# McCain Supporter Attacked? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 23, 2008, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272 "2008-10-23T23:23:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272/101 "2008-10-24T18:22:33Z")
So much for this election’s Willie Horton. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272/102 "2008-10-24T18:23:10Z")
> [@YamatoTwinkie](#): > > Main headline for Drudge right now is “SHE MADE IT UP!”, although I can’t tell what font size he’s using for it Probably the same size she used on her face. I had a strong suspicion it was a fake once I saw the picture. If someone would have been that crazed that they’d carve her up, they’d have made it permanent. That’s nothing more than a mild abrasion. ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272/103 "2008-10-24T18:23:43Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > So much for this election’s Willie Horton. Bill Ayers did it while out on a 40 year furlough! :eek: > [@Kalhoun](#): > > If someone would have been that crazed that they’d carve her up, they’d have made it permanent. I will find it mildly amusing if this moron has a scar of a backwards B on her face for the rest of her life. ---
**Author:** ![Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Throatwarbler_Mangrove)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272/104 "2008-10-24T18:29:22Z")
> [@vetbridge](#): > > Mockery of Kerry’s purple heart. If I were an enterprising Obama supporter, I’d look into making some similar band aids with a backwards “B” on it. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272/105 "2008-10-24T18:31:36Z")
A picture is worth a thousand words… [![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YFuM6fka4l8/SQFA021BOaI/AAAAAAAAAMo/PdIamC-TT18/s1600-h/mccainvolunteer.jpg) ](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YFuM6fka4l8/SQFA021BOaI/AAAAAAAAAMo/PdIamC-TT18/s1600-h/mccainvolunteer.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272/106 "2008-10-24T18:31:55Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > Probably the same size she used on her face. > > I had a strong suspicion it was a fake once I saw the picture. If someone would have been that crazed that they’d carve her up, they’d have made it permanent. That’s nothing more than a mild abrasion. It didn’t break through all layers of skin which actually takes skill to do if it was done TO someone. What is on her face was done in a drawing motion with fingers and not with a grasped motion using a knife. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272/107 "2008-10-24T18:32:09Z")
> [@YamatoTwinkie](#): > > Main headline for Drudge right now is “SHE MADE IT UP!”, although I can’t tell what font size he’s using for it 10:1 says that people who are so inclined are going to still believe this crazy chica’s story and think that there was some kind of cover up. These are the same people that believe that we discovered WMDs in Iraq, that Hussein had something to do with 9/11, and the Obama is a Muslim terrorist. It will be a substantial minority. I think that these sorts of folks get their news solely from blogs and glurge. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272/108 "2008-10-24T18:34:21Z")
I actually do pity this girl, even though she’s a racist liar. Who I don’t pity are the salacious right-wing bloggers who couldn’t wait to run with this (and due credit given to the many who expressed skepticism instead of falling back on US GOOD THEM BAD rationale) @shibb0leth I wouldn’t worry about it. The news cycle was so short it didn’t really get out of the blogosphere. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272/109 "2008-10-24T18:34:51Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > A picture is worth a thousand words… > > [mccainvolunteer.jpg (image)](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YFuM6fka4l8/SQFA021BOaI/AAAAAAAAAMo/PdIamC-TT18/s1600-h/mccainvolunteer.jpg) Epic! ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272/110 "2008-10-24T18:36:33Z")
> [@stolichnaya](#): > > The effect was potentially nasty, sure. But this is clearly an unwell person. She deserves pity and support, and now thanks to the Internet, her life will be exponentially more difficult. You know, much of the really awful crap in this world results from the actions of unwell persons. I think it’s possible to pity her and hope she gets help _and_ be pissed off by the horrible thing she did. I’m not sure how many reasons the detectives had to doubt her story, but if she would have the foresight to actually use the ATM she claimed to have used, who knows how much more traction this story would have gotten and how much damage it could have done? It was a hateful act, calculated to sow division, hatred, and paranoia. She didn’t just spin a wheel and randomly select a dark-skinned African-American Obama supporter as her imaginary attacker. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272/111 "2008-10-24T18:37:44Z")
I think you’ll find many of the conservative blogs, Powerline, Michelle Malkin, etc, will be thoroughly disgusted with this stunt and may be more rabid at calling for Miss Todd’s head than the folks at DU or DailyKos. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272/112 "2008-10-24T18:38:24Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > Who I don’t pity are the salacious right-wing bloggers who couldn’t wait to run with this (and due credit given to the many who expressed skepticism instead of falling back on US GOOD THEM BAD rationale) My sentiments too, with respect to both groups. For the second time in a week, Michelle Malkin’s been a skeptical voice on a story of this sort. If you’re further out there than Malkin, you should start worrying about your sanity. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272/113 "2008-10-24T18:42:11Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > I actually do pity this girl, even though she’s a racist liar. Who I don’t pity are the salacious right-wing bloggers who couldn’t wait to run with this (and due credit given to the many who expressed skepticism instead of falling back on US GOOD THEM BAD rationale) > > @shibb0leth I wouldn’t worry about it. The news cycle was so short it didn’t really get out of the blogosphere. Fuck her. I don’t feel the least bit sorry. This harms McCain. The only way it could harm Obama would be to find out she was actually an Obama supporter. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272/114 "2008-10-24T18:44:05Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I think you’ll find many of the conservative blogs, Powerline, Michelle Malkin, etc, will be thoroughly disgusted with this stunt and may be more rabid at calling for Miss Todd’s head than the folks at DU or DailyKos. The question in my mind is not how they feel about it _now_, but whether they exercised appropriate skepticism _before_ her story proved to be a fake. Because this is the sort of prejudice-confirming story that should send an honest conservative’s too-good-to-be-true-ometer right off the meter. Good on Malkin for being skeptical early, and good on any other conservatives who did likewise. But no points to anybody who ran with this story early, and is pissed about its falsity NOW. Props to them only when the next such story comes along, and they show they’ve learned a lesson from this one. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272/115 "2008-10-24T18:45:19Z")
> [@Slacker](#): > > Bill Ayers did it while out on a 40 year furlough! :eek: > > I will find it mildly amusing if this moron has a scar of a backwards B on her face for the rest of her life. Naaah…that’s going to be completely gone in 6 months, I bet. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272/116 "2008-10-24T18:49:48Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Good on Malkin for being skeptical early, and good on any other conservatives who did likewise. But no points to anybody who ran with this story early, and is pissed about its falsity NOW. Props to them only when the next such story comes along, and they show they’ve learned a lesson from this one. I was going to link to it yesterday, as sort of an RO type thing, but something struck me as hinky…it was SO over the top, that I held off. I wanted more info…especially since the ATM video didn’t show the attack. ---
**Author:** ![Yossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yossarian)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272/117 "2008-10-24T18:51:56Z")
> [@Slacker](#): > > From the story: > > Oh snap she’s an Aggie. That explains why she didn’t realize the B would be backwards when she carved it on her face. :eek: :o > > _Disclaimer: Not all Aggies are stupid, especially not the beautiful and talented one I’m married to._ I hate to stand up for A&M, but you’ll note from her cached My Space page that she’s actually in Blindergarden. For what it’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272/118 "2008-10-24T18:53:02Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > …The only way it could harm Obama would be to find out she was actually an Obama supporter. That’s what some claimed about the dead bear; I wouldn’t be surprised if the same accusation come out about this. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272/119 "2008-10-24T18:53:04Z")
I think, honestly, her audience was her fellow campaigners, who probably weren’t all that into her. She was twittering to them, she was sharing with them, she made the police report to prove it to them. She was looking to be a hero to them, not to somehow affect the race (IMO, of course). Can we imagine that a person who would do this was thinking logically about using the internet to hurt Obama? Armchair analysis that contributes to my feelings on this: At the end of her twitter string she was like, OK! Back to work fellow McCain supporters! I think the attention caught her totally by surprise. Imagine googling this woman’s name in ten years when she tries to interview for a job. Ugh. People who are sick cut themselves and act out in all kinds of ways and eventually get treatment and go on to normal lives. This girl can’t because her acting out focused on a social group that was also a public entity. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272/120 "2008-10-24T18:53:06Z")
This incident actually sums up the McCain campaign: - try to slime an opponent - use scary tactics (unknown black man) - do it ineptly I think she’s the poster girl for the strategists in the McCain campaign. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-supporter-attacked/469272.md?page=7)