New North End candidate for the House says he’s been unfairly characterized as a racist by the media.
Michael McGarghan, a candidate for the Vermont House of Representatives, tweeted that President Barack Obama should be hanged earlier this year. He is running for the Chittenden District 6-1, representing the New North End of Burlington.
McGarghan says he watched a video that persuaded him that the president has damaged the military. Like Glenn Beck and others, McGarghan says he believes Obama is a traitor.
“My tweet addressed our US Constitution’s prescription of the death penalty for treason,” McGarghan says.
The New North End resident now admits that message was “indelicate,” and he blames the media for mischaracterizing him as “racist,” “bigoted” and “anti-immigrant.”
In a letter to his constituents issued last week, McGarghan said “I am none of those.”
“Still, I’ve become the focus of truly hateful attacks by people who would deny my right to express an opinion they disagree with,” McGarghan said.
He says the Vermont State Police has received a credible threat against him, his wife has been targeted and “my family has been disturbed by constant fraudulent phone calls.”
“All because political opponents disagree with my point of view,” he writes.
“I’m not looking for sympathy,” McGarghan says. “I’m sharing to demonstrate how politics in Vermont has shifted, as people believe that the rights of the individual no longer matter. You’ll hear about tolerance and diversity, but it is applied selectively and for the benefit of those groups in favor today. My believe system is not so inconsistent.”
McGarghan served in the military with the Vermont National Guard in Afghanistan. He says he believes “in human rights and the rights of the unborn.”
