Obama Supporters May Spew More Hate Than McCain Backers
My Creators Syndicate column for this week has kicked up some controversy. In it I compile a list of ways in which liberals and Barack Obama supporters seem ready to suppress speech they don't like. A standard meme of mainstream media last week was that John McCain crowds were seething with hate—based on the responses of one or two people in the crowd. That's in line with mainstream media journalists' stereotype of right wingers: They're all haters. But you can find at least as much seething, and I suspect more, on the left. Obama supporters have planned to lob molotov cocktails at McCain events, for example. Or consider the instances in Michelle Malkin's roundup or Patterico's description of an ugly Obama rally. Or read this entry on Andrew Malcolm's Los Angeles Times blog.
Or consider these choice comments from a Daily Kos commenter:
I support Obama, but I disagree on some major issues. One is that we need to use major authoritarian measures against wingnuts and theocrats to save this country. That in particular includes deprogramming institutions and a Gitmo like camp to deal with the worst wingnuts. These people should be removed from general society and need to be shut up.
I have believed this for years, but the behavior of the wingnuts at the McCain and Palin rallies further underscores the need to take harsh action against these people. Lincoln and FDR had to bend the Constitution at times, and I hope Obama has the guts to do so too to deal with these third rate creatures.
How's that for hate and speech suppression? The Guantánamo prisoners for the most part were enemy combatants captured on the field of battle. This Daily Kos commenter thinks that McCain supporters stand the same in the moral balance. Other Obama supporters simply can't stand to see McCain-Palin signs, as this Washington Post story on Prince George's County shows.
Where does this urge to suppress unwanted speech come from? My answer: from the most unfree institutions in our country, our colleges and universities. Their speech codes and re-education classes for conservatives who offend someone or other seem to have produced in many liberals the default assumption that if you don't like certain speech, you have a right or even a duty to suppress it. This is, of course, contrary to a long tradition of respect for free speech in American liberalism. But it is the face of American liberalism I see today—and I find it more disquieting than the shouts of a couple of people at McCain rallies.
Tags: presidential election 2008 | Barack Obama | John McCain
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Reader Comments
Beautiful Irony
The most beautiful thing about this entire column and the incredible reaction(s) it has drawn from Obama supporters is that, in their retaliation towards Mr. Barone, hundreds of liberal nuts have provided direct evidence of the very characterizations they seek to crush. Using phrases like "I hate Republicans," and slinging insults such as "idiot", "narrow-minded", and "stupid", each post builds upon the previous one in echoing the sentiments of Mr. Barone's article.
I find the most interesting insight comes out of perusing the various left-wing blogs contaminating the internet like the Daily Kos... You don't find any leftist columnists writing about choosing Obama because he will make this country better, or how we need Democrats in control of government to strengthen the foundations this country was built upon. No, you only find arguments geared towards eliminating Republicans because they are stupid, or suppressing free speech because it doesn't agree with your values. You find nothing but millions of angry, viral, amoral socialist-leaning wackos lobbing insults and threats from behind the safety of their computer keyboards. I guess the good news is if the off-its-rocker Left ever decides to act outside of the literal garbage pile, those of us who "cling to our guns and religion" (you know, like the founding fathers did) will have no problem taking back the country.
A little bit of context please
Hate on either side of the equation is not justifiable. If the purpose of this article is to blow off or downplay the extreme hate and violence voiced by the MORE than 1 or 2 people in the audience of McCain/Palin rallies screaming things at the stage about Obama such as 'kill him' and 'terrorist' then that is sad and sick of you. Please watch this video about some of the misinformed, hateful, and totally unfounded stuff people are spouting about Obama on the way to McCain/Palin rallies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRqcfqiXCX0.
I do think, however, that it is important to point out that there are people on Obama's side who hypocritically promote unnecessary violence as well, such as the person quoted in this article. Again, violence is not the answer and is not justifiable by anyone for any means. But this person is not reflective of the millions of people who are showing their support of Obama and their criticism of McCain through peaceful, hopeful and creative means. For example, check out this website: www.maartendeboerphotography.com/iamobama
Finally, it is most important to point out a major difference between hate on the McCain side and hate on the Obama side. McCain/Palin are silent pretty much every single time anyone says anything hateful or violent toward Obama within their hearing. When they are called out on this and about the violent history of hate (lynch mobs, assasinations, the actions of the Klu Klux Klan and other hate groups) that some of their supporters are tapping into through these comments, they try to defend themselves and criticize the Obama camp instead of working harder to stop the hate. Evil begets evil and hate begets hate, and they are using these emotions to fuel their campaign onward. McCain only lightly tamped down on the fire ONCE by telling people to calm down. There is no rhetoric coming out of Obama rallies that even CLOSELY parallels the rhetoric of McCain supporters. The quoted comment on this blog was found floating around on the internet. Yes, it should be condemned. No one should be tortured. EVER. But anyone who takes a writing class learns that if you use a quote you should use it in the correct context.
Finally, you will probably call this following video 'left-wing bias' or some such biased language of your own, but Keith makes some very good points and his harsh scolding of McCain is quite necessary, considering the violence and danger that McCain is playing with. (danger being his support of his supporters hatemongering, the proof of which is his total lack of saying anything to stop their hate). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj65cFLcpr4
For more thoughts come check out:
obamaisamerica.blogspot.com
come read, come participate! Thanks.
Robocalls and hate
Here's a robocall from Barack Obama. Disgusting, isn't it?
"Hello, I'm calling for Barack Obama and the DNC because you need to know that John McCain has gone on joint vacations with convicted felon Charles Keating, whose Lincoln Savings scammed thousands out of their savings, and held a fund-raiser in the living room of another convicted felon, G. Gordon Liddy, who advocated killing people and was part of the Watergate break-in. And Republicans will enact an extreme right-wing agenda if they take control of Washington. Sarah Palin and her Republican allies lack the judgment to lead our country. This call was paid for by Obama-Biden 2008 and the Democratic National Committee at 202-863-8500."
Oops, just kidding. Here, however, is the real robocall actually being used:
"Hello. I'm calling for John McCain and the RNC because you need to know that Barack Obama has worked closely with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, whose organization bombed the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, a judge's home and killed Americans. And Democrats will enact an extreme leftist agenda if they take control of Washington. Barack Obama and his allies lack the judgment to lead our country. This call was paid for by McCain-Palin 2008 and the Republican National Committee at 202-863-8500."
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