Kos: Dogwhistling in Nebraska?

[ClarkUSA]

Over at Daily Kos, kos writes about Kerrey's Hussein/Muslim/madrassa eruption and the dogwhistle politics behind his "praise":

Former Sen. Bob Kerrey:

It's probably not something that appeals to him, but I like the fact that his name is Barack Hussein Obama, and that his father was a
Muslim and that his paternal grandmother is a Muslim. There's a billion people on the planet that are Muslims, and I think that experience
is a big deal.

I've given this one some serious thought. In a perfect world, one without bigotry, it would be a good thing to stress Obama's multicultural
background for an important job as president. So the sentiment, on its face, isn't a negative one.

But we don't live in a perfect world. We live in one where "muslim" is synonymous with "terrorist". And Obama's "experience" with his Muslim
family ended when he was two, so I'm not quite sure how that's supposed to be relevant to anything.

So back to the original question -- was Kerrey expressing honest praise for Obama, or was he engaging in insidious dogwhistle politics? I'll
leave it up to you guys to decide, but do note that context might be important:

He made these comments while endorsing Hillary Clinton.

http://www.dailykos.com/hotlist/add/2007/12/17/1488/0415/displaystory//

And check out this thought-provoking diary by a student at George Washington Madrassa:

Bob Kerrey Runs A Madrassa

I've just been informed by a trustworthy source of some terrible, terrible things about former Senator Bob Kerrey. Foremost among these is that
Bob Kerrey has been running a madrassa known as Al-Madrassa Al-Jadeeda for over 6 years. This madrassa is located in a part of the world that
is notorious for harboring people with brown skin who are feared by many Americans.

Kerrey has taken actions in running this madrassa that are fully out of line with American values.

At his madrassa, he trains a new generation of America-haters to be let loose on the world...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/12/17/20230/979?detail=f

[dbackjon]

1. Kinda lame piece there on Kos...

But anything to bash Hillary, I guess makes it gospel to some.

[ClarkUSA]

2. Yeah, yeah, you're such an authority on lame pieces...

Since you just wrote one. After all, kos doesn't know anything. :eyes:

[dbackjon]

5. So you are obviously one of the Obamabots

That think any anti-Hillary piece is a masterpiece...:toast:

[silverojo]

3. Bob Kerrey needs to STFU

I lived in Nebraska when he was governor, and all that idiot ever did was make headlines with his Debra Winger escapades. It figures he'd be a Hillary supporter.

[madrchsod]

4. now that was lame....

i thought kos was some kind of great writer and had some inside track into politics. he`s on the big tv and writes with uncle karl in some magazine. oh well, maybe he wrote this while in a big hurry to get to his next big appearance!

there are writers here at du that are as good or better than him

[NewYorkerfromMass]

6. Not sure about this term 'dogwhistle'

but I assume it means you hear something not actually said. In this case it's a hidden smear/backhanded compliment to insert Obama's muslim heritage into the dialogue.