NY Times Op/Ed: "A Shameful, Ugly Ad"

[Hissyspit]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/26/opinion/26sat4.html?ex=1366948800

EDITORIAL
A Shameful, Ugly Ad

Published: April 26, 2008
Manipulative. Shameful. Race-baiting. Those are the only words to describe a new television ad from the Republican Party running in North Carolina that attacks Senator Barack Obama as “too extreme” for the state.

Senator John McCain was right to condemn the ad and demand that state Republican Party leaders pull it — a demand they refused. As of Friday, the state party’s Web site was soliciting contributions to “keep this ad on the air.” The country cannot afford such divisiveness.

Unless Mr. McCain quickly gets control of his party, we fear there will be worse to come. (Just note the it’s- not-my-problem reaction of Senator Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, who set a new low for implausible deniability by claiming that the ad by the G.O.P. in her home state has nothing to do with her own re-election bid.)

The ad is built around the well-known video clip of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. — Mr. Obama’s former pastor — declaring “God damn America.” We have said before that we find Rev. Wright’s oratory racist. And we have criticized Senator Obama for waiting too long to denounce it. His relationship with the Rev. Wright is undeniably a liability for his campaign.

But that’s not what this ad is about. The assertion that Mr. Obama is “just too extreme for North Carolina” is a clear bid to stir bigotry in a Southern state. The ad’s claim that its target is actually two Democratic gubernatorial candidates who endorsed Mr. Obama is ludicrous.

This is too familiar. In his 1990 re-election campaign, Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina ran the infamous “hands” ad showing two white hands crumpling up a letter while the announcer intones: “You needed that job, and you were the best qualified. But they had to give it to a minority.” His challenger, Harvey Gantt, a former Charlotte mayor, was, of course, African-American.

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[UALRBSofL]

1. I've seen the add and it attacks the two challenging the Gov's race

Now personally I have no issues with them running the add because it's free speech and I think if we lose that we will be no better then communist China. Here is the thing, the two challenging for Gov can run adds attacking the Incumbent Gov as well by associating with McCain. They could use Keating 5, they could use his past bigotry statements, his S & L scandals, the illegitimate children, his wifes drug problems, his war mongering statements, or a grocery list of things to attack the current Gov. Now, I don't like the add because it's bigotry at it's best but to censor the ad would be to censor the internet, censor You Tube, myspace, blog sights, etc. To me this would be wrong. Why doesn't the challengers hook up with the NC DP and make there own ads?? Instead of whining, fight them. That is all.

[jefferson_dem]

3. Part of fighting them means challenging their despicable race-baiting McCarthyesque tactics.

That is not whining.

And nobody's talking about censorship. Political speech includes calling your political opponents out for their bullshit.

[cali]

5. Hillworlders don't mind racist filth as long as they think it could help

hilly. No one is suggesting censoring it, but thanks for the straw man argument. Fail.

[UALRBSofL]

8. cali, you would be wrong with your statements

Believe me when I say this, my sexual orientation has been used as a tool by the Rethugs for years and yes I whined, pissed and moaned about it. That said, it is their right to do so whether I agree or not. This is why over the years I have taken a stand against bigoted people and spoken against anti-gay ads. However, I don't demand the ad be taken down I just help my candidate fight the attacks and wrong doing. If you were the object of bigoted attacks like my people have been for many years you would have thicker skin.

[roseBudd]

6. And if the ad said extreme hormonal menopausal HRC was too extreme in her hormone fueled emotions?

or lack thereof

[A-Schwarzenegger]

7. Your post is at least as disgraceful as the ad itself.

:puke:

[DFW]

2. McCain's objections were probably for national public consumption

If it gained him a few points, I'm sure he's perfectly happy with it.

[phrigndumass]

9. Rachel Maddow's comments about McCain and this ad were spot on

She said McCain took both the high road and the low road by publicly condemning this ad. He publicly condemned it, yes, but he didn't use his political pull in the GOP to stop it from airing.

McCain's comments, in effect, were more like, "Oh look, that's bad. What's for lunch?"

[DFW]

15. That sounds like an accurate assessment

Obviously, being stationed in Europe, I don't get to hear Rachel Maddow
much, but the little I have heard of her when visiting Stateside, has
shown her to be one of the fastest (and most even-tempered) wits on the
American political commentary scene.

[Doctor_J]

4. Once agai McCain gets free fawning pub from the VRWMSM

while keeping the subject of the ad in the news for as long as possible.

[GoldieAZ49]

10. Political Censorship is preferred now?

McCain has no control over what the local candidates run. He distanced himself from it.

Obama tried to distance himself from Wright but cannot.

The Dems running for Governor endorsed Obama, that is why the ad was produced.


This is what those running down ticket from Obama will be subjected to.

The Super Delegates and the DNC will be watching the effect of it in NC to see how it could play out nationally.


The ad could backfire. Or not, we will all be watching.

[doggycat]

11. The ad is unfair, but I don't see racism in it

I just can't see how we can make the case that the ad portrays the black race as inferior. They simply attack the connections Obama has to a pastor who said hateful things about America. That he happens to be black does not mean the ad is racist.

[CatsDogsBabies]

12. You don't see racism in it?

You're kidding, right? Where are you from that you don't see this for what it is?

[Doctor_J]

14. And what do you make of the fact that McSame's white Rev Hagee

said that the Bush admin's murder of thousands of blacks was essentially the victims' fault gets exactly no airplay?

Good luck making it past 25 posts.

[1776Forever]

13. I can hear it every time I read something like this in his own words - NOT THIS TIME!!!!!!!!!!!