This kind of thinking is sad and misguided. I am very sorry for you. - Oldengrey (Jay)

sad and misguided? the secret service confirms what I've been saying. the only thing sad and misguided is mccain and palin found this acceptable. - Erin @queenofspain

Erin: The connection you make with the campaign and the threats is tenuous. By extension then you could say that everyone who voted for McCain, tens of millions of people, also are haters. If you checked with the Secret Service, I am positive the threat level went up during the primaries -- before McCain even won the nomination. This kind of chest beating doesn't help. If you really feel this way and are going to make this sort of deductive leap, I'm sure I won't be able to change your mind. - Oldengrey (Jay)

You obviously didn't read the post Jay. Let me summarize. McCain/Palin empowered the whackos by challenging Obama's patriotism. Sure it's not only the fault of McCain/Palin, it's also the fault of FOX et al. spewing out nonsense for the whackos to eat up. But the fact of the matter is that the Secret Service is reporting information. - Will Higgins™

I read the post. The Secret Service "report" is from one line in a UK Telegraph hit piece on Palin. If there was so much hate here, how did Obama win? http://friendfeed.com/e... . I understand how hard it is to cool down after the big game, guys. Just wipe off the face paint -- we've got problems to solve. Unless you need hate and race to further your argument -- it's not constructive. - Oldengrey (Jay)

Let me get this straight: without any cause or evidence, Obama injected race into this campaign by saying McCain would try to scare people by bringing up Obama's name and race, which he never did, and I'm to believe it's McCain and Palin's fault the whackos were riled up? Obama told his followers to harass the other side, so I can legitmately blame him for the whackos in Philadelphia and elsewhere, right? - ComicList

Erin, taking Palin for example and assuming the causal relationship, do you believe (a) she was too dumb to know what she was doing, (b) she didn't dream it would cause threats, (c) she knew, but did it on McCain's orders, or (d) she did it intentionally? (I personally think it's b or c.) - Ontario Emperor from fftogo

There is much Assholery™ in this thread... - Rahsheen ™

I think b) or a variation on c) -that she did it on her own accord and McCain didn't know/want because the McCain camp knew better. - Erin @queenofspain

and Jay, the Telegraph quotes Newsweek for the info. - Erin @queenofspain

Is Assholery a variation on Asshattery? lol - Erin @queenofspain

Well, you put a cherry on it with the name calling guys. Typical. Thanks for your insight. - Oldengrey (Jay)

Seeing as how the Ayers attacks were off script and something Palin pursued without approval of McCain its not a surprise that this trend was observed. I'm just glad something didn't happen and hope nothing will. The whole way things spiraled down hill to such tactics is pitiful. - Jim Goldstein

Well, I guess those of us on the right - who'd hoped the election would spell the end of Bush Derangement Syndrome and Palin Derangement Syndrome - were wrong. You left-wingers are still frothing lunatics. - Rob Sterling

yes, I see reports of the Secret Service seeing a spike as Palin is spewing her hate...yet I'm the lunatic. Uh huh....did you also notice the spike in gunsales post election? You dont' see this lefty lunatic rushing to buy an AK47...wonder who is....can't possibly have anything to do with the use of 'terrorist' and 'who is he?' or 'unamerican' can it? own up to what was created and fix it - Erin @queenofspain

What's inherently wrong with buying a gun? And considering Obama has called for the creation of a civilian force as well funded and powerful as the military, don't you think some people might think it's a good time to prepare to protect themselves? Did you see those guys in Philadelphia who thought Obama wanted them to make sure he got elected? Do you think that type of incident is just going to disappear now that he is elected? Wake up. - ComicList

Oh dear god in heaven. Yes, two black men with a billy club= end of the world for white folk. Jesus. no wonder you love palin - Erin @queenofspain

Mrs. Palin was wonderful at shutting down hacklers at her rally's but was silent when hate words, threats and vile were shouted from her supporters. The attacks provoked a near lynch mob atmosphere at her rallies, with supporters yelling "terrorist" and "kill him" until the McCain campaign ordered her to tone down the rhetoric. The Secret Service warned the Obama family in mid October they had seen a dramatic increase in the number of threats against the Democratic candidate, coinciding with Mrs Palin's attacks. Michelle Obama, was so upset that she turned to her friend and campaign adviser Valerie Jarrett and said: "Why would they try to make people hate us?" http://is.gd/6HQZ - David Monroe from twhirl

but apparently David we're just lunatic liberals making this all up in our little ol' heads as gun sales spike post election. - Erin @queenofspain

Erin, I refuse to be labeled as a racist when it is YOU who brought up "black" and "white." I also quite honestly do not take the word of the Telegraph when it comes to reporting on Gov. Palin. - ComicList

who labeled you a racist? are you part of the fringe that thinks Obama is secretly a muslim and did you go buy a gun post election because you're afraid of black rule? ok then...then I'll call you a racist. but so far I haven't called anyone a racist. - Erin @queenofspain

I was under the impression that gun sales went up because people are concerned that Obama is going to gut the 2nd Amendment not because people are afraid of 'black rule'. - Akiva Moskovitz

Akiva I think it's both. I have a family member that has stocked up thinking Black Panthers are going to take over. - Erin @queenofspain

The vast majority of McCain supporters are not haters. But some are. Race fears and hatred are pre-existing conditions. But it's kind of like herpes. You can go a long, long time without a visible eruption. There was one shining moment when McCain told a woman she didn't have to fear Obama. But that wasn't not the tone set by Palin's rhetoric: "Pallin' around with terrorists" certainly lowered the bar and provided a rationale for hatred to manifest. - Michael Markman

Jay, Charles, do you guys not think that the rhetoric of McCain / Palin supporters, esp the fringe, turned particularly nasty and *personal* towards the end? I have a lot of friends and family members who sent me forwarded emails about how Obama was a secret muslim radical ready to unmake the USA. My neighbor exclaimed to me "Obama hates white people, how can you vote for him!". Now you and I know better, but to think that the campaign strategy had *nothing* to do with this is naive at best. - mikepk

Jeffrey Feldman has an excellent post that illuminates this issue. There was something substantially different in McCain-Palin rhetoric that we haven't seen before in political discourse. http://snurl.com/59ic5 - Michael Markman

Michael that article is FANTASTIC - Erin @queenofspain

While I am trying to be nice to Republicans, I will say that McCain/Palin did intentionally stir up hatred. This was a bad move because it did stir up hatred among a few, but McCain/Palin's moves simply didn't work overall. The result is that the majority of people found McCain/Palin to be simply too negative. - Mike Reynolds