Pennsylvania GOP shamelessly invokes Holocaust to help spread Obama smears
By ClarusVisum
@ClarusVisum (2163)
United States
October 25, 2008 2:44pm CST
Sadly, this is but the latest in a long string of similar incidents. This one wasn't the work of some fringe group, though--it was, as the article says sponsored by the Pennsylvania GOP itself.
Is there no level to which the Republican Party will not stoop?
[i]"A new e-mail making the rounds among Jewish voters in Pennsylvania this week falsely alleged that Mr. Obama "taught members of Acorn to commit voter registration fraud,'' and equated a vote for Senator Barack Obama with the "tragic mistake" of their Jewish ancestors, who "ignored the warning signs in the 1930's and 1940's."
At first blush, it was typical of the sorts of e-mails floating around with false, unsubstantiated and incendiary claims this year.
But where most of the attack e-mails against Mr. Obama have been mostly either anonymous or from people outside of mainstream politics, this one had an unusually official provenance: It was sponsored by the Pennsylvania Republican Party's "Victory 2008" committee.
And it was signed by several prominent McCain supporters in the state: Mitchell L. Morgan, a top fund-raiser; Hon. Sandra Schwartz Newman, a member of Mr. McCain's national task-force monitoring Election Day voting, and I. Michael Coslov, a steel industry executive."[/i] -- http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/pennsylvania-republicans-send-false-anti-obama-e-mail/
3 people like this
6 responses
@lloydanthony111 (4698)
• United States
25 Oct 08
The Republicans have really sunk to levels I've never seen in Presidential politics.
I'd be embarrassed to even be associated with such a core group of dysfunctional individuals.
McCain has been running around saying that Barack Obama will say anything to get elected.
Well he needs to take a closer look at his own party. You've got people carving backwards "B"s into their faces, and now this, to discredit Barack Obama.
One good thing is that the American people aren't falling for these despicable tactics.
How can people like this even look at themselves in the mirror?
Hopefully Barack Obama will be elected our next President and put this Republican party to rest and out of their misery.
Lloyd
@lloydanthony111 (4698)
• United States
26 Oct 08
I can't believe how much they are discussing the birth certificate issue here a myLot. They are really desparate to do anything stop this man.
They must believe the American people are so stupid to believe that Barack Obama is not a citizen.
They are just grasping at straws instead of questioning their dysfunctional candidate and his sidekick, hockey mom.
Lloyd
1 person likes this
@xfahctor (14113)
• Lancaster, New Hampshire
25 Oct 08
For those who intend to comment before reading the article or with out reading it, I include the following exerpt from it.
"After several calls for comment about the e-mail, leaders of the state party repudiated it on Friday. They said it had been released without their authorization and that they had fired the strategist who helped draft it, Bryan Rudnick."
I am already vastly disillusioned with these two parties and with supporters like this (the person who drafted the email) who needs oponents? I am biding my time this election and am going to greatly enjoy watching them both destry and marginalize themselves over the next 4 years.
2 people like this
@ClarusVisum (2163)
• United States
25 Oct 08
What about the people who signed it in support? They're just scapegoating this one guy, as if one dude threw this all together and put it out without anyone else noticing.
There is no way this was the work of one person.
And there is no way one can intellectually honestly blame both parties equally, or even imply that they should be blamed equally (if you really weren't, ignore the following).
One is clearly far guiltier than the other of this type of thing. Hell, Obama won't even let people boo his opponent at his rallies without 'scolding' them, telling them to not boo, that "we don't need that," and to just vote instead. Meanwhile, McCain/Palin took their sweet time responding to all of the insane things being said at THEIR rallies, and it got to the point where McCain himself got booed at his own rally for saying that Obama's a decent guy you don't have to be afraid of. Imagine the kind of mindset the crowd must have to boo THAT.
So again, very unfair to act like it's 50/50 here. It's anything but.
1 person likes this
@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
25 Oct 08
It appears that they admitted it even as they quickly retracted and beat some poor scapegoat over the head!
It just seems to me that nobody is winning this war. Is one supposed to vote for the guy with the least childish supporters, do you think? I'm really glad I'm not part of the American electoral system ... though ours is nearly as bad.
2 people like this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
27 Oct 08
The Pennsylvania GOP has never been accused of being squeaky clean, and this comes from a Pennsylvania Democrat...lol! I can't believe how dirty the McCain campaign has become, or maybe I should say some wings of his campaign. He seems to have a way of acting like he's above all that while at the same time allowing it to continue. I'll be so happy and (hopefully) relieved when this election is over!
Annie
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
25 Oct 08
Politics makes people do stupid things. I don't hold it against the republicans or democrats. Just against the people who do stupid things.
1 person likes this
@ClarusVisum (2163)
• United States
26 Oct 08
Pardon me, I just want to add some new relevant information, and I'm responding to this answer to do it because that'll put the info as close to the original post as possible:
=====
[i]"The Pennsylvania Republican Party claims that this mailer went out without their authorization, and that they have fired the consultant who was responsible. That consultant, however, says this:
""I had authorization from party officials" to send the e-mail, Rudnick said, but he declined to say who had signed off on it. "I'm not looking to drag anyone else through the mud, so I'm not naming names right now," he said.""[/i] -- http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2008_10/015373.php
Wouldn't be surprised at all if they were just denying to save their own skin.
1 person likes this
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
25 Oct 08
Whether or not the email was or wasn't suppose to go out it did and the damage is done. This election has really brought out the worst in the Republican party. I have always been an Independent but, I have switched to Democrat after this BS that has gone on.
2 people like this
