the 'danger' of obama

[88Mariner]

from Andrew Sullivan,

What McCain and Palin are doing now makes the Clinton campaign look tame. It occurs to me that they are "legitimizing" putting Obama's life in danger by pushing this nonsense. The first potential Black President is always going to have that problem, hell Bush had people trying to take him out, I'm sure, but this is really raising the threat level.
Saying your opponent is unfit is one thing, suggesting that he is a evil, a friend of terrorists and a danger to the United States is something else entirely.

They know what they're doing.

This never occured to me. I think it has been discussed quite thoroughly on here that there is no lack of white supremacists who would do what it takes to do the unthinkable and unmentionable. I understand that this is politics as usual, but I think McPalin is stepping over the line on this one. People are as deranged and delusional as ever. Someone in a crowed, in response to Palin saying Obama is "palling around with terrorists" shouted, "kill him!" It's too early to tell on this one, but I'm getting the feeling that they're instigating what could be a very tragic situation. This is no different than telling your drunk friend that the stranger at the end of a bar was feeling up his girlfriend. Only a thousand times worse.

[ddr]

Re: the 'danger' of obama

yup. i completely agree.

my dad has been saying it for months that if obama gets elected or even comes as close as he is, that there will be attempts on his life... and there already were... thank god they haven't come to full fruition but still..

mcpalin are definitely taking it further by saying he is on the same wavelength as terrorists.

if they cant beat him legitimately, might as well push people to kill him =\

[i!!ustrious]

Re: the 'danger' of obama

I'm extremely disappointed in McPalin. They are stooping to the lowest tier of immaturity.

Do they do doubles for Obama? Hell, politics aside, what ever happens to him... he has already made an immense impact on people for the better IMHO.

[Miroslav]

Re: the 'danger' of obama

It's pathetic to me that on our most important national stage for the determination of the top office, the dialogue by high profile people consists of concerted attempts to slander Obama as a terrorist sympathizer - and at this point in the campaign, when we've been through all of this crap already! We've got the worst economic crisis perhaps ever, a whole slew of tough domestic policy issues, and many foreign policy challenges. No shortage of material for credible debate. And what do they feed us?? Some thoroughly manipulated and misrepresented boogie monster scare tactic bullshit.

And this is the way McCain and Palin hope to get my vote for their leadership? How stupid do they think I am?

[labmonkey]

Re: the 'danger' of obama

We have reached a new low in the elections, doesn't surprise me at all that the McPalin's have run out of ideas (ok we'll they never had any good one's to begin with), but it is really insulting even for their own party, really do republican males really think that this glorified soccer mom is going to help lead the country out of this mess ? does her smirks and winks bring any to the table?

[toasty]

Re: the 'danger' of obama

Some of the vitriol coming out of the McPalin supporters is really troubling, because it seems to very clearly be fueled by hate and anger:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/06/mccain-does-nothing-as-cr_n_132366.html

I hope this gets out, and I really hope there is some backlash from within the campaign. I do not believe that the vast majority of McCain supporters would find this sort of thing acceptable, and the campaign needs to do something to tamp this shit down before it gets out of hand. I would think some weaker McCain supporters might have trouble voting for him just to avoid aligning themselves with such trash.

[shosh]

Re: the 'danger' of obama

good God people, he is a terrorist sympathizer. i do not condone or think he should even be threatened, much less harmed.

[88Mariner]

Re: the 'danger' of obama

^ REALLY?

in the end, McCain has destroyed what shreds of a decent honorable reputation he once had.

[Miroslav]

Re: the 'danger' of obama

good God people, he is a terrorist sympathizer. i do not condone or think he should even be threatened, much less harmed.

That is bullshit. I see no compelling evidence to support your claim.

1. He was young - I think they say 8 - when Ayers was running around bombing stuff.

2. He served on a public board with him. That board is legitimate and continues to exist. It is populated by many high profile individuals, including former US senators and top leadership of certain corporations.

3. Ayers and his wife (also a former Weatherman) are now University professors at Northwestern and U. of Illinois. They have national reputations and lecture at schools all over the country. I'm not saying that what they did was good, but clearly no one in the public or private spheres appeared to consider them terrorists anymore until this campaign started. And plenty of people interact with them every day. The Chicago mayor knows Ayers and has worked with him. Is he a terrorist sympathizer by association, too?

You can question Obama's judgment and fitness to lead on the issues. But don't you think you're a desperately grasping at straws to actually call him a terrorist based on this association? Come on now...don't let yourself be so biased by your political agenda that you have to invent reasons to hate him.

[shosh]

Re: the 'danger' of obama

That is bullshit. I see no compelling evidence to support your claim.

1. He was young - I think they say 8 - when Ayers was running around bombing stuff.

Ayers feels no remorse about this and does not regret it: ''I don't regret setting bombs,'' Bill Ayers said. ''I feel we didn't do enough.'' also "I've thought about this a lot. Being almost 60, it's impossible to not have lots and lots of regrets about lots and lots of things, but the question of did we do something that was horrendous, awful? ... I don't think so. I think what we did was to respond to a situation that was unconscionable."

2. He served on a public board with him. That board is legitimate and continues to exist. It is populated by many high profile individuals, including former US senators and top leadership of certain corporations.

They are also friends.

3. Ayers and his wife (also a former Weatherman) are now University professors at Northwestern and U. of Illinois. They have national reputations and lecture at schools all over the country. I'm not saying that what they did was good, but clearly no one in the public or private spheres appeared to consider them terrorists anymore until this campaign started. And plenty of people interact with them every day. The Chicago mayor knows Ayers and has worked with him. Is he a terrorist sympathizer by association, too?

It doesnt say anything about their character. Someone who has done what they have should not be allowed to teach.

Also, how much do you know about the Chicago/Illinois political machine? They are all corrupt and inter-connected, so yeah he is also a terrorist sympathizer.

You can question Obama's judgment and fitness to lead on the issues. But don't you think you're a desperately grasping at straws to actually call him a terrorist based on this association? Come on now...don't let yourself be so biased by your political agenda that you have to invent reasons to hate him.

Would you be friends or associate yourself with someone like Ayers? Do you want your president to do that?

[superdave]

Re: the 'danger' of obama

The McCain camp is definitely going negative mostly because they are behind and have to do something. I don't see it any more negative then some of the other things that have been already been brought up. This time Palin seems to be the pitbull in lipstick doing the attacking.

I'd prefer both candidates to not go negative and run on the issues. I think Obama's best plan is to be above all the negativity and act Presidential.

[Miroslav]

Re: the 'danger' of obama

Would you be friends or associate yourself with someone like Ayers? Do you want your president to do that?

I really don't care that Obama associated with Ayers. Maybe Ayers shouldn't have been allowed to teach, but society at large has deemed it fit for him to assume such a role, for whatever reason. He seems to be a well-accepted member of society in the eyes of many. Literally thousands of business people, students, professors and politicians and have associated with Ayers and his wife. To call them all "terrorist sympathizers" by association...that seems smart to you? Really? And you wonder why McCain is behind in the election right now?

And besides, McCain has his own questionable past associations that we could discuss at length. If you want to talk "character" as far as that goes, we can go on with this for quite a while.

I really would have thought that if society has validated Ayers and his wife for the last 40 years as legitimate citizens, then you'd be able to find more intelligent criticisms of Obama than to call him and anyone else who has associated in any forum with Ayers a "terrorist". But then again, I guess it's not surprising considering that to right-wingers and Republicans, anyone who doesn't see it their way and want to fight in Iraq is a "terrorist sympathizer" (they must HATE FREEDOM!).

[88Mariner]

Re: the 'danger' of obama

the irony that shosh is so 'fraid of nazism, communism, and thier ideologies, yet uses the very tools, ie guilt by tenuous association, that perpetuate such despotic regimes, is hilarious.

McCain talked with the communist vietnamese, and became friends with some of his captors. SEE! SEE! I can do it too!!!!!

[toasty]

Re: the 'danger' of obama

Would you be friends or associate yourself with someone like Ayers? Do you want your president to do that?

Dude, this whole "Ayers is the boogeyman" thing is just not borne out by reality. Although clearly, no one is condoning the man he once was and you may not agree with his political beliefs, current or former, I'm unaware of anything that he has done in, oh, I don't know, ALMOST 4 DECADES, that anyone has a problem with. He's gone on to be a productive member of society. If he were the monster he's made out to be, he wouldn't be asked to serve on the boards of charities, or speak regularly, or be a tenured professor at a major university.

You hate Obama, and his "association" with Ayers fits into your pre-conceived notion that Obama is a secret terrorist. For those of us in the fact-based world, though, it's just preposterous. Are you the same person you were 10 years ago, or 20 years ago? A lot has happened in the last 40 years...

[Steve Graham]

Re: the 'danger' of obama

1. Palin is a misinformed, ignorant, whiny spoiled little brat (i swear her voce is like nails on a blackboard)

2. the use of the word 'terrorist' is widely misused nowadays