My daughter and her friends were verbally assaulted at a Palin rally

[bluedeminredstate]

My daughter and about six of her friends went to the Palin rally in Richmond today. It was an outdoor rally that was open to the general public so they went to see what would happen if they got in and then removed their sweatshirts revealing Obama t-shirts. She said the crowd was a frothing, rabid bunch of bigots and nuts. One lady held a sign that said "I'm for vets and the army, not the liberals and the commies" and people yelled all kinds of insults at them. One man yelled that he didn't want a "ni**er in the White House" and others yelled out things about "homos" and "baby killers." Sarah Palin lead the crowd in a chant of "Drill Baby Drill" and "USA, USA, USA!!"

She said she was frightened by the rage of the crowd once they discovered Obama supporters in their midst. They were screamed at by all kinds of crazy people who displayed racist and abusive behavior.

So that's the average GOP voter, up close and personal and it was very ugly and disturbing.

[KingFlorez]

1. That's awful

[Name removed]

2. Deleted sub-thread

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[Dem_4_Life]

3. You daughter and here friends are very brave.

I don't think I could stomach that. These people are so disgusting.

[heliarc]

10. At this point I think they are more than brave.

They may be in grave danger... I'm pretty certain that one of these rallies has a good chance of getting out of hand, and I can imagine someone getting beaten pretty badly or killed.

[pipi_k]

103. You can say that again!

I honestly would be terrified to wear an Obama shirt at a Palin or McCain rally.

Hell, I won't even put political bumper stickers on my car or display signs outside the house.

Even though I live in Massachusetts.

The crazies are everywhere!

[styersc]

4. You should buy your daughter a video recorder.

Your tale would have been gold on You Tube.

[Leeny]

100. That's it!!!

Station volunteers with video cameras outside of polling places and have them ask to record people who are turned away from voting. "My name is ___ and I live in ___ County and I was denied the right to vote today."

After the last two elections we need to find away that all votes get counted and that no one who is legally registered gets turned away.

[villager]

5. They are Brownshirts. And that's not an exaggeration.

The question is -- what will they do when the lose the election?

[Vinca]

6. But, but, but, John McCain was just interviewed on CNN and he says

he's proud of his supporters and just as shocked as he can be about John Lewis comparing him to George Wallace.

[Eric J in MN]

7. Regarding the man used the n-word.

Was that before, during, or after Sarah Palin's speech?

[bluedeminredstate]

13. Before.

It was while they walked around before she began speaking. Not that Palin would have done anything is she'd heard it...

[tblue]

8. Well, there you have the last vestiges of the Republican party.

Way to win over the next generation, Assh*les.

I hope your daughter and her friends made it out of there alright. I guess it's a good idea for all of us to give the wingnuts a wide berth.

[Rocknrule]

9. Is this the first documented case of the N-bomb being dropped at a Palin rally?

We all knew it was gonna happen

[sellitman]

11. I have to ask as a parent....

Why the heck would you let your daughter get in harms way like that?

Not too bright if you ask me.

[bluedeminredstate]

16. I didn't now until she called me from there.

She's in college at VCU so I don't see her every day. She's 18 and decided to do it. If I had known I would have encouraged her and her friends to stay home and not stir up trouble with a bunch of raging Archie Bunkers.

[sellitman]

43. The joys of parenthood

I've got two in College now so I can feel for you.

Didn't mean to sound so snarky. Sorry !

[bluedeminredstate]

54. No problem.

I wasn't thrilled with the phone call I got from the rally...

:)

[awoke_in_2003]

91. It is a sad commentary on the state of affairs...

When you ship your child off the college, you have all sorts of fears about what troubles and dangers they can get into. Going to a political rally shouldn't be one of them. One thing that has always bothered me about the chanting of "USA, USA" was that it seemed to have the same tones as the repeated "Sich Heils" you would see in documentaries about Nazi rallies. Looks like the anger part is catching up to what I have perceived.

[susanna]

80. ROTFL..."raging Archie Bunkers." Gold. Pure gold.

I am so glad your daughter and friends are okay, bluedeminredstate; that is the most important thing.

[RoadRage]

12. Ahh.. Christians in true form..

turn the other cheek and "love thy neighbor" unless you can punch them and kick them first. :eyes:

[Cha]

20. Those jackals aren't "Christians" although they call themselves

that to hide their worshipping at the altar of HATE.

Fuck sarah palin and her Artic MooseShit.

[Lerrad]

73. I'm with you...

Have you noticed the terrorist are fighting because of religion. And I think Bush invaded Iraq to fulfill some religious prophecy or something. And then when you look through out history, many of our wars were started in the name of religion.

When John McCain speaks, he always brings up the subject of war, in some form or another. It doesn't matter what the subject is or what the question is, he always manages to mention war in some form or another.

Aways.

[pipi_k]

98. It seems like

they're never really happy unless they're fighting someone.

They have to have some enemy or another, as much as they go on and on about "Christian Love".

What would they do without Satan to blame for stuff....

And if Satan just happens to be out of town on any particular day, there's always the Atheists/Muslims/Gays/poor people/etc. to use for punching bags.


On the war stuff...one of the things I think of from my waaaaayyyy younger days as a Junior member of a church choir (yes, I was once one of the brainwashed unfortunates) was how we used to sing a lot of songs that were faintly militant in tone. "Onward Christian Soldiers" is the most memorable for me because it seemed we sang it a whole lot.


At the age of 14, there was something rather appealing about being part of an "army" for Jesus.

Now...no. I grew up and figured out that nobody has the right to run around conquering the world for Jesus.

[Cha]

14. Rec'd ..Thanks for the report, bluedirs...Your daughter and

her friends are very brave to go into the rabid, frothing sinking rathole.

I don't think that's the "average gop voter" but the palin mccain hatemongers' wing.

I hope there's a way to get this report viral since the corporatemedia isn't doing enough, as usual.

[LooseWilly]

39. Come on now

There's no need to insult rats by comparing them the the idjuts that lap up the Palin mania...

[drm604]

15. I'm somewhat concerned about what some of these people may do when they lose the election.

They've been misled to believe that an Obama presidency would be tantamount to surrendering to terrorists. They're frightened and angry and therefore dangerous, and the McCain campaign is to blame for it, Palin in particular.

[dana_b]

85. I worry about that too

where I live, it's not too much of a problem but I do fear especially for those in predominantly GOP areas.

[pipi_k]

99. Frightened and angry

might not be too bad as long as they're relatively sane and can control themselves.

But if some of those frightened and angry people have severe emotional/mental issues on top of it, yeah...I'm almost literally sick with worry over what could happen...


Very scary!

:scared:

[drm604]

102. I don't think it would be anything major,

but I'm concerned that a few unstable individuals may commit violence against innocent people.

[liberalmuse]

17. That's disgraceful!

Yelling at kids. OMG, these people are the very thing they fear.

[butterfly77]

18. So that was what she was lookin at..

I saw her looking out in the audience as though something was going on and then she started the drill baby drill,garbage.

[zulchzulu]

19. I'm glad your daughter got to see the Devil...

I feel bad that she saw such a display, but it is actually a good thing to see these people in real life showing such hate.

I hope she and her friends are OK.

[MadBadger]

21. Their reaction is disturbing, but your daughter isnt exactly innocent

She was inciting reactions when she showed up to a Palin rally wearing Obama shirts. The whole point of doing that is to get a reaction.

[npincus]

22. oh, please. Her daughter did not provoke the frothing bigotry that was there

with or without her presence.

[olegramps]

101. That isn't a very good reaction. It is analogous to blaming the women for being raped.

[chascarrillo]

26. You're telling the OP that her daughter was "asking for it"? Disgusting.

Absolutely disgusting.

[MadBadger]

34. People who do that are asking for a response...what the response is, who knows

At an Obama rally, youd bet Id say something to somebody who shows up in a McCain shirt, I just wouldnt be nearly as vulgar.

[traveller]

38. agree.

[HughMoran]

87. We knew you would

...it's your MO.

[chascarrillo]

42. And what kind of response are you looking for?

[MadBadger]

44. THats the kind of response Id expect

This is kind of like going to an Ohio State Pep Rally, decked out in Michigan gear. I would call somebody brave for doing it, but I think if you're going to go, just wear regular clothes, and if you dont, expect to hear it from the crowd.

[LisaM]

59. I agree. They could have gone to the rally and simply observed

no reason to suddenly pop open their Obama shirts to show people who are clearly not just angry, but have somehow been whipped into a frenzy. They could have seen all that from the sidelines, without the Obama shirts.

[WinkyDink]

67. In my tiny protest group, a McCain supporter joined us,

sign and all. And we all "tolerated" him, with no bad-mouthing, because he didn't bad-mouth US.

[Downtown Hound]

41. You are correct sir,

However, in my opinion we should be praising her daughter for be willing to go into the lion's den and brave teh stoopid. Such actions in our young people should be encouraged. For years many people on this board have wondered where the younglings are. Well, here is our answer.

[IsItJustMe]

51. Another jerk!!!

[MadBadger]

53. Thanks!

[IsItJustMe]

96. I was too harsh and what you said made some sense. We do need to be carefully though that we don't

get in the habit of blaming the victim in these situations.

[WinkyDink]

65. Excuse me. Adults are expected to refrain from challenging another's right to free expression.

[That Guy 888]

83. The Clinton's visited San Antonio in the late 90's and about 10 "conservatives" came out to protest

No screamed fascists, or any other names at them. About the worst thing that happened to them was my aunt asked them if they felt the same way about newt's adultery that they did about Clinton's. No response to that of course. They had all sorts of rethuglican paraphernalia, but no verbal threats or screaming in their face.

In short the problem is not with bluedeminredstate's daughter, but with the assholes at the rally, as well as palin and mcbush.

[PfcHammer]

23. Typical. Disappointing, but expected.

The right has nothing else to offer, but
fomenting the waco masses. :thumbsdown:

[unblock]

24. i once made the mistake of rooting for michigan at an ohio state football game

so i think i have a very good feel for what they experienced.

it's amazing what can bring out the awful in some people.

[tkmorris]

25. This is absurd. What did she expect?

Do you honestly think a group of covert McCain supporters would be treated any differently at an Obama rally?

Seriously, if I was a young activist I would be embarrassed to pull a stunt like this and then have my parent act like I was somehow victimized.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

29. You're right, of course.

I saw some pro-McCain disruptors at an Obama rally and they were taunted with slurs of "homo," "nigger," and "baby-killer" until my throat was sore.

:eyes:

[chascarrillo]

33. Another "asking for it" post. Shame.

[MadBadger]

36. Completely agree, though I think our reaction would be much less severe.

[stillcool]

49. I've seen some nasty McCain..

supporters at Obama rallies. While waiting on line they were walking by screaming crap about Reverend Wright, Rezko etc., No one paid them any mind.

[yardwork]

84. Would you really say those things to McCain supporters?

Wow.

[jdadd]

27. Not a surprise......

I was written up at my former workplace for saying "Scumbag Republicans" in a conversation I was carrying on with a friend. A co worker within earshot overheard and cried to management that I had Offended her. Management (probably also scumbag Republicans)agreed with her so,I got a writeup. This place closed over two years ago,due to a downturn in the automotive Industry.

These people have a groupthink mentality. I think the silent majority of Obama supporters are out there. Many are afraid to use Campaign Signs and Bumper Stickers - Fearfull that crazy fucking Republicans may vandalize their yards or home. They are ate up with hatred.

[Ozma]

28. Thanks for that report! I hope she gets interviewed by som media for her bravery!

We need to get this word out.. the few thousand people that show up at these McCain/Palin events are the worst part of America...

Few Republicans would want to be seen at these things, only the biggots.

[RiverStone]

30. Scary stuff ---- I'd love it if someone captured the mass hysteria on tape

Let it go to YouTube and go viral; a fine reminder of the hate-speak that Palin & co. are inspiring.

Glad your daughter came out of the experience safe!

[volstork]

31. File under

"Germany, 1933"

[dkofos]

32. No video?? How long before the crowds kill

an Obama supporter, when they find one at a rally (hate fest)?

[Mariana]

45. I can easily see that happening.

I'm so thankful this is almost over.

[progressivebydesign]

35. Did anyone see the pic of the anti-war protestor that was physically removed from a rally???

I was reading a story on Slate and saw this pic

http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/bigsort/archive/2008/10/13/extremism-at-mccain-rallies-comes-naturally.aspx

That situation was briefly described in a recent article, but I wasn't sure what "hoisted on shoulders" meant in context of the story. I thought maybe they meant that the protestor was hoisted on a friend's shoulders. But I was wrong... Check out the pic on Slate of a young woman being manhandled and carried out of a McCain/Palin event over everyone's shoulders... her shirt is pulled up and strangers have grasped her wrists, etc. This could have been your daughter and their friends.

Does anyone remember the young republicans that threw those young adults out of their chairs and beat on them at the 2004 RNC convention????

Glad your daughter is okay. I just don't think these people are stable enough to handle that.. even though she was TOTALLY within her rights to wear whatever she wanted to the event.

[OwnedByFerrets]

47. Thank you for that link.....

these fuckers are scary. They have no conscious and no fear of jail. They are as close to brownshirts as one can come without wearing a swastika.

[cui bono]

90. Good article, but I don't see anything saying that's what was going on in that pic.

[BklynChick]

37. scary as hell.

[JuniperLea]

40. McCain/Palin makes idiots think it's ok to be a bigot

Disgusting!

[Name removed]

46. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[baldguy]

48. Next time they should bring a video camera.

Thats what YouTube is for.

[Matariki]

50. wow. they should have taken a (hidden) recorder.

[bbgrunt]

52. interesting article too.

"It's an image-maintenance kind of thing," explained social psychologist Robert Baron. Everybody wants to be a member in good standing, and though it sounds counterintuitive, the safest way to conform is to be slightly more extreme than the average of the group."

[zbdent]

55. The GOPers mus have felt threatened ... there were large numbers of them, and

seven Obama supporters ... presumably adults ...

so the Palin supporters must have felt it wouldn't be a fair fight ... that the Palindrones would get their butts kicked by the pacifistic Obama supporters ...

[Cha]

56. Here's a video from Political Videos of DUers at the palin hate

show in Richmond.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x214107

[vaberella]

69. Thanks so much for the vid zidzi....these people are looney tunes. We need more people doing this.

This needs to be seen everywhere.

[awoke_in_2003]

92. Couldn't watch much of it...

and the "he's got blue lips" is a blatant racist remark (even though Obama is light skinned, that clown knew exactly what he was saying)

[olegramps]

104. I could only watch just so much of nonsense. But thanks.

[vaberella]

57. It's terrible your daughter experienced that, but someone should have caught that on tape.

These idiots need to pay for this type of abuse.

[H2O Man]

58. Reading situations (please read)

This is an interesting and valuable thread. I have something to add that may be important -- at least it is important to me. Please read this with an open mind.

I'll begin with a true story. Two years ago, my younger son had begun dating a young lady. He is a big, strong young man, who at the time was in training for the finals of the Golden Gloves. So, besides having the usual self-confidence that is associated with youth, he did not think that he had a heck of a lot to worry about when he accompanied his new friend to a social event, or "party." Though he wasn't "partying" himself, he was there to have a good time.

The party was at the home of a friend of the young lady; my son knew a few people there casually, but was unfamiliar with most of them. Without going into too great/boring of detail, there was one guy, about 25 years old, who immediately made clear that he did not like my son. My son ignored the guy, and went into different rooms of the house, etc, but he was aware that this fellow was becoming increasingly weird. Some of the people who knew who my son was told the freak that he didn't want to mess with him, but nevertheless,he eventually started giving my son shit. My son continued to ignore him, until the guy pulled out a hand gun.

Now, I reviewed the situation with my son the next morning. And, like many young people, he was focused on the other guy being wrong. I told him that he was right about that: the guy was definitely wrong. But my son had failed to read the situation, and among the things he ignored were clues that things were escalating. I said that even if he (my son) was right and the guy killed him, he'd still be dead. One must be able to read situations, and this skill goes beyond recognizing the difference between "right and wrong" -- it must include evaluating issues of safety.

I do not say this as a person who has simply read about it in some book. No, I learned the hard way, and I have suffered more than my share of injuries that resulted from being right, but not being safe. I tell my children that I want them to learn to do better at that, than I did.

The young ladies in the OP, who were at the Palin rally, certainly had as much "right" to be there, as my son did at that house. And the thugs who yelled insults and threats were definitely as "wrong" as the thug who threatened my son. Now, some readers may initially think, "But the guy who threatened your son had a gun." He did. But we simply have to appreciate that the mindless crowds at the Palin campaign rallies are capable of harming those young ladies, and that it even if the ladies were "right," they could still be injured.

We must be able to read the "clues" and evaluate the safety of a given situation. When John Lewis compared the McCain campaign's tone to old George Wallace, young people should appreciate the reality of what he is saying. Surely, he recognizes that McCain and Palin are wrong to insert the poison into their campaign. But more important, he is warning that there is a very real potential for violence as a result.

[Obamanaut]

64. I read it. It was good. Where were you when I was young and not

very bright and could have used this info? But probably would not have listened anyway (refer to not very bright part.)

Many years ago I was told by a Judo instructor (Sensei) that without martial arts training, the best defense is to run away. With martial arts training, the best defense is to run away, but with dignity.

[Cha]

72. Very important information to be reminded of H20 Man..

Sage advice, Thank you.

There's a video of DUers at that same rally in Richmond that needs to be seen far and wide.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=7439001&mesg_id=7439912

[conscious evolution]

75. Good advice

Mobs can turn deadly ion an instant.
All it takes is one person to do something stupid and a mob can go into a frenzy in a heartbeat.

[Marrah_G]

106. I've often tried to instill that in my children

If you get hurt or end up dead- it doesn't matter if you were "right" you are still hurt or dead.

And in the case of my daughter I used the same when talking about rape and trying to do all she can never to put herself in a position where she could be a victim. Yes the man or boy would still be wrong in every way, but even a successful prosecution wouldn't reverse the fact that she had been raped. I tried to teach her to love herself enough to always be concerned about self-preservation.

The same goes for driving. Always look at what other drivers are doing. Just because you are doing everything right doesn't mean you will not have an accident. Being observant of others can save your life.

Same goes for protesting. My daughter had strict instructions to obey ANY instruction given to her by the police and to leave the area if things near us got crazy.

[high density]

60. Maybe they should go to Obama rallies instead of McCain ones

I've never understood why either side feels the need to show a presence at the other's rallies. It makes no sense to me unless people purely want to be disruptive.

[WinkyDink]

62. Do you think it's to be EXPECTED as NORMAL DISCOURSE to get physically violent with someone who

disagrees with you?

[high density]

76. No, but these people are complete nuts

and there is no reason to put oneself in that situation. By the way, screaming is not physical violence.

[CADEMOCRAT7]

61. The US's shadow side coming to consciousness to be healed, I hope.

I am sorry that your daughter had to be in the midst of that energy.

[vademocrat]

63. A co-worker's wife was one of the nutjob supporters there today -

I don't waste my breath talking with him about politics - although I overhear the wingnuts talking among themselves. He got a call from his wife and was telling everyone "the rally is packed - we should've gone!"

While it was probably a bit scary for your daughter, it's a good life lesson...but tell her to wear a non-threatening shirt next time - go INCOGNITO! :)

Did she get to see Bill Clinton? He was at VCU last night...

Well, at least we're not totally alone in this area. I do think Obama's going to win VA - even though he won't carry Henrico or Chesterfield counties, I think he'll do better there than Kerry did...

[always_saturday]

66. Did she think they'd hand her flowers?

And spare me the "how dare you say she was asking for it" response.

Comparing your daughter to a rape victim is insulting rape victims.

[AllieB]

70. Welcome to DU. I think....

[always_saturday]

86. Thanks.

[nini]

88. Where was she comparing this to rape victims?

Please point that out because I reread the OP twice and don't see how you came up with that one?

IF it was in some kind of reply I'd say I agree with you. If not, I'd like to know why you had to go overboard on this?

[and-justice-for-all]

94. I do not think people at a Obama rally would do that...nt

[Lerrad]

68. Well if you ask me...

... they got what they desreved.

Back in 2004 I was at a Kerry Rally and some Bush supports came in, and much the same thing happened to them.

[RetroLounge]

71. Yeah, right...

:rofl:

Enjoy your stay...

:rofl:

RL

[nini]

89. They were yelling the "N" word?

doubtful. :eyes:

[handmade34]

74. Virginia Beach

I was at the McCain/Palin rally in Virginia Beach this morning and while I didn't go in with my Obama pin, when I left in my car (in heavy traffic) with Obama signs on it, numerous people called out things like "HEY, THERES SOMEONE WHO LIKES TERRIORISTS"... Also, I found disturbing, Hank Williams JR. was the opening "act" and when he sang "A Country Boy Can Survive" the crowd cheered heartily when he sang the lines, '\"For 43 dollars my friend lost his life,
Id love to spit some beechnut in that dudes eyes, And shoot him with my old 45, Cause a country boy can survive"
WOW! ...and I would guess that I was probably the only one in that Virginia Beach crowd of about 12,000, that really could survive as I taught homesteading at one time!!!

[Essene]

77. You should not let her think this is "the average GOP voter." Sorry. Wrong lesson.

The folks going to these hatefest Palin rallies arguably do not represent the majority of Republicans.

Only the most superficial and anti-intellectual types would even care to see her speak. She's the white trash heroine and folks come to see her to chew on red meat.

You daughter should understand this is just one segment of "the other people" and never forget about that segment.

[pettypace]

78. They wore an Obama shirt at a Palin rally?

Thats analogous to going into the Oakland Raiders' black hole with a John Elway jersey.

[David Zephyr]

79. Sorry they had to endure this. We are seeing the fascist mindset in groupthink.

These rallies are mobs, nothing less.

They are haters through and through.

[Orangepeel]

81. well, they wanted to know what would happen. I guess they found out.

Somebody wearing a McCain shirt at a Biden rally wouldn't be showered with praise.

[Raine]

82. VERY dangerous thing to do is to go to repiggie gathering. I know first hand

long ago in 1984 myself and a handfull of others went to a Raygun rally to protest. It was one of the scariest things I've ever done (and they were winning). We literally had to take off running, I think if they had caught us they would've beaten us to a pulp. :scared:

[and-justice-for-all]

93. Your daughter and her friends are brave...

I commend them for going into the underworld.

That is sad, what a bunch of pathetic human beings those GOP people are, if you can call them people.

I keep telling myself it is the 21st Century, but it feels like the 19th.

[OakCliffDem]

95. The Republicans know they have already lost, so they are being rude and intimidating

[davidpdx]

97. She's brave, but given the recent headlines

it is kind of an expected reaction given what we've heard from the McCain/Palin crowds. Personally I wouldn't have recommended it for her own safety. They are a nasty vile bunch. Honestly I strongly recommend people don't do this. It only takes one really bad incident of something happening to make the Obama campaign look bad. And you better believe the media would be ALL over it.

[Trajan]

105. You daughter was in serious danger ....

Im sorry, but I find this to be careless as a parent ..... I would not want my daughter to be the point person in a mob provocation .... We spend our lives protecting our children: I would have advised to against this .....

Just my sure to be unpopular opinion ....

[OHDEM]

107. Glad your daughter and friends are okay.

These people have gotten more and more out of control and folks like Limbaugh and O'Reilly have told them it's acceptable. God forbid violence break out, but if it happens, I hope the hate-mongers on the right are held accountable for inciting it.

[genna]

108. Hubris is a part of being young. They are malleable still.

The old know enough to be scared and be self-interested.

For me, I am glad for the young Freedom Riders who were young enough to try to integrate lunch counters especially those who were not Black. It meant their idealism carried them through.


I am also glad that young people are getting a feel for what hate really means and experiencing it firsthand.


I think it is good that they could take off their shirt and be incognito. Imagine that black camera man who was called a 'nigger' for being in the crowd as part of his job. He could not be incognito and on his job.