I'm watching the Rachel Maddow show right now, and it's driving home a lot of what I've been reading on the blogosphere this week about. It's absolutely terrifying to listen to the reporters talk about the crowds and to see the clips of people shouting 'terrorist' or calling Obama an Arab or a Muslim - not only falsely, but as though that would disqualify him.
As it gets so bad, let's all do what we can. Stay positive, stay on message, and keep your eyes open. The loonies at the Palin/McCain rallies aren't going to do much more than yell and scream. But the closer Obama gets to the presidency, the harder the worst parts of our society are going to be forced against a wall. Desperation is not a pretty thing, but that's the consequence of Obama's meteoric rise: his opponents are feeling desperate, and I pray/hope that they aren't moved to desperate actions.
So please: Keep your eyes and ears open. When you're standing out there at an Obama rally, notice if something doesn't look right. Pay attention. Our country has a terrible history and as painful as it is to wonder about what might go wrong, we've really got to be ready.
And it's not just Obama and Biden who might be at risk in this new mob-mentality campaign: keep together, and keep an eye on Obama supporters, volunteers, and campaign staff. If the hatred that the Republicans are spewing starts spilling into action, we've got to be ready to meet by far the most difficult and ugly challenge of taking the country back from the right.