The latest bit of nonsense from the McCain and Obama camps is over whether Barack Obama is "playing the race card", that is, appealing for votes on the basis of his race. This qustion deserves some discussion, although the answer is, clearly ,"Yes, he is".
The little tussle arose when Senator Obama said that the McCain campaign would try to scare the voters away from choosing Obama by pointing out that he did not look like the presidents on American money([link edited for length]. That was an interesting statement. Assuming that he was talking about paper money (most people don't know who is on the coins, nor do they care), he is talking about circulating bills. There are only seven bills which circulate (I am assuming that the two dollar bill is still out there somewhere, althought I have not seen one for several decades). Ot these bills, only five carry portraits of President. One carries the portrait of s Secretary of the Treasury and one the portrait of a many whose highest political office was postmaster.
The presidents portrayed are Washington ($1.00), Jefferson ($2.00), Lincoln ($5.00), Jackson ($20.00) and Grant ($50.00). Washington and Jefferson are both shown wearing wigs. Since neither Obama nor McCain wears a wig, their images (not to mention their ideas) are completely different from these two portraits. Lincoln and Grant, of course, are both shown with beards. Since both Senator Obama and Senator McCain are clean shaven, neither can win votes by claiming to look more like Grant or Lincoln. If the election looks close, both Senators might grow a beard. That leaves Andrew Jackson. Jackson is shown with a full head of hair, a military uniform and a horse. Since Obama has hair and McCain has none to speak of, Obama looks more like Jackson than McCain does, but not very much more. The fact that Jackson's hair is white and he wears if long means that neither Senator McCain nor Senator Obama looks or acts particlarly Jacksonian.
The McCain campaign immediately condemned the statement, saying that Senator Obama was "playing the race card", and accusing Senator McCain of racism. Since the statement was obviously intended to eneregize black voters to turn out for Obama, the McCain camp said, it was Obama who was running a racist campaign. The Obama camp responded, unconvincingly, that Senator Obama was referring only to his youthful good looks.([link edited for length]. it is obvious that Senator Obama was appealing to black voters, and using a phrase which has been current in the black community for years.
And what of it? It is clear that Senator Obama will draw the support of a majority of the black community, but not every black vote. It is clear that he will draw some support from Black voters who usually vote Republican and attrack black citizens who have up to now boycotted the elections to the polls to vote for him. There is nothing new or racist about this. John Kennedy drew Catholic Republicans to his side in 1960; Joe Lieberman probably drew Jewish Republicans to support the Democratic ticket he was on in 2000, and Senator Clinton had, and still has, the support of a number of women who would ordinarily never vote for a Democrat. Voters who perceive discrimination against a group of which they are members are always anxious to break down the invisible barriers which makes them feel like second class citizens. Many voters who are not members of the groups will vote for the Catholic or Jewish or female of black candidate because they also perceive that discrimination and are opposed to it.
The majority of black voters will vote for Obama because they are Democrats and believe that party to be more responsive to the needs of their community. Some black voters, taking a cue from Jesse Jackson, will vote against Obama because hiw "is not my kind of black man", just as some Catholics voted for Nixon because Kennedy was "not our kind of Catholic." And just as some white voters will vote against Obama because of his race, others will vote for him because of or despite his race.
John Kennedy won the Presidency in 1960, and despite the warnings of Rev. Norman Vincent Peale, he did not bring the Pope to Washington to rule America. Barack Obama may win the presidency this year, and despite the warning from Ludicris, he will not paint the White House black. During the campaign, and in the election, the race of the two candidates will have a minor input.
But Senator Obama has put the race question squarely into the campaign, with the help of a major effort from the McCain campaign. And the media and the bloggers are pushing it all they can, because that is what the media does.
There are issues in this campaign. The most important ones can be defined as change or not change from the policies of the Bush Administration. The Bush administration has shown itself to be an enemy of the individual rights guaranteed by the constitution, openly imperialist, and supporters of an economic policy of "Borrow and Burn" (as opposed to "Tax and Spend" with which Republicans used to attack Democrats. Both Obama and McCain are on record in support of FISA and the Patriot Act, and remarkably quiet on torture. Both support the "stimulus payments" and would add fuel tax "rebates" or "Emergency Energy Grants" to the voters. Both have outlined a foreign policy of engaging in new wars rather than ending current ones. Neither candidate wants to talk about these things, but are trying to use the specious issue of which candidate is really a racist to distract the voters from challenging them on the real issues. In a close race where they voters are distracted, using the race card will win some votes and lose some votes. And one of the two candidates will be able to carry on with the failed policies of President Bush. The candidates will use whatever will bring them a few more votes, even it it loses them an equal number, as long as it keeps the voters from asking serious quesitons.
©2008 rtbohan, all rights reserved. You must have written permission from the author in order to republish this work.
Published: Friday, August 1, 2008
Last modified: Friday, August 1, 2008
The views expressed in this article are those of rtbohan only and do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. rtbohan is solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
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Reader Comments:
Posted By: Stan
Date: 2008-08-01 12:08:11
Wow, you really missed the boat here. Obama was not making an appeal to black voters; he was making an appeal to rural white voters who may be influenced by the fearmongering imagery (e.g., the "terrorist fist jab", flag pins, and being muslim) that seems to be increasingly be encouraged and purpetuated by the McCain campaign itself.
A lot insuation can add up and Obama was trying to fight against that, which seems perfectly fair to me. None of this has anything to do with political policies, which is what the candidates should really be talking about.
Posted By: rtbohan
Date: 2008-08-01 12:27:35
Your last paragraph was the point I was making. Obama's use of the term cuts both ways. But all of this is beside the point and it overshadows real problems which ought to be discussed. Where we differ, I think, is that I believe on the important issues both candidates are on the wrong side and you think there is a real difference between them
Posted By: Dan Driesen
Date: 2008-08-02 12:19:38
Not so quick. This has yet to become a story, but if you saw this video of McCains own ad (from June 26), you quickly realize Obama was directly responding to McCains own camp. It was McCain who originally put Obama's face on the dollar bill in this ad!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDTJDv4hevU&feature=related
Why the mainstream news media has not picked up on this is bewildering.
I have seen only one article, edit - just checked and now there are two if you search google:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-shaw/reading-the-pictures-emdo_b_116451.html
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/8/2/122844/1658/127/561275
Posted By: Al D
Date: 2008-08-03 03:25:00
It amuses me how so many people are still so bothered by race comments that aren't racist. Only when the issue can not be exploited in their own best interest, does it become a talking point. Rather than the comment being just what it is...there is no getting around it --- Obama is black... this can not change. And shouldn't be treated as a pink elephant sitting in the middle of the room. Why does his color disturb so many.... the usual American reasons I believe... I guess it is a matter of great and devastating concern for some Americans... Then again, some Americans remember that this country has a long and ugly history of treatment, action, and acknowledgment of the African, - and later African American, (American Indian as well), of this vast land. And with the lack of care of those old scares and wounds never healed, festering on either side of he race 'card', any reference to race, especially from an independently thinking African American man, (or a financially healthy Indian tribe), aren't going to sit well with certain peoples. I don't know who it was who said it first...but 'It is easier to rule a poor country than a healthy one.' For obvious reasons, and this too can be said of individual groups of peoples within a nation. On a positive note, there are Americans who aren't going to be distracted by a nonsensical attempt to make something out of the comment which is conveniently taken out of context.. Also many Americans can attest too --- You're damned if you do, and damned if you don't.....