I’ve been reading a lot of posts on the Internet yesterday and today where people have expressed concern at how McCain and Palin are whipping their supporters into frothy-mouthed hatred of Barack Obama.
Joe Klein sums up the problem that many people are talking about today:
I’m beginning to worry about the level of craziness on the Republican side, the over-the-top, stampede-the-crowd statements by everyone from McCain on down, the vehemence of the crowds that McCain and Palin are drawing with people shouting “Kill him” and “He’s a terrorist” and “Off with his head.”
David Gergen noted last evening:
One of the most striking things we’ve seen in the last few day, we have seen it at the Palin rallies and we saw it at the McCain rally today . . . . There is a free-floating sort of whipping-around anger that could really lead to some violence. And I think we’re not far from that.
The New York Times several days ago, commenting on this phenomenon, plead with Senator McCain:
Mr. McCain and his team can come up with a better answer to that problem than inciting more division, anger and hatred.
Josh Marshall comments this morning:
This is not a laughing matter.
Though he hints darkly at the unspeakable, Andrew Sullivan pulls few punches and comes very close to expressing a fear that has begun to lurk in many hearts in recent days:
This is a moment of maximal physical danger for the young Democratic nominee. And McCain is playing with fire. If he really wants to put country first, he will attack Obama on his policies – not on these inflammatory, personal, creepy grounds. This is getting close to the atmosphere stoked by the Israeli far right before the assassination of Rabin.
For God’s sake, McCain, stop it. For once in this campaign, put your country first.
Yes, Senator McCain, for God’s sake, just stop it.
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