The race card controversy

THX1138

This about his campaigns use of race

“I’m sorry to say that it is. It’s legitimate,” McCain told CNN’s John King. “And there’s no place in this campaign for that. There’s no place for it and we shouldn’t be doing it.”

Race, patriotism & now celebrity. This is only the start now the Rove people have joined his campaign but it ain't going to fly ask Hillary. The attack ads make McCain look shallow and vindictive & can some please tell me how it was a good idea to have an ad attcking Obama for not visiting the troops with footage of him visiting the troops? Doh

BTW Obama was told not to visit the troops in hospital by The Pentagon as he was on a political trip.

The Washington Post has the story.

Marbury

The question is, in whose interest is it that race become an issue in the campaign? McCain's, surely. This is an opportunistic bit of outrage - though Obama was unwise to give him an opening.

Jerry

In whose interest should race become an issue?

Obama's. That's why the VT to accompany the post has Obama in it. That's ehy it was Obama's words that set the story flowing. "That's the argument they're making," he says.

Oh no, it's not Mr Obama, that's the words you wanted to put into their mouths because you want race to be the issue because you've seen how the spotlight has swung on to policy over the last fortnight and all your double talk has been exposed for what it is.

Mr Obama will keep banging on about race before this election's over because he's built his house on sand when it comes to policy.

He hopes the only thing that will drown out the noise about that is by saying: "That's the argument they're making." ie alleging racism.

Why not? Beats having to answer questions.

THX1138

Jerry- You're wrong, race does not favour Obama & it does not feature in his campaign except when pushed. A mayor part of his selling point to the white majority is that he isn’t a bearer of racial grievance, and he is very careful to preserve that impression.

Obama’s campaign seems to be aiming to keep race out of the foreground—despite his call for a national conversation about race in his wonderful & thoughtful but forced into speech after Rev Wright blew up in his face, he’s talked about it relatively little since

His widely used bio ads seem to really only show the white side of his family & only seem to have white people in them.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gcWhSsBVTpg&eurl

The ads look more like a Richard Curtis rom -com than Boys in the Hood.

Ian C

That was a very subtle introduction by Obama of the race card. Like Jackson before him he presented himself as a victim of racist undertones.

That was the message he was giving out in this piece, make no mistake.

Harry

"Race does not favour Obama"!

What campaign are you watching, TH?

He's lurched all over the road on policy knowing full well that when people pointed out the skidmarks to him, all he had to do was release a smokescreen about race and all of a sudden that would be in the headlines instead of his flakiness.

He will do this more as the finish line draws in and his policy pronouncements start to burn up on themselves.

"it does not feature in his campaign except when pushed" - yes, when he's pushed on policy. "Oh, you dare to question my policies, do you? Or are you just having a pop at me because I'm black."

Neat, huh?

Race is Obama's shield from policy criticism. Any white candidate that had been as inconsistent as Obama would have been shredded by the mainstream media by now.

It's been obvious for the last two months that Obama has weighed up, what he would rather the story was: "why am I so inconsistent on policy?" or "you know, they're really having a go because I'm black". He certainly can't get himself out of the knots he's tied himself in on the former and just look what a smooth getaway card the latter is. Race trumps policy every time because it will always get the headline and as Obama gets pushed more and more on policy, he'll push his get out clause oh so nimbly with garbage like: it's because I don't look like the presients on the dollar bills, that's the argument they're making euphemisms.

He's a Chicago politician all right.

Ganpat Ram

Obama is a scoundrel, utterly unscrupulous.

He destroyed Hillary Clinton by labelling her as a racist - a truly depraved tactic when the whole world knows the Clintons are no racists.

Obama thrives on exploiting White guilt about slavery and huge fear of being seen as racist. It is a form of psychological terrorism, and Obama is a past-master at it.

If anyone dares criticise him, Obama's favourite responsec is to suggest that he or she is a racist.

Like a crook who is compelled to repeat successful frauds, Obama tried out the "racist" trick on McCain.

Only, this time his luck was out.

McCain's advisers had studies Obama'stactics ahead of time and were fast on the draw.

By responding so ferociously they have succeeded in nailing the slimy Obama and have left him squirming.

Obama is no genius: just a scoundrelly Chicago politico with a lot of smooth gab. He can be EASILY beaten.

McCain has to move now to the center on economic issues, and he will win.

THX1138

Harry & Ganpat- Put away your hatred of Obama for second & think through, how can a debate about race help him?

Obama can rely on the black vote, the hispanic vote the, jewish vote & the white liberal vote. This isn't enough to win election in November you have to win round independent voters in a few key swing states Iowa, Ohio, Colorado, Florida, Pennsylvania & few others.

Please explain to me how sounding like an angry black man is going to help him with the votes of white swing voters in these purple states? I promise you it won't.