PA McCain volunteer (possibly) assaulted

[Brittain33]

I hope this doesn't become a pattern.

The policeman said she was being mugged at an ATM.

Attributing the actions of random Black men to high-ranking politicians who are Black, well, that has become a pattern that shows no sign of ending. As of now, we have her word to go on that this has anything to do with her support for McCain or that this was an "unofficial campaign event." That may be enough for some people to start mailing their friends, though.

This is a godawful thing to happen to her, though.

[Brittain33]

The Republicans in this thread are real classy.

Almost as classy as this "new type of politics" you guys love to preach about!

Phil, I know you're feeling a little giddy right now over this woman's attack and how it could benefit McCain, but do you want to step back and explain what, exactly, this attack has to do with a "new type of politics"?

[Brittain33]

Politics of HOPE

Phil, please don't imply in any way, that supporters of Obama are in anyway affiliated with this disgusting criminal.

He can't help celebrating this--OBAMA made him do it.

P.S. Yes, Phil, in this case I am mocking you.

[Brittain33]

A BLACK man mugged a WHITE WOMAN. 

therefore, we better vote for McCain.

I gotta admit, that IS how some of the posters here are sounding.  Rather than simply decrying the viscious and criminal attack perpetrated by ONE Obama supporter.

Also, we're taking it on this woman's word that this attack had anything to do with Obama.

Which may be right, or it may not be. The title of the thread makes it sound like she was out canvassing, but the story says it was a straight-up mugging.

Having grown up outside NYC during the Tawana Brawley scandal, it's hard to take things like this at face value beyond what I trust the police to verify before speaking.

[Brittain33]

I got an e-mail that Obama supporters are having an initiation where they have to shoot a white woman at the mall TONIGHT. Stay home!

[Brittain33]

Feeling giddy? Yeah, I'm thrilled. Absolutely. Considering I'm also a volunteer for McCain (who happens to be white) and I go to school with a McCain - Palin pin on my school bag and have to walk through some areas that aren't exactly McCain friendly. How dare you. Seriously.

Save the sanctimony. You are so thrilled about this, it's sickening. She's not a volunteer out canvassing, she's a woman who got mugged and attacked at an ATM. Your first thought here wasn't "I feel unsafe," it's "I can't wait until all those old white-hairs in Johnstown and Northeast Philly hear about this!" Then you start making crap up about Obama's "supporters" as if this has anything to do with Obama.

You can't control how you feel and maybe you think it's good to publicly celebrate here, but it makes you look like an a$$hole. Seriously.

[Brittain33]

Does anyone actually have a link to this story or anything?

I googled it and found a link with a police spokesman announcing it, so I take it for given that she was attacked at an ATM, robbed, and had something carved into her face. That's what we know.

[Brittain33]

Alleged link to photo (note - right-wing blog alert):

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/10/23/mccain-supporter-maimed-for-her-politics-by-robber/

I expect some interesting comments. 

As the comments note:  The B is upside down.  Maybe she did it to herself in a mirror.  Or maybe the thug was standing on top of her.

Thanks for the picture.

Having seen the picture of the B, let me say my skepticism as to who carved it and when has gone through the roof. I can certainly believe she was mugged, but if a mugger wanted to carve her up, he would have been a lot uglier than that.

Well, if this story's going to fall apart, it will do so in the next week or so.

[Brittain33]

Alleged link to photo (note - right-wing blog alert):

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/10/23/mccain-supporter-maimed-for-her-politics-by-robber/

I expect some interesting comments. 

As the comments note:  The B is upside down.  Maybe she did it to herself in a mirror.  Or maybe the thug was standing on top of her.

my mental image was a lot worse than what's shown in that picture

No kidding.

Does anyone else remember Marla Hanson from the 1980s? That was my reference.

[Brittain33]

So we have gone from brittain bashing me for not having enough compassion for the victim to...brittain basically calling this fake.

Brittain's words stand very well on their own, I feel, as do yours. Having seen the picture of the "B", any sense of urgency I had about this has dropped substantially.

[Brittain33]

To be fair, folks on the left were quick to throw McCain under the bus for the racist acts of his crowds.

I'm sure Obama abhors this act, but I think questioning who represents a candidate's core constituencies is in bounds, as long as it doesn't descend into blanket prejudices.

McCain himself can't be responsible for everything said, but a) those people were actually McCain supporters attending a McCain rally (and not someone identified by an Obama supporter after the fact with no witnesses as such), and b) people criticized Palin's rhetoric for stirring them up.

That's for another thread, though.

A question for you and other Republicans: looking at the picture, do you take this woman at her word that the B was scratched into her face by an "Obama supporter"? Or do you admit there's some doubt there?

[Brittain33]

A backwards B?

[Brittain33]

  Do you want the GOP to just give up the election because Obama is black and anything they do could hypothetically inspire a bigot?

No, no... and I know a lot of the "Obama is a Muslim" stuff comes up from the grassroots and there's not much the McCain campaign can do to rein it in. However, calling him anti-American, talking about him palling around with terrorists, that dovetails well with the worst anti-Obama crap out there and stirs people up to hate him for being a weird foreigner who hates America. Is that what you consider a constructive argument to use against Obama? There were plenty of others... calling him inexperienced wasn't racist, neither would pointing out that his running mate is owned by the credit card companies and has stupid ideas about foreign policy. I never bought that calling him a celebrity was racist, either.

[Brittain33]

except for the fact that under the law you have to be white to commit one.

Bullsh**t.

[Brittain33]

The assailant has been located and apprehended.

[Brittain33]

Sad that we're up to 13 pages of discussion on this.

It's better than talking about the $150,000 clothing bill. At least no one can blame the McCain campaign for this brat's prank.

And yes, given how incendiary fake charges about black men assaulting white women can be and have been in history, I am quite angry at her for pulling this stunt. I trust I would be about someone faking a more conventional hate crime to get attention.

Also, she's a joke for thinking she could be this amateurish about it and have it all work out in the end.