Last night, on MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) attacked Barack Obama as being “anti-American” for his past relationships with Bill Ayers and Rev. Wright. Bachmann even went so far as to invoke Michelle Obama’s ancinet comments about “for the first time being proud of my country.” (So much for the campaigns laying off family members.) Matthews pressed Bachmann to name other members of Congress that she felt were anti-American, specifically asking about Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. Bachmann audaciously insinuated that most, if not all liberals are anti-American and demanded that the media do an expose into which members of Congress are anti-American. There is now a major campaign underway to petition Congress to censure Ms. Bachmann, and there are reports that since the interview aired, Ms. Bachmann’s Democratic challenger has a received a swell of campaign donations totaling nearly $500,000.
The actions of Ms. Bachmann along with the behavior of the McCain campaign is highly troubling. Today, during a radio broadcast, John McCain suggested that Barack Obama is a socialist based on the assessment of Obama’s tax plan by his new poster boy “Joe the Plumber”. (This is the same Joe The Plumber who owes back taxes; is not really a licensed plumber; is in no financial position to buy the business, which by the way only grosses $100,000 and therefore would receive a TAX CUT under Obama’s plan; and thinks Social Security is a joke.) So, rather than repudiate Bachmann’s salacious remarks, the McCain camp is high-fiving her. What’s next? If McCain doesn’t see a bump in the polls, will he up the ante and start calling Obama a communist and claiming that his aides have seen Obama reading Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto?
Look, presidential campaigns are brutal, but this is beyond ridiculous and if it doesn’t stop, we could be looking at another McCarthy era in which conservatives will being going door to door literally hunting for liberals. What has transpired in this 2008 race makes the swift-boating of 2004 look like a playground taunt.
What I find most appalling though, is the hypocrisy of the Republicans, especially considering that John McCain and Sarah Palin have associated with characters of questionable “American ideals”. Ms. Bachmann was relentless in her bashing of Obama’s relationship with Ayers, yet I can only assume she is not as upset about John McCain’s friendship with G. Gordon Liddy, who, besides being one of the architects of the Watergate scandal, also has some pretty radical views of his own. On the Vietnam War, Liddy said if he had his way he would have “drowned half the country and starved the other half.” During the Branch Davidian conflict in Waco,TX, Liddy insisted that the cult should defeat the ATF agents by “shooting them in the head” since they were wearing flak jackets. And perhaps most disturbing of all, on listening to Adolf Hitler on the radio , he said, “Hitler’s sheer animal confidence and power of will entranced me. He sent an electric current through my body.”
Now, if you believe the right wing nuts that the media is all “left wing liberals”, why hasn’t this relationship gained as much traction as the Obama-Ayers link? Why are the Republicans allowed to continue the Ayers link without equal representation of McCain’s skeletons?
And then you have Sarah Palin going around saying that “Obama pals around with terrorists.” and that “Obama doesn’t see America as the rest of us see America.” Wasn’t Palin’s husband a registered member of the Alaska Independence Party – a party that continues to seek the secession of Alaska? Isn’t there video of Palin HERSELF addressing the AIP Convention earlier THIS YEAR? Isn’t there a YouTube video of radical AIP members talking amicably about Palin and figuring out how they get her to infiltrate the mainstream Republican party presumably to advance their causes? This woman has the audacity to claim Barack Obama is anti-American?
As ugly as all that is, there does seem to be some hope that Americans have learned a thing or two from the McCarthy days. Seeing photos of the Obama rally in St. Louis that was witnessed by over 100,000 supporters brought tears to my eyes. People are hurting in this country right now thanks in large part to the buffoonery of the current administration. People are hungry for change. They see that change in Obama and images like that in St. Louis today should be somewhat reassuring to good, honest Americans who are fed up with the sleaze and lies that have defined the McCain/Palin campaign. Obama’s rallies feature people of all color, creed, and social standing – a true reflection of America at its best. Anyone looking at these images should feel proud that we as Americans don’t have to settle for the fear and hate mongering coming out of the Republican side. Ironically, these images help make people like Ms. Bachmann appear as the anti-American ones.
The Southern Yankee 
Also McCain helped fund a terrorist group called the Contras, he is endorsed by Oliver North (who had ties to Iran and other terrorist groups), and recently McCain placed William Timmons as his head presidential transition team (who was also a lobbyist for Iraqi dictator SADDAM HUSSEIN).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-k-wilson/john-mccains-terrorist-co_b_133326.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/14/mccain-transition-chief-a_n_134595.html
And besides all that McCain still hasn’t talked about he economic plan in great detail like Obama has to the American people.
I hate that the media (the so-called liberal media) has not reported on this stuff, but still reporting on the Ayers thing and ACORN.
Gee, with news sources like the huffington post and msnbc I can be assured your sources are completely unbiased. I find it amazing that we know more about “Joe the Plumber” in 24 hours than we really know about Barack Obama.
What has the media reported on Ayers? Has he had news trucks parked in front of his house lately? NO, but in one day they are all over Joe.
OBAMA came to Joe’s neighborhood, got asked a question and showed his true socialist colors. And now the media’s punishing Joe.
You want a helping hand? Look at the end of your arm, not the federal government.
Oh should I have gotten my sources from Fox News because we all know how unbiased that news agency is, right? *roll eyes*
Excuse me, but on CNN, MSNBC, Huffington post, NYTimes, Washington Post, and many others did stories and reported on Ayers to death.
And Fox News is Ayers and ACORN all the time. Funny thing is when the stock market was going down even to it’s lowest Fox News was still reporting on the Ayers and Obama connection, but not much about the economy.
You know what I’ve found out about this so-called liberal media? Is that if they were so liberal like the conservatives/right likes to put it then why is the Huffington Post the only news organization that I found to have anything on McCain’s past or present associates?
Wouldn’t the media be covering McCain’s ties to terrorist groups and endorsers with shady pasts as they did with Obama?
Come on now, think about it. Who is the media really working for.
So what do you mean by this…. “You want a helping hand? Look at the end of your arm, not the federal government.”
Are you saying that I am poor or living on the government?
Wow you nothing about me, but yet you make a statement like that. You know the difference between liberals and conservative? Liberals don’t judge people when someone disagrees them, but conservatives are quick to judge someone they don’t know just because that person has a different opinion than them.
I meant to say ” Wow, you know nothing about me”.
To themikeyreport: Both sides are going to claim a bias to advance their candidate’s position. Concerning Ayers, you make it seem like Obama moved to Chicago specifically to hook up with Ayers. I’m am curious as to what evidence you have that suggests that Obama’s ties to Ayers stems deeper than his involvement with him on education reform. The problem with this right wing attack is that the Annenberg Foundation which sponsored the board that both men sat on was founded by a REPUBLICAN who is a MCCAIN SUPPORTER and worked in the Regan Administration. So, my question to you is, if the Annenbergs didn’t have a problem with Ayers sitting on their board, why is it a problem for Obama? Why is it that people on the right seem to think that Obama’s involvement in this regard suggests he has terrorist motives, wheras the Annenberg’s did not. Do you see how shallow your argument is?
And to the point about the media – as I state in my article, you hear almost nothing of McCain’s ties to Liddy and Palin’s ties to a witch hunting priest.
If anything, my suspicion as to why you don’t hear these things is because the media wants a close race because its good for ratings. I think the media has manipulated BOTH sides in this election.