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

[darlamc]

as a fellow democrat I am offended...by the implication that Hillary is racist.

[jsinclair]

Why? She and Bill have repeatedly fed racial fears and dislike throughout this campaign. What's the surprise? If it wasn't already such a pattern, I might think this was an accident.

I don't know if she's a racist as much as she is an unprincipled opportunist. If this ad wasn't enough, her tepid comments about whether Obama was really a Christian pretty much showed her character--or, rather, her lack of character.

[VillyVal]

jsinclair says: "She and Bill have repeatedly fed racial fears and dislike throughout this campaign."

Counterfactual. Whenever I hear or see a claim of racist baiting by the Clintons, I also see psychological projection from the accuser. You might consider whether you are the one being manipulated by folks like Chris Matthews. Media Matters has a nice succinct analysis of the "tepid comments" slander. Matthews has deliberately clipped her answer to a question that was asked THREE different times.

You shouldn't spread such virulent crap around. It's contagious.

[kellygrrrl]

enough! I cannot take anymore of the Neo Tactics. Can We the People rise about these Dirty DC insider slime machines?

Can you imagine if someone doctored a photo of Hillary making it look like she had a penis in her pants?

[epistrophy]

LMOA

[exoevolution]

The Clinton's are desperate for POWER.

Obviously Karl Rove has been on their payroll for sometime now.

I pray that Obama gets the nomination, because I will NOT vote for the "Clinton's"!!

[Freddy334]

Hillary is going to win Texas tonight and will go on and win Pennsylvania. I am union and I willo proudly vote for the Clintons. Barrack Hussein Obama is now try to steal the super delegates in a disgusting power grab.

[VillyVal]

exoevolution: Your first two statements are outside the realm of intelligent discussion because they are based solely on your mind-reading superpowers, which have yet to be demonstrated. You have no access to anyone's internal cognitive processing. When you say "Obviously," in point of fact it isn't "obvious" at all. Unless you have evidence for the Karl Rove claim, either the Clintons or Rove could charge you in a court of law with libel.

Beware of dropping IQ's ... and possessives that are really only plural nouns.

[Dazedandamazed]

It depends on where they got the clip. If it was downloaded from the internet or a campaign cameraman shot the footage then poor quality could be the cause of it. Guess Obama camp can use it to play the race card if they want but I don't think it will gain them many votes. They have already pulled those votes in the last time they played the race card so it may end up costing them if people get tired of that game.

[ELEMCIVS]

Barack is Black? I didn't know! Give me a break and stop looking for controversy where there is none! Look at the background and you will note those are gradations darker as well.

[dbredes]

Let's see Hillary's ads darken...Barack...

and

SNL chooses a caucasian to play Barack on SNL...Made up to look "oddly monkey like"..too stupid to speak..with Kucinich large white ears...and whitened hands...all to point out that Barack is mixed race?

SNL claims that they could not find an African American to play the role...Maybe the larger truth is that there was not an African American - that was willing to dawn large "white ears"...paint their hands white.. and pretend that they were too stupid to speak.

SNL blogs are heavily monitored...posts like the one listed herein...are immediately deleted...

So the voice of racism...is alive in well ...in both Hillary's campaign and her supporters...SNL

Surprised?

[2008andbeyond]

Just remember which campaign made the charge of Rovian tactics first: Hillary. Doing so was an attempt to distract from the past truth and upcoming strategy, that she is the one employing Bush's Brain's strategy.

Now, her supporters can use her victim card to say, "well Obama did it first." Not at all true, but the Clintons do seem to struggle with that. Makes them like that other monarch family in our government.

[wolf58]

I don't see black or white, I don't see male or female, I don't see old or young, I don't see good or bad.
I see American patriots who are trying to lead us with what they feel is the best ideas. Its to bad so many don't see the same.

[joeyp404]

Talk about whiners. First, no one should use his middle name because people think it is used to inflame people. Now, make sure you get his skin color correct in your print ads. Is it because we shouldn't perceive him as being too black, or because you want him to pass as a little white. Give it a break.

[jhNY]

It's called filtering. Any color photo can be altered if filtered so that certain hues dominate, often for aesthetic considerations, often to insure that most people, whose reception of image varies widely, get the best picture possible. And anybody's hues on their tv's and computer can be off from what the producer may have intended for a variety of reasons, most of which have to do with manual maladjustment, not depraved intentions of a desperate candidate.

[VOTER]

Hillary couldn't possibly have known about this because if she had, well, she would have REJECTED IT.

I wonder how her daughter truly feels about her mother's racist campaign tactics.

Hillary does not want to know.

Everyday I say that should she win I will be a True Dem and vote for her in November but she is

pushing this test to the limits.

Boy I wish this had been in yesterday's news.

[Riemann]

It is not only the color that has been changed.

His facial features too have been changed. His face has been shrinked to transform his features.

Take a look at Dailykos diary, the ones that noticed the whole thing. They analyse it quite well

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

[MsLiz]

Where are the Clinton supporters who keep complaining about Obamabots, cult followers and playing the race card by the Obama card?

[maggieb]

We are here, but too buy laughing at your paranoia...picture looks fine to me, maybe XEROXED!!!funny.

[Riemann]

I kept spamming Huffington today hoping for this story to make it in bigger news blogs etc...

:)

[Imustbedreaming]

It's crap articles like this that make me feel so sad for this website. Today alone on Huffpo, you've got 6 different pictures of Obama, all with different skin tones.

Why'd YOU do it?!!!

Ricidulous. The only people who have made this election about race and sex are the Huffington Post, TownHall, MSNBC, FAUX NEWS, and the rest of the overhyped media. Too Many Pundits + Not Enough News = Artificial Stories and a Manipulated Electorate, whether purposeful or not.

How about only writing a story when there's something more than a half-a$$ed theory?