McCain accuses Obama of playing race card

August 1, 2008
McCain Camp Says Obama Is Playing ‘Race Card’
By MICHAEL COOPER and MICHAEL POWELL
ORLANDO, Fla. — Senator John McCain’s campaign accused Senator Barack Obama on Thursday of playing “the race card,” citing his remarks that Republicans would try to scare voters by pointing out that he “doesn’t look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills.”

The exchange injected racial politics front and center into the general election campaign for the first time, after it became a subtext in the primary between Mr. Obama and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

It came as the McCain campaign was intensifying its attacks, trying to throw its Democratic opponent off course before the conventions.

“Barack Obama has played the race card, and he played it from the bottom of the deck,” Mr. McCain’s campaign manager, Rick Davis, charged in a statement with which Mr. McCain later said he agreed. “It’s divisive, negative, shameful and wrong.”

In leveling the charge, Mr. Davis was referring to comments that Mr. Obama made Wednesday in Missouri when he reacted to the increasingly negative tone and negative advertisements from the McCain campaign, including one that likens Mr. Obama’s celebrity status to that of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears.

“So nobody really thinks that Bush or McCain have a real answer for the challenges we face, so what they’re going to try to do is make you scared of me,” Mr. Obama said in Springfield, Mo., echoing earlier remarks. “You know, he’s not patriotic enough. He’s got a funny name. You know, he doesn’t look like all those other presidents on those dollar bills, you know. He’s risky. That’s essentially the argument they’re making.”

With his rejoinder about playing “the race card,” Mr. Davis effectively assured that race would once again become an unavoidable issue as voters face an election in which, for the first time, one of the major parties’ nominees is African-American.

And with its criticism, the McCain campaign was ensuring that Mr. Obama’s race — he is the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas — would again be a factor in coverage of the presidential race. On Thursday, it took the spotlight from Mr. Obama when he had sought to attack Mr. McCain on energy issues.

The tactic could cut both ways: it might tap into the qualms some white, working-class voters in crucial swing states may have about a black candidate, or it could ricochet back against the McCain campaign, which has been accused even by some fellow Republicans of engaging in overly negative campaigning in recent days.

The remarks put Mr. Obama’s campaign, which has tried to keep him from being pigeonholed or defined by race, in a delicate position. He did not address the matter himself on Thursday, and his campaign gingerly tried to tamp down the issue, saying he did not believe that Mr. McCain had tried to use race as an issue.

“This is a race about big challenges — a slumping economy, a broken foreign policy and an energy crisis for everyone but the oil companies,” said Robert Gibbs, a campaign spokesman. “Barack Obama in no way believes that the McCain campaign is using race as an issue, but he does believe they’re using the same old low-road politics to distract voters from the real issues in this campaign. And those are the issues he’ll continue to talk about.”

The sparring over race thrust an unpredictable element into the campaign. Contests have often been influenced by racial imagery, whether stark, like the Willie Horton advertisements run against Michael S. Dukakis in the 1988 presidential race, or subtle.

In the 2006 Senate race in Tennessee, Republicans ran an advertisement against a black candidate, the Democrat Harold E. Ford Jr., that featured a white woman saying, with a wink, “Harold, call me.” Some have drawn parallels between that commercial and the McCain campaign’s advertisement juxtaposing Ms. Spears and Ms. Hilton with Mr. Obama.

Mr. McCain addressed Mr. Davis’s “race card” comments later Thursday. “I agree with it, and I’m disappointed that Senator Obama would say the things he’s saying,” Mr. McCain said aboard his campaign bus in Racine, Wis., according to The Associated Press.

Mr. Davis’s comments came as the McCain campaign has adopted a far more aggressive, negative posture toward Mr. Obama in recent days, trying to define him as arrogant, out of touch and unprepared for the presidency. But until this week, the McCain campaign had not invoked race.

Mr. Obama has been the victim of some racist and racially tinged attacks this year, particularly during the primaries.

Underground e-mail campaigns have spread the false rumor that he is Muslim and questioned his patriotism by falsely charging that he does not put his hand over his heart when the Pledge of Allegiance is recited. A button spotted outside the Texas Republican convention asked, “If Obama Is President ... Will We Still Call It the White House?”

But Mr. McCain has condemned racist campaigning and has denounced Republican groups that tried to make an issue of inflammatory statements made by Mr. Obama’s former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., and one of his own supporters who referred to Mr. Obama as “Barack Hussein Obama” at a McCain rally.

Mr. Obama has been more explicit about the role of race in attacks against him in the past, but he is rarely specific about who is behind them. “We know what kind of campaign they’re going to run,” he said in June. “They’re going to try to make you afraid of me. ‘He’s young and inexperienced and he’s got a funny name. And did I mention he’s black?’ ”

Steve Schmidt, who runs the day-to-day operations of the McCain campaign, said the campaign had been moved to issue the statement in part because it saw the damage done during the Democratic primary when Obama supporters made accusations that former President Bill Clinton had been racially insensitive, or worse.

“The McCain campaign was compelled to respond to this outrageous attack because we will not allow John McCain to be smeared by Senator Obama as a racist for offering legitimate criticism,” he said. “We have waited for months with a sick feeling knowing this moment would come because we watched it incur with President Clinton. Say whatever you want about President Clinton, his record on this issue is above reproach.”

In the Democratic primary campaign, Mr. Obama’s supporters at several occasions accused the Clinton campaign of using racially charged tactics, particularly after Mr. Clinton equated Mr. Obama’s victory in the South Carolina primary with the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s victory in the nominating contest there in 1988. Mr. Clinton himself then complained in a radio interview in April that the Obama campaign had “played the race card on me.”

Howard Wolfson, who was the communications director of the Clinton campaign, said, “The McCain campaign has obviously been watching our primary very closely and recognized how damaging it had been to be tagged with the charge of race baiting.”

Michael Cooper reported from Orlando, Fla., and Michael Powell from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Adam Nagourney and Michael Falcone contributed reporting from Washington.

Link

 

Well, he did play the race card... Not to the Jesse Jackson level some have accused him of, but still.

 

Exactly...how esle can you explain that "Dollor bill" comment? What was it supposed to mean?

Hell, when you think about it McCain was around before money, when beads and furs were bartered for food....

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (NattaNerNuttaMan @ Aug 1 2008, 11:39 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Exactly...how esle can you explain that "Dollor bill" comment? What was it supposed to mean?

Hell, when you think about it McCain was around before money, when beads and furs were bartered for food....</div>

McCain can still remember the first time he killed a T-Rex!

[Surely antediluvian isn't going too far, right?]

 

McCain really remembers the Alamo.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane @ Aug 1 2008, 10:43 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>This post is purely about tactics, not about my preference in the election.

From McCain's POV, Obama's rock star status has to be overcome. What I see on TV are actually quite good/clever attack ads against Obama for that purpose. On the other hand, I'm sure McCain would rather take the high road and talk about issues (unlike previous republican candidates), and this is taking him way off message and looking like a bitter old man.

Obama can't help being black, and it shouldn't be an issue. While Hillary surely played the race card on occasion, so did Obama. Notice that SHE had to fire her shills that strategically (directed by the campaign) had play that race card.

In this case, Obama fired the first shot, McCain responded.</div>

Exactly. McCain doesn't want to play dirty politics, but he has to.

At first glance I thought his ad sucked but the more I think about the more I realize that I was wrong. It really does bother the Obama campaign seeing their man being lumped into the same category as such retards like Paris and Britney.

Part one is to go after his celebrity, now they have to outline their policy to undecided voters. They need to hammer and hammer on gas prices and off-shore drillng.

There are some people that just won't vote Republican this year. Some are disgruntled Republicans who don't like McCain, and some are Republicans, Indepednents, and Democrats who won't vote for any GOP candidate because of Bush. Talking about drilling and gas prices will get these people to listen.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Real @ Aug 1 2008, 12:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane @ Aug 1 2008, 10:43 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>This post is purely about tactics, not about my preference in the election.

From McCain's POV, Obama's rock star status has to be overcome. What I see on TV are actually quite good/clever attack ads against Obama for that purpose. On the other hand, I'm sure McCain would rather take the high road and talk about issues (unlike previous republican candidates), and this is taking him way off message and looking like a bitter old man.

Obama can't help being black, and it shouldn't be an issue. While Hillary surely played the race card on occasion, so did Obama. Notice that SHE had to fire her shills that strategically (directed by the campaign) had play that race card.

In this case, Obama fired the first shot, McCain responded.</div>

Exactly. McCain doesn't want to play dirty politics, but he has to.

At first glance I thought his ad sucked but the more I think about the more I realize that I was wrong. It really does bother the Obama campaign seeing their man being lumped into the same category as such retards like Paris and Britney.

Part one is to go after his celebrity, now they have to outline their policy to undecided voters. They need to hammer and hammer on gas prices and off-shore drillng.

There are some people that just won't vote Republican this year. Some are disgruntled Republicans who don't like McCain, and some are Republicans, Indepednents, and Democrats who won't vote for any GOP candidate because of Bush. Talking about drilling and gas prices will get these people to listen.
</div>

The fact that you had to reflect for a while before accepting it, just shows that it wasn't a great ad either. It was a radical ad wasting time on a relatively pointless issue. Show how incompetent he is by embarrassing him on the actual mistakes he's made in Congress, etc. McCain has done some touring of his own, too.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Real @ Aug 1 2008, 01:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>McCain really remembers the Alamo.</div>

McCain built the Alamo.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (huevonkiller @ Aug 1 2008, 12:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Real @ Aug 1 2008, 12:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane @ Aug 1 2008, 10:43 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>This post is purely about tactics, not about my preference in the election.

From McCain's POV, Obama's rock star status has to be overcome. What I see on TV are actually quite good/clever attack ads against Obama for that purpose. On the other hand, I'm sure McCain would rather take the high road and talk about issues (unlike previous republican candidates), and this is taking him way off message and looking like a bitter old man.

Obama can't help being black, and it shouldn't be an issue. While Hillary surely played the race card on occasion, so did Obama. Notice that SHE had to fire her shills that strategically (directed by the campaign) had play that race card.

In this case, Obama fired the first shot, McCain responded.</div>

Exactly. McCain doesn't want to play dirty politics, but he has to.

At first glance I thought his ad sucked but the more I think about the more I realize that I was wrong. It really does bother the Obama campaign seeing their man being lumped into the same category as such retards like Paris and Britney.

Part one is to go after his celebrity, now they have to outline their policy to undecided voters. They need to hammer and hammer on gas prices and off-shore drillng.

There are some people that just won't vote Republican this year. Some are disgruntled Republicans who don't like McCain, and some are Republicans, Indepednents, and Democrats who won't vote for any GOP candidate because of Bush. Talking about drilling and gas prices will get these people to listen.
</div>

The fact that you had to reflect for a while before accepting it, just shows that it wasn't a great ad either. It was a radical ad wasting time on a relatively pointless issue. Show how incompetent he is by embarrassing him on the actual mistakes he's made in Congress, etc. McCain has done some touring of his own, too.
</div>

His celebrity is far from a pointless issue.

As a matter of fact it's a cruical issue. Some people are going to vote on rhetoric and promises of change without listening to both candidates' views on the issues. The blindfold needs to be removed.

In a way you can say it's part of McCain's "straight talk," since he is giving you the straight talk on Obama's celebrity and how it masks, in McCain's view, his inability to lead.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Real @ Aug 1 2008, 12:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (huevonkiller @ Aug 1 2008, 12:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Real @ Aug 1 2008, 12:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane @ Aug 1 2008, 10:43 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>This post is purely about tactics, not about my preference in the election.

From McCain's POV, Obama's rock star status has to be overcome. What I see on TV are actually quite good/clever attack ads against Obama for that purpose. On the other hand, I'm sure McCain would rather take the high road and talk about issues (unlike previous republican candidates), and this is taking him way off message and looking like a bitter old man.

Obama can't help being black, and it shouldn't be an issue. While Hillary surely played the race card on occasion, so did Obama. Notice that SHE had to fire her shills that strategically (directed by the campaign) had play that race card.

In this case, Obama fired the first shot, McCain responded.</div>

Exactly. McCain doesn't want to play dirty politics, but he has to.

At first glance I thought his ad sucked but the more I think about the more I realize that I was wrong. It really does bother the Obama campaign seeing their man being lumped into the same category as such retards like Paris and Britney.

Part one is to go after his celebrity, now they have to outline their policy to undecided voters. They need to hammer and hammer on gas prices and off-shore drillng.

There are some people that just won't vote Republican this year. Some are disgruntled Republicans who don't like McCain, and some are Republicans, Indepednents, and Democrats who won't vote for any GOP candidate because of Bush. Talking about drilling and gas prices will get these people to listen.
</div>

The fact that you had to reflect for a while before accepting it, just shows that it wasn't a great ad either. It was a radical ad wasting time on a relatively pointless issue. Show how incompetent he is by embarrassing him on the actual mistakes he's made in Congress, etc. McCain has done some touring of his own, too.
</div>

His celebrity is far from a pointless issue.

As a matter of fact it's a cruical issue. Some people are going to vote on rhetoric and promises of change without listening to both candidates' views on the issues. The blindfold needs to be removed.

In a way you can say it's part of McCain's "straight talk," since he is giving you the straight talk on Obama's celebrity and how it masks, in McCain's view, his inability to lead.
</div>

The way McCain made the ad, it made the issue pointless to me because it was no longer valid. Paris and Britney are silly comparisons, the ad couldn't be taken seriously. That is the kind of bad-spirited commercial that can backfire, it really reminded me of Hillary's campaign.

An effective criticism though was when McCain criticized Obama for not visiting those injured troops in Germany. He made no amorphous connections to other people, and brought up an interesting question. Not that it matters to me in the grand scheme of things, but McCain isn't tarnishing his image in this case either.

 

I don't see how people are saying that they don't think McCain wants to go negative when that's all his campaign has been based on. Obama has made these comments before, sometime in June, and the McCain camp didn't have a problem with it then. They just see an opportunity to inject it into the election right now to try to hurt Obama.

 

McCain's accusation is as much a race tactic as Obama's statement.

 

Well if what Obama said is true, and the McCain camp has said something like `Obama is black and doesn`t look like Presidents on the bills, don`t vote for him because of it. ` Then Obama is right that is dirty racism.

Obama didn`t play the race card really, he accused McCain`s camp of using racist campaigning teachings.

 

Somebody please post the McCain ad you guys are talking about.

 

I barely see any ads here, probably because it's such a small state and we have been one of the most lopsided states for the Democrats. I just watched the one you are talking about on McCain's site. What's with Britney Spears and Paris Hilton in there? That's pretty lame.

There's another video on the front page on McCain's site that is longer and the idea is pretty much the same. They use footage of Obama mocking Clinton mocking Obama and try to present it out of context.

 

<div><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pZKxWrPQFXc&"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pZKxWrPQFXc&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350" /></embed></object></div>

This one made me laugh. McCain makes a whole campaign ad about Barack neglecting to mention a latin american country in a speech.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane @ Aug 1 2008, 05:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Nevada must be a big battleground state, because I'm seeing lots of ads all day long from both campaigns.

The latest starts with Obama looking like a rock star in Germany (footage), fades out. The commentary then becomes whether being a rock star equates to the kind of experience and judgment required to be effective as president. Roughly. It's particularly hard hitting because it states Obama is busy being a rock star while our gas prices are increasing, etc.

I'd call it a negative ad, because McCain's talking down Obama and not really offering his own agenda.</div>

Nevada is usually a Republican state but this year the Dems see an opportunity to take it. Most analysts are saying that winning Nevada, Colorado, and New Mexico (usual Republican states that are starting to go left) it can offset a McCain win in Pennsylvania (if it were to happen at least).

Did anyone happen to catch the McCain ad equating Obama to Moses?

I don't know how to embed videos so just go to the link: [video=youtube;Id1IKJGVkvg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id1IKJGVkvg"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id1IKJGVkvg[/video]