Huffington Post, October 10th, 2008

John McCain sought to walk back some of the hostility that he and his crowds have projected towards Barack Obama in recent days, saying he wanted to run a respectful campaign and urging his supporters to think of Obama as a decent person.

He was promptly booed.

After an attendee at his town hall said he was concerned about bringing up a child under a president who “cohorts with domestic terrorists such as [Bill] Ayers,” McCain didn’t take the bait. Rather, he sought to calm the questioner’s obviously emotional tone.

“[Senator Obama] is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared about as President of the United States,” he said, before adding: “If I didn’t think I would be one heck of a better president I wouldn’t be running.”

The crowd groaned with disapproval. Later in the townhall McCain was pressed again about Obama’s “other-ness” and again he refused to play ball.
“He is a decent family man and citizen that I just have disagreements with on fundamental issues,” he said.

The episode reflected the intensity of the anger that many McCain-Palin supporters have for Obama — anger that was stoked, in large part, by McCain itself. It also underscored just how difficult a situation McCain has walked himself into. Hours before he attempted to calm nerves, the Senator’s campaign sent out a statement to reporters defending the remarks of its crowd members.

More….

Anger Is Crowd’s Overarching Emotion at McCain Rally

Here is more from the Washington Post….

WAUKESHA, Wis., Oct. 9 — There were shouts of “Nobama” and “Socialist” at the mention of the Democratic presidential nominee. There were boos, middle fingers turned up and thumbs turned down as a media caravan moved through the crowd Thursday for a midday town hall gathering featuring John McCain and Sarah Palin.

“It is absolutely vital that you take it to Obama, that you hit him where it hits, there’s a soft spot,” said James T. Harris, a local radio talk show host, who urged the Republican nominee to use Barack Obama’s controversial former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., and others against him.

“We have the good Reverend Wright. We have [the Rev. Michael L.] Pfleger. We have all of these shady characters that have surrounded him,” Harris bellowed. “We have corruption here in Wisconsin and voting across the nation. I am begging you, sir. I am begging you. Take it to him.”

The crowd of thousands roared its approval.

In recent days, a campaign that embraced the mantra of “Country First” but is flagging in the polls and scrambling for a way to close the gap as the nation’s economy slides into shambles has found itself at the center of an outpouring of raw emotion rare in a presidential race.

“I’m mad! I’m really mad!” another man said, taking the microphone and refusing to surrender it easily, even when McCain tried to agree with him.

“I’m not done. Lemme finish, please,” he said after a standing ovation. “When you have Obama, [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and the rest of the hooligans up there going to run the country, we have to have our head examined.

“It’s time that you two represent the rest of us. So go get ‘em.”

The crowd burst into loud chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” More…

Posted on Friday, October 10th, 2008 at 4:17 pm in National News.