The Terrorists Among Us: McCain and Palin
Submitted by mark karlin on Tue, 10/07/2008 - 6:19am. EditorBlog

MARK KARLIN'S EDITOR'S BLOG

October 7th

For nearly eight years the citizens of the United States have been terrorized by their own government.

Yes, we were attacked on 9/11, and it was horrifying. But nothing has been more frightening than to see our democracy hijacked of its Constitution, manipulated into a roller coaster of fear, and economically destroyed.

Osama bin Laden couldn’t have hoped for more than what the Republican Party has delivered for him. He’s had to do nothing since 9/11 to achieve his goals of bringing down our democracy: Bush and Cheney accomplished them for him without Osama lifting a finger since that horrifying day.

But the reign of right wing terror extends farther back than that for those of us old enough to remember hope.

In the ‘60s, as a mass movement for Civil Rights, the end to another senseless war, and the emancipation of women moved toward success, JFK, MLK, and RFK were shot down, assassinated. It was violence that was echoed later in Timothy McVeigh killing men, women and children in an Oklahoma federal building because of his alleged grievances against the government. He was an NRA, Sarah Palin sort of guy.
Now, desperate to win at any cost, McCain and Palin are actually condoning ugly lynch mob cries of terrorism and assassination against Barack Obama. We have, after 8 years of a terrorist attack that George W. Bush could probably have prevented by reading a warning about Al-Qaeda hijackings and putting out a red alert at airports, a presidential and vice-presidential candidate of the party of violence condoning talk of terrorism and assassination.

If this were not a democracy that is still flexible enough to include the pushing at the envelope of incitement to commit criminal acts, McCain and Palin would be arrested.

We live in Chicago, and we have written before about what a re-run fabrication the current despicable re-tread accusation of "guilt by association terrorism" against Barack Obama is. We know of the players involved quite well, and it was unpatriotic, selfish and reckless when Senator Clinton brought it up in the primaries – and Sean Hannity and FOX News egged it on, as they are predictably doing again.

There are many ways to terrorize a nation, and the Republican Party has perfected some of the most effective. Their biggest sin is to divide us into two camps: the self-appointed "patriots" and the "other." Then they pour gasoline on the fire and let it blaze away, as they pick our pockets and dangerously let hatred and a desire for violence fester, caring little if it leads to assassination.

It is not an accident that the politically extremist NRA -- whose leaders focus on radical ideology more than hunting with guns (and no Democratic politician that we know of is trying to ban hunting) – is tied at the hip with the GOP. Guns, violence, racism, and fear of "the other" are the fundamental base of the Republican voting block.

What Palin and McCain are engaging in now is taking place on the theatrical stage upon which all demagogues perform. Most often such reprehensible and socially irresponsible behavior leads to an ugly end.

That is what we’ve seen for eight years, and what we saw for decades as the right wing ascended to power by lighting the fuse that killed off idealistic leaders who championed the Constitution, the rule of law, and the right of one person/one vote (regardless of economic status, race or religion) – and by stealing our votes, either literally or with appeals to our fears, not our dreams.

It is happening again as neither McCain nor Palin bother to even chastise their lynch mob supporters for calling Obama a terrorist or calling for his assassination. Why should they? They are basically doing the former, and it follows logically that their rabid followers would do the latter. After all, don't we torture and kill terrorists?

Palin has turned from a "Hockey Mom" into a Mussolini with lipstick; and McCain from a Madison Avenue packaged "maverick" into a morally rudderless Franco.

God help us that these agents of intolerance, hate and violence do not take another leader who rallies the best in America from us.

http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/editorblog/123

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A turkey by any other name--is still the governor of Alaska.

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I think a few things should be said about Obama. Firstly, the idea that he a candidate of hope seems to be based on his everyman image, but he hasn't said much recently, aside from the usual vague platitudes, that really echos what people think on actual issues. About 46% of his campaign contributes came in amounts of over one thousand dollars, not much different from McCain's 56%. This means that both candidates are heaviy supported by people already in positions of privilege. The reason they make those contributions is because they want the candidates to help them maintain those positions of privilege once elected.

It is probably no coincidence that the Democrats have opted for a black candidate this time around. Most of his supporters with any real influence have always been white, and his candidacy is most likely a way of sugar-coating America's military adventurism with a friendly black face for the empire. Before he reached the limelight proper Obama used to do things like have dinner with Edward W. Said. Now he says the US has to support Israel. He favours moving troops to Afghanistan rather than bringing them home. That the war in Afghanistan is relatively uncontroversial is a scandalous endictment of both American political culture and the result of a favourable comparison with the much more horrendous situation in Iraq.

If Obama follows through on these policy decisions he will make himself a supporter of international state terrorism.

Osama played Bush like a fiddle.

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http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature...ns_unamerican/

Very McCainish of you to change the subject AWAY from the very real threat and somehow attack Obama. Nevermind the absolute history of the Republican party. Segragates, oppressors, dividers, fascists. McCain and Palin are right with them. What frightens me most is that over 40% of the population will still vote for these people, well, maybe!

CONGRATULATIONS!
You win the prize for dumb ass post of the day!

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I think McCain is even worse.