Racial politics hit Obama-McCain campaign

Hey Obama why you playing the race card? Oh yes, it`s because McCains support is growing daily, and as Fox News predicts he will take the vital swing states.

McCain wouldnever be racist or tell lies. Obama constantly lies and spreads rumours. Anyone who is educated at all will pick McCain.

Good Old Mc is trying to win this even it cost him his soul. LOL Too bad that his soul is not worth the White House. The only people falling for this kind of race baiting tactic are the Republican fanatics who only care about the Republican party. They will try and stir up anything they can to try to win the White House but the more Old Mc speaks the less he seems dignified.

This country can not take and year of an undignified President in the White House, the nation has lost too much already. Heck if we fall any further folks will start comparing the U.S. to the likes of China. Opps they already are!

JoeBigs- Getting upset now everyone see a MCCain win on the cards?

Obama`s dirty tricks, playing the race card etc, will all go against him, as he is humiliated in the election.

Obama is not playing race politics, he is playing politics and yes McC would do anything to win, so would barrack, Hillary, Bush, and even me in 2012, if I'm old enough. That's what politicians do. Still, you have to give it to McC for running a smoother campaign than that of Hillary - now that was some dirty politics and they are supposed to be on the same side.!

His celebrity status is NOT his fault.

While I said Obama is not playing race politics, many of his supporters are. Take a look at some of the latest rap lyrics in support of Obama, which mind you O had denounced, but once out in the public, its to late.

While I didn't fancy the lyrics of one, "paint the white house black - a rip from old Funkadelic, I would say let's paint it at least a different color, that white house is getting to be an eyesore.

He was merely stating the truth. Some people are scared to make a change and they race factor is certainly and issue to some voters. He's just telling it like it is. I think we do need a change an McCain to be is going to be another Bush. McCain can play the age card if he wants...

So what they’re going to try to do is make you scared of me,” Obama said. “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 the dollar bills.’”

The Republicans want to have it both ways. It's OK for them to go around endless repeating his full name which, everyone in America now knows is "Barack Hussein Obama" but when he calls them on it, "Oh, that's playing the race card." How many people could write John McCain's full name (without a google search)? Precious few, I would reckon.

Betzee- McCain s a man of honor, he doesnt have to play any card to win. He just lets the folks know his policies, he doesnt need gimmicks.

Heck!! he`s teh most famous and best love war hero on the planet.

Sorry Obama, youre silly comments dont make you the man.

Obama , you are the weakest link, GOODBYE. Tee Hee!

McCain s a man of honor, he doesnt have to play any card to win.

I could have agreed with you if you'd made that statement after he disavowed an introduction in Ohio where the local Republican party person repeated the full name of his expected opponent three times.

That was last spring, however, an eternity in the world of political campaigns. Since then McCain has shown an increasingly reliance on the "I'm a victim" card, be it the NYT's Op-Ed page editor or age discrimination. Apparently he doesn't think he can win except by knocking his opponent.

therightside- Way to go!!! What a post.

You sure got the message about OBama huh.

Obama will use any ploy to win, but he`s gonna lose. Tee hee!

as for comparing O to Britney and Paris, really what is the problem? The US is obsessed with celebrities. I think any ad with him and them actually works for O.

Apparently he doesn't think he can win except by knocking his opponent." please tell me when there was ever a campaign where the opponents shook hands and said "let's have a fair fight".

he doesnt have to play any card to win" He really doesn't have one if you really think about it. If Obama is going to use a race card, again, its really not his fault.

however, Betzee's point, about the repub saying his Muslim name... just because you want to accept the most conservative and right winging religion in the world, does not mean everyone has to accept it. There are very valid reason why people are concerned about having anyone having anything to do with Islam, even though Obama doesn't except for name, gain a political office. All you have to do is look at Germany, London, and Norway. It still boggles me why left leaning types don't have the same feeling, yet they would come down like a flying sledge hammer on a Christian.

JeromeInJapan at 09:50 AM JST - 1st August

He was merely stating the truth. Some people are scared to make a change >and they race factor is certainly and issue to some voters. He's just >telling it like it is. I think we do need a change an McCain to be is >going to be another Bush. McCain can play the age card if he wants...

Change, funny how many people keep saying change. What change? What is new? Obama cannot admit that Iraq is now a better place for Iraqi's and that Bush was correct. Obama tried to blame the republicans for a global slow down. Obama claims change but all he offers is flip flopping on his policies. Face up to it, he is a fraud. I would dearly love to see a black president and a woman president, Democratic or Republican, but only when said person is one of integrity. And no I do not believe that Bush fits the mould, but McCain, though I think he is weak, has more integrity than 10 Obama's.

Jav

Obama is playing the race card? Just the opposite. It is McCain who is playing the race card here and what better way to play it than to accuse his opponent of doing it first. This is kind of like the McCain campaign's accusation that Obama was the first to "go negative" before it released a torrent of negativity that was obviously just looking for an excuse to see daylight.

No, to paraphrase, Obama is calling a spud a spud. And he has put his finger directly upon the very thing that the McCain campaign is doing now and will continue to do until the election. Obama has nothing to gain in making race an issue. McCain has everything.

SezWho2- If McCainis playing the race card could you point me to a source of these allegations please?

I have been watching Fox News all day, and haven`t heard of any such allegations.

It is proved though that OBama has used the race card, with his banknote joke.

javnation: right on Iraq. We need to stay in Iraq and fight the extremists until the job is done. It is so easy for the liberal whiners to criticize the war now that it is unpopular. We need less flip-floppers and more resolve to stay the course and see this through at whatever cost.

javnation,

Why continue the fiction that Obama cannot admit that Iraq is now a better place for Iraqis? What Obama does not admit is that Bush was correct. The two are completely different.

The issue here, however, is not change. It is playing politics with race. If you could explain to us how Obama's remark--which did not even mention race but simply invited people to think--amounts to playing the race card, we would all appreciate some clarity. Or if you could explain how McCain's complaint does not amount to playing the race card, that would be helpful, too.

If anyone has been "divisive, negative, shameful and wrong" here, it is McCain's campaign. McCain would do much better to stop criticizing Obama's statements and cleave to his integrity to tell us how he, McCain, is going to make America a better place. Of course, if he doesn't have a plan for that, perhaps flying his prisoner-or-war record or attacking Obama are better bets.

I have been watching Fox News all day, and haven`t heard of any such allegations.

As my step-grandfather used to say, "I heard but I didn't listen." Guess he's not the only one afflicted with that condition:

A graphic for a Fox News story about liberals who are angered at criticism of Michelle Obama read: "Outraged liberals: Stop picking on Obama's baby mama." The segment was an interview with conservative columnist Michelle Malkin on the issue.

It's the latest of three Obama-related controversies for Fox News: First, contributor Liz Trotta joked about assassinating Obama (SN reported) and then E.D. Hill called a gesture Obama and his wife made a "terrorist fist jab" (SN reported).

In the interview introduced with the "baby-mama" graphic, Malkin said she had seen no cheap shots taken at Michelle Obama by conservative commentators or Republicans. A Salon.com columnist asked of the graphic, "Are they racist or just clueless?"

http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=71408

therightside- Good post again.

You can`t make these liberals see what the truth is. for some reason they have blinkered vision and refuse to look at the truth.

Obama shouldn`t use the race card, its sinking so low to do that.

skipthesong at 09:17 AM JST - 1st August

Obama is not playing race politics, he is playing politics and yes McC >would do anything to win, so would barrack, Hillary, Bush, and even me >in 2012, if I'm old enough. That's what politicians do.

So obviously integrity is not important to you. I can see why US politics is so full of cretins and liars, because they are accepted by the people.

His celebrity status is NOT his fault.

If it were not orchestrated then that would be true. Are you honestly saying you believe there is no orchestration, or that Obama is naive to it?

While I didn't fancy the lyrics of one, "paint the white house black - a >rip from old Funkadelic, I would say let's paint it at least a different >color, that white house is getting to be an eyesore.

So when a building represets something you don't like it should be changed? So much for historic sights in the US.

Betzee- Fox nEws contributors say things about OBama that you don`t agrre with and you call them biased. Heck!! Fox News is well known and highly regarded around the world as the leading news programme taht is totally unbiased.

Racial politics by Obama are sad, but reflection on how low the Dems have sunk.

FairandBalanced,

I don't know why you are watching Fox News to find out about the McCain campaign's allegations that Obama was the first to go negative. This is old news which you could easily find on the Internet, but here's a link to get you started:

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2008/07/mccain_i_didnt_go_negative_unt.html

This claim predates Obama's foreign trip and explains a lot of the sniping that McCain's campaign made throughout its duration.

Obama's comment about the dollar bills does not prove that he is playing the race card. However, McCain's allegation that the comment did so obviously suggested to you that this was a proven fact. Obama's comment was artful and invitational. McCain's was clumsy and accusatory.

In case you aren't aware of it, race is an issue in this campaign. "Playing a such-and-such card" is a synonym for substituting an emotional non-issue for an issue. Obama made sure that all the issues were on the table. McCain, who would have preferred to let silent prejudice do its work, responded by accusing Obama of inventing an issue where none exists.

McCain is wrong, and scurrilously so. So much for the man of integrity.

I heard that Sen. Obama even fathered two black children!

And don't even get me started on the terrorist fist bumps!

Right wing desperation can actuall, at times, be funny.

Taka

SezWho2- "So much for the man of integrity" Tee Hee!

McCain is a man of honor, who will not lie his way into the White House.

I will look at the link later to see if their is any substance to your claims.

Obama, should be carefull when he abuses the worlds most loved war hero. The abuse will come back and hit him badly.

McCain is starting to look and sound like a loser. An elderly loser.

therightside - "Anyone who thinks otherwise is a commie-hippy and should be dealt with accordingly. Obama supporters are in denial."

"We need less flip-floppers and more resolve to stay the course and see this through at whatever cost."

ha ha! While it's great to see the legendary openminded attitude of the Republicans come out in the open, it's also important for GOP supporters to know what Sen. McCain really stands for.

Sen. McCain stands for

1/ The Right To Change My Mind When I Want

As he has demonstrated magnificently on his rapidly changing positions on supporting/not supporting Bush's tax cuts, supporting/not supporting offshore oil drilling, and a whole lot of other shining examples of largely irrelevant policiy flips.

2/ Saying Whatever Fits Sen. McCain illustrated this talent beuatifully in his latest attack ad against Obama when the former man compared Obama to Paris and Britney.

3/ Rightly Acknowleging That Responsible Economic Stewardship Is For Wussies Sen. McCain has shown again and again that fiscal knowledge just isn't a 'need-to-know' prerequisite for a White House run. Naturally, what is more important for a GOP White House hopeful is to simply open the floodgates and spend billions upon billions of money borrowed from the Chinese and Japanese. After all, why spend Americans' money when you can borrow it cheap from Asia? McCain knows the answer, whatever the cost.

4/ Foreigners First Sen. McCain has clearly underlined his empathy and sympathy for Affected Peoples Of Other Nations by pushing to continue the Global War On Terror that is diverting $15 billion + per month of Americans' hard-earned tax dollars to mercenaries in Iraq and infrastructure needs for Iraqis.

Realy, what a kind president!

Statistician- Really, loser to who?

The latest Fox News polls show that McCain is gaining more supporters daily ,and is heading towards a comfortable win.

Betzee,

"Are they racist or just clueless?"

Well...I'm of the opinion that one can be clueless, but not racist. However, I believe it impossible to be racist without being clueless as well, so...I'd have to go with both.

Taka

Republicans would try to scare voters by pointing out “he doesn’t look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills.”

This is clearly and simply not true. I have yet to hear a single republican point out something like this. What this is, is Pastor Wright speaking through Obama. Race is being made an issue by Obama because they know there's political gain to be had if they do. I mean it's not like Obama didn't pick up a few tricks like this after years of sitting though all those sermons by Pastor Wright. McCain is absolutley correct in that the remarks are “divisive, negative, shameful and wrong.”

"Tee Hee!" is not a refutation. Neither is your statement that McCain is a man of honor who will not lie his way into the White House. McCain need not lie to have his honor sullied. He need only sign on to false accusations that are presented to him by his campaign advisers.

I wasn't aware that McCain is the world's most loved war hero. Where did you find that tidbit? Here's a war hero from McCain's war:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/11/AR2007031101493.html

In any event, Obama is not abusing McCain here. It is quite the other way around.

There's no need to look at this link or any other link. There is no compulsion to be informed.

SezWho2- Heck the Washington Post is abit liberal eh? McCain is the best loved war hero, straight out of the mouth of SEan Hannitty, or is he also a liar? I hope McCain would not have advisers that would present him with false info. If they did i`m sure thay would be released.

I nsee the liberals getting very bworried , now McCain is getting a lot of voters on board.

Heck, it's awesome watching the Republicans spinning out in fear at the oncoming Obama presidency.

Helter Skelter,

The political climate is "divisive, negative, shameful and wrong". Republicans would have preferred to make an issue of race by not mentioning it. Obama has made that impossible, but it hardly amounts to "playing the race card". It's much better to recognize that it is an issue.

For example in a recent Rasmussen poll, 78% of the population said they would be willing to vote for a black candidate (and even they thought their friends were less likely to do so). 11% said that they would not. That leaves 11% undecided as to where they stand as to the relationship of race and the office of the President. And this is without even considering that "Yes, I'd be willing to vote for a black candidate" is the politically and socially correct answer.

This race is going to be decided by those who are now undecided. I see nothing wrong with Obama inviting those who are undecided to look past the issue of race. That is what he did.

A lot of people will say I'm ready to vote for a black candidate, just not this one. That disguises that they're actually not ready at all.

Probably the most entertaining aspect of this race for me is that after 8 years of Bush administration truth-twisting, we now have Republicans reacting in shock that the other candidate is - wait for it - lying!

LOL! That just cracks me up no end :-)

SushiSake3- The most entertaining thing is the liberals who have lost touch with reality.

Every Fox News poll shows droves of Obama supporters changing their mind and backing McCain.

McCain is gonna walk the election.

Every Fox News poll shows droves of Obama supporters changing their mind and backing McCain.McCain is gonna walk the election." First of all, how the hell do you guys watch Fox News? It doesn't come on TV here in Japan..

In any case, my worries have come up. I was concerned that if one criticizes Obama, they would jump him and call him racist for doing so.. Whether McCain does have racist feelings or not I don't know, but I have yet to hear anything related to Obama's race (races) from the McCain campaign.

skipthesong; If you can`t get Fox News Download TVU PLayer, it is on there.

Your`e right McCain is not racist, so the race card can only fail.

Hey, Obama shows his sneaky true colors. Why don`t you campaign like McCain, in a decent repectfull manner. McCain is assured of victory, i have also been watching the Fox NEWS polls with interest, and see the tide has turned against Obama.

Go Go GO McCain.

Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday that the senator was not referring to race.

Obviously he was. I really don't support Obama on this. This, along with the comment in Berlin, are statements that others wouldn't be allowed to say about him. I think we're all better off leaving statements like that behind us. It's a bit ironic that we're having to tell Obama not to talk like that, not his competition.

JeromeinJapan: He was merely stating the truth. Some people are scared to make a change and they race factor is certainly and issue to some voters. He's just telling it like it is.

But he wasn't. This is what Obama said:

So what [Bush and McCain] are going to try to do is make you scared of me,” Obama said. “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 the dollar bills.’”

He was talking about Bush and McCain. He's making a prediction that Bush and McCain are going to make racist statements and that's crossing the line.

If he had said "some voters" or "some people" then I would agree. He would be telling it like it is. But he specially mentioned two people by name and claimed that they would be making racist statements. It's almost as if the Obama camp has been waiting for racist statements that haven't come, so they're putting them into McCains' mouth for him. That's just not acceptible.

Then I suppose it's akin to the childish shrieky affair that electing a US president has become.

Why don't they blow rasberry's and brag about who's dad has the faster car instead?

How are Bush and McCain going to make people scared of Obama? Its not like he's going to make the national anthem into a rap song with Ludicris.

SexWho2,

Republicans would have preferred to make an issue of race by not mentioning it.

LOL!

Republicans would have preferred to make an issue of race by not mentioning it." That's really not funny. If they don't mention, they are screwed. If they do mention it, they are screwed.

Betzee: The Republicans want to have it both ways. It's OK for them to go around endless repeating his full name

McCain has already said that Obama's middle name is not important and he will not use it. Since that piece of information works against you, you simply switch targets from McCain to "Republicans" in general. You commonly do that in threads where you agree with McCain. You sidestep him and attack his party. If you can't attack the man directly then I suppose you'll settle for some collateral damage.

Betzee: "I could have agreed with you if you'd made that statement after he disavowed an introduction in Ohio where the local Republican party person repeated the full name of his expected opponent three times. That was last spring, however, an eternity in the world of political campaigns. Since then McCain has shown an increasingly reliance on the "I'm a victim" card, be it the NYT's Op-Ed page editor or age discrimination. Apparently he doesn't think he can win except by knocking his opponent."

This is just propaganda. You admit that McCain came out and blasted the "local Republican party person" then try a back door by saying McCain has been playing the victim card in other areas recently. Obviously you want people to think McCain plays the victim card and have those thoughts/emotions spill over onto this issue. It's the equivalent of push polling. Maybe we should call it push posting.

SezWho: Obama is playing the race card? Just the opposite. It is McCain who is playing the race card here

I can really only shake my head at this one. Obama introduced race into the discussion by accusing McCain of being racist, something there is absolutely no evidence to support. You're overlooking that statement and claiming that McCain's response is really the race card that's being played?

SezWho: Obama's remark--which did not even mention race but simply invited people to think

Translation: Let's all pretend to be stupid then we'll take the debate from there.

Betzee: A graphic for a Fox News story about liberals who are angered at criticism of Michelle Obama read: "Outraged liberals: Stop picking on Obama's baby mama." The segment was an interview with conservative columnist Michelle Malkin on the issue.

This has nothing to do with the issue at hand. I predict at least another half-dozen off-topic "examples" of racism that you'll attribute to Republicans in general and right wingers to bury Obama's statement. You're in damage control mode right now and it's going to make for a very, very long thread.

SezWho: I don't know why you are watching Fox News to find out about the McCain campaign's allegations that Obama was the first to go negative. This is old news which you could easily find on the Internet, but here's a link to get you started:

Looks like you're going to take a page out of Betzee's manual.

SezWho: I see nothing wrong with Obama inviting those who are undecided to look past the issue of race. That is what he did.

Accusing McCain of being racist isn't looking past race in any way, shape, or form.

SezWho: A lot of people will say I'm ready to vote for a black candidate, just not this one. That disguises that they're actually not ready at all.

Wow. I'm glad Obama is running and not Al Sharpton.

To me the issue is very simple. Obama predicted that Bush and McCain will be using racism to create fear in the future. It's a very, very serious accusation in my opinion and one that shouldn't be overlooked. I think Obama needs to stop saying such things and needs to stop talking about the fact that he "looks different" and certainly needs to stop accusing others of saying those things when they have not. He's the only one saying them. And he needs to stop. Now.

Once again, obama returned to his race as the qualifier for his presidency.

obama touched on all the talking points in his speech yesterday: Don't let them make you afraid of me. Don't accept their reality that I am a risk, that I have no experience and I am a (half) black candidate. After which he proceeded to attempt to solidify the opposition theory that Mr. McCain will be a third term of President Bush.

What people are seeing now is the real backlash and reality of obama's recent world tour and his condescending treatment of both the media and the American people. obama's handlers are gazing into the crystal ball and seeing the storm clouds forming.

obama and his handlers have seen the writing on the wall of the past week in the press clippings. Since his return from the ego trip last week he has recognized that the media is no longer in his pocket. As he realizes that John McCain has picked up support and that a good many of those supposedly undecided and moderate voters, didn't like what they saw when they saw obama traipsing around Europe "looking presidential" and disrespecting at the folks back home by apologizing for America.

With about three weeks left until the convention, obama and his 300 advisers are going into damage control mode and trying to hold on to what they had before the trip. But the obama's crown has slipped and the people are finally seeing the Emperor's "new clothes."

RR

The race card is the only one in obama's deck. He's been playing it since his days as a community organizer in Chicago.

So, just how much Senate experience does barack obama have in terms of actual work days? Not much.

From the time obama was sworn in as a United State Senator to the time he announced he was forming a Presidential Exploratory Committee, he logged 143 days of experience in the Senate. That's how many days the Senate was actually in session and working.

After 143 days of federal work experience, obama believed he was ready to be Commander In Chief and leader of the Free World.

143 days -- heh, I keep leftovers in my refrigerator longer than that.

In contrast, John McCain's 26 years in Congress and 22 years of military service - including 1,966 days in captivity as a POW in Hanoi - now seem more impressive than ever. At 71, Mr. McCain may just be hitting his stride.

RR

Skip: That's really not funny. If they don't mention, they are screwed. If they do mention it, they are screwed.

It really shows how political correctness has come full circle. Now, if you don't play the race card it's evidence that you're playing the "silent race card." Somehow not being racist is now proof that you want to use racism in your favor. Any way you slice it it always point to the same conclusion: you're racist.

you're racist." You know, I personally think a lot of white, in particular Anglos, are yelling how much they are going to vote for Obama simply to assure others that they are not racist, regardless what platform they would prefer. You can look at this board and with the slightest disagreement, you are slammed as a racist and by the same people who would never walk down the street in a black neighborhood.

I was really hoping race, and mostly from the Obama side, would have been left out. I'm disappointed. I'm still not down with McCain, but I am losing interest in Obama.

Some of you need to check the Spanish language media. You would be surprised at what you hear vice what the media has reported.

additionally, accordingly, Obama has stated that he doesn't believe McCain is using race, so why all the fuss. Shouldn't he be the one that mandates what is and what is not racism towards him?

What if one doesn't like Obama for his platform, why does that person have to be considered a racist or if they are not white a sell out and why do people like me have to side with Obama because we are not seen as white? My wife is not white, and she doesn't really feel all too well for him, is she a racist too?

obama has now officially made race a campaign issue and accused Mr. McCain and President Bush of planning to use race against him ... something that up until now neither Mr. Bush nor Mr. McCain has done.

obama's called "foul" before a foul has been committed. No one can logically dispute that. Having personally introduced it, it is now fair game.

RR

FairandBalanced,

What does the Washington Post's liberality have to do with who is and who is not a war hero? How is Sean Hannity an authority on who is the world's best-loved war hero? Even Audie Murphy is still a more beloved war hero than McCain. His grave site in Arlington is regularly and routinely visited with high frequency.

And what does it matter anyway? Just because someone was widely respected in war time does not mean that he will be able to immunize himself from those who would deceive him. Powell couldn't. Ultimately Powell allowed the administration to capitalize on his integrity by using him as a tool for its propaganda.

No, the war hero discussion is a distraction from the point at hand, which is whether or not Obama was "playing the race card". And I don't think you've addressed any of my points about that. Obama has nothing to gain by doing so. McCain's campaign, while preferring to let racial prejudice do its insidious work, perceives that it has something to gain--just as Hillary did--by accusing Obama of playing that card. Furthermore, that is not even a card. It is an issue. It probably shouldn't be, but it is.

Any way you slice it it always point to the same conclusion: you're racist

True dat, SuperLib. The irony is that if the obama weren't mulatto, he would not be where he is right now. What we American voters are witnessing is an offshoot of "Affirmative Action" in a presidential election.

RR

The race issue worked FOR obama during the democrat primaries. For him to now suggest that it is now going to be used against him is a bit ironic.

RR

SuperLib,

I think you have made two statements that are either not true or not entirely true.

The first is that Obama is "obviously" talking about race. That is not so. I think he is talking about race, but more importantly he is talking about the whole package. In order to justify your interpretation you have to claim that each of his utterances is a stand-alone comment and there is simply no "obviously" to that.

Furthermore, Obama is inviting people to move beyond discrimination and he is saying something that is entirely true. The cover of the New Yorker is testament to what people will do to malign him and his wife. The satire works because it exposes a truth.

And this brings me to the second point. You seem to be saying that Obama claims that Bush and McCain will say these things about him. I don't even think that passes the test of reason. I think you have to give Obama a little credit for not trying to predict what people will say.

This is what we get when we watch news clips and not the whole speech. The antecedent of "they" is not "Bush and McCain". It is "Nobody". He said something to the effect that "nobody really thinks that Bush and McCain have solutions so what they will try to do is...."

I like to see the whole speech before I make judgment and I haven't been able to find it or a complete transcript. Our news media looks for inflammatory newsbites as I'm sure you've mentioned upon occasion. However, when I look at the clip that is widely available, it appears to me that "nobody" means Bush/McCain advocates who cannot reliably present the concrete and workable plans of their darlings.

Helter Skelter,

"LOL!"?

Laughing out loud might be a sign of rudeness but it is never a refutation. In your case, since you did not really address the crux of the post it appears to be a sign of laziness.

Being silent about race would have worked for the McCain campaign. If the issue of race had never been broached in any way shape or form by the Obama people, the McCain campaign would have been, in my opinion, perfectly happy letting silent prejudice do its work for the McCain candidacy.

It seems to me, however, that it was waiting for any comment that even suggested race. I believe that it is the McCain campaign's hope that by portraying Obama as being a race-baiter, it will solidify its position among the real racists and swing the marginal racists and the confused to its side.

As for Obama playing a race card, can anyone give a cogent statement as to what he would have to gain by doing so?

As for Obama playing a race card, can anyone give a cogent statement as to what he would have to gain by doing so?" rounding up all those scared whites! Never mind the racists, Obama needs to be concerned about those whites who are scared of someone like him.

skipthesong,

No, it's not funny. But if you believe that they are in a fix whether they mention it or not (and I'm not sure they would be if they did not), you might consider what their position would be if they don't make it an issue but Obama does. That might be the key to why its important to make the allegation that Obama made an issue of race.

By the way, Obama did not mention race here, did he? Isn't that something that you and everyone else has to read into the statement?

SuperLib,

Obama did not accuse McCain of being a racist. You are reading that into his comments. My question would be: why are you doing that?

obama is clearly a racist. His own words and actions prove it, like how he calls his grandma "a typical white person" which is clearly a racist and negative stereotype.

He brings up race often, either through falsely claiming his opponents will use it against him negatively (plays the race card), by failing to allow Muslim women in a photo op (clearly an issue of racial and gender discrimination), as well as, his long term attendance anti-white America racist church.

For anyone to say he is not racist, they would have to be completely ignorant and blind of his actions. In other words, an obama supporter.

RR

RRamen (the second... haha!): "The race card is the only one in obama's deck. He's been playing it since his days as a community organizer in Chicago."

This, coming from a guy who's been banned for racial comments in the past, insists on capitalizing president bush's name (and McCain's) while keeping Obama in lower case (see how I reversed it??!), and often intentionally refers to Obama's first name in trying to point out some connection to Islam while stating how 'unpatriotic' Obama is. Let's not forget that the whole time Obama was in Germany RRamen posted some 12 or so posts on a single thread trying to show how 'socialist' all Germans were (simply because they were the home of the nazis) and linking it to the popularity of Obama.

In other words, Ramen, your spouting on about how wrong it is to play some kind of 'racist' card mean absolutely nothing, when all you do in most cases is make racist/religious comments to try to undermine posters and/or electoral candidates/people you don't agree with.

Let's see McCain stick with a single thing he's going to do... instead of constantly talking about Obama and what he supposedly 'can't'. McCain can't even defend his own backtracking on the tax issue (that he's willing to increase payroll tax after swearing up and down that he would NEVER, and Obama WOULD raise taxes! haha!). In other words, McCain is a wheel spinning downhill, and he knows it, and is taking any stab at his opponent he can, instead of looking for some footing of his own to stand on. It's never about 'what I can do for my country' in the case of Republicans in particular, it's only about what the other guy can't. Obama is getting a lot worse in his campaign with the negativity factor, I'll grant that, but at least in his case it's pretty much ALL in self-defense.

Anyway, RR, I look forward to your 10th or so post on this thread.

"For anyone to say he is not racist, they would have to be completely ignorant and blind of his actions. In other words, an obama supporter."

Ah, good old syllogisms from the desperate. Wouldn't even win in a junior highschool debate.... but in that regard, RR, you do follow in the footsteps of Republican 'debaters'.

obama and his 300 advisers are probably a bit peeved that his european bounce has Galluped to a halt:

http://www.gallup.com/

Right now obama's probably sitting somewhere in America, eating a waffle and wonder how could this be with all those european voters in Berlin supporting him!!

Good times

RR

I couldn't agree more with RRamen. Obama cannot stand on his own merits and has to rely on race to garner more sympathy votes. You can't trust these people anymore than you can trust anyone else outside of the party. Sure, Obama gets great support in Europe - too bad all of those morally corrupt socialists can't vote for him in an American election. Then they would all be running our lives and taking all of our money and telling us how to think. This needs to stop. We all need to vote for John McCain. Anyone who doesn't think so needs to tune into Fox News to get their head straightened out and get a balanced view of the world.

By the way, Obama did not mention race here, did he? Isn't that something that you and everyone else has to read into the statement?" Sez, you are right, he never did and I never said he did. He has insinuated race in more ways than none. As well, I haven't heard McCain make any racist remarks either. Everyone is going off on McC, and while he ain't got my vote, I am just trying to keep the peace because he has run a much, much nicer campaign than that of Hillary.

I do firmly believe that far too many chicken-little scared white boys on this thread are shouting that McC is a racist and by doing so they can hide behind and try to earn points as though they are down with the program. Its fake is what I am trying to say. And because of them, McC is in a catch 22. Says one thing, the chicken littles run and cry "oh, you racist old man" of if he doesn't say anything the same little one will say "oh, he is afraid" blah blah blah.

I do also believe Ludacris' support song for Obama is on the racist tip as well as cruel to a person who Obama may have to sit down with one day. Several Anglos here had their jaws drop in disgust, and these guys are pulling in close to half a mil a year. O gots some damage control and that stupid idiot put O in a bad spot.

Tomorrow McCain is scheduled to deliver a speech in Florida.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Presidential candidates are campaigning in the Sunshine State. Friday, Republican presidential candidate John McCain will address thousands of African-Americans in a speech to the National Urban League Conference in Orlando at the World Center Marriot. The National Urban League is extremely influential in the black community.

The speech comes a day after he accused Senator Barack Obama of playing the race card in the campaign.

"I'm very disappointed. Race won't have any role in my campaign, nor is there any place for it. I'm disappointed that he's used it," said McCain.

http://www.wftv.com/news/17059232/detail.html

I'm going to be very interested in what he has to say. Also should note that he addressed the NAACP a couple of weeks ago.

I might as well say it out loud because anybody with a lick of common sense already knows this, McCain will be lucky to get 10 percent of the African American vote. From a purely political point of view he wasted his time addressing the NAACP and should just write off the African American community entirely from the campaign and not waste campaign funds or resources that could be better spent in the battle ground states with the working blue collar white voters who are the key voters who will determine this election cycle who is going to be the next president. And he shouldn't also waste his time with this urban league speech. I'm making this point from a purely cynical political perspective.

Here is my real opinion, it is class that McCain made that speech to the NAACP and it is class that he will be addressing the urban league tomorrow. I think it does tell much about the man and his character.

Say what you will about the old man but he sure isn't some sort of racist and Obama shouldn't have tried to paste that label on him, even though McCain does look a little like some of those old guys pictures on our money that Obama mentioned.

“You know, he’s not patriotic enough, he’s got a funny name,

Oh, just wanted to mention as far as funny names, I always thought Millard Fillmore was a moniker for a President that shall I say 'could've used a little work'.

what Obama and his advisors don't seem to realize is that the US citizens will elect a president, not the Euro crowd. But I'm amazed that Obama went on this rant at all. McCain has avoided the race issue completely. For Obama to have brought it up is a gaff worthy of Bush. It was a really stupid thing to do. Are we looking at the real character of the man? I hope not, but I haven't seen anything to refute that either.

Yesterday's speech proves once again that obama gets himself in trouble everytime he speaks off-the-cuff without the aid of a teleprompter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBonEy32nV4

RR

"Barack Obama"

He ain't no David Palmer.

He ain't no Wayne Palmer either.

I can't wait for the first televised debate between McCain and Obama.

SezWho: The first is that Obama is "obviously" talking about race. That is not so. I think he is talking about race, but more importantly he is talking about the whole package.

He said that he doesn't look like "all those other presidents on the dollar bills." Either he's obviously talking about race or he's talking about....what? Please give us some alternatives. I think you're right, he is talking about the total package overall when you look at all of the statements combined, but that one comment is about one specific part of his package....his race.

Let me put it to you this way: If McCain had said those words he'd be gone. Period. I can't imagine you'd accept those words coming out of a white candidate's mouth. There would be no question of "obviously." There would be no debate about what he meant. That's what bugs me. Republicans have not said those types of things so Obama is planting the words into their mouths which is bogus.

Furthermore, Obama is inviting people to move beyond discrimination and he is saying something that is entirely true.

Which part is entirely true? That Republicans will use fear and say he has a funny name and that he looks different? That's my issue. You seem to be going off on a parallel topic regarding America's need to get past racism overall, which I agree with. But I do not agree with what Obama said here.

This is what we get when we watch news clips and not the whole speech. The antecedent of "they" is not "Bush and McCain". It is "Nobody". He said something to the effect that "nobody really thinks that Bush and McCain have solutions so what they will try to do is...."

I'm also curious about the speech since Japan Today has changed the text of the article. But it looks like JT or the AP has separated the two sentences into two separate paragraphs, which wasn't how it was originally presented when I wrote my comments. I'll have to dig up a transcript and see what it says. BRB.

sailwind,

Obama did not try to paste a racist label on McCain.

This has nothing to do with the issue at hand. I predict at least another half-dozen off-topic "examples" of racism that you'll attribute to Republicans in general and right wingers to bury Obama's statement. You're in damage control mode right now and it's going to make for a very, very long thread.

Try to win with an argument rather than attacking me "pre-emptive strike" style for a response before I've written it. It's even more ridiculous to hurl these accusations since you claimed you don't read my posts.

As fou repeating "Barack Hussein Obama" endlessly, it is intended to emphasize his "otherness" to those with Christian names, that would be the majority.

You're overlooking that statement and claiming that McCain's response is really the race card that's being played?

Some people would see it that way, yes; front-men like the one who introduced McCain at the Ohio rally by referring to "Barack Hussein Obama" three times play to the fear of "otherness," Muslim otherness no less, only to have the candidate take the high road and repudiate them after the fact. However, by this time it is already too late.....point made.

As the presumptive Democratic nominee responds: “What they’re going to try to do is make you scared of me,” Obama said. “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 the dollar bills.”

You can't have it both ways. The Republicans made his "otherness" an issue.

From other articles:

"McCain has accused Obama of playing politics with race for predicting that the likely Republican nominee and others in the GOP would try to scare voters by saying the Democrat "doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/07/31/politics/p130556D53.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

"WASHINGTON—John McCain accused Barack Obama of playing politics with race on Thursday, raising the explosive issue after the first black candidate with a serious chance of winning the White House claimed Republicans will try to scare voters by saying he "doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills."

http://www.elpasotimes.com/politics/ci_10057233

http://www.examiner.com/a-1515255~Explosive_issue_of_race_hits_Obama_McCain_campaign.html

Most of the articles I saw present it like that. Most talk about Republicans in general while only some specifically include McCain.

Sailwind,

The problem here is that nobody has defined "racism." Most of us could probably trot out friends of other races as evidence we are not racist. Yet there's a code language through which race is conveyed. For example, "That's a bad neighborhood." Is it racist or not to make such a characterization?

Sezwho, Superlib,

Start at 24:00 in the timeline it's the full speech and the part that mccain felt he had to respond to, he goes of his prepared speech and......Well if you don't think he didn't say McCain directly would use race as an issue agaisn't him your watching a different speech than the one this one (though I fully expect Sez to 'interpet' his remarks differently and give a full blown explanation that I didn't hear what I heard in the first place or have it wrong somehow.)

He's said much the same thing in the past but in general terms, this speech he specifically linked McCain to it and Mccain bless him isn't going to let that stand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o5IQvMl4A0

”Let me put it to you this way: If McCain had said those words he'd be gone. Period. I can't imagine you'd accept those words coming out of a white candidate's mouth. There would be no question of "obviously." There would be no debate about what he meant. That's what bugs me. Republicans have not said those types of things so Obama is planting the words into their mouths which is bogus".

SuperLib, you make all sorts of assumptions based on situations that do not exist; that in itself shows which way you lean -- you separate the Caucasians with African-Americans in your very 'that's what bugs me (if a black person says it as opposed to a white one)', etc. Meanwhile, McCain is the one trying to plant words in Obama's mouth through his damage-control -- he can't argue a thing about his own policies and so goes on junior-highschool attack tactics, saying things like; "Obama is from here on in going to make racial statements (which in itself is a racial statement)..." so that if any statement is made and 'misconstrued' (as poor old McCain has been misconstrued so many times up to now on everything he forgets) McCain can say, "I told you so!".

You see how easy it was to twist your words? That's what you're doing, as is McCain, and all the fools who take Obama's statement to the extreme.

"Yesterday's speech proves once again that obama gets himself in trouble everytime he speaks off-the-cuff without the aid of a teleprompter:"

Says one of the few guys who STILL supports a president who couldn't talk to the public without a brick on his back.

SuperLib,

I think the alternative is easy. If you look at the presidents on American bills you will see pictures of patriotic Americans with their names written below. I think people have already tried to make us afraid of Obama by questioning his patriotism, calling his name into question and generally suggesting that he is not fit in any way, shape or form fit to be president. This includes but is not limited to race.

If McCain had said what Obama said, he would not be gone. I think you must mean that if McCain had said that Obama did not look like all those other presidents on our dollar bills, he would be gone. That may be true. But if McCain had said that people will try to make us afraid of him (McCain) by saying that he (McCain) does not look like all those other faces, he would not be gone. It wouldn't even be an issue.

I'm not sure where you get that I am talking about America's need to get past racism overall. As you say you do, I think America needs to do that. But when I spoke about something that was entirely true, I was referring to what I think we can observe: that anti-Obama forces will impugn his patriotism, question his name and politely express reservations about his suitability to join the legion of famous faces on our bills. That is entirely true. We saw it with Hillary's campaign and now we are seeing it with McCain's campaign.

As for the antecedent issue, I agree that the articles you presented are representative although I think some people have expressed that Obama meant that Bush and McCain will try to scare us. I think this points out that different people hear different things. I haven't seen the complete speech or read a complete transcript. While we're getting past things, we have to get past sound bites, too.

sailwind,

Thank you for the link it was a great help.

I disagree with your conclusion. I think Obama very clearly is talking about "they", meaning the political machinery that is supporting McCain and opposing Obama. Of course McCain is linked to that, but he did not call McCain a racist and, in fact, he did not call anyone a racist. What he said is that the political machine will try to make us afraid of him because he is different.

As an outsider, its very entertaining to observe an American election; the best reality show on earth. Strangely enough, I feel myself almost wishing Bush could get another 4 years. After almost 8 years in office I think he's starting to get better at his job. It seems like McCain and Obama are typical politicians, playing to the media and not the voters. Obama worries me a bit more because I naturally distrust all government but it seems his doe-eyed supporters would just go along with whatever he said.

goodDonkey- Republicans are not racist, they respect all regardless of ethnicity and religion. Obama is the loser who uses the race card, what a loser.

McCain will not stoop so low as to use race in his campaign, what a true patriot.

goodDonkey- All well and good posting links to liberal propaganda. Republicans do not use the race card and are not racists.

Dems are full of racists, we all know about it.

Sarge, Westurn, USAPatriot, great posts from all of you. Youve really reduced the liberals to jelly. They cant argue any of the great points you guys bring up. The only racists are Obama and his flock. hehe

USAPatriot How can it be liberal propaganda when it is actual footage of the Republican nominee on the campaign trail for the U.S. Senate? Shame on you. Tell the truth! As a matter of fact The video I linked to is of a sitting Republican Senator calling a person of color a "Macaca." However I will not find it neccesary to worry about yours or any other of the dishonest NeoCon's scurrilous comments. I will simply bid my time until Obama is elected and America can take back the White House. McCain is just another NeoCon entrenched in the past and his supporters as evidenced on this post are still convinced their doublespeak will work.

goodDonkey- Heck!! It was a slip of the tongue, nothing more nothing less, no big deal.

Obama is a great patriot and he love shis country, he has scarificed so much for the country he loves, a true good guy!!!

SezWho2,

you did not really address the crux of the post it appears to be a sign of laziness.

It wasn't laziness, it's that I was rendered speechless by the sheer silliness of your statement. The bottom line here is that libs need racism for political gain. Their entire political agenda is based the struggles between black and white, rich and poor, men and women, etc. Without these inequities, they've got nothing. So it's to be expected that the libs will make race an issue in this campaign, even though there hasn't been any evidence of it. They'll simply create the illusion of racism as SezWho is so desperately trying to do here. That's what I was laughing about.

The Obama supporters have really lost the argument here. They know the Dems thrive on using race to suit their agenda.

You can never accuse the Republicans of that, no sir, hust debate good old fashioned politics withtout bias.

In claiming Obama played the race card McCain looks a bit ridiculous since he never called the GWB campaign on the innuendo it spread about his youngest daughter during the 2000 primary. If you recall, it was do or die for George W Bush in South Carolina, he'd lost in New Hampshire to McCain. So, to remain viable as a candidate, he had to win in SC. To this end, a shadowy network spread the word that young Bridget McCain, a native of Bangladesh, was in fact a child he had fathered out of wedlock with a black woman.

Of course none of this could be traced back to GWB directly, though he did visit Bob Jones University, which prohibits interracial dating, to make the contrast between the two candidates clearer, or dare I say black-and-white? And, wonders never cease, he won the primary and reversed his political fortunes.

Where were the voices emphasizing McCain's honor on this thread back then? Well, I suspect they wanted to back the guy with a far shorter public service resume and simply looked the other way.

I don't know any Republicans whom I would characterize as either racists or homophobes. But they too have looked the other way as their party has pandered to those who do fear such groups, and anyone would comes across as "different,"in order to win elections.

Betzee; Hey! been reading more Obama supporting Liberal sites?

No-one can ever say Bush or McCain have ever said or done anything racist.

It is all innuendo and gossip. Been watching Fox News today, and seeing how Obama is ruthlessly using the race card.

Whoa just saw Gallop poll, and it says McCain and Obama are neck and neck,. McCain will soon be well ahead, great news!!!

It seems McCain's motto is now "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em":

He ha[s] undergone a public transformation into a willing instrument of lesser men who trampled on his character and his honor, even his patriotism, just as his campaign is now seeking to do to Obama.

"They know no depths," McCain had complained wearily to reporters on his "Straight Talk" bus during the 2000 primaries. Now he has once more sold himself to those same forces, hoping that they will at last usher him into the White House. In his concession speech after the South Carolina primary, he said, "I want the presidency in the best way, not the worst way."

That is what has changed.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2008/08/01/rove_mccain/

Betzee

Hey, do you keep promoting Liberal stories and links to socialist websites?

Just watch a decent unbiased news service and i am sure you will change your mind about McCain, heck!! You¬re gonna probably start supporting him. How cool would that be?

Helter Skelter,

I know what you're laughing about as well as I know that claiming a statement to be silly and demonstrating that it to be so are different things.

I think it is true, as you suggest, that the Democratic party more often focuses on issues of social justice. However, you don't say what the Republican party focus on and, in neglecting to do so, you give the appearance of minimizing the importance of Democrats and assuming the superiority of the alternative. That also would be laziness.

If one were to be critical of the Republicans, one could say that it is a party cobbled together with wedge issues and without those, the Republicans have nothing. But I think the Republicans offer more than that. I think it would be fair to say that the Republicans more often focus on individual responsibility.

Both social justice and individual responsibility are important.

In your posts you are suggesting that Obama has picked up some "tricks" from Rev. Wright and is using them for political gain. You allege that to be so, but the closest that you can come to explaining how that works is to say that without the issues of race, economic inequality and gender, Democrats have nothing. That is not an explanation. That is a hypothesis which in itself is open to the charge of racism--i.e., that he hopes to win the election because he's black.

That's like the Doonesbury cartoon where the Hillary supporter is still bitter because Obama had so many unfair advantages. The man asks, "Like being black with a Muslim name?" Being black may be a limited advantage in some aspects but I daresay that its disadvantages more than offset that. And that's the crux of the post which you ignored--that racism does exist and that the political climate itself is divisive. Obama's comments did not capitalize on that divisiveness. McCain's did.

In any event, silence is pernicious. Race is an issue and that was the crux of the post which you ignored. McCain's people were rather obviously, in my estimation, waiting to make race an issue and waiting to capitalize on the Rev. Wright, fist-bumping, radical imagery that is already in the political atmosphere. McCain is doing exactly what Obama said people will do to create fear.

SezWho2

Do you claim that race is not an issue in these forthcoming elections?

Obama can say comments about banknotes or whatever, but if Republicans aid anything about black or muslim it would cause a major scandal.

Heck!! I start getting bored with all the arguments, can`t teh 2 parties have a good clean fight, with the best man winning?

goodDonkey: You've really got to ignore some of the recent reincarnations of banned members on here.... all they're doing is coming on and spouting ridiculous nonsense to get you riled up. I would gladly name them for you, but the Mod's hate it when you point out people they've banned and let in again, and delete the post as 'irrelevant to the topic'.

Anyway, just ignore them. That's what they fear most.

Until then, you are absolutely right about the Republicans and racism, and the morons on here saying 'Obama is the racist' are actually much like homophobes who beat up on innocent people because said phobes are scared stiff of what they are. So naturally, said people on here lash out and accuse everyone else of that from which they suffer greatly... It's truly sad to see, actually.

USAPatriot- IVE always voted republican, but i am gettin ick of the way this campaign is being handled. Im not just going to stick up for McCain because he is Republican.

Bad things have come out of his camp, and wether he knows whatb is going on or not is irrelevent. He should screen everything put out by his camp, and if he allows these ads he is stupid, and if he doesn`t know, well he should have.

You're gonna probably start supporting him.

No chance of that. As president McCain would almost certainly have the opportunity to appoint at least one person to the Supreme Court. And there goes Roe v. Wade. That is a litmus test for the Republican Party base and a deeply held position by McCain, not something he flip-flopped on for the sake of expediency. That's the bottom line, babe (no pun intended of course!)

Betzee- You seem a pretty sensible guy.

How about you spend a few hours a day to watch a unbiased modeate tv news media.

I guess you may change your Opinion on McCain pretty quickly.

Racial politics have no nplace in 21st century politics.

Racial politics have no nplace in 21st century politics.

Yeah, but single issue voting does!

Betzee-Please clarify your point.

It's already crystal clear. I will not support any candidate who promotes a regressive social agenda. Some people take the attitude "right to life" has been a card the Republicans have played to get the base to the polls for several decades now and nothing will change. That's not a chance I'm willing to take, however.

Betzee- How is Mcains social agdnda in any way regressive?

I find on social issues, the guy is rather Liberal.

I find on social issues, the guy is rather Liberal.

Then you need to diversify your sources of information because you are wrong:

Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's departure from the presidential race earlier this week means that once again, whoever the Republicans nominate will oppose abortion rights and whoever the Democrats nominate will be pro-choice. Many Republican voters, however, seem to believe, incorrectly, that the current Republican front-runner, Arizona Sen. John McCain, supports abortion rights, too.

The misperception is interesting, considering that McCain has not attempted to keep his pro-life views a secret. Here's how he put it on an appearance last year on NBC's Meet the Press:

"I have stated time after time after time that Roe v Wade was a bad decision, that I support a woman — the rights of the unborn — that I have fought for human rights and human dignity throughout my entire political career," McCain said. "To me, it's an issue of human rights and human dignity."

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18632802

Betzee- Heck!! he must have been pandering to some right wing religous types at the time.

Roe Vs Wade will never be overturned. Heck anyone want abortions would run to their nearest borders.

Are you sure these quotes are correct? Somehow i canot equate the game saying these things.

McCain is no liberal. Only the far out rightwing repubs claim that.

McCain is Bush is a sheep's clothing. He is doing what bush did in 2000 with his compassionate conservatism propaganda. It was all lies.

McCain is now on the low road as that is the Rove formula which unfortunately worked for bush in his elections. Didnt work in 2006 congressional elections however.

zucronium- Heck!! Why not be less biased.

For a conservative, McCain has very Liberal views, he is differet from BUsh yes, even more patriotic, if that is possible.

patriotic" I have never in my life seen a patriotic politician - ever!

obama's chief campaign strategist now admits the "dollar bill" comment did refer to race:

http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/Politics/story?id=5495348&page=1

Mr. McCain no longer needs to campaign. All he needs to do is sit back and, heh, let obama flap his gums.

RR

RomeoRamenll- Great post, and link!!!

Obama is now the underdog, hehehe.

The guy shoots himself in the foot again.

Boys,

the election is over. Songbird McCain is going down like a Dole in 96. He is old and cranky and a total sellout to the Rove slime politics.

Get use to it, President Obama. For 8 years. Which is just about long enough to clean up for the bush trainwreck administration.

zurc - "Songbird McCain?"

"He is old and cranky"

We like our presidents old and cranky!

Old and cranky is better than not suitable for our Dolar bills. Tee Hee!

Moderator: We have already asked you to stop the Tee Hee signoffs. You won't be asked again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o5IQvMl4A0

SezWho: I disagree with your conclusion. I think Obama very clearly is talking about "they", meaning the political machinery that is supporting McCain and opposing Obama.

He specifically refers to Bush and McCain by name.

Helter Skelter: It wasn't laziness, it's that I was rendered speechless by the sheer silliness of your statement. The bottom line here is that libs need racism for political gain. Their entire political agenda is based the struggles between black and white, rich and poor, men and women, etc. Without these inequities, they've got nothing.

I can support most of what you said here. I think the far left overplays racism and inequality, but also the far right doesn't believe it exists to the extent that it does. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

Betzee: Try to win with an argument rather than attacking me "pre-emptive strike" style for a response before I've written it.

I predicted that you'd fill the thread with a half-dozen off-topic links from other sources. So far you've only posted three...but the thread isn't over yet.

But, I will stand by my statement that you will use a lot of smoke and mirrors to try to change the topic away from Obama's statements. So far you've brought up irrelevant information regarding:

1) An unnamed Republican using Obama's middle name 3 times (but also mentioned McCain's rejection of that practice) 2) McCain's NYT editorial 3) A Fox news piece about Obama's wife 4) GWB using push polling against McCain 5) Accused McCain of selling out his ideals 6) Roe v. Wade

What you haven't done is talk about the appropriateness of Obama's comments. Care to comment on that? Or should we assume that the best defense is a good offense?

USAPatriot,

What makes you think that I claim that race is not an issue. Everything I have said underscores that I believe race is an issue and that Obama invited us to look past that. McCain did not accept the invitation.

RomeoRamenII,

You overstate your case. What Axelrod said was that his comment refers to race, at least in part. Furthermore Obama's comment was absolutely true. The comment that was false came from McCain campaign--that Obama was "playing the race card".

SuperLib,

We've been through this before, I think.

I see what you are saying, but I don't think it stands the test of reason. Do you interpret Obama's comment to mean that he thinks Bush and McCain will say he isn't patriotic enough, that he has a funny name and besides, he's black? I think his remark does not mean that and I think that those who pretend otherwise are indulging in the basest kind of partisan politics.

Yes, he refers to Bush and McCain specifically by name. And when he says "they" are going to do this and "they" are going to do that, I think he clearly means the political campaign of which they are a part. Even if he did mean Bush and McCain specifically, he says they are going to try to "make you scared of [him]". He then goes on to mention patriotism, name, and appearance.

What Obama seems to me to be saying is that the Republican campaign will use these issues in one way or another to try to create Obamaphobia. It seems to me that he has called that fairly accurately. If you think the Republican campaign has operated and will operate otherwise, your conscience will be clear.

I also find it interesting that Obama alludes to appearance and the McCain campaign reads "race". Why is that? Obama has said nothing that John McCain could not have said with absolute impunity. The only thing that McCain cannot say is that Obama does not look like all those other faces. McCain need say nothing at all about the whispering.

I predicted that you'd fill the thread with a half-dozen off-topic links from other sources. So far you've only posted three...but the thread isn't over yet.

You're trying to bait me into readdressing this subject so you can prove yourself right to yourself? OK.....

I understand the source of your confusion; I did have to call you on referring to "my boy Obama" a while back. It indicated an utter lack of appreciation for the historical status of blacks in our society. Do you read anything beyond a daily dose of AP?

Others have done it here also including Pas and RR, but with the knowledge of what it conveys. You, by contrast, claim to be an Obama supporter and therefore did so out of ignorance (not a reassuring quality in the electorate).

You used information from my post to write:

McCain has already said that Obama's middle name is not important and he will not use it.

Some people would interpret his claim in another way. Front-men like the one who introduced McCain at the Ohio rally by referring to "Barack Hussein Obama" three times play to the fear of "otherness," Muslim otherness no less, only to have the candidate take the high road and repudiate them after the fact. However, by this time it is already too late.....point made or "mission accomplished" in implanting it in the minds of the audience.

This is why lawyers who do this in front of juries can be held in contempt by judges. In this case it would hinge on whether the McCain campaign allowed a local party operative to introduce him without first seeing his prepared remarks. I doubt it but there no way to reach a determination without knowing that.

As the presumptive Democratic nominee finally responded: “What they’re going to try to do is make you scared of me,” Obama said. “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 the dollar bills.”

The white audience in Missouri seemed to appreciate his comments, it was the McCain campaign that did not. But they can't have it both ways: The Republicans made his "otherness" an issue.

Betzee, if I said, "your boy Obama" a while back please cite the reference. I generally don't speak like that so I would be surprised to see that I did.

Some people would interpret his claim in another way. Front-men like the one who introduced McCain at the Ohio rally by referring to "Barack Hussein Obama" three times play to the fear of "otherness," Muslim otherness no less, only to have the candidate take the high road and repudiate them after the fact. However, by this time it is already too late.....point made or "mission accomplished" in implanting it in the minds of the audience.

Pretty rich coming from a lady who "reminded" us that McCain graduated near last in his class on the NYT editorial thread. No seed planting there, eh? If you want to comment on people having it both ways then I think your should reserve the first lecture for yourself.

You have one example of a Republican using Obama's middle name. One. And after that McCain denounced it. And he's never personally done it. If you have more evidence than just one guy whose name you haven't even bothered to research then please post it. Otherwise it's obvious that your claims of "Republicans this" and "Republicans that" is entirely based on an introduction from one man. I'm betting I can find more evidence of seed planting from your JT posts than you can find from the entire Republican party. And that's not a joke.

Obama crossed the line. It's as simple as that. What he said was true for some people. Some people do not like him because of his middle name. Some people do not like him because he's black (or "looks differnt" for those who seem to think he's not talking about the color of his skin). But what you're (intentionally) failing to understand is that Obama specifically linked these things to Republicans, Bush, and McCain. He predicted that they were the ones who were going to say it. He took the negative associations with racism and attached it to specific people. That's where he crossed the line.

I still support the guy, and he's still getting my vote. What you don't understand is that moderates like me can actually criticize the guy we're voting for. I'm not in a "war" frame of mind where I have to defend everything he does and constantly attack McCain. I know that's a foreign concept in today's world but I'm hoping the US will return to the center again and people like you will get pushed back to the fringe where you belong.

Betzee, if I said, "your boy Obama" a while back please cite the reference.

You wrote "my boy Obama" and, when I called you on it, Taka defended it as having been written without malice. Indeed, it was made out of ignorance which made it all the more shocking.

I was pleased to see Bob Herbert, a NYT's columnist, hit on some of the same points SezWho2 and I have been making in his column today:

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.”

There was nothing subtle about that attempt to position Senator Obama as the Other, a candidate who might technically be American but who remained in some sense foreign, not sufficiently patriotic and certainly not one of us — the “us” being the genuine red-white-and-blue Americans who the ad was aimed at....

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

Pretty rich coming from a lady who "reminded" us that McCain graduated near last in his class on the NYT editorial thread. No seed planting there, eh?

This statement demonstrates an inability to evaluate evidence. Class rank is something an individual has control over; middle names, by contrast, are selected by one's parents.

I too have an unusual middle name bequeathed by some German forbearer. I remember the dread I felt at having to confide it in classmates growing up in an era when middle names were almost always first names. That's no longer the case anymore since many American children now get their mother's maiden name. And I grew up and came to see my middle name, which elicits questions from time to time owing to the unusual spelling, as elegant.

Some have suggested Barack Obama embrace his heritage which is reflected in his middle name. But to do that would raise even more questions from those who view him as "different." He seems comfortable with himself and that's what is important.

No one should be surprised that racial politics has been introducted into the general election campaign. You should expect it from a guy that until just recently belonged to a racist organization for the past 20 years (his church). McCain was correct to jump all over Obama for "dealing from the bottom of the deck" on race. Obama wants to make insinuations that McCain is a racist so he can label any political attack against him as also being racist. It was a clever tactic on his part but McCain handled it well.

SezWho2

race is an issue

And you and Obama and the libs are going to make sure of it.

Helter Skelter,

You had better add yourself, John McCain and the conservatives to that list.

obama used the race card because he's bought into the media driven image of him as a neo-savior and perfect. His followers have built such a huge cult of personality behind him that he's come to believe it himself. Now in this mindframe he looks at the polling data that shows he's barely ahead or tied.

How can this be? obama now believes he's the next Jesus! Clearly the only answer is that everyone who doesn't support him must be racist. Otherwise he'd have a triple pont edge in all the polls.

It's a coping mechanism for him.

RR

Obama wants to make insinuations that McCain is a racist so he can label any political attack against him as also being racist.

Sentences such as this show that racism has been decontextualized from power relations. All of us have made judgments about others based on race and ethnicity. "You're Asian, you must be good ar math..." You don't even need to see the person anymore, I've made judgments about other posters and they've made judgments about me.

We don't have time to treat each person we interact with as a blank slate until we get to know them. The problem comes in if you have the power to deny someone something simply because you don't like their race. Reverend Wright can be called a racist but he's no modern-day Bull O'Connor, the chief of the Birmingham Police during the civil rights movement. He simply doesn't have the power to enforce his views on others. While that doesn't make them benign, the distinction still needs to be acknowledged.

Most of us have probably also searched for bias, which may or may not be present, when someone else beat us out for something. "He wanted to hire one of his own." Maybe, but it's difficult to admit someone else may be a stronger candidate for something.

My beef with the Republican Party in this campaign is the way they have pandered to stereotypes to elicit fear of the "unknown." And I think I've substantiated my concerns here.

Sentences such as this show that racism has been decontextualized from power relations.

Oooo- someone give me a Tylenol before she starts with the "Africanist granularity" . . .

Reverend Wright can be called a racist

[against other white people??]

but he's no modern-day Bull O'Connor, the chief of the Birmingham Police during the civil rights movement. He simply doesn't have the power to enforce his views on others. While that doesn't make them benign, the distinction still needs to be acknowledged.

Well, that takes Pat Buchanan off the hook . . .

"Race plays a role in American politics in a lot of different ways. It's not just Ku Klux Klan-style racism," said Vincent Hutchings, a University of Michigan specialist on the intersection of race and politics. "When a large number of African Americans decide to support Barack Obama on the assumption he'd be a better vehicle for pursuing their interests, that's taking race into consideration."

McCain, for his part, has made an effort to reach out to black audiences. On Friday he spoke to the Urban League, and last month he addressed the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People. He has condemned inflammatory statements made by supporters, including a Cincinnati radio host who incited a crowd with cracks using the Democrat's full name, Barack Hussein Obama.

But Republican candidates have a history of playing on prejudice, particularly in the South, both openly and through the use of political code words and suggestive images.

That leads many to assume the worst -- asking, for instance, why the McCain campaign featured two blond white women, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, in a recent TV ad spoofing Obama as opposed to, say, Brad Pitt and Denzel Washington.

"It's simple: These are three of the biggest celebrities in the world. That's why they were chosen," said Tucker Bounds, a McCain spokesman.

As this week's back-and-forth suggests, the politics of race have become so combustible, so freighted after more than two centuries of history and hard feelings, that the obvious can be easily overlooked. Take the gist of Obama's remarks. "Everybody knows it's true," said Carter, who grew up in the segregated South. "One of Obama's big problems is that he's black and he does have a funny name."

Ever since Obama declared his candidacy, the question overhanging this election is whether America is ready to elect its first black president. It's a simple and straightforward question.

But when race enters the political arena, nothing is simple or straightforward.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-race3-2008aug03,0,344880.story

Dang, I'm hitting the sack.

I simply can't argue with the full force of the New York Times, LA Times and Betzee in conjuction.

Happy "decontextualized" dreams everyone!

ZZZZZzzzzz.... . . . .

"When a large number of African Americans decide to support Barack Obama on the assumption he'd be a better vehicle for pursuing their interests, that's taking race into consideration."

This would be the worst thing for blacks as they would have no one to blame for their problems anymore if BHO gets elected.

Barrack Hussein Obama: Nobody thinks that Bush and McCain have a real answer to 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 the dollar bills.'

Obama's spokesperson, Robert Gibbs, says that when he was talking about currency presidents ($1-Washington, $5-Lincoln, $2-Jefferson, $20-Jackson, and $50-Grant) he was saying that McCain will try to paint BHO as far less experienced as those "experienced" currency presidents.

Facts: Washington had zero experience as a politician. Lincoln had had only two years of experience 15 years prior to taking the office of president. Jackson had been a senator and a representative for less than a year each. Grant had held no political office whatsoever before relocating to the White House. Only Jefferson, a Sec of State and VP - 7 years total, had more experience than Obambi.

So what BHO was really saying is, "McCain will point out that I'm black to scare you." This is a textbook example of playing the race card - something he learned from Jesse Jackson perhaps before JJ threatened to cut his n---- off.

helloklitty,

No, Obama wasn't saying anything about McCain himself making any statement about race. He was, however, making an allusion about McCain supporters making allusions about race. Allusions, by their nature, are not direct.

How does this amount to "playing the race card"? The claim that it does sounds more like a mantra that you have adopted because it somehow sounds good to you. Obama said nothing that John McCain could not also have said with complete impunity. Exactly how do you imagine that Obama expected to benefit by playing this so-called card?

Exactly how do you imagine that Obama expected to benefit by playing this so-called card?

That strategy worked for him during the democrat primaries earlier this year.

RR

Heck!! The only guys i see making a bid deal about race are the Dems.

Republicans do not make racist comments, McCain wouldnt allow anyone in his team to act that way. He is a man of the people, who doesnt discriminate becuse of race.

RomeoRamenII,

Alright then, let me rephrase the question. What strategy against Hillary are you talking about and how did it work? I kind of think Hillary lost the nomination on her own. But you can, I suppose, demonstrate how race was a factor because of some strategy that Obama pursued.

I was really quite shocked by a previous post of Wolfpack's in which he wrote something to the effect that while Jesse Helms support for segregation was wrong, his anti-affirmative action stance was right.

While I personally oppose affirmative action, to equate the ill-effects of that with segregation shows a stunning inability to assess proportionality.

As far as I can see, just like the preachers McCain called "agents of intolerance" in 2000 whom he later realized he had to court them to get an important block of voters to the polls, Reverend Wright's words are covered by freedom of speech. If he were inciting violence or creating a hostile work environment, that would be different. There's no evidence he was being investigated for hate speech or that he had prompted anyone to act on his rantings.

By contrast just last week we had a gun-toting malcontent blow away several people in a church "because he hated liberals." Now where would he have gotten that? I'm sure el Rushbo et al will point out, "We never told anybody to do that." I know, he was too busy telling his listeners how to manipulate the primary system so "Barack Hussein Odumbo" would be the Democratic nominee!

Betzee,

Proportionality? You're going to put Eulji Mundeok asleep again!

I'm not a big fan of affirmative action, but I think that without it the US would not have made the advances in racial relations that it has. I'm not a big fan of the income tax, either, but until someone finds a better way, that seems to be a "necessary evil".

You're certainly right that a popularly (and sometimes officially, in states and municipalities) supported system of segregation as administered by the discriminating class is light years different from a federal program of redress administered by all people. There really is no comparison.

I have to admit that I have no idea of what it means to say that "Obama played the race card". I just don't understand how that works. But if Obama has made race an issue, that is a good thing, not a bad one. It is an issue and should not be the elephant in the room.

You know, McCain (or Obama,for that matter) could have preempted this by trying the Hillary gambit, saying this is a historic election because whichever one of us wins it will be a first for our nation. Race is an issue and so is age. McCain has released 1600 pages of documentation to try to show that his age should not be a concern. There's not much Obama can release to show that his race should not be.

Reverend Wright's words are covered by freedom of speech.

...as are David Duke's and Pat Buchanan's. But just as they have the right to spew their bile, so, too, do other Americans have the right to critique their views. I'm aware of no American law that grants individuals immunity to criticism.

I'm sure el Rushbo et al will point out, "We never told anybody to do that."

(But we all know that el Rushbo orchestrated the Oklahoma City bombing, don't we!!)

I know, he was too busy telling his listeners how to manipulate the primary system so "Barack Hussein Odumbo" would be the Democratic nominee!

...which is a consequence of various states' open primary policies. Are we to believe that the Democrats themselves didn't cross over in the primaries to vote for John McCain?

It is true that are too many right-of-center folks endlessly drawing attention to Obama's middle name and it's getting old. It's not like the man is related to the late Iraqi dictator or the Jordanian Hashemites . . . plus many Republicans probably don't even know John McCain's middle name.

helloklitty, No, Obama wasn't saying anything about McCain himself making any statement about race. He was, however, making an allusion about McCain supporters making allusions about race.

Thanks for supporting my opinion.

Allusions, by their nature, are not direct.

Thanks for clearing that up.

How does this amount to "playing the race card"?

You just admitted that he alluded to race, however, here's another Obambi quote from a few weeks ago in which he said (DIRECTLY) ...they will attack his lack of experience but also added, "And did I mention he's black?"

The claim that it does sounds more like a mantra that you have adopted because it somehow sounds good to you.

I'm not crazy about a black president who leaps at the chance to shout, "Racist!"

Obama said nothing that John McCain could not also have said with complete impunity. Exactly how do you imagine that Obama expected to benefit by playing this so-called card?

He would benefit obviously by painting McCain as a racist, which, last time I checked, a fairly big negative for a presidential candidate.

Allusions, by their nature, are not direct. How does this amount to "playing the race card"?

Merely mentioning "crime" or "welfare" allows politicians to manipulate white voters' sentiments. These "allusions" are examples of playing the race card. You don't think anyone would actually be stupid enough to play the race card without making an allusion (although Obambi was stupid enough to actually say, while pretending to be McCain, "and did I mention he's black?")

I'm not a big fan of affirmative action, but I think that without it the US would not have made the advances in racial relations that it has. I'm not a big fan of the income tax, either, but until someone finds a better way, that seems to be a "necessary evil".

Affirmative action only applies to public-sector goods (university slots, jobs). In the private sector you don't need to justify to anyone why you promoted person Y or Z.

The problem with affirmative action is that it permanently stigmatizes recipients as unworthy and inferior. It also tends to take away opportunities from whites who overcame disadvantages or were the first person in their family to go to college. (I've read the profiles of applicants who lost their space when affirmative action was applied).

Although it's a bad remedy, the problem (as explained by a highly successful white man) is very real: while the Declaration of Independence assures us that "all men are created equal," we’d best face the fact that we may be created equal but we are born into a society where inequality of family, of education and, yes, even opportunity begins as soon as we are born.

In my state affirmative action has been done away with and admission into top tier schools it's strictly done on the basis of test scores and grades. Needless to say, that favors applicants from wealthier families. I've met kids who've never had a service-sector summer job and for whom the biggest decision is whether to spent their year aboard in Austria or Australia. We're in the midst of a war but nothing will puncture the insularity of their existence. (My 19-year old nephew's girlfriend applied to over 50 colleges "to keep her options open. That's at least 5 grand in application fees.)

Texas took a different approach. They take the top five percent of every high school, sweeping the issue of quality of education under the rug. It manifests itself in high drop-out rates and those from high schools in lower income communities disproportionately end up in the bottom of the class. John McCain can live down his low class ranking and go on and succeed in life but it will have a much greater impact on a minority's chances for professional success.

SezWho2 part II,

McCain has released 1600 pages of documentation to try to show that his age should not be a concern.

He has his 90-something mother out on the campaign trail sometimes. The thing is, she seems perkier than he (if she were running I might vote McCain).

Anyone who remembers the way Reagan reacted to the revelations of Iran-Contra should have age-related concerns. RR didn't seem to remember all that much. The fact he was probably being honest made it all the more unsettling.

helloklitty,

If you think I am supporting your opinion you have a very active imagination. I think it may explain your confusion about the difference between assertions that people are racists and allusions to the reality that those people, whether they are racists or not, will use the issue of race.

You suggest that by merely mentioning "crime" or "welfare" a politician manipulates the sentiments of white voters. It seems to me that there is a heap of racism involved in that statement. First, what does crime or welfare have to do with race? Second, why are only the sentiments of white voters manipulated?

Additionally, how are they manipulated? Do you think that white voters will listen to Obama and come to believe that McCain is a racist? That hasn't happened. Some voters, such as yourself possibly, apparently do actually believe that Obama accused McCain of being a racist. He did not. But who is manipulating them to believe that? And why?

Very few people will be disposed to believe that John McCain is a racist. But apparently there are quite a lot of takers who are disposed to credit the notion that Obama is trying to paint him as one.

Betzee,

I think there are problems with affirmative action. I think there were also problems without affirmative action. There is little doubt that qualified members of the majority are turned away--to a greater degree than would be without affirmative action. But that makes it incumbent upon employers and admissions representatives to select qualified applicants from the minority instead of finding intangible reasons not to choose them.

I think it's wonderful that McCain takes his 90-something mother on the campaign trail with him. It kind of reminds me of the ending of "Going My Way". (I hope he's not playing "the ethnic card".)

SezWho2,

There is little doubt that qualified members of the majority are turned away--to a greater degree than would be without affirmative action.

As a Yale-educated Mexican-American LA Times columnist observed, "Show me a white man complaining a minority took his place and I'll point to the 50 white men who did get in."

McCain himself in fact endorsed quotas when, in response to a question on what role women would play in his administration, he pledged to increase the number to x amount in every department. Had Obama extended the same promise to blacks, imagine the yowls!

Betzee,

Excellent point. I admire your ability to come up with the pertinent quotation.

As a Yale-educated Mexican-American LA Times columnist observed, "Show me a white man complaining a minority took his place and I'll point to the 50 white men who did get in."

Why won't you provide his name?

I do hope you're not talking about the, uh, illustrious Agustin Gurza, "music and general Latino culture beat reporter".

Actually the quote was a little off, I was paraphrasing something I'd read. Here it is is along with a little more and the link:

Show me a white male who insists that he would have been admitted to medical school if an African-American or Latino hadn't taken his place, and I'll show you 50 other white males who were admitted ahead of him. People need to come up with more credible excuses for their shortcomings.

Yet Yale grade Ruben Navarrette goes on to explain why he has come to oppose affirmative action:

I oppose racial preferences because they hurt the very people they claim to be helping by lowering standards, stigmatizing beneficiaries, perpetuating notions of inferiority, and masking educational failures at the crucial K-12 level. Besides, if their goal is to aid the disadvantaged, they miss the target because - in today's world - such disadvantage is often based not on race but on class. And lastly, these preferences are too often considered a reparation for past injustices, leading people to wonder why they are offered to college-age kids who weren't even alive in the 1980s - let alone the 1960s.

Finally he observes:

By the way, Obama has also said that he opposes quotas and suggested that his own daughters shouldn't benefit from a racial preference because they are far from disadvantaged. That's a nuanced position that suggests Obama has given the subject some thought.

http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_10084800

My recollection of what John McCain said about women was a little off as well. Here's the direct quote:

"I assure you, with confidence, at the end of my first term you will see a dramatic increase of women in every part of the government, in my administration," McCain said.

Imagine if Obama had made the same commitment to blacks??? Yet McCain is also on record as saying "I do not believe in quotas." So what exactly does he believe in?

Imagine if Obama had made the same commitment to blacks???

He has over 90 percent of the black vote sewn up. My guess is he has made or made convincing appearance of delivering on other 'commitments.'

But does McCain believe in? It seems he says whatever is expedient to the specific audience he is in front of without even being aware of the implications. He cannot dramatically increase the number of women in every part of the government without implementing some type of quota system on new hires. Duh.....

"He has over 90% of the black vote sewn up"

Must be some of the black voters are going to vote for him just because he's got some black blood in him. I suppose there are some white voters who are going to vote for McCain just because he's white...

some of the black voters are going to vote for him just because he's got some black blood in him.

What about the white blood in him? Doesn't that make white voters want to vote for him?

Blacks voting for Obama out of loyalty, whites voting for McCain out of “racism.”

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121781107977608809.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Race will always be the issue in the US. Other countries its laughed off.

Cleo - Those black voters don't care about the white blood, apparently.

ya'll can count on the south to do obama in.

Now John McCain is pea-green with envy. That’s the only explanation for why a man who prides himself on honor, a man who vowed not to take the low road in the campaign, having been mugged by W. and Rove in South Carolina in 2000, is engaging in a festival of juvenilia.

The Arizona senator who built his reputation on being a brave proponent of big solutions is running a schoolyard campaign about tire gauges and Paris Hilton, childishly accusing his opponent of being too serious, too popular and not patriotic enough.

Even his own mother, the magical 96-year-old Roberta McCain, let slip that she thought the Paris Hilton-Britney Spears ad was “kinda stupid.”

McCain’s 2000 strategist, John Weaver, was equally blunt with Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter: “It’s hard to imagine America responding to ‘small ball’ when we have all these problems.”

Some of McCain’s old pals in the Senate are cringing at what they see as his soulless transformation into what he once scorned.

“John’s eaten up with envy,” said one. “His image of himself was always the handsome, celebrity flyboy.

“Now somebody else is the celebrity,” the colleague continued, while John looks in the mirror and sees his face marred by skin cancer and looks at the TV and sees his dashing self-image replaced by visions of William Frawley, with Letterman jokes about his membership in the ham radio club and adventures with wagon trains.

McCain could dismiss W. as a lightweight, but he knows Obama’s smart. Obama wrote his own books, while McCain’s were written by (his aide)Salter. McCain knows he’s the affirmative action scion of admirals who might not have gotten through Annapolis without being a legacy. Obama didn’t even tell Harvard Law School that he was black on his application.

Obama didn’t even tell Harvard Law School that he was black on his application.

McCain upbraids Obama for being a poppet, while he’s becoming a puppet. His mouth is moving but the words coming out belong to his new hard-boiled strategist, Steve Schmidt, a Rove protégé, nicknamed “The Bullet” for his bald pate.

Schmidt has turned Mr. Straight Talk into Mr. Desperate Straits. It’s not a good trade.

MAUREEN DOWD

COOL!!!!

Thanks Zurc...The New York Times strikes back agaisn't McCain.

Guess he was right about them after all. Maureen Dowd is employed by who Zurc????

Guess we should have expected this after the headline two days ago....

McCain, New York Times continue long-running bout

Sailwind,

NY Times has Bill Kristol on the same editorial staff. If you dont know who he is, he is the Neocon of all Neocons.

Endless whining from the wingers about their make believe world. The MSP is hopelessly far right and is therefore worthless for real news. The NY Times had a Rove plant writing stories cheerleading for the invasion of Iraq.