John McCain will be in Lakeville this afternoon for a town-hall meeting. In recent days McCain-Palin rallies have elicited some rather ugly, bloodthirsty displays from the Republican faithful. Riled up by speakers declaring the Democratic presidential candidate a terrorist lover and addressing him as Barack Hussein Obama, audience members have responded by shouting out such lovely sentiments as “Kill him” and “Treason.”

So are we likely to be treated to such a display in Lakeville this afternoon? Probably not. Why? Palin won’t be on hand to incite the crowd into a frothing mob. Without her presence, a McCain town-hall meeting is more likely to inspire narcolepsy than red-blooded threats.

Here’s a clip, courtesy of TPM, from yesterday’s rally in Peewaukee, Wisconsin, in which one very excitable man rails against the “socialists taking over our country” and the crowd goes nuts: