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The race card

Much to-do on cable last night and in the NY Times today about John McCain saying that Barack Obama is playing the race card by referring to his race. Obama and his supporters -- columnist Eugene Robinson of Washington Post enunciated the defense clearly last night -- are replaying the racial dynamic of the primary season. It goes like this: When Obama refers to his race, he is not playing the race card. When opponents refer to his race or support of Obama by people of color, they are racially divisive and playing the race card.

Obama ran the table with this approach in the primary. McCain is taking the counter-intuitive Republican approach that worked so well against John Kerry, the war hero. Attack a perceived strong point. Obama has been the post-racial candidate. In the primary, it was a negative for any opponent to mention race in any fashion. Yet McCain forges ahead. He will attempt to portray Obama as someone trading on victimization by suggesting others are bigots. Will it work? Don't know. It will certainly appeal to Republican southern strategy base voters.

Comments

So it's racist to talk about yourself... and camp McBush III just can't stand it when Barack talks about himself. Maybe John just wishes he was half black since the only tyranny John ever suffered was torture and John has since thrown the notion of honor in re standing up to Bushco against torture to the trash heap of history. John became what he despised and helped make sure the entire USA became torturers too.. and there is no honor in that to put it mildly. War criminals are US.

I've been surprised the GOP allowed their racism to calm down (on national television) since the Rev. Wright attacks.. But everyone knows the beasts like A Red and Chasv & Co. must be fed raw road kill. Rove must be saving the burning crosses and hoods for a the late and end game.

Peace Be Upon Barack Hussein Obama al-Hyde Park!

Er ist ein beginner!


One of the reasons I left the Republican party is hearing a soccer mom describe Obama as a "nigger, nigger, nigger!"

What was even more sad is that no one in the group of other WLR people really looked shocked.

It would be unsafe for Obama to spend the night in Arkansas without security. He'd very likely end up like MLK.


And let me add that the onus is on McCain to repudiate these attacks his campaign is making, or he and his supporters can be assumed to be right there in the same camp with that soccer mom.

Which racial attacks are you referring to, RfO?

I don't know that the McCain campaign has a surrogate list that includes West Little Rock soccer mothers.


Attacks designed to portray Obama as someone taking advantage of his race. Using his race against him, in other words. If these ads aren't an attack, pray tell how you would describe them.

As far as soccer moms, I'm simply pointing out that even the most seemingly pure Republicans can be hardcore racists. And these attack ads are designed to reinforce that.

Which attack ads are you referring to?

I am not aware of any attack ad produced by the McCain campaign making the assertion you claim.

Please cite an example.

I have never heard any of my Republican friends call Obama the n-word. Given his extreme record, at least where is record isn't completely ambiguous due to his cowardice, there's no other reason to oppose him. This election has become a referendum on Obama's very liberal presidency. The war in Iraq is winding down, regardless of who wins.

Obama has promised abortion on demand, gay marriage, socialization of medicine (anyone want a 9 hour wait in the emergency room?), reparation payments for blacks, higher taxes to kill growth, his plans to invade Pakistan to go after Osama Bin Laden and the potential war with Pakistan, a plethora of new environmental policies to send all manufacturing jobs out of the country, no new energy, his plan (his bill that he sponsored) to tax US citizens based on GNP for the UN, and so forth. George Bush has been bad enough about fiscal irresponsibility. At least John McCain has a history of restraining spending.

It will be 10 times worse with Obama and all of the new spending he has promised. Obama will likely follow in Al Gore's footsteps and announce huge taxes on the rich, and then redefine the rich as anyone making over $50,000 a year. When remaining service jobs are unionized, we can expect higher and higher prices, and higher and higher taxes.

Fortunately, an Obama presidency will lead to huge gains in the congress for Republicans in 2010. By that time, they should have learned their lesson about fiscal responsibility. I wouldn't be surprised by a landslide win for Newt Gingrich as President in 2012.


RFO,

Is the west Little Rock soccer mom you're referring to black, because I have heard a number of blacks refer to Obama using the N word and worse. I can't remember, what did Jesse Jackson say about cutting off Obama's nuts? Then there was Joseph Biden who referred to Obama as the first clean black candidate for President. There sure do seem to be a lot of racist Democrats out there. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that soccer mom is a Democrat.

I'm not actually worried that Obama is black. I mean he can always bleach his skin like Mikey does in order to satisfy what a racist would try to use against him, color wise. It is more the cutting away from a "so called" Christian Church. Even if the preacher has a few problems with being an American. What I cannot bend over for is the fact he was born a Muslim. The Muslim/Islamists have only one ageanda, that is to rid the world of Christianity. "We Christians" are the "Infadels" and are to be killed because we do not believe the way they do. Of course there was that lapse in judgement by the English, French, and Spanish when they tried to change the Muslim belief to Christianity, (The Crusades), it was called. I guess it would be prudent to say, "Damn us all, for in the eyes of any "God", we are nothing but failures in the act of being humane to eachother. Politicians are supposed to be, like the Supreme Court Judges, unbiased as to Race, Religion or Sex.
For either of these cadidates to even mention racism in an action taken to demean their opponent, should disqualify that person from the running. The Presidency of the United States is not up for grabs to anyone that is biggoted and foolish. The President of our great coiuntry needs to stand up for the whole country, not just their color oriented parties.

George Bush has been bad enough about fiscal irresponsibility. At least John McCain has a history of restraining spending.

by Severus

And what part of John McCain has supported Bush spending all the way do you not understand? What makes you think the Iraq war is over if Mccain "100 more years of war" were elected?

Where is the growth from lower taxation on the rich in the American labor markets?

Abortion has been legal for a long time, Obama has nothing to do with it in the manner you are pushing.

Actually Obama absolutely does not promote socialized medicine.. if only he did!

The last I heard, Obama defined the taxation raises he's considering.. to be on the 250k and above crowd.

Somebody has to deal with the largest US debt in history and pay for the needless war spending / borrowing of the Bush administration and the McCain legislative GOP approval of it.

I don't know about your UN claims.. got a link? But we sure seem to be failing miserably when we completely ignore them and wage needless wars and torture and black site prisons on a global scale on our own.

Severus, as we've learned repeatedly, has had his head up his butt for the past 7 years, 7 months, as he is NOW worried about O'BAMA's "spending!" What a hoot these folks who can only see a Doppelgänger not an intelligent, forthright politician (often an oxymoron).

And to the delusional JNYJ: WHAT were you "born as," and have there been any changes in you since then? The level of discourse and FACTS are seeing a steady decline as these fear-mongering Neanderthal Morons invade the AB...
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Here's McCain's election strategery......racist vote, Wal-Mart vote, Big Oil vote, old people vote + usual Republican Dirty Election Tricks = win in November. If this doesn't look like it will work out, in October Cheney will unleash 9-11 Jr. and Bush will declare martial law and postpone the election.

They're must win in November, they must not fall from all the power they stole. They must win, never falter, never turn over jack shit. We are in for the big ugly of our life. The Satanlican Party.....who'd a thought we'd live to see the day?

ARed and Severus,

Here's your poster, boys! Clickit!

Sorry, the url went bad. Clickit!

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