John Cole has a good rundown (titled, appropriately, “Beyond Ugly") of how the McCain/Palin camp’s new “Obama is a terrorist” angle (c’mon, that’s what they’re really saying) is exceedingly reckless and dangerous. Slate and WaPo have picked up on it, too.
The “pit bull with lipstick” brought the McCain campaign’s increasingly pointed attack on Democrat Barack Obama’s character to Ohio yesterday.
“I see matters of judgment and truthfulness and ambition,” John McCain’s running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, said during a rally in Clinton County. She criticized Obama’s association with 1960s radical and “unrepentant domestic terrorist” William Ayers.
A shout of “terrorist” and “liar” could be heard from the energetic crowd estimated at 10,500 inside the Roberts Center. The crowd also chanted “Nobama” and “Sarah, Sarah, Sarah” at times.
Well, they got it wrong. There were several shouts of “terrorist.” You can watch the video here. It’s some gut-churning stuff and it’s fairly obvious that Palin is pleased as punch as she hurls chum out to her blood-hungry dark and ominous lynch mob. Ugly. Reckless. Dangerous.
And then there’s this from the Dispatch:
Palin arrived in Wilmington like a rock star, with her motor coach driving inside the Roberts Center as smoke billowed and Eye of the Tiger from Rocky III blared over the loudspeakers.
The crowed erupted as Palin emerged on stage with daughters Willow and Piper and infant son Trig.
Unbelievable, right? Remember how much crap Obama got for the Greek columns? Well, take a look at this:
Yep, here comes Sarah Superstar, rollin’ in through the clouds with her uncaringly-overexposed prop kids in tow to accept the embrace of her mouth-foaming malcontents. And if that video clip didn’t make you queasy, well, buckle up, folks, it’s time to meet The Anointed One, our modern-day Esther, as she asks the members of her flock for an “intercession” and some heavy work on their “prayer chains” to “get us there”:
If there is a god, s/he’s got a lot of explaining to do, because this shit just ain’t right.
MORE: Betty Cracker, as usual, nails it in the comments…
As someone who was raised in a wingnut church as Palin was, I can tell you with certainty that Palin is acutely aware that the biblical Esther was not only a queen but an instrument of god himself. Yet she does not demure when a supporter compares her to Esther but instead agrees and encourages him to continue viewing her this way and asking god to intercede on her behalf to ensure political victory. Holy fuck, are we in trouble if this loon makes her way into the White House.
As someone who was raised in a wingnut church as Palin was, I can tell you with certainty that Palin is acutely aware that the biblical Esther was not only a queen but an instrument of god himself. Yet she does not demure when a supporter compares her to Esther but instead agrees and encourages him to continue viewing her this way and asking god to intercede on her behalf to ensure political victory. Holy fuck, are we in trouble if this loon makes her way into the White House.
Please, someone, tell me this is going to backfire on McCain and Palin and that Obama is going to win, if not in a landslide, at least win—and that some wacko McCain/Palin supporter isn’t going to try to take him out (permanently).
Now might be a good time for moderate Christians to speak out forcefully against this nonsense—just as moderate Muslims have been urged to do for years when conflated with extreme jihadists. This woman seriously believes that the “end times” are coming in her lifetime, which means essentially that she is eager to help the Rapture along by any means necessary.
I have long accepted the fact that this country will never elect an avowed atheist to the highest office, but it would make me feel at least a wee bit better about our overwhelming God-struck ways if at least a few of the more mainstream leaders of Christian denominations would consistently oppose the injection of church into matters of state, and “denounce and reject” the wack jobs like Palin who think they are God’s chosen prophets and who demonize anyone who gets in their way to glory on earth.
Comment by Kerry Reid on 10/10/08 at 11:28 AM
J, it is scary as hell. Last night on Hardball, Tweety and Pat Buchanan had an interesting conversation on this very topic, with Buchanan naturally making excuses for McCain-Palin and saying we have to trust the American people to make a judgment on these tactics. As Mafia Princess Cindy McCain said, that sent “a cold chill through my body.” I don’t think mob-rousing as politics will work. But then again, I didn’t think this country would be dumb enough to (almost) elect GWB twice.
Kerry, that’s an excellent point. I’d like to see god-bothering out of politics altogether, but since it seems to be here to stay, let’s hear from the non-whack-job contingent, by all means. They have an obligation to speak up.
This hate speech from McCain/Palin has got to stop. The very people who are sucking up this stuff are those who will end up being hurt as the economy tanks.
Add together a horrible economy and a political party whipping their supporters into a frenzy by saying it’s all the fault of “commies” and “liberals” and specifically Obama who caused the whole crisis by insisting on loans for his deadbeat AA cohorts and what have you got? You’ve got the recipe for angry mobs looking for targets for their rage after the election.
I never thought I’d say this but I hope those soldiers Bush has training for use inside the country are ready because I think we might need them.
Has anyone seen the video on front page of Crooks&Liars;? It’s the line waiting to get into a McCain/Palin event in MO reacting to people standing by the road with Obama/Biden signs. Watch it and then talk me down if you can.
Comment by Glix on 10/10/08 at 12:07 PM
As horrifying as that video was, here’s the flip side…
My Mom, who is 70 yrs old, Catholic and pro-life, supports Obama. Even to the point of defending him at one of her Ladies Guild meetings at church. When she told me about it, I almost fell over. She has never even told me who she voted for in the past. I think she was proud of herself for speaking up.
Can anyone tell what Palin’s saying at the very end of the video when she leans in? I want to add an annotation for it, but can’t figure it out. It sounds like she’s saying, “Thank you for being Chryslers.”
Sounds like she says, “Thank you for being Christers.” But I’ve always thought that term was a pejorative to describe religious nutbags like Palin. Maybe they’ve taken a page from Queer Nation and reclaimed it as their own?
I thought that might have been it, too, but it is a derogatory term. It also sounds like there’s an “l” in whatever she’s saying to them. I actually googled “christlers” just in case, but came up empty.
"Piper! Piper! Piper! Your mom is evil incarnate!”
Comment by elisaf on 10/10/08 at 01:45 PM
our modern-day Esther
Holy cripes....
Both of those videos are some scary shit. All that over some flatearth novice sharp as a marble wench.
Republicans (the far right ones) are some fucked up individuals.
Mercy…
Comment by billy delyon on 10/10/08 at 02:14 PM
I mean, did you catch the way those kids where signing their autographs?
MERCY!
Comment by billy delyon on 10/10/08 at 02:16 PM
Glix,
I saw that video. That and the one from Ohio with the obnoxious lady that keeps sticking her face in front of the camera, that shit scares the bejeesus out of me. I watch and think to myself, ‘please PLEASE let there be more of us than there are of them, cause if they out number us, were fucked..’.
Comment by billy delyon on 10/10/08 at 02:21 PM
Keith-O really needs to do a Special Comment about this unhinged rabble-rousing. If nothing else, it would make me feel better.
No, and I’ve wondered about that. I’ve known a few babies with Down syndrome, and they weren’t still and non-responsive at all. Poor kid. I hope he’s alright.
What a thought. But if, by some miracle, McCain wins he better watch his back because I think the blood thirsty Palin really just wants to be President.
The whole Palin thing, with her kids running around signing autographs and her clear pleasure at stoking the flames of racial hatred at the rallies is both nauseating me and scaring me to death. I don’t think they could rein her in even if they wanted to try. I just want McCain to lose in a complete, crushing landslide so Palin will be banished back to Alaska where she’ll probably be impeached over Troopergate.
What. The. Fuck. Was that a campaign rally, or a Kiss concert?
Comment by sean on 10/10/08 at 05:06 PM
What. The. Fuck. Was that a campaign rally, or a Kiss concert?
As a card carrying member of the Kiss Army I can say without a doubt that that was not a Kiss concert. Actually, I think it was a Klan rally. I hear burning crosses are going to be all the rage for the next month.
Comment by iceberg wedge on 10/10/08 at 05:19 PM
McCain’s first act as El Presidente i think should be to get a long line of food tasters. And why the hell are Willow and Piper signing autographs!?
Also the people shouting profanity, racial slurs and threats at McCain/Palin rallys are Obama plants. Because he will do anything to get elected. It’s what everyone at No Quarter is saying so it must be true!
All I can say is that these brain deaf morally bankrupt pathetic excuses for sentient being, ALL OF THEM, are making me so sick that I’m thinking of tucking my head within the safe confines of my shell until later in November. At that point I hope to peek out and see the sun rising over that horizon line.
@iceberg wedge: Sorry, no offense to Kiss fans was intended, but… smoke machines at a political rally?! Sorry, but at least to me, they only belong at 80s band concerts.
Comment by sean on 10/10/08 at 06:51 PM
@iceberg wedge: Sorry, no offense to Kiss fans was intended, but… smoke machines at a political rally?! Sorry, but at least to me, they only belong at 80s band concerts.
None taken Sean and I agree with you about the smoke machines. And to be honest I’m not really a member of the Kiss Army (I’m a liar like John McCain) although I have seen them in concert and “Love Gun” was the first album I ever bought.
Comment by iceberg wedge on 10/10/08 at 09:23 PM
Palin’s entrance was akin to a wrestler’s at Wrestlemania.
