Originally posted by FlyersFan
From what I've seen it isn't at 'rallies'.
It was at one rally.
And I have no idea what the response, if any, was from the campaign.

Ah, may be... the reports I've seen look like similar shouts have happened at at least three rallies... two Palin, one McCain. I do believe that the "kill him" was at one Palin rally.

This is not something to which "the campaign" should respond. This is something that should be firmly denounced at the time by whoever is on stage... Palin or McCain. The fact that they have not done so is the problem; they are implicitly supporting this kind of behavior by not immediately and resoundingly denouncing it.


I'm not aware of these calls for riots if Obama loses... it is not quite the same thing... if true, then illegal, yes, and should be dealt with. But that is a different matter than implicit support for threats to presidential candidates at rallies and no denounciation at the time...

But it sounds like we are in vehement agreement on this.

Originally posted by Fuzzy Wabbit
[Besides, that's off a discussion board. What makes you think that the person who posted that was a GOP operative. It's far from any kind of definitive proof of anything.

I don't think that the person is a GOP operative.

The DU is a major left wing discussion board. If you would spend some time at the Democratic Underground you would see how insane some people really are. Read their 'conversion' stories. Read how they think. This is DEFINATELY a left wing board and they definately are discussing dressing as KKK members to disrupt a Palin rally.

Originally posted by whaaa
Is it possible that this is a Rovian stunt to discredit the democrats?

No whaaa. It's really a bunch of leftwingers sitting there trying to figure out how to make Palin look bad. Oh ... and they just love to get onto online polls and skew them in favor of the dems.


The reason I posted that link was to show what idiots both sides have to deal with. I'm sure Obama doesn't want a bunch of yahoo-lefties showing up at a Palin rally dressed as KKKers. I'm sure McCain doesn't want a bunch of yahoos shouting during his speeches. Dressing as KKKers and going to a rally isn't in the same league as shouting 'kill him', but I wanted to show that both candidates have to deal with whackadoos.

Just been listening to some of the jibber-jabber today on this subject.

The McCain campaign has issued a statement that they "do not condone" this kind of behavior.

Ohhh, ok, then, they don't "condone" it. How about a little condemnation? How about some condemnation on the part of the speaker, be it McCain, Palin or some surrogate, at one of these rallies?

And the excuse that the speaker cannot necessarily hear what is being said is BS, and not acceptable.

Given the fact of this kind of behavior, which has been well documented, when they hear shouting, they at this point are obligated by honor to stop and address the situation by publicly and immediately condeming the violence-promoting speech.

Now, sure, maybe at the time, what was yelled was not in this category. Not relevant at this stage... if they (McCain and Co) are truly not trying to create this environment, they must actively work to reduce it.

The fact that they are choosing to respond with some spineless written statement indicates strongly that the atmosphere of violence and fear is exactly what they want and the consequences be damned.

Take as contrast what Obama did back when people were straying into bringing Palin's kids into the fray. He stopped immediately and said this is not what we are about, and family is strictly hands-off. He did this personally and in real time, and that behavior (also unacceptable) stopped in pretty short order.

And the McCain campaign issues a "statement".

Yeah. Good job. Way to get in there and address the situation.

Originally posted by Fuzzy Wabbit
You do realize that anyone can participate on the DU discussion board. There is no way you can definitively say that isn't a GOP operative posing as a liberal activist. It would be fool-hardy on your part.

Talk down to people much?

THey are democrats. They are far left whackos. They 'tombstone' anyone who posts anything that isn't 100% in line with the echo-chamber mentality there. Heck, even John Edwards wife visits there and commented on it being a great democratic site. (4 years ago while on the campaign trail)

obviously YOU haven't spent anytime there reading their bunk.
Try it. You'll get an education.

Originally posted by Open_Minded Skeptic
And the McCain campaign issues a "statement".
Yeah. Good job. Way to get in there and address the situation.

I don't know if there is a 'situation'. It looks like to be an isolated incident.
If it happens again then I'd call it a 'situation'. But whatever ...

McCain's campaign continues to blunder. The mistakes that even a novice knows better than to make are happening all the time now. I think McCain has started flopping around like a fish out of water. I don't know how else to discribe it. Palin and Obama (both of whom aren't ready to be POTUS) could go the distance in their campaigns and seem to know how to campaign correctly, but McCain is falling short and making very bad mistakes in judgement for his campaign.

I was just reading that while Obama already has a full transition team in place and ready to go should he win, McCain's has done little if anything in that regard.

I am not a betting man (or dog at least with my dog biscuits ) but I am ready to put money down that Obama is going to win and the media have it all wrong... its not even going to be close.

Originally posted by FlyersFan
I don't know if there is a 'situation'. It looks like to be an isolated incident.
If it happens again then I'd call it a 'situation'.

It has happened at several rallies in the last few days. The phrase "kill him" appears to have only been picked up one time, but the increasing agitation and violence/fear mongering is a clear pattern, i.e. a 'situation' that McCain (both of them) and Palin need to address. And they are not doing so.

Palin and Obama (both of whom aren't ready to be POTUS) could go the distance in their campaigns and seem to know how to campaign correctly

Gotta disagree with you in a couple of places, here.

1) I consider Obama eminently ready to be POTUS. He is not perfect, and I disagree with him on several issues, but I am on the whole impressed with the man. Just my opinion, though, which is no more or less valid than yours...

2) Palin's style is the epitomy of what I have come to despise in the current political landscape. She is devisive and panders to the worst of the human psyche. Her appearances are in general little more than regurgitation, and frankly make me feel like regurgitating.

As it happens, I consider Palin to be not unique at all in this regard, and her behavior is shared by most, of all parties. But she stands out to me as the worst of the worst, at least in the current, publicly visible group (Rove is really the worst of the worst of the worst... )

On a personal note, Palin reminds me of the, uh, 'person' my father married after my parents got divorced lo these many years ago. I have no use for that woman at all. She is conniving, devisive, a whiner, incredibly self-righteous and a thief. I moved 2000 miles to be able to walk down the street without having to run into her. Palin's actions and personality remind me a great deal of this person.

My personal problems with this woman is really neither here nor there in the grand scheme of things, but it does Palin no good at all in my book that she is so much like this other woman...

Originally posted by Grafilthy
Deflection.

No. It was answering YOUR question.

Originally posted by grover
McCain's has done little if anything in that regard.

That's because he knows he isn't going to win.

That's because he's in over his head trying to keep the campaign together let alone plan for the future.

the media have it all wrong... its not even going to be close.

Grover, I bet they know that. I think they are just chatting it up and saying it'll be close so that they can get the ratings.

Kind of like the weatherman does during a news cast ... 'oh, big storm coming, details at 10:00' .. and then you tune in at 10:00 .. and then the weather finally comes on at 10:25 and the weatherman says - ' expecting 1/4 of an inch of snow'.

ya' know what I mean Grover?

Originally posted by Open_Minded Skeptic
It has happened at several rallies in the last few days.

IF it has happened at several rallies in the last few days then it is indeed a 'situation' and not an isolated event. However, I haven't seen any evidence that it has happened at other rallies. Until I do - I have to say 'isolated event'.

I've heard shouting. I've heard rude crowds. I haven't heard 'kill him' .
As soon as I do - I'll say 'situation' and fully agree that McCains camp has to come out stronger against it. I'm not sure what he could do - but yes, do something.

Gotta disagree with you in a couple of places, here.

No surprise there.

I stand by my opinion. Even Obama and Palin, neither of whom I feel is ready to be POTUS, can run better campaigns then McCain.