“Be Respectful.”…or…You Have to Admit You’ve Gone Off the Deep End When McCain Himself Calls You Out

I came across this post over at Mack’s place where we see this very interesting sign that is evidently posted in Missouri.

Rather than give my own take on it, I defer to Heartbreaktown, who gave the perfect comment…

I love the “quotes”! Funny, I have never seen anyone put quotes around their middle name.

If Obama is pro-contraception [meaning, having healthcare coverage for contraception], there will likely be less abortions.

I recall Obama flat-out saying he was opposed to same-sex marriage.

Obama’s plan calls for less taxes for me, if it’s more for you, then you must make over $250k. Congrats!

Gun regulations – I hope so.

But I have seen him wear that head dress, so he must be muslim. Guiliani wore make-up, so I guess that makes him a woman.

Then, I was perusing one of my favorite new-to-me blogs, Screaming From The Rooftop, wherein Jon-Marc McDonald reminds us that back in July, Barack himself predicted that those who would want to leave things the way they are in this world would try to instill fear in us…make us scared of him: “he’s not patriotic enough, he’s got a funny name…he doesn’t look like those other presidents…he’s risky…”

It’s true that change is hard.  Change isn’t easy.  The question you have to ask yourself is what’s more risky?  Going ahead and bringing about changes that we know we have to make in order to assure that our children have a better future, or doing the same things that we have been doing over and over again even though we know they don’t work?

Folks, we are in a time right now when it is too risky not to change.  It is risky to keep on doing what we’re doing, to accept the tired status quo.

–Barack Obama

As a Christian, I believe that God has not given me the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7).  Therefore, I have to wonder why we are seeing such “vicious anti-Obama attitude” coming forth in these McCain rallies?  Why do some feel the need to bear false witness against this man who proclaims to be a brother in Christ?  Why, just the other night, it absolutely broke my heart to see one of my friends from church write on their Facebook status that Barack Obama was a con-artist and the anti-Christ.  I’m sorry, folks, but there is no evidence whatsoever that the man has bowed before any graven images. If you tell me there is evidence, then YOU have the obligation to PROVE it.  Simple as that.  All any of us have to our names is our word.  Obama’s word is what it is, and he has continued to have an answer for each and every accusation that has come forth from his enemies, just as much as John McCain and Sarah Palin have.

Well, except for the fact that as I write this, I just got a text message that an Alaska legislative panel found that Palin abused her power in a state official’s firing, although she violated no law.

See?  It goes both ways.  Pray all you want, but the fact remains that nobody gets to that level of power without getting their hands dirty.

The hateful rhetoric has gotten so bad that Barack Obama’s opponent, John McCain, is now having to defend him.  At a Minnesota rally, McCain himself had to tell his supporters to TONE IT DOWN!

From Time.com:

“I respect Sen. Obama and his accomplishments.” People booed at the mention of his name.

McCain, visibly angry, stopped them: “I want EVERYONE to be respectful, and lets make sure we are.”

The very next questioner tried to push back on this request, noting that he needed to “tell the American the TRUTH about Barack Obama” — a not very subtle way, I think, to ask John McCain to NOT tell the truth about Barack Obama.

McCain told her there’s a “difference between record and rhetoric, and I plan to talk about his record, respectfully… I don’t mean that has to reduce your ferocity, I just mean it has to be respectful.”

And then later, again, someone dangled a great big piece of low-hanging fruit in front of McCain: “I’m scared to bring up my child in a world where Barack Obama is president.”

McCain replies, “Well, I don’t want him to be president, either. I wouldn’t be running if I did. But,” and he pauses for emphasis, “you don’t have to be scared to have him be President of the United States.” A round of boos.

And he snaps back: “Well, obviously I think I’d be better. “

Of course, this is kind of the best of both world: Crazy base-world gets to bring up Ayers and whatever else, really, and he gets to say, “Be respectful.”

But I think he means it.

UPDATE: Indeed, he just snatched the microphone out the hands of a woman who began her question with, “I’m scared of Barack Obama… he’s an Arab terrorist…”

“No, no ma’am,” he interrupted. “He’s a decent family man with whom I happen to have some disagreements.”

Alrighty then, let’s see how much McCain supporters truly respect the man they rallying behind.

Did you hear what he said?

“Be respectful.”