White protesters greet black voters

You know that collective experience of early voting at polling places near Obama rallies I wrote about yesterday? Some people find this profoundly threatening and offensive.

Christina Bellantoni reported for the Washington Times on McCain/Palin supporters heckling Obama supporters as they cast their ballots in southwestern Virginia.

An organizer at the rally rattled off the addresses of early vote sites nearby that would be open after the event.

Photographer Joe Eddins and I headed over to the closest one and found a steady line of voters hoping to cast ballots early. Most seemed to be Obama supporters and several had come from the rally. Nearly all the voters were black.

Also at the polling site was a group of loud and angry protesters who shouted and mocked the voters as they walked in. Nearly all were white.

As you can see from these videos, no one held anything back. People were shouting about Obama's acknowledged cocaine use as a young man, abortion and one man used the word "terrorist." They also were complaining that Sundays are for church, not voting.

This wasn’t the scariest protest I've ever seen. The Obama supporter who talked with the reporter didn't seem to feel that threatened. But he is a big guy.

But protesting while people vote? Yelling scorn at people entering the polling place? That certainly goes over some important line, amounts to an attack on a basic democratic right. See the scene yourself. [5:04]


H/t the Washington Monthly.