Dehumanizing the enemy is a tried-and-true attack technique for inciting one's followers. The McCain campaign is using that technique to stir up crowds in public appearances. Will local police arrest Sarah Palin if she foments a riot or a lynch mob?
The latest phase of the McCain/Palin smearfest is marked by Palin's statements at a Florida rally on October 6th that Obama is "not one of us". The next day, in the Townhall Debate, McCain referred to Obama as "that one" instead of "him".
While many people thought that these comments were racist, I think that the Republican approach goes well beyond that, and draws on centuries of bias and prejudice. Societies have long used derogatory terms to refer to the enemy. Many American soldiers and sailors applied a G-word to the Vietnamese in the 60s. At various times in American history, similar terms have been applied to minorities, including Irish-Americans, Italian-Americans, Jews, Hispanics, Asians, and African-Americans. During the Cold War, our enemies were Commies, Reds, and Pinkos. American soldiers fought the Second World War against people they called Nips and Huns.
These insulting names are used to suggest that the enemy is beneath humanity and that it is therefore OK to attack and kill them. In the context of the Presidential campaign, the intended goal is to stir up one's supporters to defeat the enemy by "whatever means necessary". (Doesn't that put them in the same camp as William Ayres and Bernadine Dohrn in the 60s, or the SLA in the 70s?)
There have already been reports of people screaming "terrorist" and "kill him" at these legal assemblies, as well as an attack on an African-American cameraman. I'm very concerned about what might happen when the "enemy" shows up in a location soon after the Republicans have created a frenzied mob there. When they lose on November 4th to "That One", will a militant right-wing movement emerge, led by the Palin shock troops, sort of a modern (and more powerful) version of the KKK? They're mad about the economy, angry with the media, and deeply racist. Give them a uniform (brown shirts, anyone?) and a leader, and they become very scary, indeed.