Hey, McCain - Rein in your Pitbull!

On Monday, McCain announced that he would enter a new stage of attacks on Obama - ones focusing on Obama's character, background, and leadership.  This is not unexpected, with less than a month left until the election and Obama gaining a lead in the polls, due to his perceived superiority in economic matters.  However, the lengths that the McCain camp and supporters have been going to to discredit Obama and create fears and doubts in the minds of voters is simply despicable.  McCain himself, so far, has only ramped up the attacks on Obama's policies and past records in the Illionois and U.S. Senate.  Which, I believe, is appropriate, to a certain extent.  It's a good thing for the voters to see the candidates explain their policies and past decisions, as it can give us insight as to what they truly believe, beyond party platforms, and how they can be expected to act in the Oval Office.  However, what is truly despicable, and, unfortunately true to Republican form, is the effort that Sarah Palin and the Republican surrogates have gone to in order to create an image of Obama that sounds like an un-american, terrorist-favoring, America Hater.  

First, the surrogates:

• During the weekend, Sean Hannity hosted a program on Fox News called "Obama and Friends: The History of Radicalism".  As you can imagine, the program was filled with (completely unsubstantiated) attacks on Obama's character and background.  One of these claims was that Obama's work as a community organizer in Chicago was actually "training for a radical overthrow of the government".
• Andy Martin, a conservative writer, accused Obama of secretly of being a Muslim.  He also created a bizarre, twisted connection between William Ayers, the former member of the Weather Underground, and Barack Obama, that went through the Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, to Fidel Castro, back to Hugo Chávez, and finally to Obama.
• Jerome Corsi just published a book that is filled with unsubstantiated accusations about Obama's alleged drug use and connections to Islam.

And then, there's Palin.  She just finished a campaign rally swing through Florida, where all she did was make accusations and smear Obama's good name.  She talked a lot about Obama's relationship to Ayers, making it sound like Obama is sympathetic to a violent overthrow of the government.  And the scariest thing about it?  The audience bought it all, snapped it right up - even yelling things like "kill him" and "terrorist" when she mentioned Obama by name.  

Is this what America has come to in this election?  Use of xenophobia and anger to defeat the opposition?  One man even yelled racial slurs at a black cameraman at the rally.  To me, that is absolutely unnecessary, over the top, and just plain wrong.  This is the 21st century, and America is nothing if not everything.  The America I know is made up of Hispanic-Americans, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Caucasians, and everything in between.  Obama shouldn't have to defend his "American-ness".  HE WAS BORN IN AMERICA!  What more could you want for a definition of an American?  

So please, McCain, Mr. "Maverick", rein in your pitbull.  She's just dividing the country even more, between "us" and "them", at a time when we need to come together more than ever and show that we are a nation, united.  And to the American Voter - please, let's show the Republican Party that we are above fear- and hate-mongering, that those terror tactics have no place in a truly democratic and free America.  Vote Obama into office in November, and usher out this era of smear politics.

Sources: The New York Times

Palin Plays to Conservative Base in Florida Rallies

Obama's Personal Ties are Subject of Program on Fox News Channel

Campaigns Shift to Attack Mode on Eve of Debate