Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

CalexanderJ — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 23:37:29 GMT

Great analysis, probably the best I've read on this subject. The charge that Obama was somehow playing the race card was over the top, as you mentioned he was only warning people to be on the lookout for raced-baced attacks. The McCain camps response was clumsy and ham handed.

However I'll cut McCain a little bit of slack. Obama by using the amorphous "they" is on some level suggesting that the McCain campaign would resort to race based attacks. So far the official campaign has been good at avoided that (although they have fox and right wing radio to do their dirty work). So on some level they have a right to be upset at the suggestion that they would bring up race when so far they had not. Of course they're Race Card response seems to vindicate Obama's suggestion that racial attacks would be forthcoming, so the McCain campaign effectively ceded the high ground.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

PacificGatePost — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 23:41:51 GMT

IT’S NOT JUST BECAUSE CAMPAIGN ADS ARE NEGATIVE THAT THEY ARE A PROBLEM ---

http://pacificgatepost.blogspot.com/2008/07/more-evidence-that-republicans-dont.html

McCain’s campaign may be getting torpedoed by Republicans.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

rwe@unh.edu — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 23:52:20 GMT

Barack Obama wants it both ways: He wants to be adored for being an agent of change and wants to be immune to criticism and scrutiny. If he is criticized for his inexperience, his position on Iraq, etc., he either claims that he was misunderstood or that his opponent is taking the low road. If Senator Obama can't stand a little heat during a campaign, then he isn't fit to be commander-in-chief.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

benvictor — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:09:13 GMT

Dumb, considering Obama is running on desperation. The tank is empty, my friend, and desperate people like Obama are going to do these dasdardly things. Latest poll as reported by LA Times not long ago, shows only one point difference. Obama did not get a bounce after Hillary was cruelly dismissed (she got the most popular votes of anyone in history in primary elections), and he got no bounce from his spectacle in Europe. Now, he has nothing and he damn well knows he has nothing. Everybody runs from him for VP because they do not want to risk their political lives on him. And, who can blame them. Yes, he is desperate but playing the race card will only work against him (and he even knows that).

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

Newjack — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:12:51 GMT

And people wonder why Obama hardly ever tells jokes...

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

cm4297 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:14:17 GMT

I apologize to all white voters who are continually insulted by Republicans who assume that you are so simple that a factor like race is the only thing that can seduce you. Many of your children and grandchildren have chosen to reject hate and endless war. Never mind that McCain's voting record has to do with the fact that many whites do not have healthcare, or that many whites are IMPOVERISHED as a result of corrupt business dealings okayed by the Republican party and McCain. Look at his wife, she owns businesses with Cuban ("Communist") connections. She owns part of the company that costs Americans their livelihoods at Anheuser-Busch. Now, they want the working class whites to believe that Obama is the enemy. Do you hear McCain laughing, I sure do. "Look at those simple voters, I will use basis instincts such as racism to continue to rob them." Obama is one of the first candidates who want to extend Affirmative Action beyond race, but to include rural citizens who cannot afford college. McCain is voting against giving the rural citizens an opportunity to go college. If you vote for McCain, you are in mental slavery. I would love to start a group to help the working class not matter what color you are. Do you think its fair that your ancestors helped to build Harvard and other elite schools, but idiots such as Bush are the only ones that has the means to attend? WAKE UP. McCain, it's about the elite, and not about the working class. He loves green.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

ChicoCDM — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:21:10 GMT

Oh the PRESS IS BUSY TRYING TO COVER FOR THEIR CANDIDATE!! This article was a round about way to say "OBAMA PLAYED THE RACE CARD!" Its to be expected -he went to a church for TWENTY years that fed of racial tension and anti-white and anti-American sentiments. Obama can't help himself. he follows in the footstep of his idol Jeremiah Wright who we speaks a lot like.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

techresmgt — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:25:31 GMT

This article really shows how hypocritical the media has become. Oprahma and his ilk have played the race card many times and nobody was talking about 'delicate ground'. The Oprahma campaign and his 'followers' use the term 'white people' like they are spitting the word out of their mouths; I am offended and do not appreciate the double standard. One would think Black people are the only ethnic group 'proud' of their heritage. New flash: Caucasians of varied ethnic backgrounds are proud of their heritage and since this campaign began, I have become sick and tired of the endless attacks, verbal and otherwise on our backgrounds; both in print and those that post ignorant and racist comments in venues such as this. If people want respect, they sure as heck better give some respect. If not, you get what you get. I am an American citizen and my life is not focused on the Black community, 24 hours a day. My focus is on my OWN community, making life better for my people. Now that's a race card worth playing.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

Loden Green — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:26:53 GMT

The McCain campaign, now being run by former Bush people, is gambling that the IQ's of enough voters are so low as to buy into these sleazy tactics. McCain has no choice except to go negative, because he has nothing positive to "sell" himself. The McCain campaign should be renamed the "Festival of Lies."

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

Cliffrunge — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:27:39 GMT

I can not believe that John McCain told the North Vietnamese that he would rather be tortured, than be used as a propaganda tool by them, then turns around and allows the Republican National Committee and his own campaign to use lies and propaganda in his bid for the White House.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

olderwiser — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:40:03 GMT

Let's see. There's the war and how to end it. Then there are all of the uninsured and the medical care plans. Then, there's taxes and spending and how to tax and how to spend. And many more issues. We are getting into the favorite Rove territory, though. Total divergence from any real issue. Total attack on anything personal about the opponent. If he has not only national appeal but worldwide appeal in a world where we could use just that in a president, then you say that he is like a confused white girl who is addicted to drugs and stays in rehabilitation quite a lot just to try to stay alive. Too damn popular to be a president? This will go on until somebody stops it. Mc Cain claimed that he wouldn't allow it, but I see the desperation in his either tacit or outright enthusiasm for the Rovish smear. Watch it unfold. What a shame.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

NLump — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:40:23 GMT

It's disappointing that our nation is facing a potential financial collapse, militarily those charged with defending our country (the national guard) are in a foreign land dying and fighting an unnecessary war, and finally we are conitinually falling behind in all aspects of medicine and health care, 75% of new doctors in the United States are from a foreign nation and we are the only Industrialized nation without citizenship-based healthcare; and one of the two candidates is comparing the other to a pop singer, and a woman with a hotel name who became famous because of a sex tape. Obama was a college professor and is an active intellectual who draws others into round table discussions where issues are handled collectively and no individual's opinion is left unheard. This sort of approach runs counter to the current administration and would be a much welcome approach to leadership.

Those who have followed Obama throughout understand that his dialogue has not changed and his aforementioned strategic predictions have continually come to pass. Race is an issue because McCain just made it one.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

cm4297 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:41:50 GMT

ChicoCDM how do you explain the thousands of white members that attend Rev. Wright's church regularly? Would you call them self-hating? I'm about ask whites about their self-esteem to keep putting folks in office who do not value them. techresmgt, people like you don't play your OWN race card, you play the, I am going to wait for another elitist white man to do right by me, when I know that day will never come.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

HowardBThin — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:51:14 GMT

Sadlly, this young journalist seems to be comfused as to the difference between racism and race baiting.

Someone else can humor him but suffice it to say that anytime a person of a minority race throws their own race up in a 'victim mentality' light (as Obama did) they are playing the race card.

What Barrack did was clear race baiting. And he got called on it. Perhaps it's for the best, In this way, he knows he will be held accountable should he stoop so low again.

And for cm4297 - sir, could you please show us a link to photos of these thousands of white men in Wright's church? I've seen many photos of that congregation spread all over the net but I've not seen a white face in the congregation.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

justmytwocents — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:57:18 GMT

It's not a race card if it's meant for the future ? That is ridiculous. However, it's what I expect from

Newsweek. I used to think it was a non-biased magazine. It is simply a rag. I searched all the major

news networks and only CNN and MSNBC can turn around Obama's slip up and blame McCain.

I compare CNN and MSNBC to the equivalent of Rush Limbaugh. It's almost impossible to get

just straight news from anyone.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

baracus2008 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:10:46 GMT

Deception, misdirection, and propaganda is what the McCain campaign is now all about. Does it sound familiar? Well it should because it's the same thing that the Bush campaign did to John McCain in 2000.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

dontbelievethehype — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:12:27 GMT

Good Lord Ramano at least you could pretend to be objective. Why not rename your blog Stumping for Obama or maybe just Romano;s man love connection. Your adoration for Obama isn't even covert anymore. Dry hump him and get it over with..

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

domenica — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:15:05 GMT

The best way to play the race card is to accuse the other guy of playing the race card. Touche, McCain.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

klebrun — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:15:42 GMT

My prediction that this would be the dirtiest campaign in history is right on track. The Bush administration made a mess out of virtually everything it touched and it has the lowest approval rating of any president in history. McCain is caught between a rock and a hard spot trying to keep the right wing/conservatives who still love Bush and the independents that he needs to win.

Obama is carving out the middle ground which forces McCain to focus on the right wing/conservatives - a loser for McCain. The only way that McCain can win at this point is if he totally destroys Obama on a personal level and to do that he has to take the campaign to ethical depths never before seen in a campaign.

He has to take the Karl Rove propaganda and crank it up, or down, whichever, to new levels. And we are just getting warmed up.

What never ceases to amaze me is the God-fearing Evangelicals who jump into the sleaze so willingly. They swallow the red meat propaganda without question and regurgitate it with a fanaticism that is scary - a close parallel to the right wing propagandists in pre-WWII who conned a lot of conservative Catholics and Lutherans into following Hitler to the bitter end after instilling a fear of liberals, Jews and communists.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

mart7lin — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:16:29 GMT

Obama has said this before in an effort to prepare his supporters for things to come...like the "Brittany Spears/Paris Hilton ad.If Rick Davis had not made an issue of it today, no one (not the media or anyone else) would have seen it in this context. This is another oops! He did it again.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

I-Am-America — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:32:40 GMT

What I find interesting is that Obama's ambiguous use of the word "they" somehow has manifested itself into a reference to the McCain camp definitively. When I hear him say "they" I assume he is saying anyone who is against surpporting him based on his race, name or perceived inexperience. Unless he implicitly states "the McCain camp will try to..." he could have just been making a general reference as a form of pre-emptive strike. I think he was well within reason.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

keithjarrettfan — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:51:14 GMT

So, by playing the "playing the race card," John McCain is, in effect, playing the race card. That is to say, by trying to equate Obama to Al Sharpton.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

keithjarrettfan — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:06:39 GMT

Of course, the most obvious example of a black man "playing the race card" in the eyes of many whites is OJ Simpson whose trial and release has led to years and years of less wealthy blacks suffering a backlash.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

ugga24 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:15:42 GMT

Point blank, Obama most certainly did play the race card. He integrated race into an argument where it didn't belong. And you're right, it doesn't benefit Obama to do so, so I can't imagine why he would do that. However, just because it doesn't make logical sense or he wasn't obvious about it ("Did he call McCain "Whitey McWhiteguy"? Did he deliver a Black Power salute from an Olympic podium? Did he accuse his rival of race-baiting, or bigotry, or not having any black friends?") doesn't mean he didn't do it. You're attempt to say McCain's reaction is a stretch is an even bigger stretch.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

redsox70 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:29:10 GMT

Wow, what a really bad article.

Why is Mr. Romano wasting all this space trying to interpret, "he doesn’t look like all the presidents on the dollar bills".

Here is a simple interpretation, Obama said what he said, and that is the end of it. Unless we start down the usual path, that is to justify what Obama said and to say that us stupid people just didn't understand him (as usual).

Articles like this is why I would never consider buying Newsweek, it has a number of poorly written, politically motivated articles.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

sparky716 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:31:21 GMT

McBush has to play the race cars because he's flip floped so much'

(1) he was aganist bushes tax cuts before he was for them

(2)he wanted to stay in Iraq for 100 years till bush had a time hirizon...now he has a time frame (both the same as Obamas time table.)

(3) he was aganist talking to Iran Till bush did (Obams said over a year ago he would talk to them)

(4) He was aganist raising taxes then for rasing taxes now he's aganist raising taxes.

(5)He was aganist off shore drilling,,,now he's for it.

(6)Where in the world does this old man stand?

(7)what happened to the stright talk express?

(8)Is he to old to remember what he stands for or does he have to check the latest poll?

(9) Is he so desprate he will say or do anything?

(10) Is he running his campain or is rove and bushes old campain team?

he seems lost in the past

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

dsmb2007 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:36:28 GMT

I think this McCain ad had the exact effect they wanted, which has nothing to do with getting people to think Obama 'played the race card'. Obama didn't say anything he hasn't been saying since the beginning of the race. I'll admit it has always had some racial undertone, but of course it does. It's such an obvious difference that he would seem naive to never reference this fact. However, this add wasn't about exploiting that. It was about getting the media so obsessed about figuring out who actually 'played the race card' first that 'the race card' is all they can talk about now. And now the McCain camp can sit back and watch as pundit after pundit and talk show after talk show spend their time debating this issue, keeping race at the forefront, which they believe can only help their cause. As long as people are talking about race, they are talking about Obama's inherent weakness as it pertains to this race.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

CDMILLER003 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:39:20 GMT

All of this is meaningless because as soon as Obama has the character to debate McCain everyone will see how empty Obama really is. Too bad for the Democrats that the media did not ask Obama the questions first instead of Hillary going first so Obama could just agree. Obama is an empty suit that gives a good speech.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

ragtopdodge — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:50:56 GMT

CDMILLER, you're golden boy McWalkingCane will show everyone what a creepy old fart he really is.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

CDMILLER003 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:54:22 GMT

ragtopdodge - That is why the Obama campaign refused all the town hall meetings, etc offered by the McCain camp. McCain is not my golden boy. Please leave your personal and bitter crap out of it. The truth is the truth. The Obama campa is afraid to debate McCAIN. THEY KNOW IT IS OBAMAS WEAKNESS

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

OBWan — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:54:23 GMT

Does anyone care about the east coast (NY, DC, Atlanta) media - not here in the midwest. Must be a slow news day.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

timrogers — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:56:07 GMT

Republican politicians have known how to play the race card since the days of Lyndon Johnson. It is in their DNA even more than their Ronald Reagan worship. How can anyone expect the race card to disappear when it makes the most sense? Mr. McCain is the White candidate. He has it all to himself. His appeal is based on his superiority over a Black candidate. In the end, McCain forces will rally around the basic fear of a Black man in charge. All the rest of the campaign news about strategy, tactics and the media bias are irrelevant to the main issue. A WHITE guy is running against a BLACK guy. In most of the country that is all that matters . McCain may be old and not too bright, but he is still WHITE.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

jdmailman — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:01:26 GMT

The first liar does have a chance!

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

ftsprod — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:08:05 GMT

McCain is bobbing for apples with his new approach. He's a puppet. His campaign recently said McCain doesn't necessarily speak for the McCain campaign. WHAT?! Who's running for President? McCain or his campaign. I didn't think there was a difference between the two, but obviously there are.

Obama stated the truth. Hell, everyone is looking at him as a black man running for President and the only reason he's not killing McCain in the polls is for that reason alone. The sad part about it is that calling him BLACK is racist within itself. This man is bi-racial. He possesses the best of both worlds. People label him BLACK because they still go by that 2% black blood makes you a negro mentality.

As far as McCain, he can't even focus on one topic without staring at his cue cards. Are we ready to allow Bush/McCain to run for office again. Hell, America in the 2000 Presidential race you thought McCain was worse than George Bush and now you think he's somehow better.

Could someone explain to me why The Keating Five is not an issue here. It's a fact that the committee that investigated his involvement said he has POOR JUDGMENT, but somehow he's got great judgment now? Wake up!

America better not complain one bit if they elect another Republican idiot to lead our country.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

jensbrown — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:22:37 GMT

I just wanted to deflect a comment I've heard republicans try to use against Obama for a couple of days now. This has to do with these town meetings. Obama didn't agree to town meetings not becase its a weekness it's for the basic fact that why would anyone let their opponent set there agenda. McCain reallly shouldn't want to be standing next to him in a town meeting. On this race card issue this is just another new tactic. Obama hasn't said anything he didn't say before the diffrence is not only did the McCain strategist change, the right wing talking heads have been saying this type of crap about Obama. Obama has to defend himself. So they are and when he says they that is all involved. Obama can't hide what he is. In my opinion McCain's voting record tells us exactly what he thinks about African Americans.....

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

SAGG — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:26:42 GMT

Posted By: CDMILLER003 (July 31, 2008 at 10:39 PM)

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"Empty", huh? Why should Obama give John McCain what McCain wants? I don't care how the polls have tightened, the vast majority show Obama in the lead, so Obama's controlling when and how they'll meet, which'll be in the debates. Oh, and be careful what you wish for. Quite frankly, McCain's going to look like a decrepit old man beside the young and handsome Obama in the debates, that's for sure. You'd better hope Mccain doesn't spout off about Iraq-Pakistan borders, Czechoslovakia, or some other such mess, mister, because if he does, he'll look like a dithering old fool. Oh, he and his subordinates will try to play it down, so as to brag that he "held his own" against Obama, but McCain's going to have to be on the uptake in the debates. Uptake? Mccain? Good luck.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

ecg3817 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:30:33 GMT

The McCain campaign must not have looked at the Presidents on the dollar bills lately. Obama was not playing the race card. Those Presidents all look OLD!

McCain and his campaign just make things up as they go along. Not to mention he graduated 894th out of 899 at Annapolis.

"We desperately need a president who's smarter than the average American. And we desperately need a media willing to report the truth about candidates without trying to spin the story against them in a way that badly distorts reality." (John K Wilson – Huffington Post)

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

ecg3817 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:31:26 GMT

McCain is playing the "Race Card" with the ad showing Blond white women all the while saying that these two are the top 2 celebrities, bull

Britney and Paris are ranked number 5,000 on the list of celebreties

This ad was Racist, Intentional, with Coded Messages to the American just like the one they ran against Harold Ford.

Americans are smarter than the McCain camp gives credit for. We will not be played with these gimmicks, the "gas tax holiday" drilling Off-Shore, accusing Obama of raising our taxes when Sen. McCain said Sunday relative to Social Security Payroll Taxes, "Nothing is off the table" and then on Monday Morning say No I will not raise taxes.

Apparently Sen. McCain and his bunch think the American people are "morons" and have no thought process, don't listen, and love him so much he can keep changing positions in our face, but we wll buy his decitfulness hook line and sinker

If Sen. McCain thought he lost in 2000 being Honorable, just wait until he sees the collossal loss in November from being totally "Dishonest"

Americans are wide-awake and we refuse to take the lies, decit,games and trickery, and bashing of the opponent all the while having absolutely no "substance, solutions, recommendations, while using distractions/ads to get our vote.

It won't work. C. H. A. N. G. E.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

SAGG — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:31:56 GMT

Posted By: benvictor (July 31, 2008 at 8:09 PM)

*******************************************************************************************************************

Silly me. Here I was thinking it was MCCAIN who was the desperate one, throwing everything and the kitchen sink against Obama with the negative ads. Thank you for straightening me out.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

tudor5150 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:36:55 GMT

The McCain campaign's latest line of attack on Barack Obama sounds very familiar. Where have I heard it before?

Geraldine Ferraro: "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."

Remove the first part of that statement and replace it with "If Obama wasn't so famous..." When you dissect the McCain argument that Obama is only a celebrity, a fad, an empty suit, and a rock star with no substance; you are left with only one reason for his fame and popularity... his race. It is the implict version of Ferraro's charge. Instead of being famous for being the black candidate, now he's simply famous for being famous.

And the McCain campaign's latest response? Just like Ferarro, they accuse Obama of playing the race card.

Ferraro: "Any time anybody does anything that in any way pulls this campaign down and says let's address reality and the problems we're facing in this world, you're accused of being racist, so you have to shut up. Racism works in two different directions. I really think they're attacking me because I'm white. How's that?"

Rick Davis says in an emailed statement: "Barack Obama has played the race card, and he played it from the bottom of the deck. It's divisive, negative, shameful and wrong."

The attack ultimately falls apart because it requires the person considering Obama to suddenly say, "Gee I was dumb for falling for the fad." It doesn't present compelling new evidence as to why one should support McCain over Obama. It just says, "you've been duped you idiot." The Swift Boat ads worked because it presented that Kerry was a phony and gave a reason to reject him. This ad just says, "reject Obama because a bunch of people like him" or more sinisterly, "reject Obama because a bunch of people like the idea of having a black president but this just a fad and you'll soon come to your senses and realize he is just an empty suit."

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

jordanadah — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:41:30 GMT

That's twice that McCain's campaign has said that McCain doesn't speak for his campaign. So who does he speak for, and if elected who will he be speaking for then? Why Rove and his protage. In other words Bush. McCain is a puppet and will be one if he's elected. This is not the man that people liked in 2000. This is a man whose not even making his own decisions. He is too old, he's confused so much of the time, he can't remember so many things, he forgets that hs votes are a matter of public record and that everything he's said and done is on film or in newspapers or magazines. He seems to think that if he denies strenously enough that he voted a certain way or said a certain thing that we'll just say ok and ignor the real evidense. He doesn't even give us a reason to vote for him. He's just trying to give us resaons to not vote for Obama. He's jealouse, petty and vindictive, with a terrible temper. Oh, and about Britney, even tho I'm not a fan even I know that she got famous for making millions and millons off her records and stage shows and may still do so again. Just because she's down and out now doesn't mean she doesn't deserve her celebrity. That ad shows Obama with 200,000 germans cheering for us and waving our flags, something McCain can't do. John McCain is furious to the point of being nonsenceable over the fact that people actually like Obama. Which just goes to show how little people actually like John McCain.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

Snowplow — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:50:37 GMT

Of course, Obama's comment was "The" race card. I'm a Black Democrat and I recognize it clearly. Quick Observations: (a) Why didn't/hasn't the predominately white media recognized and acknowledged it for what it is, was and has been? If the McCain camp had indeed said something so blatant, the outcry would have been deafening. (b) It was a brilliant pre-emptive strike by the McCain campaign to assure that they will not be race-boated by the Obama campaign has was done so effectively against the Clintons. Not only has a marker been officially-for-the-record established as to when race was introduced into the GE campaign but by whom, but another bridge has been offered to the Clinton enthusiasts -- "see, they tried to do it to us, too!".

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

NotFooledByDistractions — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:02:56 GMT

Don't fool yourself, the smears on Obama coming, exactly like he says. You already see the risky ads/statements. The 527's will be brutal. I think Obama is doing the right thing - once again, he's calling the right on the games they play.

McCain and his camp have whined and blustered over virtually every third word out of Obama's mouth - I'm tired of listening to it, so I've essentially shut McCain out like a yappin' dog. What does he actually stand for anymore. I don't think the negativity is going to work, folks will either flock to Obama or block mcccain out of their heads completely. McCain proves himself to be even more inept every day. It's a shame to see what he's become.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

abadreview — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:13:11 GMT

McCain is a desperate, angry little man. Now is not the time for hobbit temper tantrums, our country needs help, and the people need a great leader. Obama is the one. Great work on this one Romano!

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

Yams — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:32:40 GMT

I think if this campaign was the 2004 campaign we wouldn't be talking about Obama right now. Now obviously this is a different campaign and there is allot at stake, so that’s what have us looking for information on the guy we go to chat rooms, blogs, internet videos what ever we can get our hands on to depict Obama. Let’s think for a second here we are in a recession one that would not have happened if bush was president. This is what I hear all the time in the news “it is the worse housing meltdown ever, highest gas prices ever, highest commodity prices ever, and the dollar is getting a beat down unemployment rate keeps rising” but no one seems to admit it’s a recession. if McCain continues these types of politics making the U.S. seem like bullies I hope I am wrong but the threat from Iran on nuclear programs can become real lead to a world war 3 I can't even imagine the power we all have right now, these weapons are getting bigger and deadlier than ever, millions of people will die this is a different war than the W.W. 2. Clearly Obama instantly makes the U.S. a more humanitarian place, a place without boundaries and everyone in the world is watching our every move and cheering for him why? Because for once we are about to break the barriers to see if we have learned from our mistakes. and many still want McCain to win, in my eyes this shows us that we have not come far at all we need to unite in this time more than ever. I go out allot and I am noticing more blacks than ever before I know many will think ahhh they are getting full of themselves just because Obama is wining on the polls they think they can take over. Also I see that many of the black men and women are changing their appearance by wearing nicer clothes going to places were only whites attended I don't know why we can't seem to let go of all this hate and resentment. I know a lot of you will disagree with this but just look at how they received Obama in Berlin clearly everyone else around the world would like to see him as the president of the united states, or maybe to them is just like a sporting event what ever the case may be it is only for a good reason or else they would not have shown up. Let’s come together and change this for once. I watch all types of sports and I usually go for the teams that are underdogs or somehow have a curse or never won the ultimate game the red-sox have not won in year past and somehow I always say is about time. I will say this right now is about time and there is no better time then the one he has right now. Well whatever the outcome may be I hope is for the better the future is not in my hands so I can’t speak for any group of people but we will see if we have actually learned something and passes the test of time.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

gobbledegook — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 05:22:41 GMT

John McCain would make a *crackerjack* President: an old man in a Sailor Suit, full of nuts.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

uuforyou — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 05:54:50 GMT

Let's get this straight;

McCain played the race card......by accusing Obama of playing the race card.

Don't be fooled. Thank you Andrew Romano for not being fooled.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

rminden — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:30:17 GMT

Barak Hussein Obama is very subtle and crafty about this race thing. He places McCain in positions to where anything McCain says about "race" is going to stand out. This is Obama's doing. Any of the Black American population who in these modern times, still feels like a wounded person of slavery - is going to fall head over for Obama's subtle and crafty ploys. The rest of America is just that, American's waiting for November elections so they can vote the "Best Man In." I understand that another terrorsit attack against America is on the rise, one that is going to be much more devastating and trajic than was 9/11, and I'd just like to see A Man in the Presidential Office who best fits this battleground.

Personally, with the democratic candidate Hillary, backed by Pelosi, having began this Presidential Campaign so darn early and premature - I simply can't wait until it's over.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

matthewmonika — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:39:24 GMT

The author misses the point and the semantic meaning of what Obama says:

'they': by not identifying the 'they' (racists, whites, conservatives, whomever) Obama has ingeneously referred to the McCain campaign. After all in the context of a Presidential campaign who else would they be. An alternative 'some people' would be less personal than 'they' which also has a connotation in accusations of a 'suspicious group' of people. In fact the typical users of 'they' are racists - who will lump anyone different into a stereotype.... The usage of they shows Obama's paranoia and - more importantly - since McCain's campaign hasn't used race, it is a sucker punch to suggest that it will.

'are going to': is different than 'will' , 'are likely to' and 'might' ... it suggests an immediate and imminent action (will is in the further future). Are going to suggests 100% likelihood. This is a charge - and suggests a certain paranoia.... hmmmm

McCain's campaign did not react very well. Maybe the following would be better:

Mr. Obama's comments insinuate that the McCain campaign is using or will use race during the Presidential campaign. This is unfair and untrue. Mr. Obama should clarify his remarks and apologize for bringing race into the election. The McCain campaign does believe that voters should be afraid of Mr. Obama, not because he is black, but because his positions are not in the interest of the United States.

Just as many people (10-15% apparently) believe that Obama is a Muslim, many people also believe that McCain and Republicans will use 'race' during the campaign. This is a dangerous insinuation by Obama just because it is divisive. We all know - the polls have shown - that a portion of voters will not vote for Obama because he is black. This is a shame and a reality in our society.

To start to focus on that minority (racists) - especially after Obama has won a presidential primary - is unfair to McCain and all others who are concerned about Obama's politics.

It is - more relevantly for this voter from the left - part of the incredible narcissism of Obama. He is so self-centered that he actually thinks in categories of himself.

His major life achievement is an autobiography of his life - growing up internationally and becoming a US senator - which is rather unremarkable in global terms. It requires a racist and provincial US society to be interesting (otherwise we would look at the hundreds of thousands of 'third culture children' as more normal than we do).

What is remarkable about his story that should give us hope? What is so remarkable about his experience that we should vote for him? His only answer is because of WHO HE IS. This is the classic cult of personality. I can imagine the frustration of politicians like McCain or Hilary Clinton. We can also see the results of elections where the 'personality' of the candidate is the only qualification (Bush Jr. for instance) and also the plague of demigogues who led the world to ruin in the first half of this century.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

rminden — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:55:54 GMT

One of the things that Barak Hussein Obama did say regarding race and slavery was just before his best friend and Preacher stated some snide slurs about whites. Earlier, Obama was talking about his Dad, verses the Mayflower and the Free-blacks that had come over on that Freedom ship, among many other people. Obama made the statement in a televised night of campaigning, in a snide manner to the camera that "his dad was from a family of slavery, AND DID NOT COME OVER ON THE MAYFLOWER." Now, you folks on this board tell me that Barak Hussein Obama is not playing the "race card." Once again, in these modern times: are you responsible for the old slave trade? Did any of you enslave a black person?? I didn't and do not like the fact that Obama has brought this into the Presidential Campaigns. Senator John McCain did not, and is not responsible for Obama's subtle and crafty manner of playing his own "race card." Are you all so short of memory??

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

ZedMont — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:03:52 GMT

It's ridiculous to suggest McCain is playing the race card. Why should he? He already has the vote of every Ku Klux Klan member and skinhead in the country...

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

Meridian — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:08:18 GMT

I'm not sure why the MSM is turning itself inside out to determine if Obama is playing the race card or not. The card was played by conservatitives long ago, or does no one remember FOX News' "terrorist jab," or its screen crawl saying, "Obama Baby Mama." McCain didn't reject or denounce either attack. Just because McCain has surrogates injecting race for him, doesn't mean McCain has nothing to do with it.

Since Obama's wildly successful international tour, what McCain has successfully done is turn the MSM against Obama--the MSM now labels him as presumptuous and arrogant. McCain now goes negative, something which the MSM salivates over, giving credence to every attack--even if it's a lie. Now the MSM is not focusing on how well world leaders are embracing Obama's policies; the MSM is now doing its part to drive down Obama's poll numbers and elevate an angry old man to the presidency.

If this trigger-happy, volcanic-tempered old man becomes president, Americans will deserve what they get.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

brooklynkevin — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:16:22 GMT

What do I tell people when they ask, "Why do I support Barack Obama for President?"

My wife is from Japan, and every year we take our two children back to visit. When our oldest was only a couple years old, we went to visit my wife's Aunt and Uncle. My wife's father had died when she was only 18, and she did not see her father's side of the family often. Her Aunt was her father's sister, and I had never met her before. Her Uncle had served in WWII, as had my father. When she first told her family she was going to live in America, many told her not to go, but her Uncle was the only one who said "Just don't marry an American." He was a very kind man, and my wife remembers him saying it half jokingly, but there was another part to the story. So when you ask me "Why do I support Barack Obama for President?" I can try to tell you why, but I'd rather show you.

I'd rather you picture my wife bringing me to visit her aunt and uncle in Nagasaki. Imagine her father's sister welcoming me and our 1 year old son into their home. See us all eating around the table, my wife's family and I speaking without understanding much of the words each has spoken, yet laughing and smiling and understanding. Now see her uncle, a gentle man much like my father from Schenectady, NY. When my wife's uncle went away to serve his country he could not have known that when he returned to his home many of his friends and family, much of the home he had known, would be gone forever. Watch as he walks to his favorite chair. See through his eyes. Think what he might be thinking. Hear the room grow quiet as a one year old boy takes short, halting steps across the room. Can you see him now, this child of two people, of two nations, without resentment, fully curious and hopeful, and without any fear? And in that moment a very old man catches a very young boy in his arms, lifts him up, and smiles. His eyes meet my sons, and both the new boy and the old man are caught in a moment of joy. The room could feel it and we all could see it - the peace, the release of fears, the embrace of hope, and the embodiment of change. It was on that day that I knew there was hope for great peace, and that we as people were fully capable of reconciliation.

Barack Obama sees a world of possibilities: for unity of knowledge and unity of labor; for unity of economies and unity of industry; for unity of cultures and unity of traditions; for unity of races and unity of gender; for unity of children and mothers and fathers and families of all kinds; for unity of blacks and whites and Asians and Latinos; for unity of our people in our country, and unity of our people with those from other lands and nations; for unity of Catholic and Jewish and Protestant and Muslim and unity for people of all faiths.

Barack Obama knows well the years that must be traveled for some people to heal old wounds, and he feels deeply their struggles and inner conflicts. Barack Obama knows the loss of family, of place, of home. He cares deeply that this country, and he, should embody both hope and humility. He lives each moment with the knowledge that he must balance the idealism of America with the absolute humility of being American. Barack Obama's humility comes from a deep conviction that if we do not become humble we will be humiliated. He leads with the ambition to act wisely, live usefully and walk humbly under the grace of God. We can learn. We can change. We can heal. Look at my son. Look at Barack Obama. Look inside yourself. We can.

Yes we can.

Kevin B

I'm saying it now: President Barack H. Obama, Jr., 2009 - 2017

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

dlaurels — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:37:21 GMT

Unfortunately, McCain needs to be lead by his coaches and doesn't have the character to direct himself. He has been taken over by his ego (which I believe is huge but a real weakness for him).

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

ormolu611 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:38:59 GMT

I get so tired of all of the stupid, short sighted, and fearful reasons that people give for not liking Obama. If I read one more comment that prominently displays Obama's middle name, I will lose my mind. Maybe I should refer to McCain as "John Sydney McCain" ever time I mention him just to prove a point about how stupid the middle name thing is. What point are you trying to make? Are you trying to create a sense of Obama being different? Different from whom? To the people who feel the need to do this, you are illustrating how small minded you are and the fact that part of your contempt for Obama is his middle name. Yes....his middle name. As messed up as two terms of Bush has made things, and considering how terrible things are right now...you don't like Obama's middle name. So, you would rather have a third Bush term? You would rather elect someone who has promised to continue many of the same disastrus policies of the worst president in our history? I bet you voted for Bush in 2004 too huh? If I see another "be American, vote McCain" bumper sticker, I will scream. Sorry, I do not equate being American with being stupid. If I vote for Barack, I am not being "American?" Sorry, I like to think for myself, read, and generally formulate my own opinion based upon FACTS as opposed to all of this political bullcrap that the McCain campaign is now slinging - right out of the Bush playbook - dangerous indeed.

To all of you who claim that Obama is an empty candidate and has no experience; what in the world has McCain done to prepare him for the presidency?!?! Educate me please! He is an extraordinarily weak candidate! Is how he runs his campaign an indication of how he will run the country? Lord Help Us! You say Obama has no experience - what more RELEVANT experience has McCain had? You guys talk about experience and that Obama is just a pretty talker, well, it is clear for me after listenening to McCain speak many times that he only knows what he is talking about 1/3rd of the time. Some of the factual errors that he has made in front of cameras is embarassing - I have felt embarassed for him - and anyone who seriously considers him as the candidate to reverse the damage caused by the Bush administration.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

dlaurels — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:42:55 GMT

Wow, Kevin!!! Your words almost bring me to tears -- you are so right about Barack Obama. Thank you for sharing

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

objectiveviewer — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:07:51 GMT

Thank you for your insightful analysis. It is clear that McCain and his co-horts are bereft of ideas and intellectually bankrupt, just like Bush and company. I will take this one point further and suggest that McCain is not in charge of his campaign. he is a wishy-washy, flip-flopping angry old man. What really qualifies him to be president. Just spending a number of years as a POW is not qualification, being in the senate 20+ years is not qualification, in fact, those are probably disqualifying grounds. Obama is a candidate with stature, gravitas, intellect, vision and strong organizational skills that will be needed in governing our nation. McCain and his boys need to just settle down, take a deep breath, take their medicine and address the issues rather than sending out these sleazy ads.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

pugs — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:27:38 GMT

Oh Come on What would mean when one says : I don't look like the other men on the dollar bills, really no please answer that everyone..... lets see my hair is different.... lets see I am taller, Oh pLease someone would have to be really trying to hide the race card by saying that the comment that has been uttered over and over again does not refer to race. The comment was about race he is playing the race care and they did it with Clinton, this time the republicans just calling him on it alot harder, good for them!!!!

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

Deefromtexas — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:49:54 GMT

The unbiased observation in the article is remarkable!

I’m an independent voter who has traditional leaned Republican in most elections, but due to my own observations over the last eight years, I have concluded that Republicans will use whatever means available to influence the way people perceive others who happen to oppose the policies and principles of hardcore Republicans.

It is also interesting to note that McCain will normally issue negative and highly sensationalized statements or ads to divert attention away misstatements and incredible inaccurate blunders made during public appearances.

As an American, I’m becoming increasingly afraid of the type of mental manipulation being employed by the Republican Party, and reinforced by the media.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

chuckhasker@yahoo.com — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:51:43 GMT

Ok Andrew, I had the same initial reaction "confusion" but you seem to have sorted things out and after reading your article I have a clearer picture of this issue. Chuck Hasker

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

mariokim — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:07:39 GMT

rminden - Get some help! Who gives a rats XXX how someone arrived to this country. Why do you even bring that up?

Sadly, you folks who believe McCain can be trusted to run this country are the SAME folks who were wrong to vote Bush in twice. You guys are just CRAZY and lack good judgment. I DIDN'T VOTE FOR BUSH ONCE AND WILL NEVER VOTE FOR A SILLY OLD MAN LIKE MCCAIN. He's "in bed" with the Bushes! He's rich and cares nothing about the people of America. For example - McCain will save you $300 and Obama will save you $1000 on your taxes, Obama will eliminate taxes for seniors making less than $50,000 a year, Obama will hold oil companies accountable and stop the speculating, Obama will help struggling families, create new job opportunities (green jobs) and will restore peace around the world.

And, those of you who have fallen for the McSame gimmick that oil drilling off our coast lines will help you must have your heads examined. Fact is, you won't see this oil for years and the other fact is that this OIL will be sold all over the world as it is now. Yes, we export our oil now so why would big oil decide not to sell this (so called) new found oil to other countries as it does now? This is just a play on American heads that will allow the oil men to get RICHER (not to mention gas will always be higher if the dollar keeps declining). And, don't get me started on the dumb gas tax holiday. Fact is, YOU WON'T SEE ANY RELIEF AT THE PUMP. Ok, if you call a few cents worth it then fine. But the truth (again) is someone will grab the tax savings before you and I even see it. GET REAL PEOPLE! CARE ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY! OBAMA 08!

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

Paul Douglas — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:29:04 GMT

The real point here is not so much who started the race-baiting, the point is that the Mc Cain campaign really has nothing else to say. In the absence of any real ideas, the strategy then becomes, "ATTACT!!!".

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

shaselai — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:35:54 GMT

only idiots would belive offshore drilling will help... McCain is hoping people are idiots and will catch the phrase "offshore drilling" and "more gas" and think it as "more gas after he gets elected and low low price!". Of course after he gets elected and offshore drilling will end up not giving us any relief he will just blame his adviser and the fools who voted for another Bush will cry again. Even Bush's people have said drilling won't help but McCain is hoping uneducated americans wont catch that.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

jwtrotman — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:50:08 GMT

Would Newsweek agree the use of the term "elitist" as applied to Senator Obama is a veiled attempt to code word racism. It carries with it an attempt to disbelieve that this well educated Black Man "looks down" on others due to the fact he has achieved something FEW other Blacks have. Please ask yourself "how many other Black president faces have you, I or ANYONE ELSE SEEN ON THE FACE OF THE US CURRENCY"?

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

jwtrotman — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:56:46 GMT

Poster - willnotvotefor obama: Last I checked those who UNDERSTAND the importance of sfae driving and obtaining better gas mileage HIGHLY recommend PROPER tire inflation NOT OVER INFLATION which an airhead like you recommends. learn to read and comprehend what you hear before posting another ludicrius opinion.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

zig — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:30:02 GMT

In regard to racism by the BO people the answer is yes. When BO people start making excuses and try to rationalize his statements they look like fools. He is an uncle tom in an empty suit. We cannot deny that he has no experience. The same could be said about President Bush. Do we want another non experienced president. Like President Bush you can see the puppet strings moving BO. Some from the media( they are doing a lousy job of presenting a non bias reporting)some strings held by the hollywood set and finially the far left groups have the most control. Having been a long time independent I am not sure who to vote for. I do know that this election is about McCain and Obamba not Presidewnt Bush and Obama. Kindest Regards Joe

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

pastor123 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:53:01 GMT

Believe me anyone who trys to play the race card McCain or Obama will be hurt by it.

People can see through that now adays and they hate it. Until they come up with solutions to fix our economy. McCain and Obama need better plans to fix our economy, and this energy crisis. The economy and energy go hand and hand. I mean it makes me sick to see these candidates getting side tracked when there are real issues to deal with. Did you see this video of Obama appearing with Ludicris the rapper? I understand that he is just trying to get the youth vote, but we are in such bad shape that candidates really shouldnt take time to pander about. The video is at http://www.TheObamaPlan.com Or take McCain for example. He took time off to have a whos who cook out. Not to mention the infamous viagra video moment. LOL, You can see that video at http://www.McCanes.com I dont think McCain is sharp enough to hold the office. I dont think Obama is realistic enough to hold the office. I guess we are just screwed. Unless you like Bob Barr or Ron Paul, there is alot of online talk of these two teaming up, their is even a website called BarrPaul08 its at http://www.BarrPaul08.com Oh and green. I might be throwing my vote away this year with one of those third party candidates. Unless McCain picks Huckabee. I may vote for McCain then, Because I think Huckabee would have a very positive impact on this countrys economy. I may have even voted for hillary if she had been the dem nominee. Im still not sure who Im voting for, Maybe I will make my decision in the booth.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

redheaded blue girl — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:56:40 GMT

Um, CAlexanderJ has no point, Andrew. "They" is just the general amorphous 'they" not specifically McCain. Obama made some of the same comments when running against Hillary. But it is interesting how much McCain flinched at Obama's statement. Methinks the old guy doth protest too much.

John McCain is flushing whatever legacy he ever hoped to have down the toilet with his cranky, pathetic, desperate attacks on Obama. The oil price thing, Britney, and now this? What ideas does this man have for running our nation? Why is it that he doesn't buy advertising time to get that message out instead of running down his candidate with meanspirited smears? McCain in 2000 wouldn't vote for the McCain of 2008.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

misterharban — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:16:09 GMT

Andrew, in the end it doesn't matter whether your twisted take on this abuts the truth or not. One way or the other Obama's comments (repeated with emphasis three times) will stand or fall on how they strike the people who have not made their minds up about him. It is clear that his partisans would never see a scintilla of "race card" in his mouthings. And equally clear that McCain's partisans would come to no other conclusion but that the comments amounted to playing the race card.

And it is clear that the people who have not made up their minds about Obama will not be swayed by the twisted, apologetic parsing of media people like you, by the rants of Obamicans or the ravings of McCain supporters. They will come from a plain and simple reading of the words as they came from Obama's mouth. Whatever Obama meant when he repeated this most recent assertion, he had better tread more lightly than he did in the primary with intimations of racism.

We have endured decades of learning to understand the nuances of "coded" expressions which may be interpreted by one group or another as being offensive. Surely Obama is sensitive to this phenomenon. It is puzzling to me that anyone as sensitive as he holds himself out to be, someone whose first virtue is a command of the language, would utter anything that is unintentionally ambiguous. And if these statements are intentionally ambiguous, how are we to interpret them?

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

mk2008 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:24:37 GMT

great post misterharban. Andrew is immature in his thinking. His "confusion" that he asserts he had from the beginning merely points the fact that he hasn't a clue about the world we live in.

Maybe Anrew will grow up one day and understand nuance.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

quincy4wellington — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:28:27 GMT

the john whatever, they all lie to the people just to get in the chair but Obama is doing find most people see that this country problem with rase is still going on and they say you started it how about, is Americe ready for a black president or they say the only change i see is the black man with cup in his hand i am a law student too and i am coming stright to the white house this country will change, my mom is in africa i having seen her for 14 yrs but she will tell your what i did there as a little boy i am coming 22yrs old golden child born in NYC.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

mk2008 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:37:45 GMT

whats really funny is to see the Dems scramble and continue to play the race card on mccain.

They say "oh he didn't mean it that way" and...if he didn't mean it that way, it must mean that mccain is a racist!!

look at em scramble, this is exactly what they wanted Mccain to do, which is EXACTLY why Obama keeps repeating himself. THEY want MCCAIN to grab at it, so they can pull the ole switcha-roo

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

carvilleisanidiot — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:59:39 GMT

I have lived long enough to have repeatedly seen both the Democrats and the Republicans use oblique race references to their own ends. Unfortunately for Republicans, they are simply not as good at, or as successful in, the effective use of the subtlety of oblique race references as the Democrats. For numerous election cycles in my lifetime I have seen Democrats use the "they" references when speaking of Republicans and racial issues to devastating, though disingenous and hypocritical, effect. Democrats have been oh so successful at beginning the general election with the use of the anonymous "they", and profusely denying it refers to any particular candidate, only to get around to removing the use of "they" just days before an election and begin making direct connection to a Republican candidate in phone bank calls and direct mail efforts in order to damage the Republican with the charge of racist or being supportive of racist beliefs.

Sen. Obama has been using the race card since early in the nomination fight with Hillary Clinton. He is a product of old school Chicago ward and race politics and thus is fully educated in, and completely versant on, the effective use of subtle and oblique racial refernces and innuendo. He used them to devastating effect on Hillary Clinton. There have been few things I have been in full agreement with former President Bill Clinton about, but he was spot on in his charges that Sen. Obama played the race card on him specifically, and Hillary generally.

Sen Obama's comments in multiple venues and speeches since he became the presumptive nominee of the Democrats have been virtually word for word the subtle and oblique racial references he so successfully used against Hillary. He never used Hillary's name early on, and he is not using Sen. McCain's name early on now. But just as his staff, campaign workers, and sycophants made direct connection to Hillary and Bill in the final days of the nomination fight, so shall they make direct connection to Sen. McCain's name in the final days of the general election. It is the very same playbook. Your convoluted analysis has the single-minded purpose of obscuring the obvious attempt at smearing Sen. McCain for partisan gain by Sen. Obama through 'white guilt' over our tortured history of race..

Andrew, as my grandfather used to say, "I don't mind if you rub a little grit against my skin from time to time, but I take great exception to having sand pounded up my ass." There is very little wonder why they love to feature you so much on the web pages of MSNBC (More Shitty Non Balanced Commentary)! This article was clearly in the vein of "dazzle them with bullshit and maybe they will ignore the obvious" used by many in the MSM to make a personal partisan opinion seem somewhat plausible as insightful deconstruction.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

Caleb Murdock — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:10:29 GMT

McCain has ALREADY played the race card, that's what people don't seem to understand. By trying to paint Obama as The Other (as someone who is strange and different) McCain is playing the race card because he couldn't do that if Obama were white. It's the same thing Clinton was doing, until she finally revealed her true motivation by coming out and saying that white people would vote for her more than they would for Obama. Obama, in his remarks, was reacting to the implied racism of McCain's campaign, but he made the mistake of being less subtle than McCain is being. And that gave McCain the opportunity to pretend that Obama started it all. McCain is trying to give the racists in the population an excuse not to vote for Obama without actually saying "race". I've never seen such dishonest campaigning in my life.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

woohoo — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:23:55 GMT

as soon as obama won iowa, this whol race was about race. i mean every weak there's an article on this site asking 'whether we're ready for a black president'. it's been over a year now. i am a black american and I am tired of the tick for tack foolishness. the media, which has been rooting for Obama from the beginning, not neccessarily because he's good, but because race is such a hot button issue that no matter how many times you talk about it, there's always a story. there's a consistent amount of readers and viewers. they've both played the race card, the gender card, the age card, to looks card, the patriotism card. there is so much playing going on, we hardly have time to talk about the stuff that matters. the mountains get turned into molehills and the molehills get turned into mountains. its getting so old. whoever will be president, by the time they take the office, we will already be tired of hearing their name. i can't wait til its over.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

misterharban — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:27:56 GMT

Caleb, can you give one concrete example of a criticism that McCain has raised against Obama that he could not raise against any similarly situated (young, glib, wildly worshipped and inexperienced) white candidate?

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

verdeuno — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:53:42 GMT

Why the McCain campaign has taken the LOW road, it's all in the polls.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/8/1/12401/40833

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

vakosh — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:16:25 GMT

yes ... when you're playing with an empty deck you have no choice but to play the race card

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

cabebet — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:34:59 GMT

It wasn't the race card but calling it the race card was a good comeback, It's basically making the same claim as Obama - being misrepresented.

Obama was right with his claim - the McCain campaign is and will try to use fear to discourage support for the presumptive democratic nominee.

In other words Barack is saying....'Like Hillary when McCain sees himself falling in the polls he will distract the public with fear tactics and attention getters to put him back on platform'

....you have to do something, can just lose gracefully....right Hillary?

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

cabebet — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:35:04 GMT

It wasn't the race card but calling it the race card was a good comeback, It's basically making the same claim as Obama - being misrepresented.

Obama was right with his claim - the McCain campaign is and will try to use fear to discourage support for the presumptive democratic nominee.

In other words Barack is saying....'Like Hillary when McCain sees himself falling in the polls he will distract the public with fear tactics and attention getters to put him back on platform'

....you have to do something, can just lose gracefully....right Hillary?

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

cabebet — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:35:04 GMT

It wasn't the race card but calling it the race card was a good comeback, It's basically making the same claim as Obama - being misrepresented.

Obama was right with his claim - the McCain campaign is and will try to use fear to discourage support for the presumptive democratic nominee.

In other words Barack is saying....'Like Hillary when McCain sees himself falling in the polls he will distract the public with fear tactics and attention getters to put him back on platform'

....you have to do something, can just lose gracefully....right Hillary?

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

Mike in Sac — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:40:33 GMT

Andrew, you are dead on the money,,, hole in one, Great analysis!

The only point I would add is that what Obama predicted has come true.

Remember Jeremiah Wright? FOX News went 24-7 with it... That was about race.

There is the terrorist fist jab comment as well.

"They" have already played the race card.

2. Conservatives have already run adds

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

SPORTLOCK09 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:44:05 GMT

NEWSFLASH

Obamas campaign manager just admitted the I dont look like the presidents on the dollar bill WAS a referrence to race. Race card cometh out againith. Change? What change? The race cards been played for 48 yrs now.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

SPORTLOCK09 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:00:33 GMT

Help wanted ad for newsweek.

Wanted, a reporter who will make excuses for Obama when he makes a booboo. Must be able to twist the fact to actually help Obama and create a sense of it was McCains fault he made the mistake throught America. Must be willing to travel to all photo opps with Obama to create a sense that he can actually run this country with Change and hope retoric. Must have no sense of equal unbiased coverage of all candidates. NO QUESTIONS ASKED!!!!! Apply on the link marked Obama for president Join us today. Together we can trick America into believing whatever we tell them. Must be willing to blame McCain of stealing the election if Obama loses. Apply today! Together we can DAMN AMERICA!!!!!!

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

bill4bigjohn — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:06:52 GMT

Everyone knows Obama in his own subtle way is playing the race card and will until the election is over. I see too many comments in the blogs by African Americans speaking of taking over when Obama gets elected. We have continued to see comments like Rev Wrights and others about race and even today rapper Ludacris, takes his shot. I am sure there will be more. How can race not be a factor?

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

irvin078 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:14:21 GMT

IT IS SAID THAT IF YOU ARE DOING POLITICS, YOU ARE MORALLY AND PERSONNALLY CORRUPTED. THIS IS TRUE BECAUSE YOU CANNOT SPEAK TRUTHFULLY ALL THE TIME. AT A CERTAIN POINT OF LIFE, LIKE IT OR NOT, YOU WILL HAVE TO CROSS OVER SOME QUALITES TO BECOME A LIER, AND LACK OF PERSONAL INTEGRITY AND MORAL VALUES,

When I look at the political spectrum nowadays, I ask myself Is this is the kind of DEMOCRACY ANF FREEDOM WE TALK ABOUT everyday?

When people are not free to choose, is this DEMOCRATY?

Or when someone TRY to teach OTHERS to who TO vote for instead of giving the options of choosing, is that DEMOCRATY?

Are we really conciously free to vote in this country?

CANNOT WE TALK ABOUT DEMOCRATY UNDER INTIMIDATION AND FEARS?

There is not really election in this country. Only SELECTION. I think, in my thirty years experience in this country, it is a shame for me to talk about DEMOCRATY. It is like I am under an autoritarian system where psychological intimidation and fears reign. Is America a free country in this sence?

If you are not from the right inner cycle, you cannot run for certain political office. As I understand, there is a limit for a certain group of people here in this country when it comes to politics. Some of us are still treated AS SECOND CLASS CITIZEN. We have to take or leave it. If you are not coming from the right inner cycle, no matter how educate, humble, mindfull, well equiped you are, YOU ARE LIMITED AS A SECOND CLASS CITIZEN.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

ogdeeds — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:16:35 GMT

andrew romano's article is PATHETIC!! defending BO against ANY charges of using the race card...BO's used the race card over and over!! - initially against bill clinton. reporters such as romano may as well wear BO buttons and tshirts. gawd.....all objective reporting is out the window! gimme fox!! just so I can get what is, in comparison, some fair and balanced reporting. the MSM continues to attribute only pure motives to BO, no matter WHAT he says. total blindess and in the tank reporting!!

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

kingsqueen — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:40:27 GMT

Who cares?! I don't see race as the biggest factor in this election if you look at the issues our nation faces. War, economics, foreign affairs, environment and the safety of America to name some. If Obama plays the race card, then that means McCain plays the POW card. But Veterans do not support McCain... We need a good political leader, not the guy you have a beer with. Obama will be our President if people look at issues.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

cougar1 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 23:05:48 GMT

The American media has long hidden from the public the astonishing fact that as a long term US Senator, John McCain has only a rudimentary understanding of both domestic and national security issues. His petulant, spoiled child disposition makes him un- presidential. He is a reckless individual. A vote for him is a reckless, irresponsible vote. This concerted racist campaign he has now decided to run demonstrates he has no decency. In the last week, he has made it perfectly clear that his campaign is based on the rebirth of Jim Crow era politics. The incessant comments that Senator Obama is presumptuous, arrogant and/or cocky are all code words for he is an uppity Negro who can’t be trusted to know his place. Along with the constant red security alerts, which the Bush administration will start up within the next month, it wouldn’t be surprising for McCain-Bush to propose a national poll tax before the November election. America is struggling after 16 years of Clinton and Bush. McCain would be the final nail in America’s coffin.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

verdeuno — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 23:32:59 GMT

I did the same...I sent in another donation. I'll be damned if I will set back and let "them" steal another one. This is my Country as much as any one's and the back stabbing low riding Republican machine will not take it away again. If the Republican party takes this one We the people need to just pack up and move to Canada or declare war on this election and start standing up for our civil liberties (like knowing your vote is really being counted)...don't start loading the guns...open up those check books and beat them on their own level...don't let corporate America steal another election, fight back send in those donations and volunteering...stop arguing and let the donation do it for you...if not Obama in '08 then it's Canada for me another Republican President life in the USA will never be the same. If they can scare you they can control you, wake up people this ain't going to be easy but it can be done GET INVOLVED KNOW! Do it for yourself...be empowered

Southern Whiteguy

"I can feel guilty about the past, apprehensive about the future, but only in the present can I act. The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness."

Abraham Maslow

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

j.n — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 23:47:08 GMT

How can a person that is half of one ,so-called race ,and half of another play the race card?.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

lee226 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 23:52:44 GMT

I am with you, Canada sounds good and they have health insurance for everyone.

They had 100 thousand people donate to Obama in one day and mostly new donors.

OK MCain you belligerent ace who crashed 4 airplanes, let's see what you come up with next.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

j.n — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:07:44 GMT

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

hear-we-go — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:12:20 GMT

RU Kidding? Of course he played the race card. Even worse, he accused the McCain campaign of playing it sometime in the future. GET REAL PEOPLE! Obama blew it. Obama is scary without the RNC saying anything. Just listen to Obama and he;s scary.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

DiegoUK — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:31:03 GMT

Barack's statements, which McCain has classed as 'playing the race card', are completely justified.

This is an ad which McCain made and has on his YouTube account which (wait for it..) puts Obama on the money! Notice it's from the 27th of June.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDTJDv4hevU

McCain's account: http://www.youtube.com/user/JohnMcCaindotcom

Obama is 'scary'? Tell me, 'bomb-bomb-bomb bomb-bomb Iran' isn't 'scary' to you? More tax breaks for the rich are not 'scary' to you? ARE YOU RICH??

Bush has been giving these tax breaks to companies and people making millions each year and has it improved the economy? McCain has not only promised to continue those tax breaks but to increase them.

When you do the same thing over and over and expect a different result there is a term for you: crazy

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

CaseyVA — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 01:38:42 GMT

Thank you Andrew for telling the TRUTH! Why the rest of the MSM is getting all in a twist trying to figure this out is totally beyond me. Acutally, it's not beyond me...its about RATINGS...duh. The McCain camp new very well what they were doing, and so did Sen. McCain himself.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

Pollynkorect — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 03:09:30 GMT

Race - did some say race. Wake up America - this campaign has never been about anything but race. Does Italy have a Jewish President, does France have a Muslim President, does Israel have a Christian Prime Minister? They don't because their citizens want leadership they can identify with. Wake up America and ask yourself if Obama's black supporters are like you or even like you. They aren't and they don't. This country has challenges to deal with and this is not the time for social experimentation with a Negro President of the United States. Obama's election and those that will follow him into the White House represent a Black cloud over this country which will set racial relationships back four or five decades. Is this view racist - if so, it is no more racist that the 95% support blacks have given Obama that put him in this position in the first place. Do you remember the work - uppidey? Obama and his camp have come down with a major case of it. The saddest part of this mess is that this country will loses whether he wins or loses because of his arrogance. If he loses, his black supporters will blame it on the MAN and we will endure their angry. If he wins, he will never get the level of white support necessary for him to govern effectively. His inexperience is not an issue for those supporting, but it is the single biggest factor is ensuring his failure, that and his know-it-all attitude. We have already suffered eight years of that attitude. Hasn't Bush taught us that experience does count.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

gunlingbluecollarman — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 03:44:44 GMT

If Obama was not referring to race, then just what the hell was he referring to when he said he doesn't look like any of the presidents on dollar bills. I love the tortured logic in this article. Obama's comments were not "excplicitly"racial, so that doesn't make them racial. HELLO, it's the Democrats who coined the obnoxious term "that's code for" to put a racial spin on anything their opponents say. You also say Obama's not playing the race card because he pre-emptively accuses McCain of pointing out Obama's "funny name" and his lack of similarity to anyone on paper currency. According to you it would be worse if Obama reacted to something McCain actually said (yeesh!). Your point is loud and clear; it is a phyisical impossibilty for Democrats to play the race card, therefore, we must rationalize away anything that could be construed as such.

Not looking like presidents on dollar bills are words that Obama tried to put in McCain's mouth. To criticize McCain for saying something he never said is creating a straw-man. By reacting so strongly to it, the McCain campaign is trying to nip this garbage in the bud, so we don't have to listen to this from now to November. And no I'm not rah-rah for McCain either (especially if he pick's Mitt {I just found out I'm a conservative after all} Romney for VP).

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

Murray Rizberg — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 04:10:00 GMT

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

lorater — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 07:49:17 GMT

Truth is i am absolutely perplexed when we sit and find the soft spot for an aspiring candidate for president on experience,age,race,beliefs or whatever.It is time for us all to stop being parochial in reasoning and look beyond our noses.One can never get an experience for a job except on the job and so when it comes to the question of experience neither Barack Obama nor John Mcain has the onus to accuse the other of being inexperienced.To have the experience required for a head of state as many want to claim,one must have been a head of state.Experience comes on the job and i am ready to assess people on their current achievements and failures and if we are to look at that,then both Obama and McCain have their merits.At his age,the success of Barcak both as senator and leader can not be questioned and those achievements are not based on any previous experience before he began his grand ambitions.

The qualities of leadership are what we need to examine and if both candidates possess them then they should go ahead and talk the issues that require attention from the next commander -in -chief.Issues that are of interest to the majority of united states people and not trivialities on whether who eats what when.I am afraid such a tactic bc i cant ever call that a strategy will do more harm than good to the republicans.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

someGuyFromNorcal — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 09:20:17 GMT

Not looking like presidents on dollar bills is based on the McCain attack ad of June 27 titled "seal" it is listed on McCain's youtube site. It was lame but they put it out there. They put Senator Obama's face on the hundred dollar note, as well as Mt Rushmore and the statue of liberty as well. The ad was posted on the internet and played a few times on talk shows. Here is the link .... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDTJDv4hevU ... McCain knew this ad existed, yet made his false accusation against Senator Obama's factual statements. I'm not playing cards here, I am stating very plainly that McCain's racist behavior and voting record and his obvious lack of good judgment has made it unnecessary for anyone to call McCain a racist. Anyone that can read, hear and see is painfully aware of this fact if they possess critical thinking skills and know what racism is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDTJDv4hevU

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

DiegoUK — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 11:41:58 GMT

McCain has a history of being racist:

John McCain's racist remark very troubling

Thursday, March 2, 2000

By KATIE HONG

On his campaign bus recently, Sen. John McCain told reporters, "I hated the gooks. I will hate them as long as I live." Although McCain said he was referring only to his prison guards, there are many reasons why his use of the word "gook" is offensive and alarming.

It is offensive because by using a racial epithet that has historically been used to demean all Asians to describe his captors, McCain failed to make a distinction between his torturers and an entire racial group.

It is alarming because a major candidate for president publicly used a racial epithet, refused to apologize for doing so and remains a legitimate contender.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/hongop.shtml

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

HappyDay41 — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 12:20:14 GMT

Obama has a history of being racist. In his books, he chronicals how he rejected his mother and her white race; how he consciously identified himself with the black race; and how he demeaned the white race as arrogant, imperialistic, and racist.

He has played the race card this entire campaign--he played it on Hillary, he is playing it on McCain, and he has based his entire career on it.

How can anyone say he hasn't? (First black editor of Law Review-- of course he never did anything, never wrote anything, never published anything--so what exactly does the honor hold other than a racial one?) Everything he says refers to his race. On his website, was the "house slave" "field slave" comparison--is that not racial?

His campaign tactic is to get more and more blacks registered to vote. Is that not racial?

Already, he has swung the vote his way with 85% of black votes, not a plurality. Is that not racist?

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

DiegoUK — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 12:37:58 GMT

His campaign tactic is to get more and more blacks registered to vote. Is that not racial?

No, it's getting voters out who generally feel they have no voice. Not racist in the slightest. Black people voting is now racist in your eyes? You're sick.

Already, he has swung the vote his way with 85% of black votes, not a plurality. Is that not racist?

Hillary had the 'black' vote long before Obama did. Was that racist? Really, you need to catch yourself on. Identifying with your heritage is natural. Do you not identify with your heritage?

On, and before you call ME racist: I'm 42yrs old and white. I voted Republican until Bush started screwing our rights, started a war on lies and handed out tax breaks to the rich and companies already making record profits.

McCain will do the same. Are you rich? Do you think the country is doing better than it was 8 years ago? 4 years ago?

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

DiegoUK — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 12:44:49 GMT

On, and FYI: Obama and the DNC are holding voter registration drives in every state, not just in 'black' communities.

get your facts straight and stop feeding on the bullshit of the GOP: they don't give a damn about you unless you're rich and/or corporate.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

holly berry — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:27:22 GMT

Actually I think McCain has been quite effective with this as evidenced by how many reporters have been talking about it. The speech in Berlin has been all but forgotten and Obama has not been successful this week in directing attention to important issues. He should shrug and go on with his campaign and start showing a sense of humor about these attacks.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

DiegoUK — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:41:12 GMT

How has he not shown a sense of humor? Has he come back with the same negative tactics of McCain and his Rove scholars? Not at all, he's stayed on message and not allowed himself or his campaign to be distracted by the useless, meaningless, non issue-solving sounds from the McCain campaign.

And media attention doesn't mean in the good light. Obama got a lot of media attention over the last month, but most of it was slanted against him. McCain is about to have a very bad week in the press as his lame ads come back to bite him in the ass.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

OBWan — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 19:15:20 GMT

HappyDay41 (August 2, 2008 at 8:20 AM)

John Kerry received 88% of the black vote in the 2004 presidential election. Is he racist?

Receiving votes from a specific group does not make anyone , any particular thing. Not all comments about race, religion, age, sex, or ethnicity are discriminatory (ist or ism).

Question: Does John McCain look like any of those people on our currency or in South Dakota? I do not think so - Not really. Did I just commit an ageism comment?

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

Lynne00 — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 19:49:35 GMT

Obama said McCain and the Republican party is going to do this in one of those speeches, he called him out by name specifically. McCain cut Obama off at the knees on this one and I wish Hillary would have done the same thing. I knew the Republicans would not put up with Obama's bull *** and believe me if you think this is bad buddy, the worst for Obama is yet to come.

His poll numbers are tanking daily and he won't win, thank goodness McCain has gotten some backbone. The Swiftboat veterans for truth have also surfaced, I can't wait to see what they have, for one thing a "Whitey Tape featuring Princess Michelle and Pastor Farrakhan is waiting in the wings as a coming attraction. Can't wait to hear Obama whine about that, No "ludicris" you won't be painting our white house black.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

Hatful1 — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 20:55:00 GMT

Great article and insight. I, too, thought McCain and his new Rovian guru was running a pre-emptive strike. It successfully distracted attention from the main issues. The whole point of the negative barrage of attacks was to diffuse the bump Obama was going to get from his overseas trip, and the MSM went along for the ride. It is amazing that not one discussion that this was an attempt by the McCain campaign to reduce that bump was lodged. The MSNBC and CNN anchors also drank the koolaid and repeated the McCain discussion. Schmidt took the subject book from the MSM, and directed the conversation everyday. Great timing at the beginning here, because the Obama campaign staff will kick back into high gear, and leave that false sense of security and get back to work. Nobody can kill the success of the overseas trip - Obama was not rejected by world leaders; that image is already imbedded into the minds of all who watched TV. McCain's new imagery this week ( Oil, Britney/Paris, and Charlton Heston) was meant to replace the more favorable imagery. When the subject comes back around - Can he lead? Psyches will come with the answer "Yes He Can!" Come on America, let's keep out thinking hats on and reject tactics that distract from our need for great governance to reconstruct our economic, foreign, and universal positions - WE are AMERICANS! We can be respected again in the world, and we do have great solutions!

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

gcrowe — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 22:10:10 GMT

if the oil companies have 68 millions oil leases and will not use them why should they be given more? let them used them first and then give them more. it is not the democrats business if the oil companies are to stupid to use those 68 millions leases. and if congress give them more it would be stupid. no matter how much mccain try to fool the public by crying off shore drilling is needed, just enore the stupid idea. all people regardless of color are fighting for this country. but the good old boys all ways want to run this country in to the cess pool that george bush has put it in. bush has wasted 6 trilion dollars sence he borrowed the office of president. the good old boys will try to blacken ( sorrow about the blacken word ) any one face that run against them. the closer some one else get lose to win the presidents office the dirtier the smear comes out.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

ronaldcol@aol.com — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 22:14:40 GMT

Mr. Romano, I’m glad you wrote the piece on McCain accusing Obama of playing the race card. I’m also very glad you mentioned that Obama spoke the alleged racial references multiple times in Missouri when Obama used words such as “he doesn’t look like the other presidents on the currency.” You also referenced the time Obama in June, 2008, when Obama actually did say, “ … And did I mention he’s black?” Two separate incidents of Obama’s iterations, one with an overt reference to his race, and one with subtle references to his differentness. Yes, unfortunately, Obama did play the race card. Why? you ask. We’re observing a very shrewd and careful operator. In the first case in June, Obama set up the trap; it was a very obvious trap with an extremely obvious racial reference: "And did I mention he’s black." The actual use of the word black in that context was the bait to draw the McCain camp into comments about the use of the race card. Unfortunately for Obama, the McCain camp did not respond but observed. In Obama’s appearances in Missouri he was more subtle, more subdued, to his reference of his differentness, but he increased his frequency from one time in June to three times on the same day in Missouri. The three times were similar, the frequency increased. Once merits a pass, twice merits scrutiny, and thrice merits a rebuke. And the McCain camp called foul. The argument you gave that if McCain was against the use of race why then didn’t McCain call Obama foul the first time in June? But, Mr. Romano, had McCain done that in June, he would have been the culprit, the bad white old man by not being patient and forgiving of a one time transgression. No, Mr. Romano, this election is about subtleties and innuendos that are cast. Implications will be drawn. Some correctly, and most incorrectly. We are finally dealing with two very capable candidates who fully understand the nuances and subtleties of working with public perceptions. (As sharp as Bill Clinton was, he was blindsided by Obama when Obama used the race card on him.)

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

gcrowe — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 23:15:48 GMT

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

Alma — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 03:07:36 GMT

There is not doubt that the CAIN campaign is not only racist but dirty. With Karl Rove's delegates working for CAIN now, it only shows that CAIN has sold his soul to the Devil. Power driven people like CAIN should not be given the power over our country. He is old, mentally incapacitated, plays dirty and is nasty.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

Nietzschean — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 05:18:09 GMT

What's the difference between calling someone a racist and preemptively calling someone a racist? It's cute how Andrew tries to draw a valuable distinction. You've got to be fully on the Obama team to buy that. In any case, this was a GIGANTIC miscalculation on Obama's part. He went around insinuating that McCain was running--or was going to run--a racist campaign against him, and he didn't think McCain would call him on it. He knew the media wouldn't. Alas, the best thing Obama had going for him among white voters was the perception that he was different from race hustlers like Sharpton and Jackson and now he's blown that.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

themadyank — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 07:29:16 GMT

The source of Obama’s contention that the McCain campaign wants to make people afraid of him and paints him as not looking like the presidents on dollar bills may be based on this McCain web ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPARec32KMI. It's worth 25 seconds to watch what the slimeball said about Obama.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

HappyDay41 — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 12:16:55 GMT

McCain is a sweet man with a great sense of humor. In other cultures (and aren't we all working on sensitivity and acceptance?) the elders are respected for their wisdom a lifetime of experience gives them. In America, however, we declare older people to be useless. At least obama's people/supporters do... what age do they feel 'old' is? 65? 70? And what do they propose we do with the 'old' people? Should we kill them? Buh-bye Grandma?

I suppose those of us who support Senator McCain (and those of us who respect our elders) could turn the ageism around against young people... y'know, the ones who are too dumb with hormones that all they want to do is fool around? Those young folks... they have no sense of the future... they don't plan ahead, have no savings, no retirement plan, no life insurance because they think they are immortal and they have such a limited sense of mortality, they do not value life at all. Youth are notoriously disrespectful of their ancestors, they have no respect for private property (they deface everything with grafitti) and they have no sense of social ettiquette (rap music encourages sexism, violence, and apathy).

Yeah. Reverse ageism. How's that work for ya?

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

jarcher1 — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 16:12:12 GMT

McCain is not a sweet man, just ask all the staffers of other congressmen and governmental departments he's tried to have fired. He has a legendary temper and streak of vindictiveness to go with it. Further he has no plans of his own anymore, his campaign is all about bringing the base with him and seducing the independents. So his policies are all about maintaining the status quo, the same status quo that has the country where it is today. Although he loves to hint that his administration will be "kinder, gentler" (borrowed from H.G.W. Bush) in order to get independents to buy in. Because this platform has so little appeal, he's called in the Rovebots to see if he can make his opponent even less acceptable than he is, hence his playing of the playing the race card card. He's already out of gas and the Fall campaign hasn't even begun yet.

Now since ageism has been raised as an issue. Let me say McCain's frequent gaffes and outright misstatements of fact demonstrate to my satisfaction he's not the sharpest tool in the drawer. In fact it looks very much like early senility to me, although maybe he always spoke thus and its only remarkable because we are hearing him much more frequently than in the past. We've had eight years of a President that made numerous gaffes and couldn't get his facts straight, do we really want 4 more?

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

rube — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 18:19:45 GMT

McCain, senior statesman from the GOP- The Maverick?

Bottom line Mr. Will, 9/11 happened under GOP watch...

Iraq was contrived through subversion and duplicity- GOP caused...

Afghanistan, the real war is worse off today then it was five years ago- GOP watch...

The economy is a free fall- under GOP watch...

The energy bill for the last eight years, well there was no bill- GOP caused!

Now you do understand what is fact or fiction- what is objectivity or subjectivity as far as comparing Obama and Mccain?

This is what conservatives can’t abscond from!

McCain has voted with the corrupt fiasco know as GOP ideology 95% of the time, with Bush over 90% of the time.

And whos a top ranking GOP senior of this entire GOP mess? John McCain- The Maverick?

Its not his age that brings disrepect its his record as an insider stateman!

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

NewHamster — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 22:15:42 GMT

Whoever defends Obama on this is drinking way too much kool-aide. He absolutely played the race card. McCain was right to call him on it.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

Bradgrp — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 22:40:11 GMT

As your article says, the "race card" issue was played by the Mccain camp. There was nothing wrong with Obama saying that the Mccain campaign would use racial politics to try to scare voters into voting for Mccain. The republican party has a history of doing just that and they don't want Obama to expose their tactics. So their strategy is to scream "Obama is playing the race card" because they know Obama is telling the American people what they are going to do. Obama was trying to ease the "shock-effect" of it and trying to ease the American people into the "idea" of an African American being President. But the Mccain campaign don't want Obama to do that. Mccain wants the American people that think or believe that there is something wrong with having an African American president to continue to feel that way. So that's the reason the Mccain campaign accused Obama of playing the race card when in fact they were doing it at that very moment. Obama did not say anything other than the facts. And the fact that he is partly African American gives him the right to say what his heritage is and inform voters how that would try to be used against him, just as Mccain has the right to claim he's an "American hero" because of his POW status. Mccain don't want the "race-discussion" because he prefer those "race-based" voters to continue to vote in that manner. It benefits him. But if there's a real and open discussion about race, Obama could benefit because it would tend to displace those misconceptions that some people continue to have. Mccain seem to support the position that his camp prefer that the American people retain those misconceptions about race and the people of the US should continue to be divided based on racial barriers. His insistence is to be a president for only a certain segment of the US, not for all people of the US. This nation can not continue to have barriers inside it's borders and remain a world leader. It just can't. It's as simple as that.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

cuppa jo — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 23:51:14 GMT

The big thing you are missing is the fact that Obama said McCain by name on Wed., he hadn't done that before. McCain had every right to answer back in a forceful manner. What Obama did to Bill and Hillary Clinton was obscene. He played the race card with them and thought he could to the same to McCain.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

pugs — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 01:32:15 GMT

You said a key word "Strategic" I think the Obama camp isplaying the race card and has played it several times back to when Clinton siad they played it. But again it is the obama camp, the strategists that create his speeches and guide his cmapaign with him at the head. I do think he played the race card since way abck when.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

mrmarkp — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 02:58:36 GMT

First off, can we *please* dispense with the term "race card" which, even before this latest dust-up was a horrible cliche?

Honestly, this "race card" accusation was pretty much inevitable in the current political climate. No, John McCain is manifestly NOT a racist, but unfortunately quite a few voters out there ARE racist to varying degrees (not so much cross-burning overt racists, but there are plenty of folks out there who are just a bit "uncomfortable" with the thought of a black man as president). The McCain campaign clearly is aware of this. In Karl Rovian fashion they probably keep detailed district-by-district statistics on it, and also in Karl Rovian fashion (i.e. win at all costs) they are obviously not going to pass up any opportunity to encourage this sort of subtle racism in undecided voters as long as they think they can get away with it. I'll reiterate: this behavior is NOT racism. It is, rather, Rove-style Machiavellian politics. Anyone who thinks that McCain's campaign and its surrogates are going to pass up this opportunity (one of the best they have, frankly) to sway white swing voters, regardless of how distasteful it is, is frankly being incredibly naiive.

Clearly Obama couldn't resist pointing out this reality. Perhaps he should have kept his mouth shut - I don't know, but the correctness of his statement was pretty obvious to anyone with the intestinal fortitude to see the plain truth. Naturally, and predictably, the McCain camp responded quickly with the "race card" accusation in a calculated move to try insulate themselves from charges of racist campaigning, no matter how subtle, while simultaneously, and not so subtly, saying to the electorate "LOOK! He really is a scary, angry black man," thus instantly undermining their own self-professed horror about being accused of appealing to the electorate's doubts about the black guy with the funny name.

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

aggie7 — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:53:32 GMT

How can he play the race card? He is both black/white duh!!!!

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

thorny — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:48:22 GMT

of course Obama plays the race card, not against the gop but to the black registration drives and voters. Much as he accuses "them" of warning everyone that he's not like them it's a statement to the blacks that he is one of them. Not covered in the news is how many of the 90% black american vote are voting for Obama only because he is black, coverage is portrayed as racist only from the opposite perspective. Wanting white middle class votes shouldn't come from people who are afraid to be called a racist, when thay didn't really do anything. Why do you think it was so easy to blindside the Clinton's? Because the truth is secondary to a democrat, call them out on anything, Fiscal, racial, immigration, taxes, welfare aand they will bend over backwards to prove they are as liberal as anyone. Our problems are far deeper than Bush (GOP watch) democratic congress that can't get its head out of its a**, or find a dollar they can't spend. This is change? I just don't see it.

you want real change,, term limits for congress

Balanced budgets by law and no made up borrowing from soc. sec.

Do away with congrgessional retirement and tie them to social security

( I bet they fix it then!)

Our own energy initiatives, anything to stop buying foreign oil

better tariffs on imports

don't harass the immigrant, register them, target the worthless employers who enslave them.

Americans will work, just not 16 hours aday, for 2 dollars an hour.

reward profits by making it easier to hire, not more taxes,

Yes oil companies made 8 cents on every gallon, but the government made 9, where is the taxpayers windfall profits from that? That CEO did a good job for his company and shareholders, they got a good return on their money, Where is our return from Washington, why are these people still employed, let alone paid?

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

thorny — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:54:27 GMT

I don't know about you job, but if I went to work and 6 out of eight of my hours were spent telling my boss to keep me on (campaigning) and my other two hours were complaining that the other guys weren't working either, I think I'd quickly be unemployed, why do we put up with it from these people who supposedly work for us?

re: Playing the 'Playing the Race Card' Card

themadyank — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:57:40 GMT

The McCain campaign may be the actual source of Obama's contention that they say he doesn't look like the presidents on dollar bills. This short clip from five weeks ago explains who started playing the race card. McCain must think that people won't remember that his own campaign was the originator of this nastiness.

Watch a 25 second McCain campaign web ad at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPARec32KMI.

Obama doesn't need to apologize when responding to such sleazy tactics. And if people think comments about his looks are racist, they should aim their venom at the McCain camp.