Crime Politics Racism

The McCain Volunteer Mugging Story Turns On Alleged Victim

Posted by Dave McKenna on Oct. 24, 2008, at 9:39 am

It only took about a couple hours before folks started calling Ashley Todd a liar. (Read the comments to her posts.)

Is this the Susan Smith Effect?

Whatever happened in that Pittsburgh parking lot, even if that's nothing at all, today's gonna be an uglier day because of it.

UPDATE, 11:25 a.m.: Ashley Todd has now made the comments section of her blog private. At last glance, basically every commenter was calling the attack a hoax. Todd's second to last post, logged about the time of the alleged mugging, if the clock on the site is to be believed: "Oh the blog I will be making soon..."

UPDATE, 1:51 P.M.: Ashley Todd's blog has been removed from the Republican staffer site. Looks like she never saw a big black attacker after all. This is a girl in trouble.

Comments

merge divide October 24th, 2008
10:31 am

#1

From the perspective of a Pittsburgh local, this looks like more race-baiting from the GOP:

Read About It.
Evan October 24th, 2008
10:36 am

#2

Whatever happened to this woman is horrendous, although it seems the story is still developing and not all the facts are in.

But a double standard is evident based on the amount of coverage this incident is getting.

Compare it with how little attention has been paid to a recent string of politically-motivated, violent acts perpetrated by McCain-Palin supporters:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/erik-ose/mccain-and-palin-inciting_b_137035.html

The crucial difference is that Obama and Biden are not traveling the country stirring up hatred among their supporters that would incite violence, while McCain and Palin clearly are.
Jarvis October 24th, 2008
2:31 pm

#3

She failed a lie detector test and confessed to making it up.

http://kdka.com/local/attack.McCain.Bloomfield.2.847628.html

Police are considering charges.
Babs October 24th, 2008
7:05 pm

#4

What a lying bit-------