You stay classy, America

Victoria Switzer, a retired social studies teacher, was on phone-bank duty one night during the Pennsylvania primary campaign. One night was all she could take: "It wasn't pretty." She made 60 calls to prospective voters in Susquehanna County, her home county, which is 98 percent white. The responses were dispiriting. One caller, Switzer remembers, said he couldn't possibly vote for Obama and concluded: "Hang that darky from a tree!"

-- "Racist Incidents Give Some Obama Campaigners Pause," WaPo, May 13, 08

I didn't even include the elected officials who are convinced Obama is a sleeper agent for "the Muslims" or the vandalism of campaign offices in Indiana. Seriously, what year is this again?

Comments

[Antoinette]

Last week on a plane to Greensboro, NC last week, I was subjected to the loud political ramblings of the couple behind me. Both people were Clinton supporters, which was fine but I almost choked on my tiny cup of orange juice when I heard the man declare, "Obama just has too many ties to terrorism for me to be comfortable."

I'm not sure what boggled me more - that he could believe Obama had *any* ties to terrorism, or that he seemed to have some numbers of ties which he *would've* found acceptable.

[Polly]

Oh, Antoinette, you should have brought up Hillary's "connection" to the U.S.S. Cole bombing (that was one of the very few memorable bits of Rick Lazio's Senate campaign).

[Jenn C.]

Antoinette, I share your astonishment. I wonder how many *would* be acceptable?