Barack Obama’s liberal blogging allies are bluntly pushing the notion John McCain’s latest “Celeb” ad is racist and it seems to me, Obama is helping them do it.
I blogged yesterday about the Talking Points Memo post that suggested the ad was racist. TPM wrote it demonstrated “John McCain's new tactic of associating Barack Obama with oversexed and/or promiscuous young white women” and “the McCain campaign is now pushing the caricature of Obama as a uppity young black man whose presumptuousness is displayed not only in taking on airs above his station but also in a taste for young white women.”
I shouldn't have to explain how ridiculous this is. It was ad about celebrities and there was absolutely no suggestion, not even a tiny hint, Obama was romantically interested in Spears or Hilton. In reality, it was about leadership, taxes and energy.
After I read this post, Obama said something at his speech in Missouri which made me think we are going to be hearing a whole lot more of subtle and not-so-subtle racist accusations from the Obama camp.
Obama repeated his old line about how the GOP is trying to make everyone “scared of me” when asked to comment about the "Celeb" ad. As if the whole Republican Party has their collective heart set on making him out to be a rabid man waiting to rape your daughter in an alley.
“What they’re saying is, “Well, we know we’re not very good but you can’t risk electing Obama. You know, he’s new, he doesn’t look like the other presidents on the currency, he’s got a funny name.” (emphasis mine).
Oh, really? The Celeb ad intones Obama “doesn’t look like the other presidents on the currency” ? That's what "they're" saying? I sure didn't see that. And I haven't see it any other campaign ads, either.
Simply put, I think there’s reason to suspect Obama is playing the race card here. At the very least his comments warrant an explanation, if not an apology to John McCain.
Update: I'm not the only one who noticed this. ABC's Jake Tapper titled his blog post about it: "Did Obama Accuse McCain of Running a Racist, Xenophobic Campaign?" Thanks, commenter SAM!
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