The New York Times lead editorial this morning is a MUST READ this morning. Finally, the wretched ugliness that is the McCain-Palin campaign is being called to account:
It is a sorry fact of American political life that campaigns get ugly, often in their final weeks. But Senator John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin have been running one of the most appalling campaigns we can remember.
Starbursts? Not so much.
Ms. Palin, in particular, revels in the attack. Her campaign rallies have become spectacles of anger and insult. "This is not a man who sees America as you see it and how I see America," Ms. Palin has taken to saying.
Spectacles of anger and insult. Finally, the media is catching on to what America has been seeing with its own eyes for a while.
Her demagoguery has elicited some frightening, intolerable responses. A recent Washington Post report said at a rally in Florida this week a man yelled "kill him!" as Ms. Palin delivered that line and others shouted epithets at an African-American member of a TV crew.
There it is, America. Demagoguery, inciting violence, unbridled racism.
When Barack Obama wins on November 4, let us never forget the tactics that were used against him. While Obama can be gracious in victory, we, as a country, should never again tolerate this kind of behavior.
I hope this editorial is the first of a slew of voices from the Fourth Estate condemning the unmasked ugliness and outright racism that McCain has tried to tap to keep his fading hopes alive. I hope.
Update Biden went on The Early Show this morning and hit back:
Biden, appearing Wednesday on CBS' "The Early Show," called Palin's remarks about Obama and Ayers "over the top."
"You know, the idea here that somehow these guys are once again injecting fear and loathing into this campaign is ... I think it's mildly dangerous. I mean, here you have out there these kinds of, you know, incitements out there — guy introducing Barack using his middle name as if it's some epitaph [sic] or something,"
I'll post video up here if someone finds it.
Update 2
Thanks to Ray Radlein for this link and for the coding help!
You can go to this link to watch the video of Biden on the Today show this morning. This is my rough transcript of what he says about Sarah Palin's comments (starts around 3:30 on the video):
I think it is ugly. To have somebody stand up there, for example, I heard people, I watch the news, I heard a couple of people hollering from the audience vile things, terrorists, things like that. The idea that a leading American politican who might be vice President of the United States would not just stop mid sentence and turn and condemn that - this is a slippery slope, this is a place we shouldn't be going. But look, they've been straight forward about it...but this is a slippery slope, this is way over the top.
Also note at the end that Sarah Palin has been invited to appear on the show, but she has declined, and that she has an open offer.
Thanks also to Wader for figuring out how to embed MSNBC here at DK.
Update 3 Joe Biden in Tampa this morning:
He said that McCain's campaign is raising ugly fears with the veiled question of who the real Obama is. Palin, in particular, is raising "outrageous inferences" about Obama.
"This is beyond disappointing," Biden said. "This is wrong."
If anyone finds video of his appearance, post it below and I'll update.
Update 4
Thanks to a reader for emailing me this youtube link to Biden today in Florida: