I saw John McCain tell David Letterman the other night that the people causing problems at his rallies are just a few fringe nuts, and that every political rally has a few of those. Fair enough, it’s true that politics attracts some rather extreme people. Most of the people attending McCain-Palin rallies are probably decent people, right? Most of them would never call Barack Obama a terrorist, compare him to terrorists, make racist remarks, or threaten violence. Right? Maybe so. But I want you to take a look at this video from Johnstown, Pennsylvania in John Murtha’s district.
Now, I know that watching that was really unpleasant. But I want you to think about something. Let’s say that you’re a regular Republican that doesn’t hold any racial animus, doesn’t think Barack Obama is a terrorist or even a Muslim. Would you stand in that line with all those other people? Wouldn’t you pretty much be forced to conclude that there’s something fundamentally wrong with the McCain-Palin movement and the people it attracts? There are cameras there. Do you want you and your family to be caught on film in the middle of that crowd? What would your employer think? What about your friends? Your mom?
Even if I were raised as a Republican, believing in smaller government, social conservatism, and a strong defense, I’d be horrified by the attitude of the people in that line and I’d be forced to disassociate myself, and leave.
I don’t think you can describe that mob in Johnstown as a few nuts. Maybe they don’t constitute the majority of rally-goers, but they’re more than a small minority. And they’re badly misinformed and full of hate. Who misinformed them and stirred up their hate? Do you want to be associated with the people that are responsible for this?
I’m just saying…when you put a McCain-Palin sign in your front-yard, you’re basically saying you don’t mind being associated with a movement as ugly as any we’ve seen since the Civil Rights era. Fairly or not, you’re sending the signal that you are filled with hate. That’s what the McCain-Palin ticket has descended to, and it’s shocking.