Mark Binker at Capital Beat of the News-Record has to wonder:

After today I'm wondering - and this is just wondering at this point - whether Republicans aren't in some respect giving their supporters license for this sort of crap. If the story you peddle is that your guys are the good guys and all those who stand against them are the bad guys, and the "liberal media" is in that second column, might there be a message there – even if it is one that is misconstrued and carried to a stupid extreme in some cases?

His associate journalist Joe Killian was covering the Palin rally in Elon when a McCain-Palin supporter kicked him from behind to the ground.

On his own blog, Joe Killian writes:

It was an interesting day and I’m glad to have had the experience. But now here I sit, sunburned and sore with a throbbing headache and an aching leg.

Why? Because a McCain-Palin supporter tried to kick my ass.

-snip

It was a moment of levity in an otherwise very tense situation and so I let out a gentle chuckle and shook my head.

“Oh, you think that’s funny?!” the large bearded man said. His face was turning red. “Yeah, that’s real funny…” he said.

And then he kicked the back of my leg, buckling my right knee and sending me sprawling onto the ground.

From my position there I saw the bottoms of a number of feet almost accidentally stomping me to death as the two political camps screamed back and forth, the music continued to blare and some of the Obama crowd moved the large bearded man and his friends away. When I was helped to my feet the bearded man was walking away quickly.

Obama was met by McCain-Palin protesters today in Virginia.

As Democratic nominee Barack Obama pulled into the Roanoke Civic Center on Friday, he was greeted by the usual McCain campaign supporters that protest Obama rallies. But this time, those waving McCain-Palin signs were joined by dozens of people waving standard-issue plungers. Some wore white t-shirts emblazoned with "I AM JOE THE PLUMBER" on the front. The protesters all said they were volunteers and not paid by the McCain campaign.

No word on anyone beating them up. They look like they're having fun, so I hope not.

Certainly they seem better behaved than this McCain-Palin group last week in Pennsylvania.

Especially note the gorilla at the end who grabs his dick and shouts, "Kiss my lipstick!"