Senator Obama's overt and explicit charge that McCain-Palin rally supporters have shouted "Kill him" when Obama's name had been mentioned is pure Pulp Fiction, a story concocted by a Scranton newspaper journalist.
The agent in charge of the Secret Service field office in Scranton said allegations that someone yelled "kill him" when presidential hopeful Barack Obama's name was mentioned during Tuesday's Sarah Palin rally are unfounded.The Scranton Times-Tribune first reported the alleged incident on its Web site Tuesday and then again in its print edition Wednesday. [Ed.: Making 'Pulp Fiction' a literal description.] The first story, written by reporter David Singleton, appeared with allegations that while congressional candidate Chris Hackett was addressing the crowd and mentioned Oabama's name a man in the audience shouted "kill him."
News organizations including ABC, The Associated Press, The Washington Monthly and MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann reported the claim, with most attributing the allegations to the Times-Tribune story.
Agent Bill Slavoski said he was in the audience, along with an undisclosed number of additional secret service agents and other law enforcement officers and not one heard the comment.
"I was baffled," he said after reading the report in Wednesday's Times-Tribune.
He said the agency [Secret Service] conducted an investigation Wednesday, after seeing the story, and could not find one person to corroborate the allegation other than Singleton.
Clear enough? The only one with such a description is the reporter who originated the tale. Not one of the 40 Secret Service agents, not one of any of the other security officials, not one attendee, and not one other journalist. Not one.
And the print and broadcast criticism against bloggers is what, again?
NOTE: Just to be clear here, there are but two sources for this baseless accusation.
- The Scranton reporter in his newspaper (Pulp) - substantiated by no one, not a single Secret Service agent, security official, attendee or (key here) a single other journalist of the dozens covering the same event.
- Barack Obama on national television, who likely effectively garnered concern and sympathy in promoting a lie (Fiction).
And note that the story debunking the pulp fiction made national is another local Pennsylvania newspaper. Don't hold your breath waiting for parrots "ABC, The Associated Press, The Washington Monthly and MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann" to revisit the Pulp Fiction with clarification and correction of their records.
With thanks to Jonah Goldberg for the link.
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Comments (11)
Wow, what a surprise. A sto... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Jay Tea | October 16, 2008 8:38 AM | Score: 8 (10 votes cast)
Wow, what a surprise. A story out of Scranton, PA turns out to be utter and complete bullshit.
Isn't Scranton where Joe Biden is from?
Must be something in the water down there...
J.
1. Posted by Jay Tea | October 16, 2008 8:38 AM |
Score: 8 (10 votes cast)
Posted on October 16, 2008 08:38
2. Posted by _Mike_ | October 16, 2008 8:49 AM | Score: 8 (8 votes cast)
Excellent point. I would think that someone shouting 'kill him' (Obama), regardless of whether he was present or not, would be of interest to the Secret Service.. given that they're the organization charged with protecting him.
2. Posted by _Mike_ | October 16, 2008 8:49 AM |
Score: 8 (8 votes cast)
Posted on October 16, 2008 08:49
3. Posted by WildWillie | October 16, 2008 9:07 AM | Score: 6 (8 votes cast)
It is so easy for the left to just make up stories out of whole cloth. Typical. I didn't believe it anyway. ww
3. Posted by WildWillie | October 16, 2008 9:07 AM |
Score: 6 (8 votes cast)
Posted on October 16, 2008 09:07
4. Posted by Chip | October 16, 2008 9:38 AM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
4. Posted by Chip | October 16, 2008 9:38 AM |
Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
Posted on October 16, 2008 09:38
5. Posted by Phil | October 16, 2008 11:33 AM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Ughhh. Makes me ashamed to admit I'm from a Scranton 'burb. FYI...the Times-Tribune leans so far left you read it with the fold at the bottom. As far as Biden being from Scranton...that's a reason to NOT vote for him in my book!
5. Posted by Phil | October 16, 2008 11:33 AM |
Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Posted on October 16, 2008 11:33
6. Posted by Darwin | October 16, 2008 12:50 PM | Score: -2 (2 votes cast)
NOTE: Just to be clear here, there are but two sources for this baseless accusation.
You appear to be unclear yourself.. the "kill him" accusation is from two seperate incidents. The first is from Oct 7, Dana Milbank in the Washington Post, "Unleashed, Palin Makes a Pitbull Look Tame." The other is from this case in Scranton. The debunking of the Scranton case does not debunk the Milbank case.
The Milbank case is single-sourced with.. Milbank.. but it's a different case and we shouldn't confuse the two.
=darwin
6. Posted by Darwin | October 16, 2008 12:50 PM |
Score: -2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on October 16, 2008 12:50
7. Posted by seguin | October 16, 2008 1:28 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
And, in the Milbank case, the man was shouting kill him about Bill Ayers, unrepentent terrorist and murderer (the WU killed 7 people). So so far NO ONE has shouted Kill him about Obama. Much better than the daily death threats against Bush.
7. Posted by seguin | October 16, 2008 1:28 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on October 16, 2008 13:28
8. Posted by Ryan | October 17, 2008 5:00 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
It has been verified by multiple independent accounts (and in video) that certain McCain/Palin supporters have yelled, in response to the utterance of Barack Obama's name, things like "kill him," "terrorist," and "off with his head." If it happens once or twice, perhaps it's permissible for McCain/Palin to continue their rhetoric. But it happened for 7 days straight and nobody said anything (until McCain finally confronted his thoroughly confused supporter in Minnesota). It's really a sad day when a major party candidate turns to hate mongering as their last chance to win the White House. Make no mistake, John Lewis was right: the McCain/Palin ticket willfully incited hate speech on the campaign trail. In a time of fear and anger, it's completely irresponsible to willfully stoke your supporters fears. And if any violence should occur in the next 18 days or in the days following Obama's victory, let me be the first to say: that blood will be on McCain's hands.
8. Posted by Ryan | October 17, 2008 5:00 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on October 17, 2008 17:00
9. Posted by maggie | October 17, 2008 6:06 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
9. Posted by maggie | October 17, 2008 6:06 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on October 17, 2008 18:06
10. Posted by Foo Dog | October 17, 2008 9:52 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
If elected, Obama will create a 'Final Soloution' for any person or group of persons who does not agree with his Progroms/Protocols. Obama will be the Killer of multitudes of innocent God fearing families.
10. Posted by Foo Dog | October 17, 2008 9:52 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on October 17, 2008 21:52
11. Posted by shawn | October 25, 2008 8:04 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7FDOCDwHaE
there's no sound but it shows the secret service allowing a crazy guy stalk Obama for a considerable amount of time. I'm not sure they're going to be a good source of record on a heckler at a rally. I've seen video clips of Republican rallies with the 'kiil him', although it is possible someone could have added that audio. Republican's main interests seem to be traditional values like preventing poor women from accessing medical abortions - rich women always had and always will have abortion on demand. Lately it's also reliable to scapegoat gays during campaigns, as if heterosexuals don't cause their families any problems. Practical solutions recognize us as a world leader, sometimes *the* world leader, who is depended on to make rational decisions. There is no need to dwell in an inferiority complex played out in panicky military adventures, as if that equates to honoring those who serve. It's not un-American to disagree until we start using fear as a tool.
11. Posted by shawn | October 25, 2008 8:04 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on October 25, 2008 08:04