Is Obama at risk?

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I've heard several people refer to the idea that if Obama is elected he faces a high probability of someone attempting an assassination. Where is this coming from? Who is making the threats? Are these threats credible?

I've heard a lot of anti-Dem talk in the last few months, just as I've heard lots of anti-Rep talk. But nothing I've heard up here in Canada leads me to believe that he is at more risk than any other politico.

So inform me -- and please spoiler stuff for me because I can't follow links or see videos from this stupid work connection.

 

From a couple of days ago:

Federal prosecutors in Tennessee have charged two men with plotting a "killing spree" against African-Americans that would have been capped with an attempt to kill Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama

He's black. And liberal. And a Muslim terrorist sympathizer. What more could you ask for?

I'd say he's more at-risk than, say, John McCain would be. Or any other white president, for that matter.

 

While he may be more at risk than a white president, I would not go so far as to say there would be a high probability of him being assassinated, and that the overall chance remains low. Afterall, they don't have SS protection for nothing. Lots of people absolutely hate Bush, and there have been no credible assassination attempts on his life that I am aware of. The SS does a great job overall. There hasn't been an assassination of a US Presdient in 46 years, and there hasn't even been a credible attempt in 27 years.

 

You would like to reconsider your use of abbreviations, don't you?

 

For us, SS = Secret Service. We know what it meant in your neck of the woods 60 years ago.

 

The "official" abbreviation is USSS.

Edit: The US is redundant if we are talking about US politics though....

 

I've been very worried. There are going to a few who actually believe all the nonsense that the McCain campaign has been putting out about Obama. They may "think" they are saving their country from a foreign born "Muslim terrorist," who wants to turn America Communist. Some people believe stupid nonsense like that, even though the false rhetoric is only supposed get self-serving politicians elected.

 

Since everyone seems so worried about Palin, this begs the question of "How do you feel about a Biden presidency?"

 

Dont know all that much about him, he seems like the average VP guy to me. Old Washington Democrat fox with all the luggage good and bad. What little I have seen and read about the fella he seems to be a decent guy by the standards of American politicans.

 

Comparatively speaking and ideology aside, just dandy.

 

Like Joacqin, I guess - not too strongly either way. He kinda reminds me of the "generic" US president as played on TV - (Caucasian male) somewhat old, supposedly intelligent but not immune to a foot-in-mouth moments at times, gives off the impression of being a family guy... Hey, how was Carter seen before his presidency?

 

I think in Obama the GOP right wingers has again found some one they can hate with passion and a vengeance, even more so than Clinton then. The accusations and smears against Obama appear much shriller than against any other Democrat in (my) recent memory. He might well be at risk. Not to mention that he is undeniably black.

 

Ragusa - That's never been a hard thing for the right wingers to do; they can always find someone to hate. But when that fails, it's just the "liberal" they fall back on. You can hear that it in the McDesperate's campaign. Every speech these days begins with, "If you vote for so-and-so, you are electing the most liberal Democrat...." When you have nothing, just fall back on the "most liberal," the old-fashoined conservative assualt factor.

These days, Mac is like something from the Twilight Zone. But I still feel bad for him. Everytime I see him, I feel like patting him on his red-faced head, and saying: "It's going to be OK, Mac. There's always that nice ranch down in Arizona, where you can spend your retirement with your lovely wife. It will be much better for you. If you win, you will be surrounded by congressional LIBERAL DEMOCRATS! Nancy, and Harry, Joe B., and that evil Muslim from your nightmares, and all those others who will surround you with all that 'liberal' legislation. They will just call you McVeto, and they won't even bother with all those Supreme Court nominees who will never get jobs as anti-abortionist judges you dream about. Those 'liberals' will just laugh at your agenda, and it will cause you to lose your 'mavrick persona' of which you take so much pride. You will reach across the aisle and who will be there? Not even Ted Stevens, who will be tucked away in his jail cell at Folsom Prison. Just liberals, and more liberals...."

Mac! There's a signpost up ahead. It's says....

 

Wow, chandos lets show your hypocrisy why don't we.
Talking about how reps always hate on the dems by expressing your hatred toward the reps.
Pot meet Kettle.

Thats like the effigy of palin that the guy has at his house in california. "Oh it's just good fun" he says but let 1 person hang an effigy of obama & there would be all kinds of hell raised about it by the press.

 

I don't think its hatred, Martaug. It definitely included sarcasm, and probably a little condescention (though chances are John McCain will enjoy a much nicer life in a ranch than most of us, Chandos including) but it doesn't strike me as hatred.

 

This is one of the few things that you'll see martaug and I agree. There is no place for things like that in the political atmosphere in which we live. To expand on what martaug said, basically, this guy (named Chad Morrisette - I have no idea who he is, some b-list celeb?) who lives in Hollywood has hung a mannequin of Sarah Palin on his front porch, and has a flaming McCain display on his roof. While he claims this is just a "Halloween display", it is advocating violence against a Pres and VP candidate. To me, that is just as repugnant as people calling out "Kill him!" at Palin and McCain rallies when they mention Obama's name.

EDIT: Evidently, the guy took down the Palin mannequin, but kept the flaming McCain.

As DR pointed out, "SS" here in the United States is a common abbreviation for "Secret Service", the organization which is responsible for the protection of the Pres and VP, candidates for the Pres and VP, and all former Pres and VPs. I've also seen "SS" used as the abbreviation for "Social Security". While I acknowledge that "SS" in Germany takes on much more sinister connotations in relation to the Nazi regime, that was not even on my mind when I used the abbreviation. I thought that the context I used it in made it clear I was referencing the Secret Service. (Although there's another name we can call Obama - now he has ties to Nazi Germany!) Seriously though, I apologize if I offended you, but the only way you would take offense is if you take my statement out of context.

 

I've even heard several jokes about violence against Obama -- it's just incredible to me people think such things are funny.

I wouldn't quite go that far ...

There's always mud slinging. I don't think this is any nastier than any other election I've seen (and I've seen quite a few). Reagan was absolutely brutal to Carter.

 

BTW, as for the risk for Obama - off the top of my head, he's probably twice as likely to be attacked as another candidate. Still, I'd say we are talking 1-2 % here, at the most. The US secret service is probably one of the best in the world.

 

I agree with this too. Although, I think we can all agree that a hanging the effigy of a white politician on a porch in California, and hanging the effigy of a black politician from a tree in Kentucky hold...hrm, slightly different degrees of significance in our society.

I was an infant at the time, so you'll have to bear with me - but I don't recall any stories about Reagan doing anything along the lines of constantly questioning Carter's patriotism, refusing to even look him in the eye during their debate, calling him a Marxist socialist and a terrorist's best pal, running ads dishonestly accusing him of funding sex ed for toddlers, and no one shouted "KILL HIM!" at Reagan rallies when Carter's name was brought up. It may have happened that way, of course - I was all about my binky at the time and could have missed it.

 

... and DR and T2,
no need to apologise, and I am not offended. I understood what you wrote perfectly well. It just struck me as very peculiar when I read it, and I couldn't help put comment