The past week has seen the McCain/Palin campaign descend into hate-mongering seldom seen in American politics. McCain's guilt-by-association tactics have incited people at his rallies (and Sarah Palin's) to shout things like "terrorist", "bomb Obama", "treason" and, most disturbing of all, "kill him!". Rather than do anything to stop it, McCain and Palin have remained silent in the face of these scary outbursts. Video of supporters at campaign rallies show multiple supporters repeating these outbursts, along with folks claiming Obama's a "socialist", "communist", "Muslim", etc, etc, etc.
I've read multiple postings about this over the past several days, but so far, it seems that people are unwilling to quite call this what it is: I've seen references to "inciting violence" and so forth, but really, let's call this what it is: McCain is trying to push people far enough that someone will actually pull the trigger and assassinate Obama.
I can understand the reluctance to say this directly: it's one of those things that is hard to confront directly, because of the fear that saying it out loud might make it true. But this is exactly what is going on here, and McCain and Palin need to directly be called out on this, and, probably, prosecuted. Incitement to violence is a federal crime, as is incitement to riot. I was heartened to see that the man who shouted "Kill him!" at a rally is being investigated by the Secret Service. But, really, McCain and Palin are stoking this bloodlust with their rhetoric. They need to be held accountable. We weren't hearing this stuff before the campaign's tactics turned to painting Obama as a terrorist sympathizer and "not one of us", someone who "doesn't see America as you and I do". If anything (god forbid) were to happen to Obama, the blood would be on McCain's hands, and Palin's too. This is absolutely unacceptable behavior for a public figure, and thoroughly dishonorable, shameful, and, since this entry is about calling things what they are, EVIL. Evil in the most literal and direct kind of way.
John McCain has nothing left to offer in his campaign. He is losing because he deserves to lose. But he has proven that he is a selfish and ego-driven man, sometimes driven to irrationality and inability to control his temper. He has also been increasingly "erratic" (to use the term most often applied these days) and unstable in public, and has proven time and again that he puts his own interests far above the good of the nation or the people. I think he has gotten to the point of an "if I can't have it, nobody can" mentality regarding the presidency. He obviously has a great disdain for Obama, as proven by the debates, where he has acted as if sharing the stage with Obama is beneath his dignity.
Racism is alive and well in America, at least in some Americans. Though we've gotten past the point where one can say, "Lynch him, he's black!", those sentiments are still, evidently, buried just under the surface for many. So, instead of relying on direct, out-in-the-open racism, we have this "he's not one of us" thing, the Sarah Pain "you look like me" comments, implying that Obama doesn't, so he must not be a real American. He would change the face on the dollar bill, he's somehow a Muslim (an attack that wouldn't work if he were white), his (former) (Christian) pastor "hates America" so Obama must too, he's a terrorist (which dovetails with the "Muslim" charge perfectly), etc. McCain referred to him as "that one" in the last debate, instead of Senator Obama. That's not an accident. And if anything should happen to Obama, McCain and Palin should both be prosecuted and spend a long time in prison.
Oh, and they're after his wife now, too.