This is the first election that has me truly frightened. I've lived through nasty rhetoric before, and been genuinely disturbed by the vacuous lack of attention to real policies and real issues that plays out every election. I've been worried, I've been cautious, I'v been angry, but I've never seen anything like this.

I've never seen campaign rallies where violence seems to be simmering just below the surface. I've never seen political leaders in America stand back and say nothing when someone in the audience calls out for the murder of their opponent. I've never seen so many lunatic ideas spat out with such venom by so many people. For the first time in an American election, I am genuinely afraid.

I'm afraid of the angry rhetoric that has fueled American politics for the past two decades. I'm afraid of all the selfishness, the narrow-mindedness and the the absolute demonization of those with different opinions that seems to comprise our political discussions.

I'm afraid when I see the videos of the McCain and Palin rallies that seem to just shy of dissolving into lynch mobs. I'm afraid when I see the people interviewed outside the rallies who appear to be filled with so much hatred. I'm afraid when the campaign seems to have completely collapsed into a series of paranoid delusions and sickening racism.

I'm afraid that McCain could ride to power on the anger of a mob, and then have to appease that mob when he's in office.

And I'm even more afraid of what will happen with that mob's anger if Obama is elected.

I'm afraid of my taxes going up, the government continuing to spend money it doesn't have, and the U.S. government bailing out foreign banks using my grandchildren's income to pay it back.

"the government continuing to spend money it doesn't have"

right so that's why taxes should go up, no?

silly republicans, waging a war and not wanting to pay for it

how can people say support our troops and then complain about the taxes that support them, weird=\

children [mental children if nothing else] playing on these fray political boards you at least are intelligent and educated enough to pay attention to what is happening across the nation and draw the wise conclusion that now is not the time for giggling because people at a rally shot reporters the middle finger.

These are symptoms of deep problems in this nation beginning to bubble to the surface. Anything can happen at times like this and it's the wise person that moves carefully and takes precautions.

You'll notice that I am not denying what is happening at these McCain political events. This is because I am not stupidly partisan. Those people are enraged and they might just -- some of them anyway -- explode and decide to hurt some of these journalists on hand that think this stuff is so very, very funny.

I recall the riots during the 1960s and I can tell you that I am seeing today some of the same feelings of festering rage among people that eventually broke out into general violence in those days.

Yes, it can happen again and it just might.

Yes they are enraged. But notice that McCain does nothing to quell that rage. And both he and Palin are rhetorically pouring gasoline onto those proverbial flames.

This is the politics of divisiveness done large and it is a strong indictment of McCain's character that he lets this stand.

Obama socialist - PLEASE!! you know better.

Now consider what happens if McCain does win. He will have won with a fear driven campaign which is designed to alienate and vilify those who historically have not had a voice in American politics. Do you honestly think that he can govern?

McCain is sowing a whirlwind in hopes of winning. But its a whirlwind that drives lynchings. And that is the future he would inherit. This proves how absolutely unqualified Palin is for office and how mendacious McCain has become.

Demcon, I respect the way you said that. But lets be honest. Riots in the 60's were about basic civil rights, and to a lesser degree, about a war that many people thought (and still think) was unjust. That doesn't excuse the chaos of that time. But Its deplorable to see Republicans on that cliff simply because they are angry at "the media." or "elitists." These are not real, tangible issues. Nor are they anywhere as important to warrant this level of aggression.

Republicans are simply not justified in saying what they are saying, and if this continues, they will rapidly become the primary source of america's problems. They don't want to be united and put their country first. It shows.

there is a lot of passion out there from both the left and the right. The hollywood elite has become totally unhinged. For 2 weeks after Palin was selected, I had nver heard so much venom from so many. Absolute hatred spewing from their mouths. Now that Obama has assumed a big lead, the right has become very frustrated. How would you like it if you had worked hard all your life and then comes this socialist (and no matter what you say he is at least a socialist) and wants to take your money and distribute it to people who didnt earn it?

Don't you get what the Palin "hatred" was about?? Fear! Or some form shock at least, that a man like McCain could choose such a simple and patently unqualified person for the vice presidency, especially in times like these.

Democrats were amazed that such a gamble with our country was being taken. Whether you like her or not, you agree that choosing her was as risky as it gets. And you should also have the integrity to admit that much, if not most, of the reasoning behind his choice was political showmanship - to "shake up" the race and make people stop and stare.

Well we stared, and we were flabbergasted.

But no one called her a terrorist. No one said "she's not one of us." No one said she represents someone who we are, literally, at war with. There is no comparison.

OK I'll bite, what venom?

How would you like it if you had worked hard all your life and then comes this socialist and wants to take your money and distribute it to people who didnt earn it

It might be an issue if there was any basis in fact to this. but there isn't. Which is what makes this so vile.

Don't let their fear mongering or hate mongering scare you. That is the only tool they have, render it useless.

jokull:

"the government continuing to spend money it doesn't have"

right so that's why taxes should go up, no?

silly republicans, waging a war and not wanting to pay for it

how can people say support our troops and then complain about the taxes that support them, weird=\

Arrogant democrats who lie to the american people telling them that they will give us a tax break while at the same time trying to figure out how much more they raise taxes before we figure out their scemes.

A voice of reason.

Oh, yeah, we're FUCKING PISSED. And rightfully so. After 10 months of MSNBC, CNN, and most the other MSM outlets displaying unbelievable bias against first Hillary, then McCain, and now Palin, while simultaneously glazing over and attempting to bury Obama's abundant shortcomings and serious flaws, we're fucking pissed.

This pro-Obama bias from the MSM is a direct descendant of the Politically Correct Agenda, which states that nothing negative may be stated against blacks, no matter how true the negative information might be, combined with a longtime leftist bias of MSM staffers themselves.

There is so much to be said against Obama, yet the MSM refuses to mention any of it, and does its best to silence what is already known (ACORN, Ayers, Joyce Foundation, Jeremiah Wright, 2nd Amendment, Marxism.)

Whenever these very real problems with Obama are mentioned, the Obama worshippers and brownnosers in the MSM squeal "negative campaigning, not fair!" and attempt to do damage control on Obama's behalf. Since when is the truth off limits? FUCK THAT!

It's well known that Fox displays an unfair far-right bias, yet MSNBC and CNN have become the far-left mirror images of Fox, and no-one on the left seems willing to admit it. MSNBC and CNN should adopt Fox's "fair and balanced" motto, it would be equally ridiculous for them as it is when Fox claims it. Olbermann and O'Reilley are two sides of the same shitty coin.

I reitereate, we're FUCKING PISSED. We're not going to have our nation stolen from us by a bunch of moron talking heads the likes of Olbermann and Matthews and the rest of the libtards in the MSM.

Would you like some cheese with that whine?

Dude, I'll be the first liberal to admit that NBC and, to a lesser extent, CNN have gone liberal. But to blame the state of things in the election on the media is absurd. And to be honest, blaming the media is the last refuge of those who missed the bus.

Firstly, (As I wrote elsewhere), ask yourself where you first heard about Ayers, Wright, and Rezko. The media. You have heard about them from all the MSM networks for almost a year now. This was the spring of rev. wright - you couldn't avoid him on tv. There was no media "pass" when it came to PRECISELY the things that republicans claim he got a pass for.

The fact is just that there wasn't much there other than a couple of scummy people. Everyone tried to find a deeper story, a closer connection.... but it doesn't exist. I mean, Its not like rev. wright means nothing. Its a bit weird, to say the least. But you've heard all of the story that there is to hear, and it was brought to you courtesy of the MSM.

As for Palin, people were just freaked out by her. No politician says they have foreign policy experience because alaska is near russia. There was no media filter on that. The only filter was her being really really obvious about not wanting to answer questions, and looking rather incompetent at explaining herself. People just didn't know what to make of it, but it made for good TV.

Regardless, ask yourself this - who in the last month has tried harder to talk about the economy and foreign policy, and who has tried harder to obscure and avoid addressing those issues?