The Maverick and the Foul Genie

Christopher Orr, writing at The New Republic, captures the dishonorable downside of McCain's mudslinging and Palin's smear campaign. Referring to the ugly shouts ("Terrorist!" "Kill him!" "Sit down, boy") that have punctuated recent speeches by McCain and Palin:

Of course there have always been racists and thugs and moral degenerates of all stripes in McCain's and Palin's audiences--as well as in Obama's and those of every other politician ever to run a national race.

But McCain and Palin's latest attacks have created an environment where, rather than keep these toxic views to themselves until they got home or were out with buddies, they feel they can yell them out among thousands of strangers at a large political rally without fear of correction. These sentiments are being normalized in a public setting.

This foul genie will prove hard to put back in the bottle.

The so-called "straight-talk express" is taking the low road, and McCain is having no trouble adapting. I guess it's a lot better than talking about the Bush-McCain credit crunch, stock market free fall, and recession. If I were John McCain, maybe I'd be playing the race card too.

What a hero.

Technorati Tags: John McCain, Sarah Palin, Low Road Maverick, Foul Genie In Lipstick, How Not To Be A Hero

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