyone attending the event and that no threat was made nor any danger was perceived against the person they were entrusted to protect (i.e., Palin). Does the Secret Service regard media coverage of the unfolding events and backlash as a need to investigate allegations? Were the comments made by the attendees out of the Secret Service's hearing range. Does the Secret Service only protect one candidate at a time?

[Ellieirish]

Palin is like a white Al Sharpton. The way the GOP are inciting hatred and encouraging, or rather not discouraging, racial and violent comments from their crowd is outrageous. Do they seriously think this shows they can bring the country together or knowing that they are losing are they simply content to tear it apart?

[WinstonSmith1984]

McCain and the GOP still can pull this out if they can disenfranchise and purge enough voters. McCain's rants today suggest that they are laying the groundwork for a legal case to challenge literally hundreds of thousands of legitimate new voters in predominantly Democratically leaning areas. Purging 60,000 voters, 90% of them black, from the Florida voter rolls in September 2000 gave Bush the election.

But the so-called liberal media is not covering this crime, from what I've seen only the NY Times has investigated it and the "liberal media" seems unwilling to explore it. Couple with the fact that the very real, very dangerous connections of Sarah Palin to the secessionist Alaska Independence Party is being ignored while hours of broadcast time has been spent re-broadcasting the Palin/McCain tickets lies about the Obama-Ayers non-relationship.

I'm not done yet, but so far today I've emailed ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and the NY Times asking why these two very important, ACTUALLY RELEVANT stories are not being given the same coverage as the Ayers story. I urge everyone to do the same. Maybe if enough people point out that journalism means covering the truth, they will have to acquiesce and finally report it.

[newbridge]

I suggest that all of us write, call, or email Fox, more specifically, Sean Hannity and demand that they stop fomenting the hate. Contact them by the millions and threaten to boycott. Contact the Republican Senators and Representatives and insist that they insert themselves into this hateful rhetoric. They are, after all, about to go through an election.

[mnash]

I have e-mailed FL and Ohio about what has happened in their state regarding the rallies. I have received e-mails back. I understand the sheriff is being investigated and may loose his job. Perhaps if enough people do this, they can at least before the rallies. The names that were said is serious.

[0whole1]

No -- call Fox's sponsors and say that you're boycotting any company that advertises any of their punditry or news shows.

Talk local businesses into not advertising on the local affiliates.

This is change *Rupert Murdoch* believes in.

[wordvarc]

Pailn's just "sportin" her Republican brand.

The RNC/GOP neocons shrug at graft, greed, poverty, and war saying, "It's just business," or it's just politics."

They think we will all forget about w and cheney's evil and expect the same to happen with McSame and their new spokesmodel. Yet if "we the people" have tough economic and social times ahead they will be remembered as the Elitists who smear, slimed and slurred while the US burned.

[Weribe]

The McCain appears to have moved from campaigning on issues to character assassination to – dare I say it? – possibly inciting violence against Barack Obama. If you believe that my last sentence is too far out, I encourage you to listen to and watch some of the rallies of the last few days.

It is illegal to shout “fire” in a crowded hall. It should also be illegal to incite violence against a political figure. (Oh wait a minute, it is illegal!!!) When is the Secret Service going to step in and either rein in the McCain campaign or hold them responsible for their irresponsible actions?

[rex2112]

They need to provide more Secret Service IMMEDIATELY!.

[mredder4]

A presidential candidate and his running mate are openly encouraging hatred towards his opponent that is racially motivated and might lead some radical rightwinger to commit acts of violence.

My question is: Where's the outrage?

We're taking this too lightly, letting if off the hook to easily.