Mccain Campaign Rallies and Racism?

[EKublai]

Please Look at These Short Videos and Articles First

Who is Barrack Obama?
Two Campaign-Goers shout "Kill Him!" then "Treason!"

Also of note is at the same rally, a part of the crowd of 3,000 turned on reporters while Sarah Palin was criticizing the "liberal media agenda" and started booing them and then one supporter was reported to have said "Sit down, boy!" to a black soundman.

So I have some very simple questions that I want to ask everyone. Yes or no will do, but if you must you can elaborate, but keep the answers concise.

1) Should McCain denounce these comments spoken at his rallies? (Note: He has not, and his spokesperson has actually defended the people freedom to say those things)

2) Has the Mccain campaign fostered an environment for racism to proliferate at campaign rallies? If so, does this concern you as encouraging to guerilla racists to take violent action against Obama or supporters of Obama?

3) Does McCain have the freedom of speech to NOT speak against such comments? For if it is determined that these comments present to Obama and supporters a "clear and present danger" does McCain have to speak out at the speech said at his own rallies in order to not take it on as his own?

4) After the election, whether the victor or loser, should McCain say in his speech that he denounces those attacks as much as the attacks on him by the campaign and supporters of Obama?

(These last two questions require a lot of thought because of the constitutional grounds they reason and the current gravity of these attacks from either side.)

Food for Thought

Open Letter to John McCain by Huffington Post WriterThe McCain-Palin Mob

[Menelaus]

1. Yes
2. No, I don't think so. the campaign has never made any issue of race, that's the people in the crowd doing that.
3. Yes, but it would be a political blunder. McCain didn't make the comments, so he's not legally responsible for them in any way. They were, however, made at his rally, so he really needs to denounce them so it doesn't seem he's okay with them.
4. This will be long forgotten by the time of concession speeches. I don't think it would be necessary or relevant to mention such things.

[BrianEtrius]

The point of this is where do you draw the line. You can argue that McCain doesn't have to do anything about it, because under the 1st amendment we have freedom of speech. However, that makes him look terribly bad and uncivilized.

On the other hand, he could and should of denounced these comments at the time, because despite freedom of speech if you make a threat against a president/candidate you WILL get a call from the Secret Service. That's a fact.

I personally think that McCain's stepped over the line, but it's too late now.

[Mast3rMind]

At 10/10/08 07:02 PM, BrianEtrius wrote: I personally think that McCain's stepped over the line, but it's too late now.

It's like this. Today in Minnesota, McCain had a speech here. And some dumb fucking old woman went up and said to McCain "I...I don't trust Obama. He's a...he's an Arab." Now, almost everyone that knows just a little bit about Obama knows damn well he isn't. But McCain said "No, he's not. He's someone you shouldn't be afraid of. He's a nice man." Then the crowd booed heavily. Even though I'm voting for Obama, I must say, seeing McCain do that was surprising. Because this scare campaign is not like him at all. Sending his wife and Pallin out to do his dirty work was also laughable. McCain is starting to crack under this scare campaign. And the longer it runs, the more of his true colors will show.

He doesn't believe in that shit. He was just trying to get his polls up. So once more, for the umpteenth time I feel sorry for his shitty campaign. Because everytime it seems like it's gonna get better for him, either he fucks it up, or the people he surrounds himself with fucks it up. That's all I have to say on the matter. But McCain will eventually show his colors and stop that campaign...maybe.

[Menelaus]

Now McCain's actually a pretty classy guy (for a politician), it just happens that the Republican party is running him a sleazy-ass campaign.

[EKublai]

Thanks for pointing that out mastermind, it's actually really good from a humane standpoint that McCain isn't going to completely allow this rowdiness get of hand.

[Mast3rMind]

At 10/10/08 07:29 PM, EKublai wrote: Thanks for pointing that out mastermind, it's actually really good from a humane standpoint that McCain isn't going to completely allow this rowdiness get of hand.

He had no choice but to. The woman was afraid, and said that he was a damn arab when his only foreign blood in him is Kenyan. But when McCain corrected her, the crowd booed heavily, then someone else shouted some stupid shit, and McCain stepped in again. And got booed once more. His facial reactions were key to it to. It was a sad sight to see.

[JudgeDredd]

At 10/10/08 06:49 PM, EKublai wrote: Two Campaign-Goers shout "Kill Him!" then "Treason!"

(Note: [McCain] has not [denounced the comments], and his spokesperson has actually defended the people freedom to say those things)

The freedom to whip up a frenzy of unwarrented hate (over wildly substantiated claims) in a public rally leading up to a "free and democratic election" is prolly exactly what Bush was referring to when he said "they hate our freedoms".

Mass Fear (a terrorist's weapon of choice i might add) is clearly endorsed by the Republican party, as Palin herself has made the case for Obama being "pals with terrorists".

Should Obama win, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see Republican supporters form activist groups to "bring down their government" ..and the irony here? well no doubt a lot of 8 year olds will be influenced by the excessive rhetoric and unchecked publicity to grow up wanting to join such groups, because after all, the right to arms is claimed to be the main mechanism to keep government in check..

(mind you, ppl who freely own weapons and are free to openly and publicly incite hate towards their own government like this are all potential terrorists too!)

.

[Menelaus]

At 10/10/08 09:06 PM, JudgeDredd wrote:

At 10/10/08 06:49 PM, EKublai wrote:

Should Obama win, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see Republican supporters form activist groups to "bring down their government" ..and the irony here? well no doubt a lot of 8 year olds will be influenced by the excessive rhetoric and unchecked publicity to grow up wanting to join such groups, because after all, the right to arms is claimed to be the main mechanism to keep government in check..

This is both retarded and pretty much exactly the same thing you're upset with Republicans about.

[JudgeDredd]

At 10/10/08 09:09 PM, Menelaus wrote: This is both retarded and pretty much exactly the same thing you're upset with Republicans about.

lol. i'm glad someone got it!

ps. your government is taking over your banks.. time to buy another gun, and err, help out the economy.

[aninjaman]

At 10/10/08 06:49 PM, EKublai wrote: 1) Should McCain denounce these comments spoken at his rallies? (Note: He has not, and his spokesperson has actually defended the people freedom to say those things)

Morally, He should but the best political move would be to ignore them and hope they don't gain attention in the media.

2) Has the Mccain campaign fostered an environment for racism to proliferate at campaign rallies? If so, does this concern you as encouraging to guerilla racists to take violent action against Obama or supporters of Obama?

All campaign rallies foster hate against the other candidate. Not always racism.

3) Does McCain have the freedom of speech to NOT speak against such comments? For if it is determined that these comments present to Obama and supporters a "clear and present danger" does McCain have to speak out at the speech said at his own rallies in order to not take it on as his own?

He should speak out. It was those people's freedom of speech to say those things but the McCain campaign should not be branded as racists.

4) After the election, whether the victor or loser, should McCain say in his speech that he denounces those attacks as much as the attacks on him by the campaign and supporters of Obama?

After the election McCain will probably go to one of his houses and never go near the media again.

[homor]

see, this is what happens when you bring race into the campagin.

it becomes stupid, petty, miud slinging, cheap, and run purley on emotions.

[homor]

At 10/10/08 09:34 PM, homor wrote: see, this is what happens when you bring race into the campagin.

it becomes stupid, petty, miud slinging, cheap, and run purley on emotions.

oh, and by the way:

i'm not fucking talking about mccain, just politics in general.

[aninjaman]

At 10/10/08 09:34 PM, homor wrote: see, this is what happens when you bring race into the campagin.

it becomes stupid, petty, miud slinging, cheap, and run purley on emotions.

Well if the McCain campaign had to much shame to use race then it would just be something else pointless like elitism and people saying Obama's a muslim.

[EKublai]

At 10/10/08 09:06 PM, JudgeDredd wrote:
Should Obama win, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see Republican supporters form activist groups to "bring down their government" ..and the irony here?

I was think exactly of the same irony the yesterday. This is why racism is so obviously the root of the problem. What happens is that in a forum where insults are thrown around like all get out, discussion about the distortions and rumors surrounding the opposition have room to breathe, started by the racists. And then the next step is actually where the politics of fear comes in. All this discussion incites people to start believing and fearing the rumors, especially if they arn't as well-read as others. That woman's comment was a symbol of panic in the face of ignorance.

But the point is that people no longer fear the policies, but the distortions of character. So because this is the priority now, the hatred groups start formulating how to take down the opposition. What the hate groups realize that their blind ambition is not supported by the people who arn't racist. Those people have been conned because the don't know the facts and believe the rumors.

[Musician]

At 10/10/08 10:34 PM, homor wrote: because its not like they argue on the issues.

idiot.

The attack ads? As a general rule, no they really don't.

[Malachy]

You didn't really do anything wrong in here, but I am just trying to clean this place up a little.

you may bring this discussion into the 08 discussion thread if you wish.