McCain's "Disrespectful" Ad is Downright Racist.
By bluegal Saturday Sep 13, 2008 12:00pm
During this historic campaign it will be far too easy to throw the "racist" and "sexist" terms around. But this ad is racist...and it's time to call them on it. From the excellent blog, Commonplace Book:
Ordering a black man to show you respect is pretty over the top in 2008. I'm sure McCain's constituency in the South and perhaps right here in Indiana will recognize the terminology from their (thankfully) long ago heydays of sundown towns and lynch mob gatherings, ...and respond accordingly.
There's only one response to that ad: "That's racist!" Read more...
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another message from mccain's alternate reality.
foist
How... uppity!
This is what I hate about negative ads that have nothing to do with the issues. One side makes a reach like "Obama called her good looking" or "he's disrespectful"....then the other side reaches even further...."that racists". I call bullshit on both. And when I say "both" I don't mean Obama because he has yet to comment on the ad.
McPOW really did pick up where Clinton left off.
Keep pounding away, Obama. She IS a liar.
You have to earn respect from people and John McCain has done NOTHING to earn ANYONE'S respect.
JOHN MCCAIN IS A BIG FAT LYING RACIST PIG.
Racist?
Really?
McCain. The lie-ingly lie-ing liar. Divorced-- from reality!
Stupid? yes. Racist? Maybe I am just ignorant because I don't see the racism just the mean-spirited stupidity.
No, it's not Racist. It's sleazy, and it's a lie, but it's not racist. Let's wait before we're sure before pulling 'racist' out. I think Obama's counter offensive is working. Let's support that: but jumping the gun on this won't help us.
Racist? Not really.
But, is the ad utter bullshit? Yes (as today's NY Times front page amply demonstrates), definitely.
Well in all honesty - Palin IS lying.
I don't know about the racist angle, but...for them to sanctimoniously suggest that Sarah Palin is NOT lying is completely laughable and absurd. And gee...disrespectful too. Disrespectful of THE TRUTH.
I'm starting to wonder if Obama even wants to win the election. Where are his hard-hitting ads? He needs to turn this around and put McCain on the defensive for once. Unless Obama takes off the gloves, this is starting to look like an exact repeat of Kerry.
Canuknotusa @ 7:
Yeah, I see where the argument is rooted, but I am not there on the ad being racist, also. Bullshit pandering, yes. Racist, no.
Wait, so who's running for president again? I could have sworn that some old white guy was in the race.
I don't see any racism in this ad. I'd reserve the racism card for when it is actually in play, and here it clearly not.
There's nothing racist about this ad. It's an attempt to make Obama look disrespectful to women--namely, Palin. They're trying to make him appear sexist (look at the quotes, folks!) They picked Palin in hopes of gaining Hillary supporters--specifically, WOMEN supporters--and this ad is aimed at THEM, trying to make Obama look like he's sexist.
Racist? Not even slightly, unless we define racism as "any comment made involving a person of color." Instead of attacking this ad on the false premise of racism, why not look at the fact that it's a total lie? Go to factcheck.org to see a rundown of these quotes and their actual context.
Sorry to be rude (I usually try to temper my comments), but anybody who genuinely thinks this ad is racist is an idiot!
Michael @ 17:
Reverse feminism.
Republicans lie, and call everyone else liars for calling them on it. As long as the MSM tries to keep their campaign coverage "fair", the republicans will get away with it. The MSM will say "are is the McCain campaign distorting the truth?" then have 3 republican talking heads on as guests to explain why the democrats are the ones who are lying.
It's racist is a surreal way. If I don't want to believe I'm racist I don't have to and I can make racist comments to prove my point and to make it ok. That's how it works.
"Racist" might be a bit of a stretch here, but I'll agree with the sleazy assessment made by PaulFromPhilly.
What strikes me about this voiceover announcer, though, in all of the ads her voice is barely above a whisper.
McCain is running a whisper campaign. Maybe because when you bring his arguments out and discuss them openly they fall apart.
Sorry guys but this add doesn't seem racist to me (Eventhough I not being from US could miss some innuendo's and cultural nuance's) But honestly I don't see racism in this add It's just another stupid and disshonest add from McCain camp.
What does that say about your system (or the political IQ of the populace) where ads like this can possibly win an election?
Your election is like watching a reality show where back stabbing and lying are an integral part of the game and substantive issues cannot and will not be discussed under any circumstances!
obama's down in the polls PULL OUT THE RACE CARD...I guess obama is getting used to using it. He did with Hillary trying to paint of all people that Bill Clinton was racist. But the bunch of zonked out young people with less experience of what the president has to do, well they believe everything this empty suit does.
Hey, where's his birth certificate, Columbia college grades, somebody anybody that knew him.
The most hilarious thing is these ads are targeted towards people who have already made up their minds to vote for Mac and Moose anyway.
I mean whats the point?
I am puzzled by the celebrity meme that is repeated in each and every McCain ad. Isn't that essentially all that Palin is at this point? She is all hype with no facts. She gives the same speech over and over, limits access to the press and cries foul whenever someone dares to call her on it. I don't think it is wise for the McCain camp to accuse someone of being a celebrity when they are pretty much pushing the Hothead and the Diva ticket.
Read "To Kill a Mockingbird". It's racist.
I'm completely for Obama, but if you honestly think this is racist.... you're a kook, I'm not sure if I've ever seen a dumber post on C&L.
No one can ask a black person for more respect without being racist? What brand of dog food have you been smoking?
As with most Republican political ads, it's not so much that the ads themselves are racist, but that they are designed and crafted to appeal to racists, bigots, xenophobes, and homophobes. The Republicans are the one major political party that intentionally crafts its messages to court the vote of people who take pride in their ignorance.
32 lies to no where? yep, sarah palin is a pig and a liar.
The logic of many of the McCain ads seems simple and Rovian enough. Implicitly invoke features of the "racial imaginary" used against African-American men since the antebellum period: a threat to white women (the celebrity ads featuring Hilton and Spears); a scary sexuality (the sex education and kindergarten ad); ambition inconsistent with the racial hierarchy (the celebrity theme); and here, respect and obedience (this ad, plus the argument that the media and the Obama campaign are not showing Palin enough deference, whatever that is). But do so in a way that the racial aspect is implicit and only indirectly stated, so that white voters can feel their fear of a black man in power without at the same time feeling guilt or confusion about racism. The Republicans deal in fear -- it is their element and expertise, as evidenced in their use of 9/11 for partisan ends -- and insofar as they can attach the contemporary voter to a centuries-long fear and suspicion of black men, Obama is unlikely to get their vote.
There's an "uppity" theme going on there, all right. And how dare they say a liar was lying? The thing is, they still have deniability. It's subtext, not blatant enough. If the Obama campaign itself went after the McCain campaign as racists here, it would backfire. Just know how they're playing the game. McCain's lying sex ed allows for a much stronger pushback, as the Planned Parenthood ad cut to hit it does.
I agree that this defintiely has racists. And Marge, I your zonked out if your using conspiracy theories to explain why Obama you dont like Obama.
lying about crowd size is like lying about how much money you have...it shows your not confident about yourself. And Why the hell is McCain at NASCAR.
Racially Biased Alert: Whitlock and DeMoss
Wayne A. Schneider @ 30:
Nail on the head. Thank you.
Marge: I don't know if this will reach you in whatever universe you are currently traveling, but Obama didn't actually create this thread. In fact, I bet you will find that he didn't create any of the threads on this site. This is shocking, but check it out.
Not racist.
But the McCain campaign ARE liars. He should keep hammering that meme because the MSM will eventually be called to evaluate if the charge is legit.
To see the racism in this ad all you have to do is imagine replacing Obama with a white politician. They simply wouldn't have made the ad. When has any white politician been charged (in such a put-out condescending voice) with, "how disreSPECTful" they've been. What kind of charge is that in a presidential election? Not respecting her enough? This ad, and the kindergarten sex-ed one with him juxtaposed to look like he's leering at classroom full of white 5 year old are shamefully racist.
I am a committed Obama supporter and I just dont see the racism.
I think the claim is flimsy and must be reserved for only the most egregious and unambiguous of cases.
The effect of making a weak claim is HORRIBLY counterproductive.
Kill this post pronto !
not beat a field stripped moose, or depawed wolf for that matter, but again straight from machiavelli's playbook, tell big lies, then affect great indignation at any suggestion that you might have told a lie, get as much mileage out of that you can, eye on the birdie and all. what they do. it's why they do not merit political office. we don't need more sixteenth century leadership.
Yeah, I'm not down with the "racist" thing. I don't see any racism, and calling "racism" on something as silly as this will just make it completely ineffective to call "racism" if/when they actually do something racist.
I vote "no" on using the "racist" tag here. No good. won't work. Will only backfire.
BUT, I agree that Obama needs to keep calling them liars, especially now that the media has paid some decent attention in this area. I wouldn't even hesitate- come right out and call them liars.
It's pretty easy to see where this ad is aimed: Scared white people. Not sure that the ad is racist though. It's really very subtle if it is. I agree that it is pandering to the scared white people, or the old white people who may be inclined to think that Palin and McCain deserve respect just because she is a woman and he is a "war hero".
All of this is such a distraction though. I want Obama to stay on the issues and have surrogates hit back hard. He really can win on the issues this time. Economy tied to the huge amounts we are borrowing for THE WAR. How that money NEEDS to be spent on education, health care and infrastructure, to include alternative energy plans.
Granted, I don't think that Obama should be a punk and not respond at all, but I don't think he needs to stay away from the racist stuff, because that's what they want, is for him to call them racists, so they can paint him with the Sharpton brush.
What is not being discussed, and what this election is REALLY about, is that half of America wants a white theocracy to lead the world into Armageddon. And that is why the wolrd will act against us, and quickly, if McCain is elected.
I'm with those who doubt that the McSame ad is racist. The ad is stupid and dishonest and definitely ridiculous because the Repubs expect respect when their campaign has shown no respect for the other side. But I wouldn't say it's racist.
I guess the Repubs don't want people to give much thought to exactly how Palin is "proving them wrong every day." Is she even making an effort at refuting the irrefutable fact that she has lied and misrepresented her record? If she is, that's news to me.
It is similar to the tendency to use phrases like, "you people." Code is code with Republicans. They probably know what their target audience will hear in this ad. It is intentional.
NewVictorian @ 32:
Well said! You hit the nail on the head.
This is so way over the top immature. I think that's the better argument. These are people they want running the country??? Is this how they're going to respond to other world leaders? You hurt my feelings! Whhhaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
for all of you that just don't see it, click here and connect the dots...
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=8C50E8F12B18220818...
and then revisit the history and causes of lynching, and consider how many Black men have been taught a lesson, or killed, for disrespecting a white woman... Is McCain and his warriors trying to politically lynch Obama? Hmmm....
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Wow, you guys are REALLY getting desperate now that Obama's campaign is tanking.
Face it kids. You blew your chance. McCain is going to win this thing in a landslide. Look at the electoral map. If he flips Michigan or Pennsylvania, Obama is toast. Both states are looking better for McCain daily. Hell, even Minnesota is now dead even.
Paul B. @ 18:
"Nothing racist"? really? nothing racist in an ad claiming (untruthfully as it so happens) that a black man referring to a white woman as "attractive" is somehow disrespectful? It was actually white guy Biden who said it, but yet the ad features Obama. Since so much racism has historically rested on hysterical fear mongering of black men coming after white women, the code in this ad comes through pretty clearly to me.
NewVictorian @ 32:
Yes. Exactly. This is the logic that has to be driven into the ground as unacceptable so that the bigots in this country are forced to keep their backward, cruel, and uneducated thoughts to themselves because they are politically incorrect.
Folks, the ad is racist.
Racist? Give me a break. But Palin has been lying about her record, and the Democrats need to keep hammering on that -- and on how McCain made a bad, knee-jerk decision in picking her.
Marco @ 15:
It IS most certainly racist when you consider that it's meant to work almost subliminally to influence specific lizard brains in specific parts of the country. It's meant to work on the subconscious of people who don't even consider themselves racist, but there are a lot of people out there who would get more outraged at a black man "disrespecting" white people, than by white-on-white disrespect.
It's very clever, because it's so subtle a lot of people-even on this thread- don't even get it..meaning Obama would look like a big crybaby if he called it racist. But it is.
NewVictorian @ 32:
Exactly.
Wayne A. Schneider @ 30:
As another reader said at 35, you're dead right, Wayne. The ad is designed to appeal to racists.
Once again the Reslugs must run nasty, false lies, in their ads because they stand for nothing new and won't talk about important issues for Americans.
you can't just flippantly reduce obama to 'a black man' when it gives you the chance to make a cheap point. not good enough.
Barry @ 49:
Minnesota is dead even when Republicans play with the polls. We didn't want the Republican convention here and Palin makes us vomit.
If not racist, then certainly sexist.
Why in hell does she deserve any more [or ;ess] respect than the repugs have given Barack Obama.
I say: Smear her just like they smear Obama.
I have to agree - How disrepectful!
But nonetheless true!
What ever happened to having to earn respect?
oh come on, it is not racist, please stop over using the word racist, you are taking the meaning away from it
bloo @ 40:
Red Headed StepChild @ 41:
Thank you both for expressing my sentiments exactly.
What do you expect from the party of closet racists?
I know, I used to be a member and left for that reason...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rC995i04r0
For those saying it's not racist, you're right that it's not overtly racist. But it will certainly resonate with people who are consciously or subconsciously racist, by scolding Obama for disrespecting a white woman. You can't prove that it was intended to be racist, but you can't deny that it's effective at exploting racism in its target audience. And it would be silly to suggest that McCain's campaign is not aware of that. Add to that a history of racist GOP strategies and there's not much reason to give them the benefit of the doubt.
I really don't care for the hypersensitivity revealed by the response this ad has gotten. What in the world is racist about this? Crying wolf won't help our cause win. It could be the reason it fails, though.
ronhohn @ 59:
Presenting honestly integrated facts is not a smear, even if it is unflattering. Calling Palin is a liar is not a smear.
There is more than enough real racism in this society. I don't think we need to look for it in every corner. When we scream racism over things like this, we diminish the fight against the real problems. Yes, the ad is sleazy and misleading. We need to point out the inaccuracies and lies instead of crying wolf.
I can see the racist angle, and also realize that it is faint at that, as most wont see it being there. Most of us aren't old enough to remember that black American had to walk on the other side of the road if a white woman was in their path. Telling Barack that he needs to be respectful, even if the other guy is lying, is un-American. It is the duty of all American white or black to question your govt activities. George Bush didn't get that lesson and McCain appears to fail to observe that right for all American. Once again McCain has proven that he is not a maverick!
gwen @ 64:
What I find most uncomfortable about people not seeing the racism for what it is, no matter how subtle it is, is that people who are making the statement that it isn't racist are playing into the Republican hands. The Republicans know this ad is racist. They know it's subtle. They know exactly what they are doing and the people of this country have to start saying this is not acceptable. Stop defending it. They're laughing all over themselves when you do.
It's a stretch to call this racist. The term I would use is childish. Honestly, this ad seems directed to 7 year olds. This bad man said bad things about mommy! This is how the Republican party see the average American voter. It'll probably work with their base because they're such morons and they don't understand anything more nuanced than this, but I don't know how calling someone "good looking" is going to shock America into voting for McCain. By the way, when did Obama say this? I must have missed that one.
Scy @ 43:
This is quite good point. I am from Czech Republic and I have to say (no disrespect) that nearly half of your country population seems like a bloodthirsty fanatics from here. All those right wing rapture awaiting conservative evangelicals scares the shit out of me. And it would be all fluffy and stuff if these crazies were held at check in obscurity were they belongs - but the sad reality is that these crazies were able to gain a tremendous ammount of influence (in such vital things as foreign policy etc.) under the Bush administration - and the fact that now there is yet another extremist-christian crazy type this Palin character (just one hearbeat away from the position of president) (and this not to even talk about all those crazy neocons around McCain) and that she has reasonable chance to make it into the WH is just dreadful.
If McBush fools enough complete, uneducated, Dumb-Asses and wins, this World will be doomed to complete alzheimer incompetence, an totally inexperienced Wolf killer, MORE Wars and a bigger debt to saddle our kids and grandchildren with. This world can't afford anymore Bush thinkers in the White House.
What strikes me most about this ad is not the possible racist factor, but rather its complete emptiness. They say, "They call Sarah Palin a liar and Palin proves them wrong every day," but... how is she proving them wrong? How about some substance and evidence instead of playing a juvenile "Yes, it is! No, it isn't!" game? Show us how the Obama campaign is lying and then you might have a listening ear.
The race card again?
Over played.
Sigh/ BS.
Racist? that's wrong, shrill and discredits us. Using the word disrespectful intends to conjure a perception that Obama is disrespectful of women. That explanation makes more sense than racial overtones.
Try harder next time.
I guess I'm a little too "young" (ha, ha 43) to see the racism in the ad, plus I've thankfully been sheltered from any kind of racist thinking in my own family.
I do believe McCain is simply wasting money with his ads.
The general public KNOWS Palin is lying, the right are the ones saying how "hot" she is (sheeesh, give me a break).
And, already, her star power is fading, but is the only thing holding a crowd's attention in the McCain campaign.
These ads are doing nothing to pull in as yet undecided voters, except for maybe driving them away.
I need a break, I'm watching football today.
Peace.
McCain continues down this road because his data must show that it works. I don't know who said it on the shows today, but the word that will certainly get under McCain's skin is "dishonor." Time to show the American people that McCain is as far from honorable as they come. Hit him there and hit him hard...until it hurts.
Let's face it. This battle will be fought in the gutters from here until the election, and the candidate least hated by the American people in November will be our next President. It's disgusting but we deserve it.
Come on. They are baiting you, and you fell for it hook, line, and sinker. Ofcourse, the McCain campaign wants the response from the Obama campaign to say its rascists. I didn't really get that impression when I watched the ad as several others commenting on here as well.
The ad says Gov. Palin proves them wrong everyday. Well, its is time to challenge them on it. She has told so many lies that can easily be refuted. It is time to throw down the gauntlet on Palin then treat her as a non-story. Who wants to continue listening to a pathological liar. The message is simple...Gov. Palin is a LIAR and what is disrespectful is the McCain campaign's disrespect for the electorate. Some role model she is to not only her kids, but what kind of example is this setting for everyone's kids; especially daughters, who view her as a role model. I know she isn't, but responsible parents should use her as an example of why lying is wrong.
xenophon @3
Word.
Yeah, start throwing the "racist" card down. That's bound to work. Especially in those highly coveted "swing states."
Yeah, let's take another opportunity to knock the south, cause God knows the south is the only place that has racists.
When it's necessary to have to point out the perceived racism, and it's still arguably not racist, you might want to reconsider your opinion.
There's no "there" there.
mike @ 75:
If it was about disrespect of women, they would have used Biden--you know the guy who actually referred to Palin as "good looking" (though he did it a way to disparage himself). Why didn't they use Biden, he's a man? uh, cause he's white. It wasn't a message about sexism.
Ahh bullshit. I had to be told what to look for. I knows it when I sees it, and I didn't see it.
And yeah, Palin is a liar.
This ad is not racist. As much as a dislike McCain and his campaign, spinning this ad to be "racist" is as big of a lie as the ad itself. The person who tries to inject racism where there is none is racist in and of itself.
This is the kind of political commentary that perpetuates a campaign of reciprocal mudslinging. Horrible.
I'm sure I'm not the first to say this, but my visceral reaction was, "if you want respect, fucking earn it!
Has anyone seen the Obama Waffles? Talk about fucking racist! Go to www.obamawaffles.com and see what I mean. Some Values Forum (who else?) sponsored by Dobson's group, was selling these - the box has Obama with wide open eyes (can anyone say Stepn Fetchit?) and one side has Obama wearing a turban with the phrase - tastes better when facing east (Obama as a Muslim). I have already emailed the company at customerservice@obamawaffles.com to complain. Please do the same.
Billy @ 11:
Ditto.
Riiiight. How could the ad possibly be racist? Because the idea of a black man "disrespecting" a white woman by calling her "good looking" has absolutely no historical resonance in this country.:-P
It's a dogwhistle. The base knows exactly what it means.
As for the idea that "jumping the gun" on this and calling it racist when it might not be is somehow detrimental to democrats, how's the lipstick looking on that pig?
no just sleazy which is just as bad
Barry @ 49:
Barry, you might want to hold the gloating for another month or so. Not that you Republicans actually feel things like shame or regret, but the Palin bubble is popping and that's the only thing keeping you guys in the race right now. Once that's gone, and it soon will be, it's not going to look so good for your team anymore. Come on back here in October.
xenophon @ 3:
QFT
The ad is amply full of shit, stupid, divorced from reality, and pointless, to not have to make up excuses to hate it.
L.A. Confidential @ 26:
I just see a desperate campaign ad.
But...
Is it just me, or does the image at the end (the "paid for & approved by" message) remind anyone else of Il Duce? They need to pick a different picture.
Look, most Americans seem not to see that there was a racial appeal when Reagan opened his campaign talking about "States Rights" in Philadelphia, Miss. The people who do see the problem are already voting for Obama. (Of course, there were also people who knew all too well what Reagan was getting at, and liked it, but those people are unreachable.) Such people aren't going to think this ad is racist either.
There are hundreds of things to go after John Bush about. Hundreds. This one is a complete waste of time that could be spent on something that could actually get people to see what the Bush/McCain/Palin/Cheney ticket is all about. Harping on it won't gain Obama a single vote. Though it might make some independents think that this is the best we can come up with, which would lose us votes.
That's just the way it is. We've got to win with the cards we have.
it's _the_invisible_man all over again!!!
lynch talk from the mccain campagin is unacceptable and unexcusable...
"Racist"?
Sleazy, yeah, but "racist"? "Downrightly" so?
You're reachin' here. That's crybaby shit. Playing right into McInsane's hands.
Yet, this ad was very respectful towards Senator Obama, we are to presume?
Here is a question. If Senator Obama says this tangentially while delivering his stump speech, "Oxycontin is a cancer on America's rural communities", is he really trying to insult John McCain (the cancer patient) or Cindy McCain (the drug abuser)?
I'm John McCain and I approved this message: Its okay that we don't talk about issues. Issues will just get in the way of you voting for me and my party. This is about personalities and Ms. Palin has a great personality. My friends, I can't think of anyone I'd rather Moose hunt with than Ms. Palin except possibly Dick Cheney. You know she has good foreign relations skills due to here keen eyesight and $400 eyeglass frames. Speaking of energy, my friends, no one knows more about nucuelar energy than her. She'll drill and drill and drill and maintain America's dependence on foreign oil for years to come while we wait for those wells to go bust the way so many others in authorized areas have or until the oil companies decide the price of oil is high enough to really go and pollute the fragile areas they'll have to go to to find it.
And Sen. Obama, what a meanie for not coming to my parties! You know my friends, he'd much rather debate me in an open forum than speak at meetings salted with my supporters. Those issues though may be important to you but we have to keep the "Senator" on his toes with our lies and innuendo otherwise you may find that I'm all antler and no moose! My friends, 9/11, be afraid and good night. "Respect my authority!"
Jeanne @ 28:
Exactly.
I agree with others that say the instant "American Idol" celebrity IS Sarah Palin. I mean, at least 270 million Americans had not even heard of her before August, now it's all "reality TV" with her.
It's almost like the Republican ticket is reversed now. Is John McCain even running any more? That sissy has given up the top of the Republican ticket to a nobody.
It's more of the same. The ad says nothing to counter Obama's claims that they're lying. They ignore the charge and attach his character. Nothing new here.
Respect is earned. You want respect? Quit lying.
miss skeptic @ 86:
While you are at it, visit Aunt Jemima and ask why they are using their brand to make Senator Obama look like a slave.
Jim_in_SF @ 100:
Make that "attack" his character...
It may well be racist, BUT that is subtle compared to how the whole ad is B.S., that is, completely without foundation, a LIE. It seems to me that it's more effective to go with the clearer objection. It IS such a lie that it's really disgusting. Talkingpointsmemo has something on the Navy officer code of conduct vs. McCain's recent behavior. McCain is revealing his character with these ads.
Racist? No way.
--------
Want respect, Moosekiller? Earn it.
An Other Greek @ 48:
Yeah the racism is really upfront.
The McCain ad is certainly more of the same although it uses the dog whistle to bring the point home.
This business of "disrespect" apart from being insidiously racist is also an elaborate excuse for pulling the obviously befuddled Palin off of the interview circuit before she exposes herself any further as the ditz she is.
Hannity will welcome her with open arms and gently coax her through a carefully scripted exercise masquerading as an "interview" but she will not be allowed to venture into any real question and answer territory again before the VP debate.
To "Marge" at 25,
Where have you heard that "Obama" is playing the race card.
It's the opinion of some on blogs, and in comments.
There is no reply from the Obama campaign.
I'll pull the race card on YOU though, you appear to be racist and ignorant by your comment:
Marge's comment at 25 below:
obama’s down in the polls PULL OUT THE RACE CARD…I guess obama is getting used to using it. He did with Hillary trying to paint of all people that Bill Clinton was racist. But the bunch of zonked out young people with less experience of what the president has to do, well they believe everything this empty suit does.
Hey, where’s his birth certificate, Columbia college grades, somebody anybody that knew him.
As someone who grew up in the Deep South in a bi-racial family, I can confirm that the ad is implicitly racist, with the codified message that Senator Obama is not being what used to be termed in the South a "Good Negro" (i.e. he dares to address a white woman as his equal.)
To be ignorant of history is to be in danger of repeating it.
Meanwhile, Tina Fey did a great spoof of Palin last night on SNL. Maybe the Obama campaign ought to spend an afgfternoon absorbing Ms. Fey's wit and wisdom.
Chad,
B.S! As a white woman I immediately thought "threatening black man going after the white woman" upon seeing this ad. MA Lt. Gov. Kerry Healy used the same type of "threat" ad against Deval Patrick, a black man, in her failed run for governor. (So no, racism isn't confined to the South.) This slime didn't work for Healy. She was easily defeated by Patrick. Let's hope the American electorate won't fall for it either.
As always the case with subtle racism, the damn racists deny it. Obama is immune to these feeble attempts thank goodness and they won't work.
I don't see this as racist (with the possible exception of the use of a distinctly unflattering profile of Obama that actually looks photoshopped to enlarge his lips). In any case, that charge doesn't have resonance with the audience the Obama campaign must turn, since often it's racism--albeit often subconscious--that keeps them from supporting him.
How about sexist? Apparently a female liar needs to be protected from the big mean people who might call her to account. And why are they taking her being called "good-looking" such an egregious insult, when she apparently places a very high priority on it herself?
I thought this was spot on.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-reiser/yeah----you-and-whose-arm_b_12...
It almost feels like they had this ad in the can for a while - like from the time between when Sarah was settled on and the second time McCain met her. Like this great idea once hatched actually predicated McCain's pick.
Who described Sarah Palin as good looking? - Rush et al,. It's like their in the own little paranoid universe devoid of facts but they "chose their words too carefully" for it to be a bubble - and the timing for them is good because "this is a tough campaign" i.e. bring on the smears.
They are stirring up the some distasteful connotations in the ad but the overall tone is an ominous one - calling someone disrespectful means you have some kind of authority over the other - it kinda puts them in their place - I think this was meant to scare people but primarily it's another Palin news cycle generator.
The reason that this is not racist is that this would also work with a white male candidate. They are playing the "poor Palin is being picked on by the men" angle here. You can make anything up when you read between the lines because there is blank space to fill in.
monk @ 108:
And, in another parallel I hope holds true, Healy's aggressive nastiness played a considerable part in her loss, at least among most of my neighbors.
You and I both know it's not racist.
It's just that we can't allow a negro to call a white woman "good looking" without commenting on it, but sincerely, we don't mean anything racist by it.
Sure, he's disrespectful and uppity - but who's the one that should "do what they are told" here, him or Gov. Palin, who proves them wrong every day?
Boy, I'm asking you a question. Did you hear me, boy?
The ad might subtly play on racist fears, but I wouldn't necessarily call it "downright racist." Which is not to deny the inflection, but to acknowledge that what it's doing is different than, say, the curious george/obama t shirts.
Politically, I think it's more effective to attack the ad as "false" and "more lies"--which it is, than wind up going round and round with people who want to deny any acknowledgment of racism as "PC outrage" or some other dismissive term.
Abraham Jackemoff @ 101:
Thanks, I did. And I told them I would never buy their products again.
So, other than standing on stage next to that old f*cker (whom I would have voted for in 2000) and repeating the same bull*hit story about how she said "thanks, but no thanks..." How is she proving Obama wrong?
As for the racist thing, I didn't see it...
That's not racist.
But seriously folks, isn't this more of the same from McCain/Bush/Rove? Let's take the focus away from the real issues forcing McCain/Biden to react/respond.
Off topic and one I hope we get more of here and maybe from KO was 9ui11ani's shoveling of crap on MTP. Full of errors and defending the "Obama wants to teach kindergarten age children sex ed." ad from McCain. He is such a horrid individual who knows nothing, does nothing and was rejected by his own party. Why does he have a forum?
Harry R. Sohl @ 115:
heh.
"What we have here is a "fail-yur" to communicate".
monk @ 108:
now thats racist.
“Disrespectful” is disrespectful to the American public.
1) Constantly trying to work the “celebrity” angle
2) The claims of personal attacks from out of context statements
3) Proclaiming how Palin is persevering.
What they prove every day is that they think the public is made up of morons and they are going to avoid issues every day and go for image every day.
Apparently McCain slept through his own convention. Delegates waved signs calling Palin superwoman and wore buttons with Palin’s picture and the words, “The hottest governor from the coolest state.”
Georgette Orwell @ 110:
Agreed.
this strategy is below Senator McCain. you can tell it is Rove driven. Karl should be in prison not helping direct our elections. Karl is the pig with lipstick on
I am increasingly disappointed in the content on Crooks and Liars. Not only do stories appear on this site days after they've already been circulated through other progressive blogs and MSM, but incorporation of an ad like this that stretches an argument way beyond its bounds is incredibly disappointing.
I'll just add onto these other comments that this ad is neither explicitly or implicitly racist. I can't stand McCain. Neither can I stand the choir of finger-pointers that we progressives have become behind a cadre of bloggers that embraces an Olbermannesque view of the world. This simply mirrors your Hannity and Limbaughs, and supplies them with ammo.
Shame shame on C&L for such sloppy content.
xenophon @ 3:
thank you.
aren't there more important things to freak out about than grasping at an obvious and frequent straw? isn't this just one more in a long line of examples of mccain running out the clock with distractions? are you really going to fall for this crap AGAIN? oh, yes, let's waste another week talking about a relatively obscure ad that through tortuous argument you might get some people to understand as racist.
please. c&l used to be better than this. c&l has been among my daily "first reads" because of the excellent video postings. lately all i've seen are videos that show democrats as losers. how about taking some initiative, as steve benen and hilzoy have. this weekend hilzoy did two posts looking at the legislative records of obama and mccain which i recommend. http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/
when i turn on the teevee i get a lot of discussion about "whether" mccain/palin are liars and about "the fact" that obama hasn't gotten his message out.
how has c&l made a difference in that?
stop pushing us into thinking of ourselves as "victims." stop whining and start talking about the SUBSTANCE of obama and the democratic party platform.
thanks.
The woman who does the voice overs for these ads is someone named Joan. They're keeping her identity secret so other ad agencies don't steal her away.
In an article here http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12430.html they have this quote re: the "Pump" ad:
Frivolous content equals female voice. That's pretty disrespectful in itself even if it is an industry standard.
I know Obama's campaign has used a woman's voice in at least one of his ads, but in the context of this ad I find it rather ironic!
And then there's this http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2007/02/05/daily14.html re: McCain's ad agency Strategic Perception:
Seems SPI has a talent for subtle racial slurs. Not surprising they got this contract.
Jo @ 117:
badumpbumpbump @ 81:
Last week there were the folks saying Rep. Westmoreland calling the Obamas "uppity" wasn't racist (if we ignore hundreds of years of history). Then we're told the college Republican's post about Obama's "big lips" wasn't racist (if we ignore hundreds of years of history). The guy selling t-shirts with Obama's name and a picture of a monkey said it wasn't racist (if we ignore hundreds of years of history). Referring to Michelle Obama as Barack Obama's "baby momma"? oh, that wasn't racist either. Now, this ad isn't racist. uh, right.
Some people will always refuse to see racism. Doesn't mean it's not there.
At the end, when he says "I'm John McNasty, and I approve this message" it almost looks like the bright light is calling to him... Almost like he's going to DIE SOON!
Please people, don't ever let me become old and bitter like him...
mike @ 75:
---
hmmm... are you an expert on racist political memes?
or perhaps an expert on the Black struggle, particularly when it concerns white male fears and gender anxieties, and particularly when it concerns Black men "disrespecting" White women?
hmmm....
you are not gonna see it if YOU DON"T WANT TO SEE IT
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A horrible dog whistle ad.
And 95% of the responses in this thread are mentally masturbating about whether or not the caption is correct.
It is like seeing the picture of 10,000 dead children and being appalled about the fact that the caption did not have the correct punctuation.
The continuous misplacement of priorities, by whatever passes for liberals in this country, is the main reason why the left is extinct for all intents and purposes in the good US of A.
Kathleen and McCain is a even bigger Pig to let it happen if you blame Rove
(comments not being friendly this morning... here are the quotes)
1. "That a woman would narrate such an ad was a foregone conclusion. It is a rule of thumb in the business, said Kathleen Hall Jameison, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, that “frivolous content equals female voice."
"2. Davis' Hollywood advertising and consulting firm, Strategic Perception, did work for in the Tennessee U.S. Senate race for Republican Bob Corker.
Nelson was also involved with racially charged ads in that race run by the Republican Party against Democratic Congressman Harold Ford Jr.
Corker is white, Ford is black and GOP ads in that race made subtle hints towards race."
Will Obama ever respond? This type of racism needs to be met head on. Instead, I'm watching Obama do his best John Kerry impression - and we know where that go us.
Kathleen @ 126:
Yeah, it is not as if McCain the a serial adulterer, who was involved in one of the biggest corruption scandals in the 80s, and who has used the sacrifice of untold scores of veterans to shield himself from any criticism would stood to that level.
L.A. Confidential @ 26:
a lot of the GOP base is backing away from the election. they don't want to vote for Obama, but they no longer want to vote for the GOP either. they feel let down by McCain, and McCain's choice to select a rabid pro-life VP is his candidacy's way to bring them back. and thats the irony about crazy right wing extremists. they want to feel like martyrs.
so it makes a lot of sense for McCain to be saying to his base "look at the way these hateful liberals are picking on this poor, classy christian gal..." - have to entice them back to the voting booths.
i really didn't see any racism there. maybe i'm alone.
I thought the same thing a few weeks ago, when Cindy McCain said she was "offended " by Obama questioning her wealth. I told my hubby then, that was a code word for the racists. A black man offending a white woman is a crime in the eyes of some.
If anyone thinks this ad is not racist I suggest they go back and read "To Kill a Mockingbird". Please. To use the word respect in the context it is used here is code for the good old days when black men had to walk in the gutter with their eyes down if they met a white woman on the sidewalk. This ad will resonate with the racists. It will absolve them of their guilt. Old white men down south will absolutely eat it up.
That said, they weren't going to vote Obama anyway, so why the ad? It is a test to see how far they can go without being called on it. Call them on it. Before we have to drag the bodies of four black schoolgirls out from the bombed out wreckage of a church again. Before we see gangs of rednecks drag another black man down the road, tied with a rope to the back of their pickup. Before we see another burnt and blackened corpse of a black man tied to a tree.
Call them on it. Tell them no more! Not in my country! Not in my name!
Gee, I guess it's a good thing he was just "disrespectful" to her and didn't actually whistle at her, right?
Obama camp calls Palin a liar and Sarah Palin "proves them wrong everyday".. by repeating the same stupid lie day after day after day?
The McCain camp is so desperate now they just make stuff up about themselves and Obama. And as soon as Obama , the media and the blogosphere calls them on it they stick to their lies and play the victim card accusing Obama of unfair sleazy sexist attacks.
But I dont think that stupid victim ad is racist either
It's a return to the plantation mentality. Can you imagine that after all the lies and smears from McCain campaign that they would have the nerve to call a white candidate disrespectful. Come on. On the view McCain said that "it's a tough campaign" and now he is whining about Obama calling him on his lies. The ad is directed at white people who think that it is still not the place of black to speak their mind. Disrespect was what Palin and Gulliani did at the convention. Disrespect is telling lies about your opponent about wanting to teach kindergartners sex before they can read. Disrespect is not calling out someone for lying. That is called "speaking the truth". Something the McCain has little knowledge of.
What a schmuck McCain is. Of course it's racist.
The McCain has two options. Smear Obama or run against the Republican party. How many times does his campaign mention how often he and Palin have fought the GOP. Well, maybe because they are wrong so often. The Obama campaign needs to stress that if you want a candidate that will fight the GOP, and has a history of fighting the GOP, then you might want to vote for a Fucking Democrat!
The commentary linked by "poochandi says" @ 111 is excellent
Everyone should check it out
BobbyG @ 95:
Those of us who have parents from the south recognize the words and know what the intent is behind him. This ad is geared towards the good old boys who would like to protect their women folk, form the likes of Obama. Emmett Till was killed because some of the southern men, thought he disrespected a white woman by whistling at her. It's not farfetched at all to see that type of racism in this ad.
For those of you who do not understand the implication of demanding respect (especially when it is completely undeserved) of a white woman from a black man you cannot understand our racial history. Black men would be lynched for even looking at a white woman let alone for calling one a liar. This ad plays directly to that old meme.
Obama should keep hammering McCain and Palin with the Liar ads....there are so many issues on which they are both complete phonies so there is a wealth of material. Attack them both on their perceived strengths created by Rove and repeated by the suck up media. Expose the fact those strengths are complete fabrication.
What is fucking goddamn stupid about this ad (and I am surprised that no one has pointed it out) is that it uses single word quotes in the ad such as "good looking" and "lying" and tries to pretend that there is even the slightest bit of fucking context in them.
If a C&L reader and I were sitting under a shade tree drinking lemonade on a hot day and I said to him or her, "I love lying in the shade drinking lemonade on a warm late summer day," they could make an ad against me and use the word "LYING" in quotes and leave any semblance of context out of the piece entirely. I pray to (insert diety here) that the American people are smart enough to see through these one and two word quotation ads and know that they are piles of feces. Much like how the anti-Obama ad that says "Obama even wants sex education for Kindergartners" but makes no mention of the fact that the K-level proposed education was how to RECOGNIZE POTENTIAL SEXUAL PREDATORS. That is what McCain is calling 'sex education' and being COMPLETELY DISGUSTINGLY misleading in the process. When he says "I'm John McCain and I approved this message," it makes me wonder why anyone would consider voting for his punk bitch ass.
I swear if these GOP cocksuckers get elected off this dirty shit, we are an absolute stupid ass redneck nation. Makes me wanna check out http://www.escapeartist.com As a resident of Tennessee, I have always wanted to move where it's cooler anyway. Canada is looking good right about now. Too bad about the taxes.
Interesting they would say that Obama's "star is fading." As long as their base believes that, let them. Maybe it'll keep them home on election day, believing Obama can't win.
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