The Red Meat of Hate

By Terry Keleher Oct 14, 2008

An op-ed by bestselling author Frank Schaeffer entitled “An Open Letter to John McCain,” published in Friday’s Baltimore Sun, has generated considerable buzz. Schaeffer excoriates McCain for “"feeding the most unhinged elements of our society the red meat of hate.” Shaeffer is the author of “Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back.” He is also the son of the late evangelist Francis Schaeffer and has considered himself a lifelong Republican. He voted for John McCain in 2000 and McCain endorsed one of Schaeffer’s earlier books on military service. In the op-ed, Schaeffer writes:

"John McCain: If your campaign does not stop equating Sen. Barack Obama with terrorism, questioning his patriotism and portraying Mr. Obama as ‘not one of us,’ I accuse you of deliberately feeding the most unhinged elements of our society the red meat of hate, and therefore of potentially instigating violence. "At a Sarah Palin rally, someone called out, ‘Kill him!’ At one of your rallies, someone called out, ‘Terrorist!’ Neither was answered or denounced by you or your running mate, as the crowd laughed and cheered. At your campaign event Wednesday in Bethlehem, Pa., the crowd was seething with hatred for the Democratic nominee — an attitude encouraged in speeches there by you, your running mate, your wife and the local Republican chairman. "Shame! "You have changed. You have a choice: Go down in history as a decent senator and an honorable military man with many successes, or go down in history as the latest abettor of right-wing extremist hate. "John McCain, you are no fool, and you understand the depths of hatred that [surround] the issue of race in this country. You also know that, post-9/11, to call someone a friend of a terrorist is a very serious matter. You also know we are [a bitterly divided country] on many other issues. You know that, sadly, in America, violence is always just a moment away. You know that there are plenty of crazy people out there. "Stop! Think! Your rallies are beginning to look, sound, feel and smell like lynch mobs. "John McCain, you’re walking a perilous line. If you do not stand up for all that is good in America and declare that Senator Obama is a patriot, fit for office, and denounce your hate-filled supporters when they scream out ‘Terrorist’ or ‘Kill him,’ history will hold you responsible for all that follows. "John McCain and Sarah Palin, you are playing with fire, and you know it. You are unleashing the monster of American hatred and prejudice, to the peril of all of us. You are doing this in wartime. You are doing this as our economy collapses. You are doing this in a country with a history of assassinations. "Change the atmosphere of your campaign. Talk about the issues at hand. Make your case. But stop stirring up the lunatic fringe of haters, or risk suffering the judgment of history and the loathing of the American people — forever. "We will hold you responsible."

For more on the story, check out a full interview with Schaeffer by Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman.

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