Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Damn Tire Slashers

From Talking Points Memo.
Attendees at a Barack Obama rally Oct. 19 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, had their tires slashed apparently by supporters of John McCain and Sarah Palin. Following the rally, early Obama voters were heckled by McCain/Palin supporters outside at least one polling place in Fayetteville.

According to the Fayetteville Observer, some person or persons unknown slashed the tires of at least 30 vehicles parked outside Fayetteville's Crown Coliseum during the Oct. 19 Obama rally, leaving attendees including a single mother and her baby stranded and upset. At least four tow trucks had to be called for stranded vehicles at a cost upwards of $100 for each vehicle. One Obama supporter quoted in this report expressed the belief that the slashed tires were an effort to intimidate her and others like her, but insisted that she wouldn't be deterred from supporting Obama.

Following the rally, Obama supporters taking advantage of early voting were met by hecklers outside at least one Fayettevile polling place. Unlike the anonymous tire-slashers of earlier in the day, the hecklers outside this polling place left no doubt as to who they were and why they were there. As shown in two videos posted to the Washington Times, many of the hecklers were holding McCain/Palin campaign signs; and all were white while most of the voters they were heckling were black. Reporter Christina Bellantoni described the McCain/Palin forces here as "a group of loud and angry protesters who shouted and mocked the voters as they walked in" to vote, their shouts including the usual claims that Obama is a "socialist" or a "terrorist," and even that the voters themselves were "cheaters."



Four years ago some young area adults got caught slashing the tires of vehicles rented by the local GOP to aid in getting out the conservative vote. The responsible parties, including two who were related to local Democrats were eventually found guilty and sentenced to four to six months.

Just proving stupidity does cross party lines.

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