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Dear Senator McCain,
Oct. 9th, 2008 07:48 pmI recognize that you are desperately trying to save a failing campaign, and a certain measure of desperation on your part is understandable. I have no problem with you going negative on Barack Obama (well I do, but I know that that's how politics works). Call him naive, call him misguided, call him inexperienced, call his ideas foolish, call him an empty suit or a celebrity. All par for the course.
But your campaign is beginning to cross the line from politics as usual into dangerous waters: you are trying to paint Senator Obama as a terrorist sympathizer and a traitor. This is maliciousness taken to a higher level. Do you truly believe that Senator Obama would welcome attacks on Americans, on American soil? Do you believe he would actively support such attacks? If you do believe this, then you should come out and say so, repeatedly, at every opportunity, because such a person should not be President. This Ayres connection is not news, it was brought up during the primaries: if this is enough to convince you that Obama is a traitor, why have you waited until now to bring it up?
If you do not believe this to be true, then be aware that you are toying with Obama's life, not just his career. You are trying to paint your opponent as an Enemy of the State, and sadly, there are a number of right-wing militias in this country, whose members may see assassination as the only way to save this country from such an Enemy. Should any of these loathsome individuals succeed, the guilt will lay partly with you and your campaign. Every time you hear a voice at a rally call out "Terrorist!" or "Traitor!", think about Senator Obama's two daughters, and do not let those calls go by sans refutation. If you are indeed an honorable man, please demonstrate it now.
Sincerely yours,
scottahill
EDIT: Tonight McCain corrected two of his more extreme supporters by saying: "[Barack Obama] is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared about as President of the United States....He's a decent family man and citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues and that's what this campaign is all about." There's more here. The article I linked to thinks McCain's defense of Obama is too little too late, but I give him credit for trying to give a sense of proportion to his supporters.
Over-the-top rhetoric is common for supporters of a losing side (cf Hillary supporters who vowed to vote for McCain-- most of them are back in the fold; also see all of us Democrats who didn't move to Canada in 2004 :) ), but there is a certain baseline of decency that should be adhered to, and the candidates themselves should lead the calls for decency in the face of defeat.
But your campaign is beginning to cross the line from politics as usual into dangerous waters: you are trying to paint Senator Obama as a terrorist sympathizer and a traitor. This is maliciousness taken to a higher level. Do you truly believe that Senator Obama would welcome attacks on Americans, on American soil? Do you believe he would actively support such attacks? If you do believe this, then you should come out and say so, repeatedly, at every opportunity, because such a person should not be President. This Ayres connection is not news, it was brought up during the primaries: if this is enough to convince you that Obama is a traitor, why have you waited until now to bring it up?
If you do not believe this to be true, then be aware that you are toying with Obama's life, not just his career. You are trying to paint your opponent as an Enemy of the State, and sadly, there are a number of right-wing militias in this country, whose members may see assassination as the only way to save this country from such an Enemy. Should any of these loathsome individuals succeed, the guilt will lay partly with you and your campaign. Every time you hear a voice at a rally call out "Terrorist!" or "Traitor!", think about Senator Obama's two daughters, and do not let those calls go by sans refutation. If you are indeed an honorable man, please demonstrate it now.
Sincerely yours,
scottahill
EDIT: Tonight McCain corrected two of his more extreme supporters by saying: "[Barack Obama] is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared about as President of the United States....He's a decent family man and citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues and that's what this campaign is all about." There's more here. The article I linked to thinks McCain's defense of Obama is too little too late, but I give him credit for trying to give a sense of proportion to his supporters.
Over-the-top rhetoric is common for supporters of a losing side (cf Hillary supporters who vowed to vote for McCain-- most of them are back in the fold; also see all of us Democrats who didn't move to Canada in 2004 :) ), but there is a certain baseline of decency that should be adhered to, and the candidates themselves should lead the calls for decency in the face of defeat.
