She played upon every western Pennsylvanian's fears, but where could she have thought up this dastardly plot?
We all know about Ashley Todd’s pathetic attempt to bring sympathy to the McCain campaign by telling Pittsburgh authorities that she was attacked by a 6-foot-4 black man/Obama activist Wednesday night.
After allegedly robbing her, the big, scary black man threatened “to teach her a lesson for being a McCain supporter,” She said he then sat on her chest, pinned her hands down with his knees and scratched a backward letter “B” into her face using what she believed to be a dull knife.
After conflicting stories by this “plumber’s helper,” she was subjected to a polygraph, and subsequently confessed that she made the whole thing up.
My burning question over the last few days was where had I seen this before; Tawana Brawley? Susan Smith? Morton Downey Jr?
Justin Zatkoff-The originator of the student victim of liberal hatecrime. Truly, a man ahead of his time.
The answer comes from two years ago. Back in 2006, a Michigan College Republican named Justin Zatkoff claimed to have been beaten senseless by blacks and/or violent homosexuals. His photo showed a nasty black eye and he was certain the culprits were either militant blacks or militant gays. He just couldn’t remember which ones did it. Surprise, surprise. The Ann Arbor police finally revealed, that Zatkoff was just beaten up by his high school buddies. Insert gasps of shock and disbelief.
That answers it folks. Here is Ashley Todd’s mentor and inspiration. A note to any copycats thinking about pulling another stunt like this; if it didn’t work the first two times, chances are, it won’t work a third time. So knock it off young Republicans!
Ashley Todd shows off her wounds from an alleged attacker/Leonardo da Vinci Impersonator. Now it might be time for her to truly take her lumps.
Pittsburgh Police said student, Ashley Todd, of College Station, Texas, who is white, told them she was attacked by a 6-foot-4 black man Wednesday night.
Admittedly, that story in and of itself is unremarkable. The details of her story however, had me suspicious. As a result, I held off on writing about it until the facts came out.
Pittsburgh police spokeswoman Diane Richard divulged the woman’s account to the media.
From The Huffington Post:
In Todd’s initial account, she attempted to use the ATM when the man approached her from behind, put a knife with a 4- to 5-inch blade to her throat and demanded money. She told police she handed the assailant $60 and walked away.
Todd told investigators that she suspected the man then noticed a John McCain sticker on her car, became angry and punched her in the back of the head, knocking her to the ground and telling her “you are going to be a Barack supporter,” police said in a statement.
She said he continued to punch and kick her while threatening “to teach her a lesson for being a McCain supporter,” police said. She said he then sat on her chest, pinned her hands down with his knees and scratched a backward letter “B” into her face using what she believed to be a dull knife.
In the subsequent discussions with investigators, according to the police statement, Todd said she was accosted as she approached the bank and fled her attacker, fell to the ground and the assailant began beating and fondling her.
Police Cmdr. Larry Ross, who is in charge of the police precinct where the attack was first reported, said Todd’s story has continued to change.
“I guess she elaborated more when she went down to the bureau headquarters. She added other things to it that we didn’t have at first, that she didn’t tell the initial officer,” Ross said.
The 20 year old McCain campaigner subsequently failed a polygraph test, then confessed to making up the story, telling investigators today that she “was not robbed and there was no 6’4″ black male attacker.”
This “October Surprise” leaves me shaking my head and wondering what is wrong with people this election season. It has me asking, “Is this what this election has come to?”
Has this heated Presidential race left certain McCain/Palin supporters so desperate to want their candidate to win that they would do whatever it takes in a sort of twisted Machiavellian philosophy that the ends justify the means? I’m not implying that very many McCain supporters would go to this extreme, but following the smears, innuendo, and subsequent yells of “Terrorist!” and “Kill Him!,” I suppose that this misguided attempt to bring sympathy to the McCain campaign was almost the inevitable next step by a twisted supporter.
What happened to good old fashioned American political discourse? This is the ninth Presidential election that I have been witness to, (I first became interested during Ford/Carter ’76) and I have never seen ugliness that nearly matches what I have seen in the last few months. From the top down in the GOP, the brazen racism, anger, smears, and fear-mongering are unprecedented. So much for the promises of American unity after the tragedy of September 11.
So where do we go from here as a nation? The immediate priority is for Americans to stop this Tawana Brawley, Susan Smith style of race-baiting, and agree that although Democrats and Republicans have fundamental differences with regard to this country, each platform is valid and must be respected. Case in point: I’m not a huge fan of George Will. I disagree with almost everything he says, yet I respect him as a thoughtful, conservative journalist. A person may even disagree with a member of his or her family, but there is no plank in either platform that says that person should not agree to disagree. After all, this is America.
Instilling hatred and fear in the electorate is an unhealthy recipe.
What we need right now as Americans is the opportunity to be united as a country. The last thing we need is race-baited fear-mongering.
