I usually avoid trying to make any larger connection, or draw any type of conclusions, based on posted comments online. Most often written anonymously, they certainly tend to be angry and combative and at times downright offensive. Readers can essentially post whatever they want and never be held accountable. Plus, because of the sheer volume of comments, it's difficult for host sites to monitor them all.

Everybody knows online readers from every corner of the political spectrum write all kinds of crazy stuff, day in and day out, which is why I generally just ignore offensive comments, and rarely highlight them.

That said, the comment section thread connected to a recent Politico article about how Sen. Harry Reid's wife and daughter were seriously injured in a Washington, D.C. area car crash, was -- even for a online veteran like myself -- just jaw-dropping.

What was so stunning was the sheer, unadulterated hatred that conservative readers tapped into so they could mock and heap scorn on Reid and his injured family, and to wish that Reid's body had been mangled as well. To see this stuff published on a mainstream news site like Politico is also disturbing.

The GOP Noise Machine long ago turned the vitriol way past 11 when it came to trying to dehumanizing their political opponents. And if people want a glimpse into the dark soul of today's right wing, then keep reading.

This was the second comment posted under the Politico article about Reid's injured wife and daughter:

Quick, get Rahm out of the shower and send him over there--They might need poking!

This was the third:

Reid's a Mormon, so he probably has spares

And that was just the beginning:

Personally, we don't give a d*mn. If Reid had been in the car too, we'd call that the cherry on the sundae of our day.

And:

A pity Harry wasn't in the car.

And:

Its to bad it wasn`t him instead.

And:

too bad harry wasn't driving the car, with that hag pelosi riding shotgun, love to see her face go splat.......what goes around comes around, keep being socialists....

And:

Too bad it wasn't Queenie Botox Pelosi's demise. KARMA: It WILL Get You!!

And:

If Reid gets his way your family could die in the street for all he cares. Don't give me this crap about respecting his family because I can assure you he doesn't respect yours.

And:

Maybe the creep Seedy Reidy realized his campaign needed some sympathy.

And:

KARMA.........KARMA........KARMA.....Ain't it *Magical*????

And:

... ashes,ashes and they all fall down.......

And:

What goes around comes around....

And:

Poor idiot Ried ,wife and daughter in an accident, right before he accidently destroys the USA. Oh thats right he`s doing it on purpose.

Remember, the fanatical outpouring of hate was not prompted by news about what a politician had done, but by the revelation that members of a senator's family had been badly injured.

I should also note that a couple commenters posted pleas for Politico to shut the article's comment section down since portions of it had deteriorated into a cesspool. But no action was taken.

UPDATED: It appears that editors at Politico have now gone in an deleted the offensive comments highlighted by Media Matters.