Race-Baiting, Once More

Now this, via Andrew and the Mississippi GOP, does strike me as a racially-charged ad. Not because of its content - it's the Wright stuff again - but because of the way its visuals play with the color scheme to link the local Democrat to Wright and Obama. See what you think:

Comments

Whoa, are you suggesting that the Mississippi GOP engages in race baiting? Say it ain't so!

Posted by ed | April 28, 2008 12:36 PM

Forget Barack Obama--I'm more concerned that Travis Childers has picked up the endorsement of liberal Hiram Rhodes Revels. Travis Childers chose Reconstruction over our conservative values. Mississippi just can't trust Travis Childers.

Posted by JB | April 28, 2008 1:14 PM

It is time for the Republican-controlled Media to give this Wright controversy some fairness and enquire of Hillary Clinton and her surrogates the following:

Is it true that, (1) Hillary surrogate, Congresswoman Shiela Jackson Lee, is also a devotee of Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright; that he's been preaching at her home church, where she is actively involved, annually for the past 15 years and has an open invitation to return, and, that she sat in the pews for his visits and did not bat an eye? AND

Is it true that (2) Hillary surrogate, Rev. Marcia Dyson was not only a longtime member of Trinity United Church of Christ but also still considers Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright her pastor? That Rev. Marcia Dyson's seminary education, in part, was sponsored by Trinity UCC and encouraged by Rev. Wright? And was it not at Trinity were she first met her husband, Rev. Dr. Michael Dyson, who's been very vocal in his defense of Rev. Wright.?

And, lastly tof Hillary Clinton, that if Rev. Wright would not have been her Pastor, then why did she and Bill when going through Impeachment, turn to Rev. Wright for Prayer and Support and invite him to the White House? These things should be asked and answered.

And, finally, why would a Republican-controlled Media give a "retired" Rev. Wright all this attention and air time, if not to try to destroy Barack Obama!? -- Their true Fear! That is why "daily" 24/7, the Republican-controlled media and talking heads are build-up Hillary, tear/smear down Obama, while McCain courts African-Americans that Clintons have ailenated by their "kitchen sink strategy, hoping all the while that she will become the Democratic nominee, so they can unleash the "arsenol" of weapons they have against her. Something they have been planning for years!

Posted by Angellight | April 28, 2008 4:06 PM

I think the visuals are busy and the content is stupid, but not race baiting.

Posted by Bill | April 28, 2008 4:13 PM

Far more racist than the color scheme is that required distance of connectedness has been taken up yet another notch. Now, not only is any one who is friends with Rev. Wright unacceptable to conservatives, but anyone associated with anyone associated with Rev. Wright is unacceptable.

If knowing someone who knows someone who has complaints about the majority culture is now unacceptable, pretty much every minority is ruled out of the game. There is no way in hell that isn't racist.

That doesn't mean that every or even most criticisms of Obama are racist. Attacks on inexperience, policy views, ideology, hypocrisy--those are all in bounds. But attacking him for being a member of the black community is a nothing but a recipe for complete exclusion of the black community.

Ross is a hella smart guy, but he's the last person in the world to go to when deciding what's fair game in a political contest. It has nothing to do with him being ignorant of the South or race--he just tosses his sense of fairness out the window.

Posted by Consumatopia | April 28, 2008 7:41 PM

Didn't seem any different than most such ads are: well-focused full color when showing the candidate, out-of-focus grainy photos of the opponent and the "devil" he's being linked to, in this case Wright & Obama. You won't have to look too hard to find many previous examples of the genre. Probably a whole subsection showing Bush & Falwell in similar fashion. I agree with Bill, though, it strikes me as a bit too cluttered at that.

Ross, why you find this remarkable mystifies me.

Posted by RW Rogers | April 28, 2008 8:26 PM

We have to get past calling ads racist because they show a black person when they cricize that person. Sure, some prejudiced persons will have a negative reaction upon seeing the black person, but so what? That does not mean the ad is "racially charged." The content of this ad is fine and probably effective. One of the reasons that McCain was foolish in criticizing the NC add is that he way buying into the notion that you need to tread carefully when criticizing blacks in ads. Nonsense. Everyone needs to grow up and stop seeing racism. Media like the NYTimes see it for partisan reasons, but McCain and Ross need to not get caught in that trap.

Posted by Kansas City Brian | April 28, 2008 8:41 PM

That ad struck me as stupider, and even more poorly done, but I don't know if it struck me as racist. Or anymore racist anyway.

Posted by Thomas R | April 29, 2008 7:19 AM

Yeah, I am curious why the color scheme is possibly racist -- I guess maybe I shouldn't be wearing my mustard yellow t-shirt as openly in the inner city?

Posted by Horay | April 29, 2008 8:50 AM

I can't wait to see the ad:

(sinister music playig in the background, low voice)

Candidate X was endorsed by Rep. Y. Rep. Y endorsed Barack Obama. Jeremiah Wright thinks God Damns American.

[Cue Wright saying God Damn America and The Chickens are coming home to roost.]

Candidate X: too liberal for Southern State X.

I further can't wait for Ross' post in response:

This ad is pretty weak tea. I mean, three degrees of separation? Who is going to be convinced by that? What is this supposed to mean? Why do these ads keep playing in the south? And why do liberals keep saying they are racist? I don't get it.

Posted by David | April 30, 2008 2:26 PM