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THE SCARLET "B" HOAX.
I've been offline much of the day, but yes, the Ashely Todd "mutilation" was, indeed, a hoax. That was clear pretty early on, as there was no plausible explanation for why the "B" was backwards save that this girl had scratched it on her own cheek (as Atrios acidly observed, "Really shoulda gone with the 'O'"). Incidentally, I think the blogosphere deserves some plaudits here, as fairly few people on either side of the aisle jumped the gun. Almost all the liberals I know were picking through the story's implausibility, but waiting for evidence from the police investigation before they said anything publicly. And the situation was similarly restrained on the Right, where even Michelle Malkin was counseling skepticism and restraint. That may be because the whole thing was obviously fraudulent, or it may be because sometimes folks are more mature than we give them credit for.
In any case, I don't know of any major blogger who was as publicly irresponsible as Matt Drudge -- whose "reputation" should really be taken out back and shot after this, but who will suffer no sanction whatsoever -- or Fox's John Moody, who said "If Ms. Todd’s allegations are proven accurate, some voters may revisit their support for Senator Obama, not because they are racists (with due respect to Rep. John Murtha), but because they suddenly feel they do not know enough about the Democratic nominee." Presumably, the attack would raise questions as to whether Barack Obama spent his evenings skulking around ATM's, carving his initials, Zorro-like, into the cheeks of innocent white women. Or maybe it would raise questions as to the true impacts Barack Obama's tax plan would have on small business. But definitely one of the two!
Last point: There's something to be said for the stability America demonstrates during presidential elections. The season has its ugly moments, to be sure, but given the stakes when you're choosing the leader of the world's most powerful country, and given the natural distribution of a fair number of mentally ill and uncommonly cynical individuals amidst a country of 300 million people, the relative rarity of incidents like this one is rather admirable. Todd's plan was, in some ways, an obvious one. Intuiting the possible political impact of reawakening racial fears at the close of a racially charged election does not require a particularly subtle intelligence. But she was an ill individual, and her efforts were transparently fraudulent. It wouldn't take a whole lot of planning, however, for a couple of folks to carry out a similar covert campaign in a much more strategically sophisticated fashion. But by and large, for all the anger and rhetoric and emotional heat, that sort of thing doesn't really seem to happen. Good on ya, America.
COMMENTS (15)
Presumably, the attack would raise questions as to whether Barack Obama spent his evenings skulking around ATM's, carving his initials, Zorro-like, into the cheeks of innocent white women. Or maybe it would raise questions as to the true impacts Barack Obama's tax plan would have on small business. But definitely one of the two!
Or maybe, he's secretly trying to turn all America's muggers dyslexic!
Posted by: dj moonbat | October 25, 2008 12:39 AM
ezra....
your point about the relative stability of people, considering the vast numbers is very true.
sometimes, when i am in the midst of an endless freeway gridlock on a hot, metallic afternoon and the cars are at a standstill, i am amazed that people are not climbing to the tops of the billboards or just abandoning their cars in a final act of commuting desperation.
it is a testament to the patience and self-restraint of most people that we maintain a rational semblance of community, in spite of the stresses and demands of everyday life.
Posted by: jacqueline | October 25, 2008 9:14 AM
now it is too macabre to put a big, decorative "O" on our faces for halloween.:-(
anyone has ever tried to facepaint even a heart or butterfly on a child's cheek, they would understand the implausablity of carving a figure eight backwards "b" into the cheek of a frightened victim.
someone could create an album of surreal moments from this meshuggana mccain campaign.:-)
Posted by: jacqueline | October 25, 2008 9:26 AM
Or just show the whole thing, beginning-to-end. Same difference.
Posted by: Jamey | October 25, 2008 9:44 AM
hopefully this will turn out to be Drudge's macaca moment too. good riddance.
Posted by: kc | October 25, 2008 11:32 AM
sometimes, when i am in the midst of an endless freeway gridlock on a hot, metallic afternoon and the cars are at a standstill, i am amazed that people are not climbing to the tops of the billboards or just abandoning their cars in a final act of commuting desperation.
Or calling 911 to complain about the traffic. Oh wait...
Posted by: K | October 25, 2008 12:50 PM
What's funny (not really) is that one likely side effect of an Obama presidency is less racial tension, not more.
Being a resident of Chicago since 1986, I can personally testify that racial tensions decreased noticeably when Bill Clinton replaced the race-baiting Reagan and Bush I in 1992.
Strange how people actually behave in a more civilized manner when they feel like their voices might be heard, and they have an actual stake in the society in which they live.
Posted by: brewmn | October 25, 2008 12:55 PM
You apparently were not checking out the PUMAsphere, where this was viewed as evidence that Obama would murder all that opposed him and set up a fascist dictatorship. No, seriously.
Posted by: Cain | October 25, 2008 1:18 PM
But she was an ill individual
No pity for this person, please. Just because she's 20 and a woman doesn't mean she gets excused for this vile stunt. There is nothing about this that indicates mental illness. She wanted to stir racial tensions in a swing state two weeks before the election. Period.
Posted by: jeebus | October 25, 2008 1:40 PM
It's like I told my old boss the day I walked out -- you can afford to be evil or you can afford to be stupid and have some fair chance of making a go of it.
But you can't afford to be both.
Posted by: Paul Camp | October 25, 2008 1:56 PM
True, Jeebus. I think that one of the attitudes that has undermined our nation for the past 8 years is unwarranted readiness to avoid attributing the horrible outcomes perpetuated by Bush & Co. to their calculated intentions.
Posted by: Nicole | October 25, 2008 2:34 PM
If she were a mentally ill individual who made this up in her own home or wanted out of an institution, I'd express sympathy for her illness. However, even if she were mentally ill, she's someone who signed up to volunteer for the McCain campaign and did everything she could to help McCain get elected. Her illness might excuse a few foibles or delusions, but it doesn't excuse dishonest, immoral behavior in service of her political choices.
Posted by: Tyro | October 25, 2008 4:37 PM
"It wouldn't take a whole lot of planning, however, for a couple of folks to carry out a similar covert campaign in a much more strategically sophisticated fashion."
Don't speak too soon. Ten days to go.
Pardon the paranoia, but we can't discount the depths to which the GOP will go as it stares into the abyss.
Posted by: allbetsareoff | October 25, 2008 5:32 PM
Just speculation. But one thing which would account for the backwards B is not if the person were dyslexic, but if the perp and the victim were one in the same person doing it in a mirror and not realizing that it would come out inverted.
Posted by: billyblog | October 25, 2008 5:58 PM
The whole Bush administration is mentally ill.. at least to the point of not having a consciounce, or a care for what the country looks like after they are done extracting profits.
..aside from that..
EK your post omits an important part of the moody Post. Its really a classic that someone should never have written, especialy someone high up in a media company, but whatever.
He ends his own post by saying-
"If the incident turns out to be a hoax, Senator McCain’s quest for the presidency is over, forever linked to race-baiting."
So .. even he saw its potential to backfire.
Posted by: david b | October 26, 2008 1:37 AM