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The Most Repulsive RACIST Political Ad Ever (UPDATED)
Is THIS. And just guess what party is putting it out? (If you hear a sound, it’s Abraham Lincoln rolling over in his grave…)
The same party that’s doing THIS which is sparking a lot of complaints.
UPDATE: And it spreads.
57 Responses to “The Most Repulsive RACIST Political Ad Ever (UPDATED)”
Yeah baby, vote Republican or the brown person will have his way with the white girl.
Anybody still want to argue the TN thing wasn’t racist?
OMG- They are really going in for gutter politics. Makes one wish Karl Rove had been frog-marched out of the WH during Plamegate. I love the way all of the candidates insist its out of their control, so they can’t pull the offensive ads. This ad is a walking hate-crime against the Democrats.
BTW if they think the TN ad is working, look out for ’08—more racially insensitive ads are on their way!
Wow!!
Well, Corker is beating Ford in Tennessee, so why not?
Kim Ritter is probably right about ’08!!!!
Snarky: Anybody still want to argue the TN thing wasn’t racist?
Oh Snarky, now you’re just tempting them!
I’m sure one of the wingers will take up your challenge.
The “robo-call” issue seems to be one that (to me) isn’t getting nearly enough coverage – in a race that’s separated by only one or two percentage points, keeping just a couple thousand voters from the polls will make the difference, and if I didn’t know better and got spammed by a candidate, I’d strongly re-consider voting for them. I’ve been watching cnn.com all day, and this issue hasn’t shown up – is this issue being covered at all by major media??? I don’t have a land-line, so could those who do comment on whether this is really as big of an issue as it’s being made out to be? Most of the linked articles are indicating that there have been hundreds of thousands of these robo-calls made.
Last of all, whether or not these calls affect races, they are a reprehensible tactic and should be prosecuted. I’ve read that the penalties for not stating the name of the organization sponsoring the call at the beginning is punishable by $500 per infraction, and I very much hope that someone attempts to prosecute this issue. Democrat or Republican, harassing someone and trying to mislead them in order to sway their opinion is beyond despicable.
At first glance I thought the hand was white.
allen using voter suppression tactics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9i-_3TiN9g
Ken Mehlman should be locked up. This is criminal. Please tell me the Democrats do the same thing. Strangely, I’d feel better if this was something that “both parties” do. If not, I can’t help but think the RNC top brass belong behind bars a la Nixon.
If you are going to jump on all of the progressive talking points, then it is time to end your support for Harold Ford. He did the following over the weekend
1. Campaigned in a church. A strick no no according to the progressive crowd.
2. Has Barak Obama told black people to vote for him because he was black.
3. Was a hypocrite because Barak Obama had previous told people not to vote because of race.
Not on the same level- Superdestroyer-not even close to what the Repugs have done.
the Republican rising star Michael Steele (who is African American) claimed victimhood because someone threw oreos at him (not confirmed by other reliable sources). He then merrily played the race card by scourging white Rep Hoyer for using the word “slavishly”. He had boxer Mike Tyson and promoter Don King come to majority black PG cty to ask voters to vote for Steele because he’s black. Politicians claim fake outrage at a tactic, then turn around and use the tactic they just objected to.
Good Lord!!! What is this country coming to? I don’t recognize it anymore…
This combined with other dirty tricks and problems with the voter system itself= an undemocratic election process.
Check out the Documentary American Blackout from my site (scroll down)….also check out the Jimmy Carter interview…. a Former U.S. President basically says that the U.S. voting system is a joke… It doesn’t meet basic international standards.
See Video and Interview Here
I was flipping through channels the other day and came across some pundit who mentioned that African-Americans keep voting Democratic even though the party took them for granted.
This is why.
Duncan is right….
republicans promise to the poor whites and then dont deliver
Democrats promise to the african-americans and dont deliver.
Face it, both parties are only after one thing: Power.
Granted this election republicans are much worse then democrats but as south park put it during the 2004 presidential election:
Who wants to vote between a turd sandwich and a douche.
always a student,
randal
Oreo cookies pelt Republican African American Senatorial candidates, where’s the outrage?
Senators from Mass claim soldiers are “stupid, so they are stuck in Iraq” where’s the outrage. It was just a joke, tell that to someone who lost a loved one in Iraq, bad war or not.
Alste Hastings, an ousted judge set to become chair of the House intellegence standing committee…where’s the outrage.
Politics are a blood sport now days, you are surprised why?
A bit of selective outrage at work?
Kerry told the truth…. he could have said it better, but it was essentially the truth if you know anything about what’s going on in the military and with recruiting and how it ties in with the economy.
Students who don’t go to college, struggle in High school, or are from lower income households and cannot afford college are targeted by recruiters.
Students with fewer options tend to look at the military as a way out of a bad economic situation.
This is also the case for geographic areas where job opportunities are limited.
Now the military is even recruiting young men/women who do not finish high school.
It’s about poor people and students being targeted.
On top of that you have recruiters lying to potential recruits….lying about being sent to Iraq, lying…telling them that the war is over, lying about their compensation, lying about what documents they are signing, lying about their National Guard obligations, among other things.
NOW…that’s not to say that there are no smart or educated people in the military. We know that there are…. There are many. There has to be for a modern military to function. However, there are also a large number of young recruits who enter the military or who are targeted for recruitment due to their educational or economic circumstances. THIS IS A FACT.
And this is what Kerry was trying to point out…. but he bungled it.
No, Kerry was not “trying to point that out.” He really was trying to tell a joke about the President. Watch the entire speech up to that point. It’s obvious he’s going on and on about how stupid Bush is. Maybe he’s wrong about Bush’s intelligence, but he’s not saying anything about the troops at all.
The oreo incident did not happen. It was made up.
Alcee Hastings is a crook. Hopefully he will not be chair of the intelligence committee. But he’s no less a crook than former Majority Leader Tom DeLay or much of the rest of the House leadership.
Alcee Hastings was convicted of malfeasances in office, he was removed for that. Far as I know, DeLay may be a skum, but he’s never been convicted of any crime. His indictment will go away after the election, because the partisan prosecutor cannot make a case. I’m not defending DeLay by any stretch of the term, I personally think he’s a rat bag, but even rat bags get the presumption of innocence.
Let’s not even talk about “Dollar Bill” Bill Jefferson who had 90K in cold cash in his freezer down in New Orleans. Not only a crook, but stupid one at that. Must not piss of the African American vote in New Orleans by actually holding him accountable will we?
But the point of this thread was how ______ fill in your favorite term for describing Republicans in a negative way were using negative campaign ads.
Hmmm… I wonder how Joe Liberman, a good, decent and honorable man feels about all the adverts from Ned Lamonte? Not that any Democrat would hit below the belt would they?
Angry Independent,
No. The US military is actually better educated than the general population. The whole myth about the military being full of “underpriveledged” is just that, a myth. The vast majority of people in the military are from the middle class and far outrepresent those from either the upper or lower classes. The sad fact is that many underprivledged people can’t get into the military because they can’t graduate from high school or they have a background that prevents them from serving or they can’t do well enough on the ASVAB. In that regard the military actually discriminates against the underpriveledged because there is no affirmative action for race or economic status, unlike colleges and universities (and most of the rest of the civilian workplace).
Please do your research before posting such idiocy.
As for the picture, I don’t really see what the big deal is. Maybe it’s my monitor, but after looking at several versions of the ad the hand only looks slightly darker than the woman’s face – certainly not enough to suggest a different race. You know, there’s a wide variety of variation among so-called white people too.
but after looking at several versions of the ad the hand only looks slightly darker than the woman’s face – certainly not enough to suggest a different race.
Damn – cant’ find the darn preview button! OK, my point is that this ad (much like the ones in TN) is made to deflect the racist accusations by tiptoeing as close to the line as possible. Maybe/Maybe not, who can really say. Which is the point. I have relatives here in the deep south who are adament Republicans and they laugh they’re asses off at this stuff. They’ll openly tell you thats the point – you get the message out to those who understand and you can describe critics as overly zealous and paint them as extremists. They love it.
Sez you. But you already got caught lying about oreo cookies. So we shouldn’t be surprised when another Republican defends one of their own.
SteveLA – The only person who is on record as saying Alcee Hastings is in line to be head of the Intel Commitee is Mike Barone. Hardly a Democratic Insider. And Jefferson was removed from his commitees, unlike the Delay case, where the ethics commitee was removed
Eural – There is plenty to suggest a different race. That is the point, the suggestion, as I now see you wrote in a follow-up post, so disregard this.
Like the Tennessee ad, the racism is implied with a subtle image. But the hand is darker, why not use a gloved hand (no skin color to see). Pick your brown skinned villian – Hispanic illegal aliens, Arab terrorist or AfricanAmerican crime.
Maybe I am missing something, but the hand does not look dark enough to me to suggest a different race. It’s just a guy with a tan at most.
Fear-mongering – yeah. Racism – nope.
Andy M,
Your point would be more accurate if the Army hadn’t had to lower those standards to make their recruiting numbers this year.
SteveLA’s comments are even weaker than scott pointed out. I don’t know about anywhere else but the only personal attack ads I’ve seen around here came from the Republicans. There is a difference between attacking someone’s record and making a personal attack no matter how Republican partisans try to paint it this year.
Giving a speech or making an appearance in a church is not a no-no. Having the minister campaign on behalf of a candidate or specific item on the ballot is supposed to be verboten.
Jim S,
Actually, the lowering of the standard wasn’t all that big. The DoD was allowed to bring in 4% of recruits with lower aptitude scores compared to 2% for previous years. The army recruited 3.8% last year under the lower standards which is about 3,000 recruits out of a total of over 80,000. The increase from previous years’ 2% mean that less than 2,000 additional people were recruited in this category as compared to previous years. So that’s about 2000 out of a total force of almost 500,000 or 4 tenths of a percent. .4% is hardly and impressive number.
To everyone else, I still don’t see the big deal about the picture. Judging from some commenters here and the outrageous title of the post, if the hand is even slightly darker then the woman then that is “proof” of racist scare-tactics. Until I see evidence of intent, I’m calling BS on this one.
I guess Andy didn’t read everything that I wrote.
I didn’t say ALL were from lower income levels. There are plenty of smart soldiers in the military. The number of high school graduates IS higher. But poor-middle class students are more “targeted” by recruiters. They tend to target those who don’t have as many options for college. That’s still a fact.
Certain Schools targeted
Army taking more drop-outs to meet recruiting goals.
Recruiters Lying to get more recruits
More
&This is not their first time being caught doing this kind of thing.
Gangs in the military,Standards lowered to boost recruitment
But like most Conservatives, he wants to create his own reality…and deny that these conditions exist.
For those who don’t see the hand as “dark,” do a little trick. Look the other way, close your eyes, and then quickly open them and look back at the picture. The hand clearly looks dark. In other words, the first impression is a dark hand over a white woman’s mouth. There are certain parts of hand – on the thumb, for example – that leave the impression of “darkness.” When you stare at it for awhile, it doesn’t look as dark. But the first impression makes it look dark.
And don’t think people who put these ads together aren’t thinking of this. Ad agencies use camera tricks all the time, playing with contrast, etc. to give an initial impression. But seriously, try what I said.
Race aside, the dirty fingernails evoke class prejudices.
OK, I’m going to surprise some of you: I am not going to defend this ad in any way. First off, it’s offensive in its fear mongering even aside from any racist element. Second, I went through the mental gymnastics of trying to determine if it was really the hand of a black man, but quickly stopped and realized, if you have to ask…
I think the racist intent is much more probable here than in the TN ads, and the subtle difference in skin tones is probably intentional too, to hide behind the idea that opponents can’t really prove the racist intent.
Now for the controversial part, I’ll bring up what is probably heretical to some of you. I think this ad is much more racist than the Willie Horton ads. This ad generically puts a black man (at least it looks that way) as the perp of a crime, whereas Horton was a specific black man who happened to be the perfect example of the risks to society when criminals are parolled inappropriately. Gore had already used Horton as an example in the primaries, but he was careful not to mention him by name (probably because he knew that people in his party would be more inclined to see this as racist). Meanwhile, I don’t doubt that some in the GHW Bush campaign felt they were getting a twofer, I sincerely believe that GHW Bush himself and others, simply looked at this in a color blind manner and didn’t expect the cries about the race card.
CStanley,
I agree with you 100%. This was much worse than the TN ad, and even worse than Willie Horton. Like I said, you have to think about first impressions upon seeing it. The first impression is, “Dark-skinned man holding the mouth of white woman.” I don’t know if the dark-skinned man is Latino, black or even Arab, but it’s clear the skin-tone is different.
You never surprise me CS. You articulated this point brilliantly.
The only thing that surprises me is that your still a Republican. But I am glad there is still some talent left on that team.
OK, but now let me ask you guys: can’t you see that making an issue out of the TN ads makes it harder for people to accept that this ad was racist? Kind of “cry wolf” effect, that makes some people defend this because the GOP has been falsely accused in the past, IMO. For a more thoughtful argument on this topic, see my comment under David Schraub’s post “Comparative Error Rates” above.
This one was more blatant, the other more subtle–doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Quite a few political analysts saw the racial angle from their perspective–and its not like the R’s have shown that they would have qualms to use it. Because this intent is more subtle-it is possible to disclaim it, whereas the NY is not. That to me makes the TN ad more insidious, and therefore more dangerous.
CS- I think you need to let this go —those who disagree on the TN ad aren’t going to change their minds. Your post makes it apparent that you think those who see it are purposely playing the race card. That is not true—I don’t think anyone is that blindly partisan here.
But as long as its E-day, let me add an outrage that has been perpetrated on voters here. Republicans sent a flier to Prince George’s Cty (largely black) with three black politicians on the front. “The green-and-red mailer, declaring itself an ‘official voter guide’ featured pictures of County Exec Jack Johnson, his predecessor Wayne Curry and former NAACP president Kweisi Mfume.
The flier reads “Ehrlich-Steele Democrats”, and underneath it reads “These are OUR choices”.
But two of these leaders have endorsed Cardin against Steele and none have endorsed Ehrlich.
Mfume called it”a real malicious attempt to mislead voters in the 11th hour.” Johnson: “Its untruthful. I’m offended by it, and I’m angry about it.”
Ehrlich’s spokeswoman claimed the flier was meant to convey support for Johnson, but he is running unopposed-the other two are not running for anything.
Continued outrage in Maryland. A Steele mailer arrived at many voters doors yesterday in PG, which declared that Dem Senatoral Candidate Cardin , who is Jewish, “Ben Cardin promises to attack Jesus Christ, Pastors, Churches and Christians, and to take away Blacks Freedom if elected.”
If Steele gets 20-30% of the black vote, he will win the Senate. Of course this has arrived in time for the election, but too late to refute in many cases.
Kim,
I wasn’t the one who brought up the race card issue or the TN ads: I was responding to others who did. Yet you say I should let it go. By this you mean that I should accept that other people have a right to voice their opinions but I shouldn’t express mine. Gee, thanks for that.
Please read my comment under DS’s post above to better understand why I won’t “let this go”. It is not because I want to criticize individuals who have an opinion that differs from mine on the TN ads. It is because I believe that the phenomenon of playing the race card is destructive, and although I don’t think any commenters here are guilty of intentionally doing it, I do believe that the DNC and groups like the NAACP are guilty of race baiting.
CS OK, but now let me ask you guys: can’t you see that making an issue out of the TN ads makes it harder for people to accept that this ad was racist?
I see this issue as being more about the benefit of the doubt than anything else. This ad, very little doubt. What constitutes sufficient additional doubt for those already inclined to doubt to grant the benefit?
I don’t see the RNC leadership as racist or homophobic or anything else particularly. They just want to win, and they are proving themselves almost completely unscrupulous about it.
jjc,
You’re not really addressing my point about crying wolf. Do you not agree that when a bunch of frivolous accusations have been made, that some people are likely to brush off accusations that might have some merit? For example, assuming that you don’t believe that Cynthia McKinney’s accusations of racist harrassment by the DC security cops were factual (I may be assuming in error, you can correct me if so), then do you not think that sort of thing hurts the credibility of real accusations of harrassment?
CS The TN ad is borderline. If you look at it from Ford’s POV, who is trying to get a white Southern conservative state to send a black candidate to the Senate for the first time, it is devastating. I just don’t see how you can get outraged over some uncomfirmed oreo attacks but not this. Do you deny that the TN ad would appeal to white conservative voters who wouldn’t let their daughters date Ford? I would agree if it was a more progressive area like Maryland, or if the accusations of racism were only coming from the candidate–but they are widespread-. That means it is not just playing the race card. I’m having a real hard time believing that in this year of sleazy neg ads, with Rove at the helm, the RNC didn’t know exactly what they are doing.
Kim,
When did I ever say I was outraged over oreo attacks, or offer an opinion one way or the other about whether they really occurred?? I have no idea what the truth is on that because there is so much malarky being thrown out on both sides, there’s simply no way for me to know the truth.
Frankly I find it hard to see how white conservative voters would connect a playboy bunny with their daughters, yes. And more importantly, I find it hard to believe that the GOP wouldn’t see that it would be a greater risk to offend white conservative voters by insinuating that they must be racist, which is exactly what the Dems have done by claiming that the ad was intended to push the bigot buttons.
Since you brought up the oreo thing, Kim, I’ll add this: if the oreos were thrown at Steele, it was wrong. If they were not thrown, then it was wrong for anyone to claim that they were. You would probably agree with me up to that point.
But also…metaphorically there is another way of throwing oreos, and that is when insinuations are made that a black candidate can’t be conservative or Republican without being a sellout, and that the Democratic party must be assumed to represent the interests of all black people. I don’t know to what extent this has happened in the Steele/Cardin race, but with all the controversy over some black leaders endorsing Steele I can certainly see signs of that type of thinking. You mentioned, for example, that if Steele gets 20-30% of the black vote he will win. While I condemn any tactics that use lies to convince that segment of black voters to back Steele, I also find it odd that the Democratic party should take for granted that the black community couldn’t possibly be 20-30% conservative. Have you ever stopped to think whether or not the black population would have any real reason to be more liberal than the US population as a whole? Or could it possibly be that the Democratic party has played up racism in the GOP in order to keep black constituents in their corner, regardless of whether or not the blacks agree with their platform?
Angry Independent,
I’m not sure what you’re complaining about. Are you complaining because recruiters are using, you know, market research, to determine where to best spend recruiting resources? Wow, what a concept! The fact is, most recruits are walk-ins and on average, recruits have a HIGHER education level and come from families with a HIGHER median household income than their peers. Yet you and others continue to try to sell this myth (and you said you agreed with what John Kerry said) that if you’re poor and uneducated you’ll end up in Iraq. Demographic studies show that in actuality, the poor are underrepresented in the military and those from the “elite” (upper 10% median income) are disproportionately OVER-represented. This trend has actually increased since 9/11, not the other way around. So in the past few years, the percentage of recruits from wealthy and educated families has increased both in real and on a per-capita basis while those from poor families has stayed the same or decreased. How does this reality fit with the myth you and John Kerry espouse?
It’s true the military targets the middle class who can’t afford college. This isn’t just the lower-middle class, by the way, as is so frequently asserted (in fact, inability to pay for college extends into the upper-middle class). Sadly, a large part of the middle class is too wealthy for most financial aid, but not wealthy enough to pay for college out-of-pocket. The military does target this segment. Why? First of all, the education benefits are one of the military’s biggest draws. Is it the military’s fault that Pell and other grant/scholarhips options are not available for this segment of the population? No. The military is using marketing of its education benefits (which are fantatstic – that cannot be argued) to appeal to that demographic. Why is that wrong? Maybe if the financial aid and skyrocketing education costs were fixed to provide opportunities to the majority of the middle class, then military recruiting would diversify into other areas.
In the end though, your assertions and those of the New England liberal elite (like John Kerry) don’t square with the facts.
CS You’re not really addressing my point about crying wolf.
I did indirectly by offering what I thought was a more relevant point to the situation.
The boy who cried wolf was only doing it to get attention. You think that’s what the Dems did with the TN ad. But there were many unaligned and even conservative commentators who saw the ad as at least too close to the line.
Just as with politics, the issue of racism is being infected by gamesmanship, on both sides.
jjc,
I think it is a leading proposition to put into people’s heads that racism exists in these subtle contexts. Many people either will then be inclined to see it (to not give benefit of the doubt) either because they are genuinely very concerned about the existence of racism- which I believe is the case with commenters here– or because they have an ulterior motive–which I believe is the case with the NAACP and DNC– or because they don’t want to appear to be protesting too much–which I think is the case with the unaligned and conservatives who said they thought the ads had that intent. My assertion though is that everyone should think through the actual results of accusations which are based on flimsy evidence.
I presume, based on the TN ad and its success, and the NYC mailer, that Obama will not run for president . . .Would you, under the circumstances, if you had a nice family and didn’t want them dragged through the mud?
NJDC Response: “Steele Supporter Resorts to Thinly Veiled Anti-Semitic Attack Against Cardin”
CS: I think it is a leading proposition to put into people’s heads that racism exists in these subtle contexts.
My, what a lawyerly comment that is! Reminds me of tobacco executives suggesting that people who are inclined to get lung cancer are also inclined to take up smoking.
Sure, you can claim that people are only seeing racism because they’ve been primed, but doesn’t that come pretty close to claiming the entire issue is a fiction? Looked at in a sufficiently abstract manner, all isues like this are fictions. Pick any issue, and I think you can be brought to a point where you have to draw a line between what’s real and what’s fabricated, and it’s not all that easy to do.
Rather than try to argue where the line should be, I’d like to argue that there are players on both sides endeavoring to get as close to the line and maybe even go a little over without getting caught out. That’s true of racism, robo-calling, and other electioneering issues.
You still seem to be taking the view that the gamers are all on the other side from you, at least as far as racism is concerned. You’re willing to see the other side putting things into people’s head, but not your own playing on what might already be there.
Holly , this was in the post I have earlier on this thread. The pamphlets were distributed by a Bowie supporter to a very black county which is overwhelmingly Christian. The fact that they were delivered in the 11th hour makes them harder to dispute, and therefore that much more despicable. Ben Cardin is a quiet professorial type who has visited all of the churches in PG cty to garner support. He is the most tolerant, fairminded politician I can think of, which is more than I can say for Steele. The Steele campaign has claimed no knowlege of this attempted smear, but they have not condemned the pamphlet or the Bowie supporter either.