Politics of the Race Card

[midcan5]

McCain Gurgles in the Slime

By Ishmael Reed

"McCain campaign manager, Rick Davis, in a television performance, which, if he were a woman, would be called strident, or a black man, angry, faced down a cowed Andrea Mitchell after she questioned him about a McCain ad that even offended the Time’s gentle Bob Herbert. Herbert wrote: ”Now, from the hapless but increasingly venomous McCain campaign, comes the slimy Britney Spears and Paris Hilton ad. The two highly sexualized women (both notorious for displaying themselves to the paparazzi while not wearing underwear) are shown briefly and incongruously at the beginning of a commercial critical of Mr. Obama.

"The Republican National Committee targeted Harold Ford with a similarly disgusting ad in 2006 when Mr. Ford, then a congressman, was running a strong race for a U.S. Senate seat in Tennessee. The ad, which the committee described as a parody, showed a scantily clad woman whispering, ‘Harold, call me.’" Herbert even located some dog whistle meat in the ad. Phallic symbols like the leaning tower of Pisa. Davis for his part accused Obama of playing the race card, when he commented that he didn’t look like the presidents whose faces appear on the currency. Of course, Hillary Clinton said something similar during the primary, yet nobody accused her of playing the gender card, but Davis and his associates weren’t interested in consistency."

Ishmael Reed Politics of the Race Card: McCain Gurgles in the Slime

 

[Annie]

I think it cute that Dems keep twisting the lines from news people, that are already admitted to being wrong. Those 'phallic symbols' were not the Leaning Tower, they were both from the Victory Memorial in Downtown Berlin, where Obama made his appearance while running for President of Germany, whoops.

The original messenger of the 'phallic symbols' meme was Bob Herbert, columnist for the NY Times. He's since acknowledged that he was mistaken. So now we have a poster, repeating the same charge, using not only incorrectly identified phallic symbols, but also incorrectly stating the source of the incorrect identification.

Herbert? Gentle?

 

[Ravi]

McCain Gurgles in the Slime

By Ishmael Reed

"McCain campaign manager, Rick Davis, in a television performance, which, if he were a woman, would be called strident, or a black man, angry, faced down a cowed Andrea Mitchell after she questioned him about a McCain ad that even offended the Time’s gentle Bob Herbert. Herbert wrote: ”Now, from the hapless but increasingly venomous McCain campaign, comes the slimy Britney Spears and Paris Hilton ad. The two highly sexualized women (both notorious for displaying themselves to the paparazzi while not wearing underwear) are shown briefly and incongruously at the beginning of a commercial critical of Mr. Obama.

"The Republican National Committee targeted Harold Ford with a similarly disgusting ad in 2006 when Mr. Ford, then a congressman, was running a strong race for a U.S. Senate seat in Tennessee. The ad, which the committee described as a parody, showed a scantily clad woman whispering, ‘Harold, call me.’" Herbert even located some dog whistle meat in the ad. Phallic symbols like the leaning tower of Pisa. Davis for his part accused Obama of playing the race card, when he commented that he didn’t look like the presidents whose faces appear on the currency. Of course, Hillary Clinton said something similar during the primary, yet nobody accused her of playing the gender card, but Davis and his associates weren’t interested in consistency."

Ishmael Reed Politics of the Race Card: McCain Gurgles in the Slime

You are a sad person, easily swayed by nonsense. I imagine if the most vapid celebrities on the planet were black, McCain would have used them in his ad to portray Obama as a vapid celebrity. And you'd still pretend it was racist.

Quit it, what you're doing is sickening.

And quite excusing Obama by claiming Hillary did the same thing. Which reminds me, where is the quote of what Hillary said about the dollar bill during the campaign? I noticed you didn't post it.

 

[editec]

Stop watching campaign ads and stop listening to the venomous talking heads, folks.

SEriously this stuff is poisoning your heads.

The American people, be they liberals or conservatives are not the enemy.

Use your brains, for Christ's sakes!

Is the guy living in your neighborhood, putting up with the same shit you're putting up with the cause of your problems?

Jesu cristum, use your fucking common sense.

the people who are making your lives crap you will never meet!

 

[midcan5]

If you don't like a post don't read it, if there is anything I hate it is those who get on their high moral horse and spout crap. And the moronic ad hominem sucks - if you want to know something that sucks - start thinking or close your F_ing eyes and go back in your cave.

That said, Ishmael Reed is the author, a black man, assholes, I am sick of this preachy horseshit I hear from so many. He can say what he wants, again, don't read it if it offends your hypocritical sensibilities.

Read the pieces and address the thought, if you can.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/02/opinion/02herbert.html

"Gee, I wonder why, if you have a black man running for high public office — say, Barack Obama or Harold Ford — the opposition feels compelled to run low-life political ads featuring tacky, sexually provocative white women who have no connection whatsoever to the black male candidates....

Spare me any more drivel about the high-mindedness of John McCain. You knew something was up back in March when, in his first ad of the general campaign, Mr. McCain had himself touted as "the American president Americans have been waiting for."

Both ads were foul, poisonous and emanated from the upper reaches of the Republican Party. (What a surprise.)Both were designed to exploit the hostility, anxiety and resentment of the many white Americans who are still freakishly hung up on the idea of black men rising above their station and becoming sexually involved with white women.

The racial fantasy factor in this presidential campaign is out of control. It was at work in that New Yorker cover that caused such a stir. (Mr. Obama in Muslim garb with the American flag burning in the fireplace.) It’s driving the idea that Barack Obama is somehow presumptuous, too arrogant, too big for his britches — a man who obviously does not know his place.

Mr. Obama has to endure these grotesque insults with a smile and heroic levels of equanimity. The reason he has to do this — the sole reason — is that he is black."

 

[Ravi]

Maybe we should all dye our skin black so we don't offend Obama. After all, it's possible some of us might end up in the same room with him.

 

[midcan5]

"According to a July New York Times/CBS News poll, when whites were asked whether they would be willing to vote for a black candidate, 5 percent confessed that they would not. That’s not so bad, right? But wait. The pollsters then rephrased the question to get a more accurate portrait of the sentiment. They asked the same whites if most of the people they knew would vote for a black candidate. Nineteen percent said that those they knew would not. Depending on how many people they know and how well they know them, this universe of voters could be substantial. That’s bad."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/09/o...Race,%94%20by%20Charles%20M.%20Blow%20&st=cse

 

[midcan5]

And this thread should be in 2008 Elections.

 

[Tech_Esq]

This is shocking! Hard ball dirty politics in the race for the most powerful job in the world. Tsk, Tsk, Tsk....what is the world coming to. This has never happened before.

Please, look at the history of Presidential elections, there is almost no limit to what people running for this office will stoop to. I think it is fairly clear that Obama is a race baiter from way back and McCain is a mean cantankerous old man and if it means he has to play the race card to win, I bet he will.

 

[manifold]

the people who are making your lives crap you will never meet!

I'm sorry to hear that your life is crap, but I'd kindly ask you to speak for yourself.

 

[midcan5]

This is shocking! Hard ball dirty politics in the race for the most powerful job in the world. Tsk, Tsk, Tsk....what is the world coming to. This has never happened before.

Please, look at the history of Presidential elections, there is almost no limit to what people running for this office will stoop to. I think it is fairly clear that Obama is a race baiter from way back and McCain is a mean cantankerous old man and if it means he has to play the race card to win, I bet he will.

I don't disagree and at least you include them both in your cynicism.