"Pitbull" Palin turns on own supporters

Sarah Palin accidentally turned her fire on some of her own supporters yesterday when she mistook them for hecklers at a rally in Richmond, Virginia.

The Republican vice-presidential candidate, who has been spearheading her ticket's increasingly savage assaults on Mr Obama in recent weeks, was in the midst of a tirade against the Democratic nominee when a commotion began on the edges of the rally.

The large crowd, more than 20,000-strong, had spread across the car park of Richmond International Raceway and scores of people on the fringes, over 100 metres from the stage, could not hear her.

"Louder! Louder!"they began to chant, some pointing skyward to suggest that the volume be increased.

The self-styled "pitbull in lipstick" looked on bewildered as other supporters began to shout "Sarah! Sarah!", in an effort to drown out what they mistakenly thought was a protest.

The supporters on the periphery then got a taste of the tongue-lashing normally reserved for their Democratic counterparts as Mrs Palin began a shrill admonishment of their lack of honour.

"I would hope at least that those protesters have the courage and the honour of thanking our veterans thanks for giving them the right to protest," she said, jabbing her finger at them repeatedly.

Her husband Todd Palin then stepped forward to inform her that "they just can't hear you back there."

Some in the crowd had been standing for more than three hours on a sunny day without shade. At least 25 people collapsed from heat-related illnesses and three were admitted to hospital.

Mrs Palin has been tussling with John McCain over the increasingly sharp tenor of her assaults on Mr Obama in recent weeks, while critics have accused her of stoking xenophobic sentiment with suggestions that the mixed race candidate is "not like us" and "is not a man who sees America like you and I". At some particularly charged rallies, cries such as "Kill him!" have been heard from riled up supporters, while the Republican nominee was forced to take a microphone from an elderly woman who began to denounce Mr Obama as an "Arab".

Elsewhere - and perhaps partially as a result - she herself has felt the audience's ire. At a Philadelphia ice hockey match between the Rangers and the Flyers on Saturday, angry boos rang through the stadium as Mrs Palin and her seven-year-old daughter Piper walked onto the ice to drop the ceremonial first puck. The incident can be seen on the above video - continue after the footage of the Richmond rally to watch.

Comments

[Mac McLemore]

Sara Palin is not what this country needs. She should bow out of this election. Is this someone you want to lead this country in this time and need of the American people. Look what she is under attack in her home state, what has she done to better the American people. Is John McCain this senil to pick a running mate like this. They should both retire and move out of the way to allow someone who really cares about this country and people take charge. All they can do is attack the other side. What has either of them said to help get this country back on the right track. What about all the oil in Palin home state? Where is it going? Not to the US to help cut gas prices. Why has that not been asked. Move the two of them out to retirement.

[Barry]

This woman just gets worse. George W Bush is Einstein in comparison.

[Ray Pace]

As usual, the liberal press reports only negative information on a conservative candidate. What about all of the positive information that should have been reported on the Richmond, VA rally yesterday? What about the venue being changed, because the original venue was too small to handle the expected crowd? The crowd was about 4 times what was originally expected. I was there, and believe me, there was a LOT more positive to report on, but did you do that - NO??

[Erich]

palin is not only an intellectual then, she's got street-smarts too - reads a crowd like a book (make that a comic book)

[Sam]

She's an idiot and an embarassment to the U.S.

[pete ferguson]

typical left wing propaganda, you expect it from msnbc but why is hannah puting a negative spin on a non event misunderstanding.

[iain carstairs]

Give someone enough rope...

[Jack Bauer]

Go Palin, we need a leader like you who cannot even understand what their own supporters are saying....

I am highly optimistic for the future of glorious nation of United States...

[Viajero]

She is a loud embarassment to all thinking, educated Americans. She represents the worst that is in us.

As unbelievably backward as Ms. Palin is, don't think it's impossible that she and the old guy will win -- we have enough stupid, brainwashed, and stubbornly backward people here that Bush was "elected" twice.

[Susan W.]

Why would any citizen want this type of overreaction in the White House?!

[Cllr Ken Tiwari (ndependent)]

Sarah Palin is a lucky woman, Ms Palin never was a politician, we all in our political-
cicle may knows?

If only Ms Palin could visit those cold place
in her costituencies, she may learn how
other half lives?

Bully for Ms Palin, born with silver spoon in
her mouth, she never thought whers the bread coming from?

[Don]

She really is an utter moron.

[Writing From Alaska]

I have lived in Alaska for seven years. I am, like many Alaskans, voting for Obama on Nov. 4th. This was my decision before Sarah Palin was put on the ticket with McCain.

The view from Alaska has been getting stranger and stranger. One of the most disturbing aspects has been watching Governor Palin turn into someone that seems like an evil twin of the woman who has been running our state. I don't agree with many of her decisions as governor, but she was not the folksy talking, cynical person we are seeing in the news on a daily basis. When she appeared in public she was calm, rational sounding and coherent. She did an interview on public television with Charlie Rose a couple of years ago and was an intelligent sounding, reasonable person who conducted herself well. It seems the McCain campaign has turned her inside out to make use of her in any way that seems will help their campaign. In the end, assuming that McCain is not going to win this election, some of us here in Alaska believe that her political future in our state may be damaged beyond repair. There is alot of collatoral damage here, too much to even write about, but Troopergate represents a significant portion of the destructive repercussions. She has dealt with the recent findings of unethical behavior like it is some kind of joke. I, for one, do not support her and am now concerned that she is not a suitable governor, let alone a vice president, but I can't help but have concern for Sarah Palin and how this campaign is changing her.

Oops, is that the panic button or just she is doing what she is advised to throw just a punch. I think she need to be come in herself and understand the people and their needs, attacks may work against the will.

[Burnley Bob]

Decent Americans deserve better representation than this. And on our side of the pond this bimbo makes it really hard to put forward pro-American views without being ridiculed. What was McCain thinking of? If it was a cynical ploy to attract the chavs then he should be ashamed of himself. If he truly thought that she was worthy candidate, then his own judgment - and that of the top dogs in the GOP - is awful. On this account alone, he should be unelectable. Which gives the world Obama. What a mess.

[James Blanche]

This campaign has exposed the republican party and its core support for all that is is- xenophobic, small town and in no small part racist yet they are dangerously close to having another four years at the White House. Their campaign has centred on the politics of hate, distrust and envy as opposed to Obama's message of inclusion, trust and respect. It will be a sad day if the republicans win again, for both America and for the world.

[john gethin]

Perhaps there is no better metaphore for the plight of the Palin supporting conservative than the ending of Ray Pace's post. In trying to issue a declaritive "NO" the comment is punctuated with not one but two question marks! Is that revealing an unconscious uncertainty in conviction that conservatives are trying to mask? Or is it the result of a poor grasp of the fundamentals of grammer? Be it either lack of inspiration or lack of education; it is indicative of why the conservative movement lacks the competence to carry America forward as a world leader. The devil is in the detail, not in the liberal media.

[JOHN CHUCKMAN, TORONTO]

Never mind satiric shows doing parodies of her, the woman herself performing is the most outrageously funny thing on television.

Of course, laughter is only a momentary response.

It's actually damn scary.

The saga of Sarah Palin really tells us how dangerous the United States is: all that immense power, and flaky people like this are put up for leadership.

We are expected to take a cheerleader with an overactive thyroid and a nasty streak seriously as a potential national leader.

After eight years of Bush, the most colossally incompetent leader in history who leaves office with a string of catastrophes, how can America even think this woman is attractive?

It's simply unbelievable that out of a population of over 300 million that this is the best a major party can do.

As a wise man once said: "There's pleasure sure in being mad that none but madmen know."