Does urging political restraint apply to McCain and Obama or just the Republicans?

As The Ticket, among many online sites, has noted in recent days, much has been made about the anger and fears expressed by a vocal few and aimed at the Democratic ticket by some attending rallies for Sen. John McCain.

At one recent event in Minnesota, an angry woman called Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama, the awful A-word -- "Arab."

McCain quickly retrieved the microphone and said, "No, ma'am, he is a decent family man, a citizen I just happen to have serious differences with on some fundamental questions."

On Sunday, Sen. Joe Biden, the Democratic party's vice presidential nominee, again sought to stoke the angry McCain supporter story line by criticizing the GOP nominee for "ugly inferences" about the top of the Democratic ticket.

So as a growing number of political bloggers, including Wake Up America, have asked in recent hours, how long do you think before the mainstream media starts reporting on scenes like a Philadelphia event on Saturday where people wore T-shirts that bore an explicitly crude reference to Sarah Palin? With 22 campaign days left, might perhaps the Democratic ticket also feel the need to warn its supporters to tone it down?

If these T-shirts showed up at a McCain event on people proudly posing like this to proclaim that Obama was the N-word, do you think we might have heard about it by now?

--Andrew Malcolm

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Comments

[Todd]

This is false equivalence.

The difference is that John McCain implicitly endorsed these remarks by not denouncing them immediately or throwing the supporter out of the John McCain event.

Barak Obama is not endorsing the anti-Palin people...they are showing up on their own to a Palin event.

Again, these are differences my eight year old son can pick up on

[kathleen]

This is bad, but not as bad as 'Terrorist', as was started by Sarah. Neither does it demand, as did some GOP supporters, 'Kill him!'
Sarah is now reaping what she's sown. Name calling begets name calling.
The shirt has also not been endorsed or encouraged by any of the leaders of the Dem party, unlike the VA leader of the GOP comparing Obama to Osama.
The patriot John McCain has lost his way!

[Jabli Izvesti]

Because of the color of his skin Barack Obama has been transformed into Caesar's wife.Any criticism against him or any question about his background is being quickly branded as racist.The Obama campaign must be complimented for this brilliant strategy.

[WJ]

To answer your question, urging political restraint only applies to McCain.
There is no logic or consistency in this answer, but that is the way it is today.
Most of the media is part of the Obama campaign. That is simply fact. Because of this they would be very reluctant to report on anything negative about Obama. And would definitely not hold Obama's campaign to the same standard as McCain's campaign.

[memomachine]

Hmmmmm.

8 years of ChimpyBush, BushMcHitler, ChimpyMcHitler, calls for assassination of President Bush and outright violence by liberal Democrats against Republicans and now the shoe is going on the other foot.

Frankly I think the remaining patience on the Right has completely worn out and now it's time for payback.

Now you on the Left are going to get back precisely what you've dished out, and in spades.

[Suarez]

The media should not report on the offensive t-shirts. It is a non-issue. Why give the people wearing them any more publicity? McCain gave the mic to a crazy supporter. He asked for her opinions and then had to defend his opponent as a result. The misconceptions about Obama's past that his ticket has been spreading put them in this pickle. The media is merely reporting on an event that happened on camera.

[AugWest]

Obaby and his campaign have taken hypocrisy to a whole new level. It's always do as I say, not as I do with them. Saw Biden's speech from Scranton yesterday. In a span of two minutes he called Scranton and Wilmington his home town. Anyway 2/3 of his speech was spent attacking McCain. The other 1/3 of his time he spent telling voters that Obama would change everything. The only problem is Biden could not say how Obama's lofty promises would be implemented. What a joke. For Biden to spend 2/3 of his speech attacking McCain, then whining about GOP negative attacks is the height of hypocrisy and absurdity.

[not dems]

Ben Smith & Jake Tapper already outed them as registered Libertarians.

[joe]

Of course it's offensive. However, the stuff coming out of McCain's events are from people inside the event. The issue is not just what they said, but that McCain and Palin say nothing about it. If these people were at an Obama event and he said nothing, that would offend me. First, we have no idea whether these people were really outside the event or not. The person who took the photo conveniently left out there last name. There are so many B.S. emails out there where the person claiming "first hand knowledge" didn't exist. And as disgusting as this is, having a t-shirt that calls someone a c*** is still a little different than "kill him" What's sad Mr. Malcolm is that I believe you know damn well that is the difference, but you, also, are mor interested in stoking the right wing 'don't trust the media' fire. Well, I for one, don't trust you when you try to compare these two issues.

[ssscud]

Mr Malcom,
Your right it is bad to say things like the t shirt says - but your angle and attitude is just straight wrong, so get your Obama is a N-word shirt out and show us just how classy the republican supporters are, OK? Let us remember that Sara Palin said Obama was a terrorist first and basically unleashed this pandoras box of fear and loathing among middle american republican white racists,,,,er I mean voters...
It takes leadership to stay cool under these types of attacks and I have to say - "he/ she who smelled it dealt it" politics will not work in this day and age - it is all about "being right" not being a liar.

[Alexandra Draxler]

Someone called Obama an Arab. McCain said, "No, ma'am, he is a decent family man, a citizen". This opposition is pathetic, insulting and untrue.

Well, let us remember that we have some 3 million Arabs in the U.S., citizens or legal residents. Most are decent people. The overwhelming majority are educated, work and contribute hugely to the U.S. economy and political system.

[brian]

The difference is male-female, not conservative liberal. I have loads of emails sent to me that use the same language for Hillary Clinton. Palin said Clinton was a whiner.

[John Johnson]

I think some people are intentionally confusing criticisms of policies with personal attacks. Obama has gone after McCain's voting record in the Senate and his erratic handling of his own campaign, both of which are germane to the question of whether or not he would make an effective leader. McCain and Palin, on the other hand, have been launching personal attacks on Obama, questioning his patriotism and trustworthiness, as well as his religious beliefs, and using 'guilt by association' tactics to assassinate his character. When Obama defends himself against these attacks, which he has no choice but to do, it is grossly unfair to hold him responsible for the ugly tone of the campaign. John McCain's behavior during the last month of this campaign has been a disgrace, and his choice of running mate is the best evidence we have of his unfitness to be President.

[Skyler]

Heck, the way the Obama campaign, and his supporters, treated Clinton, and her supporters, during the primary, I've always known Obamatons are simply horrible horrible people.

Hate is how to win elections these days, and Obama's got that down great.

I have very low expectations for our future.

[Hmmm]

Before another Republibot posts the latest propaganda blurb about how "it all started by helping people get loans" the meltdown was caused by hedge fund managers leveraging 35 to 1 against the weak paper. So if a house that costs $100,000 forecloses it costs the hedge fund and its investors $3,500,000. How many of you were invested in these funds? Very few. How many Senators and Politicos? Most all of them. Who did you just bail out.....Oh, and the number one reason for foreclosure: LACK OF JOBS.

[Chris]

Unsurprisingly, Andrew Malcolm is way behind the news here. GOP supporters have already played the race card about Obama:

http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/bookman/entries/2008/06/17/obama_and_the_black_house.html

http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/06/stick-a-pin-in-it.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/10/11/politics/fromtheroad/entry4515246.shtml

Funny how Malcolm doesn't get sniffy about any of these incidents.

[PulSamsara]

Why would America REWARD complete Republican failure ?

We wont.

[Mike]

Sarah Palin allows Todd Palin to run shadow government in Alaska and participate in unethical conduct. After living with the current vice presidents abuse of power do we really want Sarah and Todd a heartbeat away from the Presidency of the USA?
“Testimony compiled as part of the Alaska inquiry, and a Los Angeles Times review of email logs from the Palin Administration, shows that Mr Palin was a fixture in the governor's office, spending about half his time there.

He attended cabinet meetings that are supposed to be closed to the public, and was copied on a wide variety of high-level government correspondence on issues such as contract negotiations with the police officers' union, native Alaskan issues and the privatization of a dairy near the Palins' home town of Wasilla.
The recent report concluded that she knowingly "permitted Todd Palin to use the Governor's office and the resources of the Governor's office, including access to state employees, to continue to contact subordinate state employees in an effort to find some way to get Trooper Wooten fired".
Why should Todd Palin’s shadow government scar Americans…? Todd Palin was a member of the Alaskan Independence Party founded by Joe Vogler for seven years (1995 – 2000)… this is the 3rd largest party in Alaska and has run on the platform of secession from the USA.
Joe Vogler" who said this: “My government is my worst enemy. I’m going to fight them with any means at hand.”
And this:
When the [federal] bureaucrats come after me, I suggest they wear red coats. They make better targets. In the federal government are the biggest liars in the United States, and I hate them with a passion. They think they own [Alaska]. There comes a time when people will choose to die with honor rather than live with dishonor. That time may be coming here. Our goal is ultimate independence by peaceful means under a minimal government fully responsive to the people. I hope we don’t have to take human life, but if they go on tramping on our property rights, look out, we’re ready to die.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eniG9l_7its&eurl=http://minnesotaindependent.com/12165/palins-friends-the-america-hating-iran-conspiring-aip
If you go by the McCain campaign’s way of thinking Sarah Palin and her husband has been palling around with this USA hating group with an Iranian connection. Vogler disappeared under suspicious circumstances in May 1993, just weeks before he was scheduled to give a speech to the United Nations on Alaskan independence, sponsored by the government of Iran.
I point this out not as much because I think the Obama Campaign should follow the negative tone of McCain, but to point out how hypercritic the McCain/Palin ticket is. How can Palin run on a ticket that continues to say “County First” and yell USA, USA at their rally’s when she and her husband openly support the AIP.
We do not need to elect more hypocrites to run this country and we do not need Todd who would not be an elected official to have the power that Sarah has given him in Alaska on a federal level. Does this man and this woman’s beliefs and style of governing not scares anyone but me? Does this Women’s willingness to lie and not accept facts as truth not remind anyone but me of the current administration? Is it not obvious that she and McCain will say anything even hate speak to win this election even if it tears this country apart?
Wake up America we do not need more Hypocrites in the White house nor do we need a shadow government run by a seven year member of the Alaskan Independence Party or their Iranian pals!

[CherieL]

What happens when candidates use doom and disaster, slander and innuendo to frighten people into voting for them? They end up with people too scared to think straight.

When their 'supporters' calm down, however, what kind of stick will the candidate need to use to frighten them into compliance the next time?

[Aaron Durst]

That is a good question. It would just be wonderful if you posed that question to the editors at the LA Times.

[nathan]

Dont kid yourself - theres a big difference btwn a few nutty women in pink shirts screaming "End this illegal war!" and a 50 yr old redneck who obviously owns a few guns yelling "Kill him!"

[Randy]

Truth is the issue. Calling someone an Arab because you judge them to be different, unacceptable, and offensive is not truth. If someone was born in or immigrated to Saudi Arabia it would be true. Using a slang word to describe a woman is not truth. The offense comes by implying that a person is less than whole and an unattractive object of shame. Very few of us rigorously observe truth telling and most of us are sometimes willing to use some offensive slang to make a point. So we all live in glass houses.

Editing out the truth is just as provocative. Political candidates often 'forget' about the part of their lives they wish to conceal. Obama seems to be leaving a lot out of his story, while McCain has led such a public life he can't conceal much. Provocation comes from omission as well as commission.

[Matthew Clement]

Did all the blessedly naive Obama fans miss the eight years of "Bush is Hitler"? Mentioning Bill Ayers is an incitement to violence, but this is not? http://tinyurl.com/4almhr

And now you have Obama fans throwing molotov cocktails. http://www.kptv.com/politics/17702627/detail.html

Didn't the left-wing Huffington Post issue a ban on comments calling Bush's death because they were so common? There is plenty of ugly and violence on the left.

[malclave]

Based on the excuses given by many Obama supporters here, I think the answer to your question is obvious.

Democrats get a pass.

[Bing Van Gorden]

As a Democrat I personally condemn such offensive stuff as Ms. Malkin posted on her site. Now I'm waiting for her to condemn the rhetoric she herself helps perpetuate. Waiting...............................................................