By promoting fear and hate on the campaign trail, John McCain has taken the lid off Pandora's Box.
And this is what has flown out. Last week, Representative Michele Bachmann went on Chris Matthews' Hardball and argued that we should start an investigation into whether certain of our leaders are "Anti-American." You can watch the video here:
http://www.progressivefuture.org/bachmann-hope-over-hate
This isn't some "fringe" element yelling out slurs at a McCain-Palin rally. This is a member of the U.S. Congress calling into question the patriotism of anyone to her left, from Barack Obama to Nancy Pelosi to Harry Reid to Saul Alinsky. And she doesn't stop there. She went on to say: "I wish the news media would do a penetrating expose . . . at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-American or anti-America?"
Who's next on the investigation list? Progressive Future? The League of Women Voters? Your local PTO?
This kind of mindlessly cynical patriotism might be the last refuge of a failing candidacy and a wildly unpopular political party. But we can't let these attacks go unchecked.
What can we do? Unless we want to start watching what we say to our "pro-American" friends, we need to stand up against this incipient McCarthyism. Here are two things you can do right now:
First, sign our Call for Hope over Hate.
https://www.progressivefuture.org/bachmann-hope-over-hate
Next, spread the word to your family and friends. While John McCain promised us a "respectful" campaign, he and Sarah Palin, along with their surrogates, continue to drive this debate into the gutter. This is why we can't grow complacent as Election Day nears. This is why we have to win.