Not all Republicans are racists but most racists assuredly consider themselves to be socially conservative.
Many Republicans remain in a state of denial about their party's decades-long practice of race-baiting.
Barry Goldwater, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and both Bushes, have all used codes to attract working class whites. They have called it the Southern Strategy. We call it the Dog Whistle.
But today as a Black man stands between the Republicans and the White House, the Dog Whistle falls away for the Bull Horn.
The Old Gray Lady and the Paper of Record says that John McCain is calling Barack Obama out on using race as an issue in this campaign.
"Barack Obama has played the race card, and he played it from the bottom of the deck," Mr. McCain’s campaign manager, Rick Davis, charged in a statement with which Mr. McCain later said he agreed. "It’s divisive, negative, shameful and wrong."
-
McCain Camp Says Obama Is Playing ‘Race Card’
John McCain was only inoculating himself from a campaign of racism that was about to be unleashed.
The UK's Guardian explains it beautifully with this piece written by Melissa McEwan.
John McCain's campaign advert conflating Barack Obama's candidacy and person with Paris Hilton and Britney Spears (which can be viewed here). On its face, it's an obvious editorial on Obama's intelligence and competency, as his image is juxtaposed with two women alleged to be airheads while the voiceover intones: "Is he ready to lead?" And naturally there is an element of commentary on whether he is undeserving and entitled, with which Hilton and Spears are routinely charged. Famous for no reason, just a pretty face, the ad implies.
But loitering below the ostensibly substantive critique is something more nefarious. It's no coincidence that it wasn't the vacuous tabloid fixture Spencer Pratt or the "American Idol" punchline Sanjaya Malakar who appear in the advert – and it's not because they're not famous enough. For it was also not Scarlett Johansson chosen for the advert, who famously supports him, has campaigned with him, and whose twin brother works for him, despite her being arguably as recognizable as Hilton and Spears – and it's not because she's not young, blonde, or beautiful enough.
It because neither Pratt, nor Malakar, nor Johansson have personas that are the perfect combination of no brains, no talent, and all slut.
Obama, dog whistles the ad, hitting old racists in the sweet spot, could fuck these white girls – it's practically a Democratic tradition ... JFK, Clinton, heck even Carter lusted in his heart – and we don't want that, now, do we?
It recalls the despicable "bimbo ad" used against black senate candidate Harold Ford in Tennessee, in which a white actress was hired to claim she'd met Ford at a Playboy party and asked the candidate to "call me," playing on deeply-ingrained and ancient biases about interracial sex.
-
McCain blows the dog whistle
And who hears these dog whistles? White working class folks in those swings states of Ohio and Colorado and even the deep blue states like Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
This morning I almost choked when I read a letter to the editor in my local paper, the Providence Journal.
The Democrats have a tiger by the tail. Soon the Democrats will nominate Sen. Barack Obama as their presidential candidate. By any objective measure, Senator Obama is stunningly unqualified. I am not saying a "thin resume." I am saying a near total absence of accomplishment.
There are ample indications that there is a creeping realization in the public that Senator Obama lacks substance, core values and beliefs. He is glib. He is biracial.
The rest of the letter is classic wingnut with the repeating refrain: "a tiger by the tail" and "biracial".
I think that the writer thought it smart to use the word "biracial" instead of "black" to feed on white male fear of black men taking white women.
I also think that the writer also thought it was brilliant to use the phrase "tiger by the tail" which is very close to the children's rhyme "tiger by the toe" which was originally the not so childish "n***** by the toe".
What possesses a person to put their name to this trash and why are our local papers printing this garbage?
We all know now, that when you receive a smear chain e-mail to forward it directly to watchdog@barackobama.com.
We must also answer these smear letters to the editors. If you can post and comment on an online message board, you can E-Mail your local newspapers with rapid responses.
X-posted @ RIFuture