Obama Isn’t the One Playing Cards
Bringing myself to admit, and perhaps to some small degree, promote the disgusting hatred of racism turns my stomach. But media outlets, and some local bloggers have started to promote the idea that Barack Obama has finally “played the race card” in recent days by predicting that the GOP will try to use the issue against him. To all those reporters, bloggers and other misguided folks out there, I’ve got news for you: It’s too late for all that.
From the moment Obama put his hat in the ring, the “cards” started to fall. It wasn’t Obama that sold racist Curious George t-shirts with “Obama in 08” on them. It wasn’t Obama that sold racist campaign buttons at a Republican state convention reading “If Obama is President… will we still call it The White House?”. No, that was the GOP. Let me state that again, it was the Texas state Republicans who distributed and promoted that particular brand of hate.
And now we have word from the Washington Post that interest in white supremacist groups has been sharply increasing. These Neo-Nazi and skinhead organizations (or cockroaches as blogger Oliver Willis calls them) have seen a dramatic increase in traffic to their online websites because of the prospect of an African American president in their future. So much for a color-blind society.
So don’t you dare tell me that Barack Obama is the one playing the race card on the electorate. Thanks to the scores of racists that have reared their ugly heads (both in private and public channels) these past few months, that hand was played long, long ago. For Obama to leave them sitting there without making the rest of us aware of the danger they represent is naive. Race is an integral part of his campaign, whether for good or bad, which is why a win in November would be all the more historic. Deal with it.
Tell the truth, Ged. The GOP did not sell either of those items and you know it.
And what about Hillary Clinton? Mr. Obama has no problem associating with her after all the racial tricks she pulled on him. But she is a Democrat, and that is different, isn’t it?
Sorry, but the Obama plan is to make it appear that McCain is using a race against him even when McCain has done no such thing in order to demonize McCain.
Sam, did or did the Texas State Republicans allow those buttons to be sold at their convention?
Simple question, yes or no?
The answer of course is YES, they did. They may regret it after the fact, but that’s closing the barn door after the cows have left.
The simple fact of the matter is that Obama didn’t start the conversation about race in this election. It was other parties, some of them Republican in nature that did.
Has McCain denounced racist attacks against Obama? Not so far as I can tell. Please point me somewhere where he told those Texans where to stuff their buttons. PLEASE.
Stop being such a hypocrite.
Ged, do you think the state GOP went and examined every item sold by every vendor at their convention? In fact, after they found out about this, they banned the company and said they would donate all proceeds they generated from this company to the flood victims.
This was a private vendor and you aren’t telling the truth when you say that the Texas GOP was selling these items and when they found out about it, they acted appropriately.
How and where am I being a hypocrite? You are the one more likely to be in that fold for not chastising Hillary for things she ACTUALLY did and instead focusing on things that John McCain and the GOP haven’t done. What racist attacks have there been for McCain to denounce except for those coming from Hillary and Bill? Isn’t Obama campaigning with Hillary this week?
That’s different, right…? She’s a Democrat and Democrats aren’t racists even when they are. You are the hypocrite, my friend. Before you label me as one, you need to look up the definition and then come back and tell me exactly how it applies to anything I have said or done. I am remarkably consistent because unlike you, I am interested in the truth, not just what helps my side win.
Yes Sam, you are right, you always are. I don’t know what I was thinking.
Obama was the very first person to mention race/racism in this campaign. First to bring it to the attention of the voters as you claimed in your post. And last to denounce the remarks by Bill and Hillary. I know McCain gave the Clintons the business in the first 5 minutes after they said it, unlike Barack. Least of all Obama never offered forgiveness to the Clintons for what they said. On all those points you are 100% correct.
I certainly can’t have a point when I say that others played the race card long before Obama did, because no one, not those shirt sellers, not the white-supremacist groups, not the Texas GOP, no one even thought about bringing the subject into the fight before Obama spoke in Florida last week.
Yep.
By the way, if you want to write a post and say that Obama is wrong for campaigning with Hillary, go for it. No problems with that here on my end. What I DO have a problem with is you calling stuff on him that doesn’t hold up. Which is what your post is all about.
I also find it fascinating to hear that it won’t be the GOP or McCain’s people that spreads racist fears during the campaign. Despite the already racists ads run right here in North Carolina and again in Tennessee. But it was Obama who brought racism up first. Uh huh.
So linking Obama to Rev. Wright is racist, but linking McCain to Hagee isn’t, is that how it goes? The sheer fact that Wright is black makes it racism, right?
Shallow indeed.
Obama said the GOP would play the race card against him. They haven’t. Therefore Obama is injecting race into the campaign against McCain, not the other way around. Before then, it was Obama and Hillary, and Hillary was the one who used it against Obama. Why does he seem to accept that now, but attack the GOP for something they haven’t even done?
Because Hillary is a Democrat with 18 million votes- 18 million Democrats who must have thought her attacks on Obama using the race card were okay.
Oh look what Grover Norquist said this past week. He called Obama “John Kerry with a tan.” Is Norquist an advocate for the GOP? Um, yeah. I wonder if this will be the first mention of Obama’s skin color by the right this campaign season? I wonder…
i think you miss the bigger question. why is obama considered the first “african american” presidential candidate when he’s half white?? hmmmmm.
and secondly? what happens if obama wins and the powers in the middle east are forced to decide whether or not to recognize what is considered by islam to be an apostate?
you do remember the afghan fella who wanted to convert to christianity?? if your father is a muslim, you’re a muslim.and no one converts from islam.
so, the race card will be played, just not how you think. and i guess we’ll find out about the middle east thing when obama takes off to the sand lot.
Oh look. The Republican Club in Pemberton, NJ was forced to remove a banner yesterday from its website that compared Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) to O.J. Simpson. “Obama loves America like O.J. loved Nicole,” the banner read.
Another race card that Obama fore-warned about but didn’t play himself.
There will be many, many more.
Jim,
Nice way to spread fear, uncertainty and doubt about the candidate. Obama’s dad was non-practicing when he met and married his mother. Obama never was raised as muslim, nor has he ever been one. If the Muslim world considers him one, that’s their problem, not ours or Obama’s. If they want to find a way to hurt or kill him, they hardly need the “apostate” excuse.
Look what McCain is doing in Virginia. Last i checked John McCain was the GOP representative himself for the party. Seems like this might be considered playing the race card. To coin a phrase, imagine that.