It's the sort of ugliness that can happen when a foundering campaign is running out of time. And Sen. John McCain, who long ago vowed to run "a respectful campaign," did nothing to throttle the tide of ignorance and vitriol -- until yesterday.
At a town-hall event in Lakeville, Minnesota, an audience member told Sen. McCain, "Frankly, we're scared. We're scared of an Obama presidency."
Sen. McCain responded, "I have to tell you he is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared of as President of the United States."
The crowd rewarded their candidate with a chorus of boos.
Another supporter, an older woman, told Sen. McCain, "I don't trust Obama. I have read about him and he's an Arab."
Sen. McCain, shaking his head emphatically, took back the microphone and replied, "No, ma'am, no ma'am. He's a decent family man, a citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues, and that's what this campaign's all about. He's not."An even louder round of groans and boos.
"No, no. I want everyone to be respectful. And let's make sure we are."
More booing.
"We want to fight and I will fight. But we will be respectful. I admire Sen. Obama and his accomplishments. I will respect him."
"Booooooooooo..."
Sen. McCain is in double trouble of his own making. On the one hand, his right-wing base doesn't want to be respectful -- they want to be angry, they want to be afraid, they want to absolutely hate the liberal-evil opposition. These folks are sustained by the inflammatory rhetoric of talk radio, and dammit, they expect the same on the stump. The bloodier the meat, the better they like it.
By attempting to diffuse the dark atmosphere he's allowed to gather around his campaign, however, Sen. McCain risks losing his grip on this fragile base -- which may not be all that significant in terms of numbers, but at this point the GOP ticket needs every vote it can get.
McCain-Palin's recent negative push, on the other hand, reportedly cost it support among independent and undecided voters -- me, for example -- who are far more crucial to its chances. No doubt that's why Sen. McCain is trying to un-ring this disturbing bell.
Either way, and despite belatedly honorable intentions, Sen. McCain now further exposes himself to Obama-Biden's charges of being "erratic" and exercising questionable judgment. Not good, perhaps even no-win.
Speaking for myself, it was encouraging to catch a brief glimpse of a John McCain who's worthy of my respect. Between now and November 4th, we'll see if he means what he said, if his calls for a more respectful tone extend beyond a few rallies and through the rest of his campaign.
Time is short. I'll be watching.
