Obama Skin Tone Darker In Clinton Ad?

America Blog:

Via America Blog:

I went and got the original footage from the Clinton ad, and then compared it to 3 different video clips of the same debate from 3 different sources. I did this so as to take into account any editing, or quality issues, that might have accounted for Obama having darker skin in any particular video. None of the 3 video sources I found showed Obama nearly as black as the Hillary ad does. Click the image above to see a larger version. Look at his lips. Look at his eyebrows. Look at how the red MSNBC background has turned more purple. Clearly the image was darkened. The question is "why."

Make the comparison yourself:

(Picture compiled by America Blog)

One Kos diarist recalls the infamous O.J. Simpson cover on Time Magazine:

One of the first times I distinctly recall this issue being brought to the forefront was the Time Magazine cover picture of O.J. Simpson after his arrest. Time was heavily criticized for darkening the shade of Simpson's skin in the cover photograph.

Whether intentional or not, the message was that a darker skinned Mr. Simpson somehow was more threatening or frightening than a lighter skinned Juice.

Check out the original picture comparison:

Read the whole story: America Blog

Comments

[cosmicfish]

He's black .... get over it.

[camanoone]

Let's all close our eyes, pretend he is not black, that he never smoked dope, that he didn't have shady dealings with Rezeko(?) that he never voted "present" and that he won't be able to handle the swiftboat attacks the republicans are planning for him. Why don't you guys get real.

[rollingdivision]

It is amazing how Obama's supporters are playing the race card again and again. Clinton supporters mention Obama's admitted drug abuse, somehow the Obama supporters claim that 's racist. Clinton compares Obama's primary successes to those of Jesse Jackson, somehow Obama supporters claim that's racist. Senator Clinton pointed out that the good works of Martin Luther King needed political backing and leadership to make changes and somehow Obama supporters claim that fact is racist. And now a picture of Obama is darker than some others and Obama supporters run to the microphones to again claim racism.

[lungfish]

Given that Obama is only half black and its the Hillary camp that are comparing him to Jesse Jackson instead of a white candidate, I would say that they are rascist....

Lung "Hussein" Fish

[Freddy334]

Obama is more Arab than black. He is 50% white/30% Arab/20% African. His middle name is also Hussein.

He is only getting attacked because he has been picking on and playing the race card against Hillary. What is good for the goose.....

[epistrophy]

i really don't get the "half-black" argument...Michelle Obama said she didn't know that Barack had a white parent until he told her.

the beautiful man is black...he looks black, he is treated as a black man &, as i have said before, if the police were out arresting black people tonight, he'd be arrested...not half-arrested.

photoshop him any color you want...he's our first Black POTUS....xx

[transendentilist]

Obama is playing the victim now, what's he going to do when the real smear campaign by the GOP begins. I am tired of Obama playing the victim.

[jsinclair]

If they say they didn't intentionally Photoshop this picture (not only the skin color, but some subtle physical features that are different as well), I'll believe them.

Has the Clinton campaign said this?

[rollingdivision]

I'm not in any way a Clinton supporter, but there is no way I believe she is racist or would in anyway support racism. Just from a selfish perspective, why would any candidate choose to do anything which if discovered would clearly show them to be racist? There's so little to gain, it just doesn't make sense.

[KidMeNot]

More Clinton voter cited race as a factor than Obama voter in Ohio. The "white ethnic" vote over 50 are the Reagan Democrats who hated the Civil Rights movement and blame affirmative action, even more than NAFTA for the loss of their jobs.

[AmericanNation]

It is with utter disgust that it is aparent now that the Clinton "attack ads" have worked and the results are showing in the voting in the primaries. Given the press coverage today, I would say, unfortunately that the writing is on the wall, that Senator Obama will not survive the onslaught of false Islamaphobia, Anti-Semitic, Anti-Zionist, Anti-American, and racist advertisements and internet slurs spread by the Clintons and not the Republicans. The Clintons have now cost Al Gore, and Kerry an election, they are as morally ruderless as their descriptions of President Bush's campaing strategists. I will vote for Senator Clinton in the general election only because I believe that although Senator McCain was once an honorable politician his choices of late make no logical sense, and as for Mr. Nader, it will be a great day in America when he finally tires of his time in ruining the electoral process. But, if President and Senator Clinton believe that the people of the Democratic Party who they marginalized, divided, and played off against eachother will forget this, they are sadly mistaken. We will be watching, and we have four years to prepare - Obama 2012.

[globality]

I will take 4 years of McCain over 8 years of Hillary

[KidMeNot]

Maybe McCain will pull a Nixon in China and get us out of Iraq. Hillary would be so busy proving herself to be as tough as the big boys that she'll probably spread the war to Iran.

[tea in the harbor]

I first thought, big deal, so they printed the image too dark, so what! But then I looked again, I looked at Sen. Obama's smile. The teeth are several shades lighter! Look at it, am I wrong? Can this happen accidentally? I'm not into conspiracy theories, but this photo has NOT been uniformly darkened, it has been manipulated to enhance the contrast! Anybody know how this can be otherwise? Please tell me I'm wrong and why!

[JTR40291]

This happens when the contrast on the television is adjusted. It's not unusual. This is somebody stirring things up. What we should be concentrating on is the OTHER side of the screen. Why are we worrying about the contrast on somebody's television when the new Jesus isn't doing his job? This world is a crazy, crazy place...

[tea in the harbor]

O.K. I just tried that, ran the contrast all the way up, then all the way down. It didn't happen! Try it yourself.

[Ramirez]

The color wasn't darkened, it was desaturated.
It's common.

[BigLib]

Scorpions in a bottle... pass the popcorn.

[tea in the harbor]

No, the scorpions are loose, pass the bottle!

[AnotherTry]

How did you get loose, anyway?

[ann1]

This is disgusting. Does she know that Obama is of mixed race? Does she know that the American people are aware that he's of mixed race? Does she realize we're not buying the "be afraid of the black guy" ploy? Is she aware of how many people she's insulted by running this kind of garbage. God help her.

[eurydice]

Shame, shame, shame.

Everytime I think that the Clintons can't sink any lower...

Proved me wrong again, Hillary

[jimmyjones22]

First of all, they didn't darken just his skin, they darkened the entire picture.
Second, you're confusing dark, (which is a shade), with black (as in race).

They made the picture darker because it makes you look more sinister. Let me explain to you the basic mechanics and theory behind it, for those of you who don't have photoshop.

Take any picture and darken it and you instantly make the scene a more sinister one - It increases shadows where there was none before, it can make a sun-shiney road turn into a back alley at night. When there are people in the scene, the effect becomes more dramatic. You must remember that nearly all communication is nonverbal, so being able to read emotion from a persons face is vital in how we percieve a person (as a threat, friendly, or unknown - proceed with caution).

When you darken the pesons face, much like darkening scenery, you obscure a lot of the image. For one you lessen that sparkle in thier eyes, the color of thier cheeks, and it makes their mood less easier to distinguish.

Now look at the examples of lightned and darkened pictures. Notice something? Becauce you are unable to 'read' the persons face as easy in the darkened ones, they appear more threatening or indifferent.

You can do this to anyone - black, white, green.....whatever. It isn't darkening skin, it's darkening the picture as a whole, which changes the entire mood of the scene. Don't confuse the two - they are two different things.

[jsinclair]

True, they darkened the picture and I'm sure for the reason you said.

However, I'd like them to say that "No, we didn't also Photoshop it". Because it certainly looks that way to me.

[ndolomar]

i'd have to agree that it's photoshopped in some way. even with an overall darkening of the image, it's hard to picture how that same effect would somehow miss his teeth. i suggest posters take a closer look.

[larry278]

Her Hillaryship & her handlers don't believe that the race to become the Democraps candidate for POTUS is about how well a candidate would use his/her brain's gray matter as POTUS. The issue is one of skin color to her Hillaryship & Co, not brains & it sure isn't about integrity either for her & her crew. They want every voter to see that his Barackship's skin is darker than her Hillaryship's skin.
HRC wants BHO to be rejected because of the color of his skin. If you are touting 35 years in politics-you need to use the USA's history of racism & bigotry to win. Right Slick Willy & Sen McCain, et al?

[Riemann]

They also widened his facial features. You can see the facial ratio aspect analysis on Daily Kos.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/4/21311/85811/447/468408

scroll down to see the aspect ratio analysis

[MikeMidCity]

Hillary's campaign is shameless in promoting racism in this election.

Isn't that the kind of crap that the nation is tired of?

[Collielady]

Hillary's dirty tricks prove she is not a Democrat at heart. A true Democrat isn't phased by the lightness, or darkness, of Obama's skin. It's a moot point with us. Just the fact that she, or her camp, thought of it and went with it proves to me that either skin color IS an issue with them, or they will stoop to those who take issue with it. That does nothing for the advancement of our society.

Hillary has proven she will do anything for power. She may as well join the Rethuglican party. They love this kind of thing, because skin color is an issue with them. Go Hillary! Go to the right of the isle, please! But, be warned, they'll tear you to shreds over there because the good old boys don't like women in power any more than people of color.

[Moxo]

I guess Hilary has learned that if you can't beat Karl Rove then you should join him. Or, to put it more succinctly, the enemy of her enemy is her friend.

[meileen]

Jeez! You guys just don't quit with this racist crap.

ALL cameras and TVs have different quality with regard to color registration and balance. If they are not balanced together, the footage looks different. If it is recorded and then put into a system with poorly balanced color, it will look different.

Get a grip and stop placing the race card.


And again, the Time article is showing you OJ through a rounded lense effect. Christ, how old are you people?!

[eshalom]

The suggestion that a darker skin tone is somehow inferior or more threatening than a lighter skin tone is horribly and irrationally racist.

[TIMEATELL]

I agree. White supremacy is real. Look up the definition of "Black" and then look up the definition of "White." See the difference? I'm willing to bet it was a white person who defined Caucasians as "White" and Africans as "Black."

[DrumMajorforJustice]

Now, will informed AAs have the courage to send Stephanie Tubbs-Jones and Maxine Waters home? There must be someone in their districts with eyes and a brain. I am ready to contribute to a primary challenge for each of them!