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Playing The "Playing The Race Card" Card

19 Sep 2008 08:39 am

Time's Karen Tumulty all but calls the McCain campaign's new Frank Raines ad racist:  "Sinister images of two black men, followed by one of a vulnerable-looking elderly white woman." Here's the "ad" -- not sure if it's airing anywhere to allow the scare quotes to drop.



I asked an Obama campaign aide last night what he thought.  Wouldn't want to go down that road without evidence, he said.

Is the ad racist? Fair game? For one thing, the connection between Raines and the Obama campaign is extremely tenuous. As Tumulty mentions, the ad doesn't refer to an actual bona fide Obama adviser who was also a Fannie CEO -- James Johnson. He's a white guy.

The McCain campaign calls these racial accusations absurd. In their view, some folks will read race into anything, and there's nothing inherently racial in 21st century America about two black guys and a white woman; the association is racialized in the mind of the viewer, who might be conditioned from experience or worldview to find certain juxtapositions inappropriate.

If one is to impart an ulterior motive to the ads creators, it might well be that they're hoping that the Obama campaign (or the media) condends the ads as racist and therefore magnifies their effect.  Call it -- "Playing The Race Card" card.

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» Dishonest McCain Ad Also Plays Race Card from Liberal Values
Another McCain ad has been shown to be dishonest, with some even describing it as playing the race card. The Fact Checker at The Washington Post provides a summary and considers McCain’s attempts to tie Franklin Raines, former CEO of Fannie Mae, ... [Read More]

Tracked on September 19, 2008 5:17 PM