McCain Campaign Itching to Play Race Card

by: Chris Bowers

Fri Aug 01, 2008 at 14:24


Via dmhlt66. Two months ago, the McCain campaign released a web ad that mockingly put Obama on the one hundred dollar bill and on Mount Rushmore, inviting comparisons between Obama and past national leaders:

NARRATOR: As Barack Obama talks about change let's take a look at what he's changed so far.

He's changed the Presidential Seal.

What will he change next?

The Statue of Liberty?

Mt. Rushmore?

The $100 bill?


In response, Obama said the following (more in the extended entry):
Chris Bowers :: McCain Campaign Itching to Play Race Card
Nobody really thinks that Bush or McCain have a real answer for the challenges we face.  So what they're going to try to do is make you scared of me.  You know, he's not patriotic enough.  He's got a funny name.  You know, he doesn't look like all those other presidents on those dollar bills, you know.  He's risky. That's essentially the argument they're making."

And, in response to that, the McCain campaign said the following:

"Barack Obama has played the race card, and he played it from the bottom of the deck. It's divisive, negative, shameful and wrong."

It is hard to see a clearer indication that the McCain campaign is itching to play the race card. First, they released an ad that compares the way Obama looks to past presidents and national leaders and then, when Obama claims that the McCain campaign is comparing the way he looks to past presidents and national leaders, the McCain campaign claims that Obama is playing "the race card." In fact, they did so with language that directly references one of the most racially divisive moments in recent American history, the OJ Simpson trial.

Just as they are itching for an age-based backlash on Obama, the McCain campaign is also targeting a race-based backlash. Really, just about the entire McCain campaign at this point is about trying to create an identity-politics backlash against Obama, on multiple fronts. Age, race, military service, Hollywood, consumer goods-anything it can possibly find is being thrown into the mix. McCain doesn't want to talk about issues--he only wants to talk about identity.  

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McCain Campaign Itching to Play Race Card | 15 comments
I hadn't heard about that earlier McCain web ad (0.00 / 0)
I thought the "doesn't look like all those other presidents on those dollar bills" line from Obama sounded a little weird and out of left field, but that was before I realized he was referencing that specific ad.  

This really is just a replay of the Clark/military service thing, where simply repeating what someone else said inspires a tidal wave of fake outrage.

he doesn't have to scratch the itch (0.00 / 0)
When he can find a black Republican sham political action committee to do it for him:

http://www.openleft.com/showDi...

They are into heavy attack mode (0.00 / 0)
Its an obvious strategic decision to go on the offensive--any offensive--not just race.

Its also clearly out of desperation. Anytime Obama pokes above 50% watch for the race to go negative. Hillary reacted the same way every time he hit 49% - 50%. I think the strategists worry about falling too far behind and become willing to do anything.

Unfortunately Obama is susceptible to negative attacks. For one thing he doesn't attack back--doubt he ever will--its his strength and his Achilles heel. For another, being young, new, black and popular, he has political  vulnerabilities that are easy to take advantage off. Three, Hillary softened Obama up and the extended primary fight provided the rethugs plenty of ammunition and a road map.

I haven't really worried about it because McCain was so anemic but this week I am getting pissed off. I am ready for a fight.

well, it's just like Rove claiming Gore was cheating to win (0.00 / 0)
not to beat a dead horse but this is no different than pages from the 200 election.  Florida didn't flip to Bush by accident, it was fucking deliberate.  And when the Gore team cried foul, Rove and his fanatic goons threw it back in our face that we were the ones cheating ie taking ballots during the recount, stuffing ballots, you name it.  Meanwhile, team Rove stuffs ballots, stops recounting, stuffs the military vote, etc.

Same thing here, McCain has his fanatics send out race baiting messages to lure Obama to respond.  Once he does, throw it back in Obama's face that he's the one playing the 'race card'.  Meanwhile, the McCain fanatics go merrily along and play the race card.  McCain needs to galvanize his base.  Mike Rodgers up here in my MI district is making flyers smearing unnamed Arabs for high gas prices and terrorism.  It not about winning or losing votes.  It's about galvanizing the conservative core, rally to the cause, knock on the doors, hit the phones, get motivated!!

This is not "his fanatics" (0.00 / 0)
this is on McCain's own web site.  At first I thought this was a nutjob, but turns out - no, it's right there on mccaindotcom YouTube channel.

QT

Visit the Obama Project


WindOnWater.net



[ Parent ]
this is an important story (4.00 / 1)
It means that the McCain campaign just called their own ad racist.  I hope this gets some play, so used the slender reed of the Statue of Liberty to post in on Blue Jersey.

New Jersey politics at Blue Jersey.
theoretically a good idea for McCain, but they'll botch it (0.00 / 0)
If McCain could credibly talk about race, this would potentially be a good play for him.

But the R's had nobody to nominate who is credible on race.

This may partially excite racist righties who otherwise might have thought Johnny Mac not conservative enough.  But with their relatively small numbers they won't be decisive.

McCain is following a tactical, Kerry/Gore-like, multiple fronts for multiple segments model.   This is because he has no meta-message at all, now that his Iraq/terror message (weak to begin with) is dead.   Not good.  

He screwed it up on the trail (0.00 / 0)
but Mitt actually could have talked credibly about race.  His father was actually quite good on civil rights.  But when he tried to make the connection on the campign trail, he was awkward and screwed it up.
[ Parent ]
How great it is that everyone brough up identity politics during the primary! (0.00 / 0)
Who could have seen this one coming?
Yeah you're so right (0.00 / 0)
Cause that's why John McCain's campaign is running racist/white supremacist lines of attack. Cause of the primaries.
[ Parent ]
of course, it didn't cause McCain to use these attacks (0.00 / 0)
but the primaries sure as hell reinforced these types of attacks/thinking, validating them, rather than repudiating them.
[ Parent ]
How stupid can it get? (0.00 / 0)
Pretty damn stupid... The McCain strategy is to turn the presidential election into a Jr. High class president election.
Here's what Josh Marshall says (0.00 / 0)
Let's see how this works. McCain runs his Britney/Paris ad on the alleged but improbable basis that they're the #2 and #3 celebs in the world, according to Rick Davis. McCain camp seizes on Obama statement that Obama has made multiple times before, accuses him of playing "race card". Now McCain repeats Race Card, Race Card, Race Card a hundred times.

McCain has made the strategic decision that he can only win the election on the basis of Obama as friend of terrorists, unpatriotic suspicious outsider and radical, black guy who's really more a flashy showbiz star (call it playing the Diddy card) than someone with the heft to be president. He's probably right. That's his only chance. And it may work.

He's right. This could very well work. It's how Bush beat Kerry, and if Obama doesn't start hitting back hard right now, it's how McCain will beat him.

How about some talk about McCain just "playing games"? (0.00 / 0)
Honestly... Obama's response is just to decry how McCain is taking the "low road" or whatever... How about saying something along the lines of "McCain seems to think that this is just a game... When we learn that thousands of Americans are losing their jobs, McCain thinks its appropriate to crack jokes about me... Attacking me personally with nothing but ad hominem attacks and absolutely no plan on how to deal with the tough issues that we face today.  This isn't a game, John McCain.  People's lives are at stake" etc...

Obama has said something SIMILAR to this... but I think that they need to develop a "talking point" or "narrative" and "John McCain thinks this is just a game" feels like something that could be effective.

The "John McCain is going negative" narrative is extremely weak.

Maybe, but I heard one comment from Obama that I really liked ... (0.00 / 0)
Something like "Is that all you got?", or "Is that the best you can do?"

Not so much outrage at "going negative", which, really, could certainly have been predicted, as making fun of it.

Whatever his flaws, after watching Barack Obama for four years, I have to say he's just really good at disarming the blows of the other side.  He doesn't hit back, he just sort of stands there and defuses the blows, which somehow get blown into smithereens as surely as they would if he had walloped them with a bat.

I should say that he's much better at this than some of his staffers are.

sTiVo's rule: Just because YOU "wouldn't put it past 'em" doesn't prove that THEY did it.

[ Parent ]
McCain Campaign Itching to Play Race Card | 15 comments
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