Racism on the Republican Trail?

Just three weeks away from the November 4 election and things are heating up on the campaign trails, specifically the trails of Republican candidates Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin. On Monday, McCain spoke at a New Mexico rally where supporters called the Demoratic candidate Barack Obama a “terrorist.” While, another supporter screamed “Kill him” when Palin spoke about Obama at a Florida rally.

The heated campaign trails have reached the Internet with global bloggers noting the comments.

A Bosnian-American Fedja describes the comments as disturbing and that McCain should have said something in defense of his rival.

The most disturbing part of the rally was when McCain asked the question: “Who is the real Barack Obama” and someone from the audience shouted “A terrorist!” We all know that the intellectual level of McCain supporters is that of a 5 year old with a slight mental retardation, but rather than stepping in and saying “That's out of line, sir…” McCain contorted his disfigured face into a smirk and carried on.

The blogger goes on to write about Palin’s rally and what October 6, 2008 will now be remembered as.

If you thought that this was the climax of this sad day for America, you were wrong. At another rally, being held at the same time, Sarah Palin was throwing the kitchen sink at Obama, trying to associate him with a man who was engaged in despicable acts when Obama was 8 years old and who served with Obama on two charity boards where many conservatives served. She said: “what are we going to do with him?” And someone from the audience shouted: “Kill him.”

This should be remembered as the day when McCain and Palin became just two sad, racist, xenophobic, idiotic criminals with nothing but hatred spewing out of their disfigured faces. I will be truly ashamed to be American if these two get to run our exhausted country.

An expat in South Korea Expat Jane agrees with the Bosnian-American blogger, stating that the Republican candidates shouldn’t have disregarded the comments.

If you continue to support a man that will stand and say nothing while his supporters say this then you're just as evil as he is. And I'm someone who in 2000 thought McCain wouldn't be so bad. Clearly, he's learned all the bad and dirty tricks that kept him from the nomination in 2000.

Letting people yell “kill him” is simply dangerous and unnecessary. I also have to say if you don't support him but you sit back and don't tell others about this video and what's in it, you're complicit too.

Can you imagine how much worse this makes the USA and its citizens look? Like Obama or not he's a husband and father of two young girls. I don't like McCain or Palin but I don't wish death on either one of them. This is an outrage!

Australian blogger of firedoglake, states that Palin and McCain are allowing “lies” to spread.

You can never accuse the McCain/Palin ticket of not playing to their base. The economy is tanking, despite McCain's impotent grab for the bailout laurels, and Obama is widening his lead in the polls, so the “brains” behind the ticket have resorted to what they do best: sliming the opposition. Churning out the bilious hate and the barely veiled bigotry, McCain and Palin started the new week on the campaign trail, leaving behind a wake of vitriol and lies.

Across the Atlantic in Portugal, João Lopes, points out that Palin left out poignant facts when speaking of Obama’s relationship with William Ayers.

“Palin não só não referiu a especificidade desta relação pontual, como omitiu dois elementos do artigo: primeiro, que Obama é citado por The New York Times, considerando que Ayers é “alguém que se envolveu em actos detestáveis, quando eu tinha oito anos”; segundo, que The New York Times, aliás à semelhança de outros órgãos de informação (The Washington Post, Time, The Chicago Sun-Times e The New Yorker),
conclui que não tinha qualquer fundamento a ideia segundo a qual Ayers e Obama teriam uma qualquer relação de proximidade. Depois do confronto de ideias, assistimos, assim, ao despertar dos monstros da difamação. A menos de um mês (4 de Novembro) da eleição do Presidente dos EUA, isto significa que os próximos tempos poderão não ser muito edificantes.

Not only did Palin mention the specific nature of this relationship,but she omitted two elements from the article: first, that Obama is quoted by The New York Times considering that Ayers was “someone who was involved in hateful acts, when I was eight years”; second, that The New York Times, in fact like other media outlet (The Washington Post, Time, The Chicago Sun-Times and The New Yorker), concludes that there was no reason to believe in the idea that Ayers and Obama would have had any close relationship. After the confrontation of ideas, we watch thus the wake of defamation monsters. Less than a month to go (Nov. 4) for the U.S. President election, this means that the next days may not be very edifying.”

The news of the Republican campaign trails have further hit the Twittersphere, with Tweeps commenting on the “Kill him” remark in a forum.

African American Tweep, Zik, was one of the poignant Tweeps in the forum, stating his disapproval of the remark and that a vote for McCain/Palin resulted in a vote for racism.

zik1.png

Another African American, mmoney, stated that the obvious racisim could eventually lead to something more horrific.

mmoney.png

Finally, McCain Supporter was also flabbergasted by the comment and stated an apology was necessary.

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8 comments

  • Rick

    I guess if it comes down to being a racist for voting for the one you think is better for the job, in this case someone who has what it takes to be President, I will be a racist then!
    Nobama is a empty suit with a big mouth that will destroy our country. He is the one that taught acorn how to steal votes! I would rather vote for Jesse Jackson, at least we know who he is!

  • Becki

    Amen, Rick. I listen and read all the comments being made and cannot believe that our civilization has slid down as far as it has. I have never considered myself a racist, but I guess I am. Obama is too questionable and I can’t afford for him to get on-the-job training while our way of life is up in the air. Everyone talks about change, but what are we going to change? Change, so that we are more socialist? No thank you.

  • […] bloggers quoted at Voices Without Votes (http://voiceswithoutvotes.org/2008/10/10/racism-on-the-republican-trail/) think so, pointing to heated McCain-Palin rallies this week as evidence. “This should be […]

  • Leya

    People continue to be so ignorant. If anyone thinks we are going to be more “socialist” b/c Obama becomes president, they are completely blind to the facts that already stand. We have been moving toward socialism for ages.. just look at our welfare systems, parks, pools, community centers.. isn’t all of that for the greater good, the utopia of it all? The true backbone of socialism is EQUALITY. Apparently, some folks in this country feel they are more privileged or have somehow earned more rights than others. Study your facts before you open your mouth. Search your heart before you unleash hate.

  • Blind loyalty to an ideology proven to fail, as we have seen in the last two months, is as bad as blind racism. If the republicans were not counting on a racist backlash to Obama’s campaign they would have released statements condemning the outbursts reported above, at the very least. Instead, they step up their airing of a negative ad that relies on ignorant, knee jerk “patriotism” for its fallacious “guilt by association” argument to work. I seriously considered voting for McCain at the beginning of the summer but the latest turn of his campaign and Obama’s considered restraint have changed my mind.

  • Regine

    First Obama and his campaign successfully played the race card against the Clintons , then Rev. Wright emerges on to the scene , Obama insists that he is his good friend and mentor.
    However , then we see the video clips that show us the vile and vulgar sermons that were spewed from the pulpit and Obama sat in those pews for over 20 years.
    Only when it started to hurt him politicially , he decided to throw them under the bus and resorted once again to the race card.

    It is absolutely dispicable and sadly people fall for it.

    Obama’s unsavoury associates alone , should have disqualified him from running for higher office.

  • Danielle

    Call me racist if you like but I will not vote for Obama .
    I am a life long Democrat and will no longer support nor donate to a Party that has lost it’s course.

    Pelosi must be the worst speaker of the house and Reid is not doing any better , they have been in charge of a do- nothing congress and the approval rating shows it , lower than Bush’s , can you believe it.
    Add to that a weak man like Obama and this country will head for disaster .
    America has lost it’s moral compass , nowhere in the free world are large , one can call it obscene if you like , amounts of money spent to elect a new leader through a Democratic process.
    No wonder , we see the first signs of corruption and fraud to get peoples votes and there will be more discovered , hopefully before it is too late.
    McCain has a complete list of donors listed on his website , Obama refuses to do so . Why…?
    McCain without a doubt , is the better and safer choice.

  • Preacher2332

    it is sad. I loved McCain, I remember the real maverik and this person is not him. That McCain fought for vets. Believed in Equal Rights for women. Hated torture of any kind. Loved the bright light that stood for America and human rights. Suffered when Jack, Martin and Bobby were murdered. How could he become this man. I don’t know Palin. But I have followed MaCain’s career. This man Candidate McCain is not worthy to pretend to the throne.

    I am so sad.

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