So, Zogby's daily tracking poll showed Kerry up one point for the first time over President Bush, and John Zogby has been cautiously predicting a narrow Kerry victory. So here's a typical reaction on the "freedom-loving" FreeRepublic.com discussion boards populated by Republicans:
John Zogby and his brother James are Arab scum that want to see the USA defeated by bin Laden and company, and he is doing the same thing he tried in 2002, when he looked like the fool he is with his off the wall, false polling. Zogby should stick to being a "fair" pollster, rather then being a cheerleader for Usama bin Laden's chosen candidate for POTUS, John "Traitor/Treason" Kerry. No matter what Zogby says, John Kerry is going down big time on election day and so is the entire "traitor" Democrat Party. Mr Zogby, get this: we don't give hoot what your lying poll says!!! And get this: we will be getting out every vote for GW Bush that we humanly can!!!
Folks, this is hate speech - pure and simple. And the sad thing is not that some idiot posted this (anyone can post to a Web bulletin board) but that no one - not a single moderate, mainstream Republican on that well-traveled site - had the guts to repudiate this kind of trash.
And here's what FreeRepublic claims is the credo of its founders and community:
Free Republic is a loosely organized group of grassroots Americans who support our Constitution and look for honesty, integrity and honor from those in government.
Look, I'm a liberal. But I believe there is an honest and honorable position in American politics that says this: the Federal government is too large and wastes too much money. The tax burden on ordinary citizens is too high. Good government is local government. Strong defense, free speech, get the government out of our lives. We all know the drill.
Well listen up Jim Robinson and all you so-called Freepers - a badge the FreeRepublic community wears with pride - hate speech is not honest and honorable. And neither is your sad, pathetic silence, your acquiescence to the haters among you. Don't censor; good conservative libertarians don't. But please condemn. Please speak out. Or don't talk to me about "freedom."
UPDATE: So I logged on to FreeRepublic and posted under the moniker Teddy Roosevelt, hoping to find some common ground:
Looks folks - politics is one thing, hate speech another. When someone on this board attacks John Zogby because he is an Arab: "John Zogby and his brother James are Arab scum that want to see the USA defeated by bin Laden and company"...This is wrong and has nothing to do with "grassroots Americans who support our Constitution and look for honesty, integrity and honor from those in government." This kind of speech doesn't require censorship; it requires repudiation. Who here has the guts?
My post received 12 replies within two minutes - one agreeing, one saying "how do we know it's not true," and the rest calling me, essentially, "newbie, Democrat, traitor-loving bastard." Then the "freedom-loving" owners of the forum removed the entire discussion. And revoked my posting privileges. Yeah, civil liberties, the Constitution. Uh-huh. What an embarassment.
