Staggering level of hypocrisy
Thursday, October 16, 2008
The title is in reference to what Glenn Reynolds said in regards to the 'yellers' at McCain rallies. I have never tried to defend the nutjobs and bigots yelling those things. I have also been critical of those on the right who seek to lower the debate and dialog to the gutter and engage in lies and half-truths. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of inflammatory speech on the right, from the occasional forum poster, all the way up to TV pundits. Recent calls for McCain to tone down his campaign have been welcome and reasonable. What is lacking is some perspective and scrutiny for those on the left that are engaging in nastiness and nuttery.
There are some bloggers that have tried to paint a picture of McCain rallies as being ugly, hate-filled, brownshirt events with crowds calling for blood. There have been several unfortunate hecklers and idiots, but they are not common. Several bloggers, such as Patterico and Mary Katherine Ham (over at the Weekly Standard), have noted the circumstances surrounding these incidents and the problems with how they have been reported. Althouse notes that some have gone farther than take things out of context and have added words that were never said.
I have been told on more than one occasiona that the hate coming from left is mostly harmless, or in the case of people like Bill Maher (joking about a Cheney assassination) is just snarky and edgy. I looked around and couldn't find much. It tunrs out that I had to go to some sites that I don't really care for and ones that engage in the kind of behavior that I believe contributes little to intelligent debate. Therefore, I apologize in advance, but the fact is they have the information I need.
Michelle Malkin (I promise to not link to her again) has a whole page on lefty attacks on McCain and Palin. Some are absolutely disgusting. Some are certainly violent and hate-filled, such as the Abort Palin, most are just pathetic. Philly.com also notes these gems about Palin:
"Let’s stone her, old school." and "Wait till your daughter wants an abortion, you hypocrite."
These paragons of civility and reasonable discourse chose to wear shirts that say "Sarah Palin is a cunt". Classy. This guy called McCain a murderer.
I certainly don't believe that most on the left are like this. As it can be seen from ATK, the left has many intelligent, rational, respectful, and articulate advocates. I would also say that Obama and McCain have appeared to have done a decent job at confronting aspects of their campaign that are harmful and dangerous. There are some exceptions, but I am talking in a general sense. I would like to see some level of civilty and restraint, but should this only apply to the right?
14 comments:
Saying this is just a few nut jobs in the audience is completely a diversionary tactic to point the finger away from the McCain campaign’s culpability and slow reaction to confront this problem.
Let’s for a minute take the posts at their word that their have been an equal number of nut jobs in both audiences. That does not excuse the following actions taken by the McCain campaign itself, which I have posted before:
Palin: "Our opponent ... is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect, imperfect enough, that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country... This is not a man who sees America as you see America and as I see America."
Palin and McCain (last night included): Obama “launched his political career in the living room of a domestic terrorist.”
McCain: McCain asks the crowd: “Who is the real Barack Obama?” Someone then cries in answer out “Terrorist!” Now maybe he did not hear this dude, but still he had a long time to repudiate it.
Lee County, Florida Sherriff, who in full uniform and brought to the rally to introduce Palin, refers to Obama as: “Barack Hussein Obama”.
As I posted here, McCain has been calming these freaks down. Maybe he is doing it to just do what most candidates would do, maybe he is doing it to be honorable, maybe he is doing it to help our his own crappy campaign, I don’t know, but I think we call out the right thing, when the right thing is done.
In the end, you need to stop excusing the behavior of the McCain campaign. They did what they did. The evidence is out there.
Show me where I have excused the behavior of the McCain campaign. I said the terrorist tactic was not a good one and said that they should back off and apologize.
I have also acknowledged the kooks on the right, so you can stop throwing them back at me. I'd like some intellectual honesty from the left.
Saying this is just a few nut jobs in the audience is completely a diversionary tactic to point the finger away from the McCain campaign’s culpability and slow reaction to confront this problem.
At least he addressed it. Obama has done little or nothing to address the kooks at his rallies.
"Obama has done little or nothing to address the kooks at his rallies."
Obama hasn't instigated the kooks in his rally’s. That's the whole point. You are not holding McCain and his people accountable for instigating it. You are laying the blame on the audience and leaving it to both camps to apologize, when only one camp is guilty.
Unless you can show me where an Obama rally had a similar level of vitriol from a candidate or surrogate, you are completely off balance here.
With the exception of Palin terrorist comment, what has he done to specifically encourage the 5 (or 6) hateful comments?
People show up at Obama events with Palin is a cunt t-shirts. Why hasn't he called them out?
Why hasn't he called them out?
Obama didn't incite or entice them to wear those shirts. McCain and Palin are inciting this shit, until juuuust 2 days ago when, after the beast is outta the cage, McCain finally told people to not be afraid of Obama.
You are laying the blame on the audience and leaving it to both camps to apologize, when only one camp is guilty.
Like Bob said, that's the whole point.
Palin is a cunt t-shirts…
I looked at all your links and didn't see this.
It doesn't matter, because neither McCain nor Obama are responsible for all their supporters the world over, but they ARE responsible when their own rhetoric lights a nearly uncontrollable fire under some already emotional people to the point where it looks like there are inciting violence. They are also responsible when the candidates, their supporters, spouses, etc. get up on stage, as part of their organized campaign and make stupid or veiled racists comments for political gain as that Sheriff did.
Not one link I have seen has demonstrated this type of behavior from Obama or his team. Instead I saw a bunch of links so some ass like Michelle Malkin can point a finger and say: “See, see they do it too!”
One more time: It isn’t so much the audience, it is the candidate’s behavior that is in question.
For the record, Michelle Malkin never ever, under any circumstances, ever makes a valid point about anything. Ever. Never.
The next person to link to Malkin, Hannity, or Limbaugh will be subject to this punishment.
With the exception of the terrorist accusation, what has McCain done to specifically encourage a racist comment? "Who is the real Obama" is just too vague. If anything, that question paints Obama as someone who is not being truthful, and we might as well outlaw campaigning if we aren't going to let candidates accuse each other of lying.
I suppose it is an effective strategy to accuse critics of racism when it wan't intended. It does a great job of distracting from the issue.
Palin is a cunt t-shirts…
I looked at all your links and didn't see this.
It was in the link by "paragons of civility." Here it is again. The picture is blurry. There are other sources, but this one had the biggest picture.
For the record, Michelle Malkin never ever, under any circumstances, ever makes a valid point about anything. Ever. Never.
While I don't dislike her as much as you, I only included the story for the information it provided, not her opinion. If I could have found another source, I would have used it, but the media is only interested in "right" rage.
It doesn't matter, because neither McCain nor Obama are responsible for all their supporters the world over, but they ARE responsible when their own rhetoric lights a nearly uncontrollable fire under some already emotional people to the point where it looks like there are inciting violence.
I'd like to point out that there hasn't been any actual violence*. Unlike the civil rights era, and the bussing era, there haven't been anyone killed. I like to call the government fearing righties tinfoil hatters. I need to come up with some phrase for the paranoid left.
*Before somone jumps on me and says 'do we have to wait for the riots before we can say anything,' I am just suggesting that we should use caution before we start throwing out Wallace, lynch mobs, and other hyperbole.
If you cannot see the totality of the statements, which all came within hours of another and see the similarity to this, then I guess your mind is made up.
I guess you are determined to be fair and balanced and assume the McCain campaign is innocent of any nefarious action.
I am just suggesting that we should use caution before we start throwing out Wallace
Actually, it is safe to start throwing around "Wallace." This is what he did. It's not that he ignored the crazies in his crowd. It's that he created an environment where it was acceptable for them to run amok, and part of that is what he said to his crowds, not what he ignored.
What was "black" and scary in the 50s and 60s is now "light-brown and arabic" and scary in the 2000s. The color and ethnicity has changed, but the verbiage and allegations have not. At all.
No, my mind is not made up. I have changed my position before and admitted when I was wrong.
I am certainly not claiming any expertise on racism, nor any kind of sensitivity. It will take more than a few isolated incidents to convince me that lynch mobs and race riots are on the horizon. It will take more than a few vague statements to convince me that John McCain is orchestratisng a racist campaign.
I am not a fan of McCain. In case I haven't made it clear, I think he has a few decent ideas, but his views on many areas do not agree with mine. Out of one of the worst Republican fields in my lifetime, he ranks next to the bottom, with only Giuliani being worse. I am not some McCain fan boi.
Gentlemen, I respect your opinions and viewpoints, but I just don't see things the same way that you do.
Gentlemen
Where?? Where??
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