Katie Couric's Notebook: Campaign Turns Ugly
With less than a month left, this presidential campaign has taken a decidedly ugly turn.
At Republican rallies, some over heated supporters have started to yell things like "terrorist" and "treason" when Barack Obama's name is mentioned. This is depressing and unacceptable.
Freedom of speech is one of our most cherished rights, but words that incite violence should be seriously condemned by all the candidates.
It's no surprise that "civil discourse" is such an oxymoron these days. When I sometimes peruse comments on the Internet, they are loaded with vitriol and profanity. I'm embarrassed for the authors of those comments, and for the readers who stumble upon them.
Words are like weapons – they can damage who we are. This is an important time to remind ourselves that even when passions are high, we can agree to disagree. And we can do so with reason – and respect.
Video: At Republican rallies, some over heated supporters have started to yell things like "terrorist" and "treason" when Barack Obama's name is mentioned. This is depressing and unacceptable.
Freedom of speech is one of our most cherished rights, but words that incite violence should be seriously condemned by all the candidates.
It's no surprise that "civil discourse" is such an oxymoron these days. When I sometimes peruse comments on the Internet, they are loaded with vitriol and profanity. I'm embarrassed for the authors of those comments, and for the readers who stumble upon them.
Words are like weapons – they can damage who we are. This is an important time to remind ourselves that even when passions are high, we can agree to disagree. And we can do so with reason – and respect.
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See all 77 Comments1. You know he IS a terrorist
2. You know what he is capable of
3. After 9/11 he said "he wished he would have done more terrorist acts"
4. That doesn''t sound very washed up to me.
5. How can you support people who Legitimize terrorists? Would you let your girls hang out with Ayers, knowing his thought processes?
6. I can''t believe intellegent people like you are so taken in by all this smooth talk from Obama.
7. Smooth talk is exactly how we elected the last president.
8. This is the time America deserves experience, not a repeat of no experience.
9. Obama is so inexperienced and it is obvious he doesn''t know how to tell the good guys from the ones who want to tear down America. Look at his choices.
10. Is this the group you really want to run our country and be the roll model for your girls?
sick and tired of people tearing down
a candidate because they don''t represent that person''s thinking!!
So many untruths and denigrations!
Senators McCain and Obama are two brave Americans who love this country and wish to serve in its highest office. They just have differing viewpoints re: how to accomplish the daunting tasks we face. Grow up America! High School is over...
Katie Couric is clammering to be accepted by being the biggest socialist of all the anchors. Anyone care about ACORN''s (another Obama associate) voter fraud?... Registering to vote the Dallas Cowboys in Las Vegas? How ''bout Obama buying up the presidency with 30 min. airtime on CBS?... If a white man did that, it''d be BIG news. And Obama started his campaign in a terrist''s living room BECAUSE he admired his radical ideas. Wake up Amerikkka!
Just read your LAME article. Your embarrassed by OUR comments?! You should be embarrassed to call yourself a JOURNALIST. When you mentioned Republicans yelling ''terrorist'' at rallies, maybe its because its the TRUTH! (Maybe if you went to a McCain rally you''d actually hear how ugly the dem protestors are) You remember, truth?... that thing you''re struggling with these days?! Why not mention the Dems yelling over Palin. She finally said what I''ve been thinking at all these rallies... "Sir, my son is fighting in Iraq for your right to yell at me while I''m speaking". Guess its only ugly when Repubs do it, right? You are the ugly one...
sick and tired of people tearing down
a candidate because they don''t represent that person''s thinking!!
So many untruths and denigrations!
Senators McCain and Obama are two brave Americans who love this country and wish to serve in its highest office. They just have differing viewpoints re: how to accomplish the daunting tasks we face. Grow up America! High School is over...
Thank you so much for your insightful comments on the ugliness of this campaign. You''ve articulated exactly what I''ve been thinking. I''m a registered Republican, have voted independent for over 25 years, and for the first time will be voting Democratic. There is enough blame to go around on both sides of the isle but because of the blatant
smear tactics now taking place I''ve been swayed. After working with young children for the past 27 years, trying to instill in them respect for others, it saddens me that we as adults have become so complacent in accepting such despicable and frightening behavior from our leaders. Shame on us, shame on them!
bloggerinterrupted''s blog and see what he got when he took a camera to a McCain rally.
How on earth to you explain THIS? Is it from interbreeding between siblings? Under-education?
How about flat-out RACISM and IGNORANT.
I knew that Americans were racists and that it would start getting ugly right about now. I''m sad that I wasn''t wrong.
John McCain-
-One of the Keating 5-corruption
-on the board of ''World Council for freedon''- "largely a collection of Nazis, Fascists, anti-Semites, sellers of forgeries, vicious racialists, and corrupt self-seekers."
-GORDON LIDDY - a Hitler admirer- was on McCain''s fundraiser in 1998 and McCain on radio show gushed how ''proud'' he was of him!
-Robert Byrd - once a member of the KKK.
-Todd Palin - member of the AIP - for 7 years - Seccesionist movement- talk about being patriotic!!
WELL - judge for yourselves!
Pray because this is out of control. As Christians, we are called to witnesses for Christ to the world and we represent HIM. What I have heard and seen in the campaign speeches recently at rallies is wrong and should be unacceptable to any Christian who loves the Lord.
Behavior, words and actions DO matter.
And if anyone is thinking about it Biden would win in a landslide. And Obama would be honored like MLK and JFK.
How sorry we all would be if we didn''t speak out and stop the hate speech before it turned to violence?
Obama will continue to handle himself with grace and attack the issues that he feels are important to the voters.
McCain will admittedly keep attacking Obama in an effort to not lose this election.
Every individual will have to vote according to their conscience. The result will speak volumes about the US and it''s people.
Just as Americans put Bush into power twice and got what they deserve, this election will bring a new future that Americans will deserve as well.
I know what my choice is.
It is sad all of you McCain supporters below call yourself Democrats. Why don''t you just stand up, come out of the closet, and declare what you really are?
Republicans. Nothing wrong with that, right? Just admit it.
McCain/Palin and Busheney ideology have absolutely nothing to do with true Democracy.
Millions of hard working Americans had their life savings wiped out when one savings-and-loan after another went down because of the criminality of repugnant swindlers such as Charles Keating. Keating is a convicted felon who greedily defrauded millions out of their life savings, while at the same time he donated more money to McCain%u2019s campaign than any other contributor in the nation. And what did McCain do when he learned of Keating%u2019s arrest? He illegally tried to use his influence to keep his friend and largest campaign contributor out of jail.
McCain%u2019s involvement as the key figure in the Keating Five scandal is a window into his past, present, and future disregard for middle-class Americans. I urge all decent Americans who are sick and tired of being treated like second class citizens by the reprehensible corporate elite on Wall Street and their enablers such as John McCain, to take a look at KeatingEconomics.com
I am so disheartened by how this election, like others in the past, is being driven into darkness.
What a courageous thing it would be for John McCain to denounce those who are now deriding his opponent as being a "terrorist".
Both John McCain and Barak Obama care about America. They have different points of view. In a free society we should be able to disagree and continue to be civil.
None of the candidates have pasts that are pristine, but who cares?
We are in the midst of the biggest economic crisis since the great depression; we need to discuss where this country will go in the future. This is a time to elevate the conversation to what we as a united people can do to solve the difficulties facing our nation.
The majority of people who support McCain and Obama are good people. It is a time for both candidates to resist the tendency to descend into the vile world of polarization and vitriol.
The American people deserve better.
Now is the time to show the best of what democracy has to offer to the world and the American people.
Good reporting ticks some people off.
You have the opportunity to do for this generation what Edward R. Morrow did for the United States decades ago. Keep telling the truth as you see it Katie.
Abraham Lincoln said, %u201CDon%u2019t I destroy my enemies if I make them my friends?%u201D
Love your show..
Do a story on how the millions of people who have registered are not going to be able to vote.. as there are not enough machines to handle them. and the only way to handle it is early voting.. you can then talk about early votong and how it''s the only way to avoid a disaster on Nov 4th. if you do the math, and just 80% of the new voters came in to vote.. the last person in line would still be voting 3 days after the election was over.. wild huh?
This is America and we have the freedom to differ in our opinions and be respected for them. The turn this election season has taken is beyond the principals this country was built on. Does it matter which party we belong to? We need to stand united and as a united country fix our problems, the politicians can not do this alone as they have proven. Time to speak out against Washington. Why are we speaking out against easch other? We are the victims here and politics are dividing us so that we are weakened. Divide and conquer has been a powerful method through history. Oh and yes the press and broadcast news have elevated this agenda of us against them. What a disgrace.
I agree. What happened to the candidates talking about what they are going to do if elected? I know its there...but, you really have to listen through all of the attacks.
So as not to have myself attacked here, I will not mention which but, I attended a rally for one of the candidates the other day. You know there was no "personal" attacks on the other. Just attacks on his ideas and proposals. Now, isn''t that how it should be???
Listening to the parties, BOTH, I am at times embarrassed to call myself an American.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDBiOBQ5mb4
Well now, thats different, we havent seen much of that in this election have we?? What a joke the media may as well just give OBAMA FREE AIRTIME and get it over with!!
your cynical tone is exactly what I''m referring to. I''m willing to hear what McCain says in regards to the real issues. But to dig up every person who Obama has crossed paths with regardles of their relevance to the campaign is silly. I would like to just focus on the issues and not tear each other down. There''s less than a month until voting day. It seems to me that each side would be trying to make their case and not focus on personal attacks. I don''t condone "personal" attacks from either party. I think being hateful and mean "spirited" will set us back not forward.
instead of feeding people who cannot afford to buy groceries right now because they have no jobs. We VOTE !! Make your vote count and choose wisely. How he spending his campaign money could be a sign of how he will spend your!
Time for a Katie Cutsey Couric Custard Break!
It''''s amazing to me that whenever anybody brings up ''''anything'''' unsavory about Obama, all you ''''cultist followers'''' say it''''s not relevant - GUESS WHAT IT IS ALL RELEVENT! EVERY STINKING THING THAT OBAMA STANDS FOR IS RELEVENT- THE AMERICAN FORM OF GOVERMENT IS RELEVANT-OUR VOTERS RIGHTS ARE RELEVANT-OUR FREEDOM IS RELEVANT-WHO WE PUT INTO OFFICE, AND HOW HE GET''''S THERE IS RELEVANT-HONESTY IS RELEVANT-AND INTEGRITY IS RELEVANT!
Posted by IrishKay1 at 03:49 PM : Oct 10, 2008
And Gordon Liddy, Troopergate,Hagee,witchhunter preachers,fannie mae lobbyists, the AIP, Todd Palin, ignoring subpoenas and the Keating 5 are relevant. Yeah...we gotcha.
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