McCain rally in Miami nearly turns to riot after two people with Obama signs spotted

[motivez]

After the rally, we witnessed a near-street riot involving the exiting McCain crowd and two Cuban-American Obama supporters. Tony Garcia, 63, and Raul Sorando, 31, were suddenly surrounded by an angry mob. There is a moment in a crowd when something goes from mere yelling to a feeling of danger, and that's what we witnessed. As photographers and police raced to the scene, the crowd elevated from stable to fast-moving scrum, and the two men were surrounded on all sides as we raced to the circle.

The event maybe lasted a minute, two at the most, before police competently managed to hustle the two away from the scene and out of the danger zone. Only FiveThirtyEight tracked the two men down for comment, a quarter mile down the street.

"People were screaming 'Terrorist!' 'Communist!' 'Socialist!'" Sorando said when we caught up with him. "I had a guy tell me he was gonna kill me."

Asked what had precipitated the event, "We were just chanting 'Obama!' and holding our signs. That was it. And the crowd suddenly got crazy."

Garcia told us that the man who originally had warned the two it was his property when they had first tried to attend the rally with Obama T-shirts was one of the agitators. Coming up just before the scene started getting out of hand, the man whispered in Garcia's ear, "I'm gonna beat you up the next time I see you." Garcia described him for us: "a big stocky man wearing a tweed jacket." He used hand motions to emphasize this was a large guy. We went back to look for the gentleman twenty minutes after the incident but didn't find him.

The two Obama supporters had attempted to attend the event with tickets printed from the McCain website. Both were clad in Obama T-shirts, Sorando in a blue "Obama '08" shirt, and Garcia in a white "Obama-Biden" shirt. They were told that the event was being held on private property and that wearing the shirts or carrying the signs they would be asked to either remove the shirts or not attend.

For an hour during the rally, the two had stood across the street from the lumberyard on public property holding yard signs. Some drivers honked in support, and others honked in disapproval. When the rally ended and the crowd spilled out, the disturbance began.

Garcia had a message for his stocky, tweed-clad threatener. "You tell that guy he can find Tony Garcia down at the West Dade library every day from 7 to 7 helping people early vote. I'll be there from 1 to 5 on Saturday and Sunday. You tell him if he wants to kick my ass that's where he can find me. Come beat me up."

This is why McCain's campaign tactic trying to make Obama out to be a terrorist is so dangerous.. because now you have rallies filled with thousands of people who, if Obama is elected, will really believe we have someone in the White House who is a terrorist.

It's disgusting and reprehensible and if I had been supporting McCain in this election I would have had to vote third party in protest of his dishonorable campaign.

[Scrum]

The McCain campaign certainly poisoned the well for Obama with these attacks.

[illavbill]

that's crazy what a bunch of psychos! McCain & Palin's campain is irresponsible as he'll

[Stylerod]

Originally Posted by illavbill

that's crazy what a bunch of psychos! McCain & Palin's campain is irresponsible as he'll

You're right. I can't believe they told those people to have a "near-street riot" because of those two people.

[motivez]

Originally Posted by Stylerod

You're right. I can't believe they told those people to have a "near-street riot" because of those two people.

Way to completely miss the point.

He's responsible for the tone and type of rhetoric being spewed in his name by surrogates, and that's directly responsible for the incredible anger being shown by Republicans at this event.

[DosEquis]

Originally Posted by Scrum

The McCain campaign certainly poisoned the well for Obama with these attacks.

Hey that McCain/Palin crowd turned in to a fast moving "you"... can't be all that bad can it?

[Stylerod]

Originally Posted by motivez

Way to completely miss the point.

He's responsible for the tone and type of rhetoric being spewed in his name by surrogates, and that's directly responsible for the incredible anger being shown by Republicans at this event.

I was agreeing with you. His tone is done in a way to make sure his supporters attack Obama supporters. Palin also.

I'm sure you will also agree it's Obama and Bidens tone that made people go into a McCain office and mace the workers there.

Two people were arrested Monday afternoon after an altercation led to five Republican campaign workers being sprayed with Mace at their headquarters in Galax.

Galax Police Chief Rick Clark said officers were dispatched shortly before 1 p.m. to the Galax Republican headquarters on East Grayson Street when a caller reported someone had sprayed office workers with Mace.

Responding officers arrested Daniel Cason Meinecke, 29, and Cara Annis Hindman, 26, both of Galax.

Meinecke was charged with one count of misdemeanor assault, Hindman was charged with five counts of misdemeanor assault.

Galax Republican Chairman Mike Stevens said he was one of the volunteers sprayed. He said a man and woman came into the office and asked for campaign yard signs for the Democratic ticket of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

After being told the Obama-Biden campaign office was up the street, Stevens said, the man said he was aware of that, but that he thought Democratic signs were being stolen and “stashed” at the Republican office.

Stevens told him that nobody there had stolen signs, not were they “stashing” any in the building.

A confrontation escalated and, Stevens said, the man began to use some four-letter words.

Stevens said there were older women in the office and he asked the couple to leave the building.

“With the ladies in the office, I said that was enough and asked them to leave,” he said.“I told them, if they had a problem with someone stealing their signs they needed to contact the police department.”

Stevens said the couple replied that they weren’t leaving, and that they didn’t have to.

“I kind of moved them towards the door and he lashed out at me,” Stevens said.“So I lashed out at him.”

No punches were thrown, but instead the two simply held each other at bay, according to Stevens.

Once outside, Stevens said, the woman sprayed Mace on him and another volunteer before turning back to the office and spraying inside the building.

“It was surreal in the fact that I’ve had people in the past couple months come in and ask for signs. But to have an altercation like that just seems strange.”

While Stevens was unsure if the couple came into the building planning to start an altercation, he said it seemed evident they were.

“There was no business that this gentleman had to do in the office. We didn’t do anything... We didn’t steal his signs. The people in the building were a 75- and 71-year-old man and their respective wives... they aren’t out there stealing signs.”

Stevens said he felt the man just came to the headquarters to agitate office volunteers and that he had no reason to enter the building.

“I can’t say they came there for that purpose. But it seemed that it was to come in and agitate. When he started cussing, that’s when I felt it was time for them to go out of the way and go on down the road.”

With the election of a new president coming in the next week, Stevens said the tension between Republican and Democrats has been elevated.

“We are more divided,” as a result, he said.

Chief Clark said in a news release that Meinecke is alleged to have physically assaulted one of the Republican campaign workers; Hindman is alleged to have sprayed Pepper Mace that contaminated five Republican campaign workers.

Both were released on a secured bond pending their arraignment in Galax General District Court.

And this one where a Obama supporter starting hitting a McCain person with his sign.

I said, “What are you doing? You can’t do that!” And he was red in the face screaming, “You people are ridiculous!” And I said, “Yeah, whatever, but you can’t do that.”

So I reached for the sign that he ripped up, and he grabbed another sign, broke it, and ripped it to shreds. And when I said, “You can’t do that,” he took the stick from the sign and started beating me on the head with it. He broke the skin on my head, he scratched my wrist, and almost broke my glasses, and then he left.

I followed him down the stairs to the subway until I could get the police and I said, “You’re not going to get away with it.” And as soon as he saw the police he immediately went calm. He still had the stick in his hand, and you could see the injury on my face, and he admitted it. He was arrested. He actually said, “I don’t know why I did this. It’s just those signs, and this election, it has me so upset.”

Pajamas Media » Obama Supporter Assaults Female McCain Volunteer in New York

It's horrible what these candidates are forcing their supporters to do.

[motivez]

Show many any evidence of anything near the level of personal attacks, false smears, etc.. from the Obama campaign toward McCain.. You can't, because it doesn't exist.

I'll stipulate that McCain's tone had more to do with those Obama supporters acting stupid than Obama's

But you've once again tried to shift the topic instead of having to discuss the bullshit being done by Republicans..

Thread about Republicans
Republican response about Democrats

[illavbill]

Originally Posted by motivez

Show many any evidence of anything near the level of personal attacks, false smears, etc.. from the Obama campaign toward McCain.. You can't, because it doesn't exist.

I'll stipulate that McCain's tone had more to do with those Obama supporters acting stupid than Obama's

But you've once again tried to shift the topic instead of having to discuss the bullshit being done by Republicans..

Thread about Republicans
Republican response about Democrats

Hell, even I get extremely annoyed talking to McCain supporters talking shit about Obama and trying to pass it off as fact. From saying his plan will increase taxes on everyone to saying hes a Muslim or that he is a socialist etc. It pisses me off to the extreme but I can control my anger unlike, aparently those people. sheesh. I hope to god McCain and his bimbo dont make it into office.

[Stylerod]

Originally Posted by motivez

I'll stipulate that McCain's tone had more to do with those Obama supporters acting stupid than Obama's

Ok, so McCain is responsible for the violence from both sides. I get it now. It's always the republicans fault. I forgot who I was talking to. Someone from the "it's never our fault" party.

[Photon1001]

seriously, you can't stand the heat?



Seriously though McCain's "campaign" has been overall more "negative" (notice the "air quotes", or some are calling them now, "dick fingers"), after McCain explicitly "said" he was going to "run" a "positive" "Campaign".

Obama's hasn't been anywhere near as bad in comparison.

[motivez]

Originally Posted by Stylerod

Ok, so McCain is responsible for the violence from both sides. I get it now. It's always the republicans fault. I forgot who I was talking to. Someone from the "it's never our fault" party.

Way to avoid having to actually provide any evidence of your ridiculous assertion that the Obama campaign's tone has been anywhere near as negative as McCain's on personal smears, etc..

Also, I've blamed Obama for things he's done when I thought they were wrong, so while you've gotten in a nice (read: pathetic) cheap shot, it's not true.

I think McCain trying to label Obama as a terrorist has more to do with riling up Republicans to attack Democrats, and Democrats being angry enough to be stupid than anything Obama has done.

Obama has run a largely positive campaign, and the "negative ads" Obama has run has been almost entirely about policy positions linking McCain's policies to Bush's.. they haven't attacked his military record or anything like that.

[Stylerod]

Originally Posted by motivez

Way to avoid having to actually provide any evidence of your ridiculous assertion that the Obama campaign's tone has been anywhere near as negative as McCain's on personal smears, etc..

Also, I've blamed Obama for things he's done when I thought they were wrong, so while you've gotten in a nice (read: pathetic) cheap shot, it's not true.

I think McCain trying to label Obama as a terrorist has more to do with riling up Republicans to attack Democrats, and Democrats being angry enough to be stupid than anything Obama has done.

Obama has run a largely positive campaign, and the "negative ads" Obama has run has been almost entirely about policy positions linking McCain's policies to Bush's.. they haven't attacked his military record or anything like that.

WTF are you talking about. Where did McCain call Obama a terrorist????

[DosEquis]

Originally Posted by Stylerod

WTF are you talking about. Where did McCain call Obama a terrorist????

It was a label by implication. Thats why you have McCain supporters (and a lot of them) talking about muslims and terrorists. They say he was friends with crazy people and imply that he must be a crazy person if hes friends with them. He goes to the america hating church, worked with the former domestic terrorist ayers, and now they are talking about some other guy. WTF else are die hard mccain supporters supposed to think.

[tbone]

Originally Posted by Stylerod

WTF are you talking about. Where did McCain call Obama a terrorist????

Got several mailers "approved by John McCain" that insinuate Obama is a domestic terrorist due to his ties.

[motivez]

Originally Posted by Stylerod

WTF are you talking about. Where did McCain call Obama a terrorist????

Have you not watched the news? Listened to McCain himself, or any of his surrogates? Heard the tapes of the robo calls where they say "Barack Obama worked closely with a domestic terrorist" etc.

Now they're talking about his affiliation with *gasp* a pro-Palestinian "activist" with a Muslimy sounding name (Who happens to be a professor at Columbia University) .. saying that he was a "spokesperson" for the PLO, which he's denied.

Btw, a group McCain headed sent the guy nearly half a million dollars for research, but that hasn't stopped him from suggesting there's something sinister in whatever relationship they had.

This is all an organized effort by the McCain campaign to label Obama as a terrorist sympathizer who believes in their agenda.

[motivez]

Originally Posted by tbone

Got several mailers "approved by John McCain" that insinuate Obama is a domestic terrorist due to his ties.

I got a mailer with a DVD in it about radical Islam that made a lot of insinuations.

[Photon1001]

All this makes e glad the McCain camp gave up on my state weeks ago..