All this and videotaped crowd scenes like the one in the more recent post are going to do is repulse the independent and undecided voters who still haven't gone into Obama's camp.

If you're an intelligent, educated voter who is still reasonably trying to make up his or her mind about the candidates, and you see Obama talking rationally about the economy, the single greatest crisis we've faced in this country in about 30 years, and then you see McCain's ads and billboards and supporters spewing vile, hateful, barely-coherent lies and rumors and idiotic filth, what are you likely to do?

You're going to run as fast as you can to the candidate whose supporters seem sane. This "politics of hatred" will bury McCain. We're looking at a 400 EV landslide for Obama. The main risk now is keeping him alive until the election. I really don't think it's overstating that some deluded redneck would try to take him out.

I don't know what the format for the final debate is, but if it allows for open and free comment, you can bet that Obama will kick the living shit out of McCain for this. Something like,

"While Americans were trying to salvage their savings and jobs and health coverage and retirement during the worst financial catastrophe in recent memory, what was John McCain doing? He was spreading back-alley rumors and gossip about me: that I'm a secret Muslim terrorist, or the collaborator of a man who did despicable things when I was eight years old. I'm none of the things John McCain says I am, but I am smart enough to know this: that when you have nothing else to say, no solutions to offer, no ideas to help the American people and no hope of winning a contest, you fall back on dishonor, deceit, lies and hatred as a last resort. John, I am truly sorry that you have found it more important to try and smear me than to offer help to suffering Americans. I am truly sorry for how far you have fallen."

Boo-yah. That statement in a national debate would seal the casket on this reeking corpse of a campaign and career and bury Sarah Palin in the cheerleader's grave of irrelevance where she belongs.

Obama: 400 EVs. McLame: 138 EVs. Crushing the Neocons and the Delusional Right for decades: Priceless.

Spread that quote around the Net. Post it on blogs. Send it in letters to your local newspapers. Call into radio talk programs and quote it. Get it out there. Bury McCain under a landslide of his own garbage.

What's really interesting is that the latest Zogby poll writeup says that it appears that McCain's slime-and-hatchet job tactic may be backfiring because voters are sick of negative campaigns. I can actually buy that for a change for the simple reason that no one gives a shit about nonsense like Bill Ayers when they're watching their 401(k)s dry up and their jobs disappear.

The red meat base will love the ugly ads and speeches, but they may well destroy what's left of McLame's campaign.

Good riddance.

It's been made OK to attack people based on their instability or complete lack of qualification. And based on that, Betty White is clearly qualified to make me laugh my ass off.

It's going to be fun watching you, Elephant, and the other Salon GOP trolls and their RNC masters write and foam in increasing desperation for the next 3 1/2 weeks until the axe finally falls on November 4. Makes me feel all warm inside.

Please, puh-leeze, John, bring up the whole Ayers smear in the debate. Please don't throw me in that briar patch! Considering how the past smears have hurt you in the polls, one more live TV episode of you hitting Obama with unfounded rumors and gossip while the economy burns and people lose their jobs will cost you any Hail Mary chance you had to win this thing.

Do us all a favor and commit publicly televised electoral suicide. Pretty please?

Presumably because he already has a strong ground game going in OH.

Is that a landslide I smell?

Dude, that brought tears to my eyes. That's what political advertising should be about--hell, that's what POLITICS should be about.

Thanks for running this piece.

These people really don't have any other cards to play, do they? My God, they have so little to offer about the economy, healthcare or foreign policy that they're back to the Rovian "liberals hate America" nonsense.

Well, how's this for a counter-meme: "conservatives hate freedom." That's right, you, Ms. Palin. You and your ilk hate freedom to control reproductive rights, freedom to marry, and freedom to vote without being threatened with disenfranchisement, among others. In association with your pal W., you hate the Constitution, civil liberties, dissent, and the middle class. And apparently, as indicated by their attendance at your rallies, you hate blacks, Muslims, Arabs and anyone who isn't screaming "USA! USA!"

Nobody's buying what you're selling anymore, Neocons. Enjoy your 50 years of upcoming obscurity. When I'm a little old man, maybe you'll get some power back.

I don't live in Key West, but it's obvious to me that you're a talking point spewing moron. Parrots on shoulders? Suppressing t-shirt dissent? WTF?

As an obvious GOP robot, you should know something about suppression of dissent. Your boy Bush honed it to a fine art during his misbegotten term. As for the Socialst/Angry Black Muslim crap, sell it somewhere else. Nobody with a functioning brain is buying.

Today must be "Let's take Delusional Right Wingers and Jesus Freaks on a Field Trip Day" at the asylum. That's the only explanation for the reality-defying nonsense I see on the threads.