New McCain Ad: Racist or No?
| Fri Sep. 12, 2008 7:47 AM PDT
The McCain campaign has a new 30-second spot out, hitting Obama and Biden for mistreating Sarah Palin. It's below. Near the end, Obama's face is shown with the words "HOW DISRESPECTFUL." "Disrespectful" is actually the title of the ad.
Some are questioning whether that's racist. Here's TPM's David Kurtz: "Doesn't it just drip with contempt? The sort of old-fashioned contempt that whites often held blacks in (and obviously still do)."
I'm not sure I agree. I think "how disrespectful" could be effective if paired with an image of a white politician, too, as long as that white politician's calling card was civility and positivity. Tarnishing such a reputation doesn't depend on the politician's color.
Anyway, it's not often when an ad is obviously racist or obviously sexist. Ads are almost always in a gray area, as this one is. Each viewer can decide how he or she feels.
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Comments
"Each viewer can decide how he or she feels." That is the whole point! This is a dog whistle. Southern whites with any resentment to blacks will obviously see it the way it was intended. But for people who haven't grown up with racist attitudes, it seems harmless.
It is not like they are calling him Uppity..
And no one seems to have been bothered when he HAS been called upitty , of late..?
Maybe people are getting smarter and the lefts obsession with race is FINALLY being put behind us..HUH..?
Or maybe the minority community has been calling white people such bad names for so long, that when a white person does, it doesn't ahve the same effect that it once did..?
Somethign seems to have changed..:-)
Bill
Silly? yes. Racist? no.
The campaign's conversation needs to move away from Palin. Remember, McCain is on top of the ticket. The media should do their job and continue to expose her lies.
This may rally the base, but it is not going to swing voters I don't think.
However, crying wolf (or "racism"!) at every ad does Obama damage. It allows people to dismiss legit criticism.
People like my parents will say "Oh, McCain/Palin cry sexism at every ad, Obama cries racism. I can ignore all criticism and just go with my [white, elderly] gut and vote McCain."
Submitted by Frederick Lee Fuller (not verified) on Fri Sep. 12, 2008 9:49 AM PDT.
Having lived in the South for 30 years, and having a father who believed Jim Crow was God's Law, this ad IS intended for Southerners who still harbor hated for blacks. Unfortunately, it will be effective, just as Bush/Rove's lie in 2004 was about McCain fathering a child with a black woman. Killed him in South Carolina, remember?
I watched the add a couple more times and all i see is the TRUTH coming through..!!!
obama is crapping his pants, and doesn't knwo what to do, so he just keeps trying anything..!!
Your average American has finally woke up and is seeing him for what he really is..huh?
BIll
Yeah it must be a southern thing. I just viewed this ad and it didn't even make sense to me, I live in the Northeast. It was like the Republicans were scolding Obama for retaliating. Please, I'm sorry but the republicans were more disrespectful to Obama. The whole community organizer attack was incredibly insulting.
Submitted by Drew (not verified) on Fri Sep. 12, 2008 10:09 AM PDT.
It's such a bunch of whining and fails to focus on the issues...again.
The fact is they DID choose her as the attractive conservative mom who loves Jesus since that's about all the credibility she can muster.
She certainly presents a continually irrational foreign policy and seems to have a lack of understanding of what her positioning clearly entails as I posted about this morning. It's all a muddle.
Absolutely racist. Its interesting how the McCain campaign is using "sexism" but Obama cannot use racism when it occurs in the media or by the McCain Campaign. The coverage of the event surrounding service was telling: Obama was articulate and detailed regarding how he would approach service. However, the media essentially ignored what he had to say and talked about McCain and that silly moment regarding a cabinet position. The media was ignoring the black boy in the room and getting away with it. The media also repeated McCain's statement saying that if Obama had accepted his proposal for joint townhall meetings, the dirty campaign tactics could have been avoided. Not a chance. I wonder if John McCain is an abuser? That's what abusive husband's do when they beat their wives - blame the victim. Honey, you made me do it! Many whites are accustomed to treating blacks the same way. Just in case you are wondering, I am not black. I am as white as a sheet. Its just that millions of women of my generation had experiences similar to those of blacks in this country. Wake up ladies. If you wouldn't want the guy as a husband, don't elect him president!
The ad appears to be the work of Karl Rove. One thing for sure, karl Rove understands how to destroy a candidate.
I am not sure the ad is racist, but I do think it will appeal to racist voters--and the Obama campaign may have underestimated on how many Americans hold racist views. I am hearing remarks from people who would never consider themselves racist afraid to elect Obama because he is African American. Karl Rove knows how to play to the fears and anger of those voters and this ad will awaken the racism in many voters who have concerns about electing an African American.
Obama has to come out slinging at McCain and avoid Palin, she is very capable of sabotaging herself and we will see that in the debates and if/when she is allowed to step out by herself and give more interviews. If Obama sits back and continues this passive attitude, Rove&CO., will win as usual.
When the Republicans have no economic policy and no intention to help the common population, the only thing they can do is try to manipulate the rhetoric, so that everyone is always talking about the Republican candidates, instead of their own candidates, the Democrats.
If Obama had said lipstick on a dog, which is what Palin called herself, a dog, or lipstick on a moose, but Obama wasn't saying that at all. What Obama said is an old saying that has been around for years, and I agree with Obama that he should not apologize for something just because, for some reason, McCain thinks his new running mate is a pig. It it difficult to run a campaign against a totally stupid person like McCain, which is what Obama is having to do running against McCain, with a media and Republican Party trying to cover for McCain. McCain is and has only been held up by Republican money, or he would have gone down long agol
This ad is most decidedly racist. Just like calling Obama "elitist" is racist. (It's RepubCode for "uppity.")
Every baby boomer and Southerner knows this.
Has Obama been sexist? Hmmm. Every Republican who accuses him of this should have to do so wearing the "Hottest VP from the Coolest State" buttons passed out at the RNC.
edward writes: Obama should do a 3 am ad where McCain gets a critical security email and doesn't know how to use the internet!
Yeah, and then explain how there is never any 24/7/365 staff on hand at the Whitehouse to dictate an email message to...
And then it should explain exactly why the President is going to send crucial, no doubt highly classified communications over The INTERNET!!
Fool.
You are damn right that Obama disrepects Sarah Palin. And he should because virtually every time she opens her mouth, she lies and then lies about the lying. The ad, of course, neglects to mention that the criticisms of Palin are based upon the truth about her lies.
The older generation of the deep South immediately understands the term "respect". Anyone who shows respect essentially knows their "place" in society and anyone who shows disrespect is breaking out their "place" in society. It doesn't matter if you're poor white or poor black; if you do not display the correct deference in a social situation, you are breaking the social code.
That same generation understands that a black man showing disrespect to a white woman woman would at one time be grounds for lynching. To somehow believe that traces of that do not remain would be thoroughly naive.
I don't care where you are from; but if someone call you a liar- becuase you lie- isn't the name fitting?
There were many codewords for racism at the republican convention, as well as sexism. I agree that the "I'm with the hottie" buttons were degrading.
The choosing of Palin as the republican puppet has been the most degrading poliical move I have ever exerienced as a woman.
What ever your views, if we continue on the same track of fear, spying, corporate enrichment, no foreign policy, destruction of the middle class, high oil prices, invading foreign countries, voiding the constitution, removal of habeas corpus, no knock entry, torture, and raping the treasury we will be another failed Roman Empire. This is what you want then vote Republican
Submitted by son dakika haber (not verified) on Sat Nov. 22, 2008 12:07 PM PST.
That same generation understands that a black man showing disrespect to a white woman woman would at one time be grounds for lynching. To somehow believe that traces of that do not remain would be thoroughly naive.
