CHICAGO -- A seven-term Republican Congressman from Illinois is taking issue with fellow Republican Sarah Palin, saying some of the vice presidential candidate's rallies "don't befit the office she's running for."
Republican Congressman Ray LaHood represents the 18th District: central and western Illinois, including Peoria. He's retiring in January.
LaHood supports the McCain ticket, but doesn't like what he sees at some of the McCain-Palin rallies: When Barack Obama's name has been mentioned by Sarah Palin, there are shouts of "terrorist," and LaHood says Palin should put a stop to it.
"Look it. This doesn't befit the office that she's running for. And frankly, people don't like it."
Congressman LaHood says it could backfire on the Republican ticket.
He says the names that Obama is being called, "Certainly don't reflect the character of the man."
The unmistakable momentum behind Barack Obama's campaign, combined with worry that John McCain is not doing enough to stop it, is ratcheting up fears and frustrations among conservatives.
And nowhere is this emotion on plainer display than at Republican rallies, where voters this week have shouted out insults at the mention of Obama, pleaded with McCain to get more aggressive with the Democrat and generally demonstrated the sort of visceral anger and unease that reflects a party on the precipice of panic.
so you guys are "panicked"?
Good.
Why the panic? Do you feel that only Republicans deserve to "rule"? That's not Democracy then BTW.
And so in response, you guys go to the inner ugly that many outside observers have been saying has been there inside the far right base all along. I'm so glad that's all you guys have left and been reduced to. As you can plainly see, the uglier and more virulent you've all gotten, the more openly you all parrot the smear that you hear on Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, the bigger Obama's lead has widened. Nobody wants to be near or associated with the old cranky racist John Bircher uncle.
