Conservative Political Forum Sells Racist "Obama Waffles"

WASHINGTON — Activists at a conservative political forum snapped up boxes of waffle mix depicting Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama as a racial stereotype on its front and wearing Arab-like headdress on its top flap.

Values Voter Summit organizers cut off sales of Obama Waffles boxes on Saturday, saying they had not realized the boxes displayed "offensive material." The summit and the exhibit hall where the boxes were sold had been open since Thursday afternoon.

The box was meant as political satire, said Mark Whitlock and Bob DeMoss, two writers from Franklin, Tenn., who created the mix. They sold it for $10 a box from a rented booth at the summit sponsored by the lobbying arm of the Family Research Council.

David Nammo, executive director of the lobbying group FRC Action, said summit organizers were told the boxes were a parody of Obama's policy positions but had not examined them closely.

Republican Party stalwarts Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney were among speakers at the forum, which officials said drew 2,100 activists from 44 states.

While Obama Waffles takes aim at Obama's politics by poking fun at his public remarks and positions on issues, it also plays off the old image of the pancake-mix icon Aunt Jemima, which has been widely criticized as a demeaning stereotype. Obama is portrayed with popping eyes and big, thick lips as he stares at a plate of waffles and smiles broadly.

Placing Obama in Arab-like headdress recalls the false rumor that he is a follower of Islam, though he is actually a Christian.

On the back of the box, Obama is depicted in stereotypical Mexican dress, including a sombrero, above a recipe for "Open Border Fiesta Waffles" that says it can serve "4 or more illegal aliens." The recipe includes a tip: "While waiting for these zesty treats to invade your home, why not learn a foreign language?"

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The novelty item also takes shots at 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry, Obama's wife, Michelle, and Obama's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

The Obama campaign declined to comment.

Wearing white chef's aprons, Whitlock and DeMoss were doing a brisk business at noon Saturday selling the waffle mix to people crowded around their booth. Two pyramids of waffle mix boxes stood several feet high on the booth's table.

"It's the ultimate political souvenir," DeMoss told a customer.

Asked if he considered the pictures of Obama on the box to be racial stereotypes, Whitlock said: "We had some people mention that to us, but you think of Newman's Own or Emeril's _ there are tons and tons of personality-branded food products on the market. So we've taken that model and, using political satire, have highlighted his policies, his position changes."

The socially conservative public policy groups American Values and Focus on the Family Action co-sponsored the summit.

Comments

[Katlen]

If anyone harbored illusions that we as a country were past racism, welcome to Value-less Voters World. I am beyond disgusted. I'd like my country back. At least the country that was making progress in 1968. I feel like we've regressed to a moment before I was born.

[lynnn]

Yeap and those guys call themselves Christians. Perhaps they missed the part about baring false witness or acting foolish.

[MayaPapaya]

His position changes? What? McSame is the one who has made a 180 on all of his positions. And Waffles-clearly they chose waffles because, excuse me for saying this, it's a "black" food-anyone who has seen beauty shop or a tyler perry movie would know that.

[CaptainStormfield]

As I posted on another forum. Contact Y@h@@ . They are hosting their online sales page.
Y@h@@ Let them know this is not acceptable.

[Doots]

America's finest.

[shelly4]

Wow! And these people call themselves Christians and use the name of God. Wow! They need to repent and fast and atone for this sin!

[jackinhack]

This is way, way past disgusting. And to think they call themselves values voters and the Family Action Council.

God have mercy on their souls. These two are less than all the snakes and vermin ever depicted in Dante's Infernal and anyother depiction of hell on earth. I now have a whole new definition of evil and the work of the devil.

[confuseddemocrat]

Where are the black conservatives such as Alan Keyes, Colin Powell, Shelby Steele, Condi Rice to shut down or condemn this obvious type of overt race baiting?

This is actually why Republicans claim of being all-inclusive is a sham and why blacks are predominantly Democrats and voting for Obama..not because Obama is black

[shelly4]

Can't these people be sued for using Obama's name for something he did not approve?

[vicenteduq]

Of course, this is extremely racist.

All this racist things have several characteristics and peculiarities :

They are demeaning and distorted. An offensive caricature.

They are full of lies and false suppositions. ( lies about what Obama is going to do in a presidency or his ideas )

They try to strongly associate the target ( Obama ) with disliked or hated people, even if the association is very weak like a passing acquaintance or joint membership in some instituion board.

The national public figures that speak in these events are guilty by not condemning this stupidity and imbecility of these racist actions.

Non White people should do well by voting for Obama and not for the Racist Party of America. Non Whites would certainly fare better under Obama and not under the Racists in Power.

Vicente Duque

[1differentdrummer]

Ahhh, Christian family values.

[OkitaSoji]

Why do these dudes have to be from my home town where the main mascot for the local high school is Johnny Reb waving a confederate flag? I'm ashamed.

[mypov123]

Looking at those "Palin Power" signs, if you drop Palin's name and substitute it for the word White, you'll have the real meaning behind "conservative values", "White Power". These "people" behind the Obama Waffles idea think we're stupid enough to believe that they didn't realize these images would be "offensive" to many people. The Obama campaign is right not to even acknowledge them. But I have some suggestions for where they can stick their waffle mix....

[sherbug]

This is desperation of a failing campaign.

[wadenelson1]

Political cartoonists have made fun of politicians for hundreds of years. They accentuate facial features, take what a candidate has and blow it completely out of proportion whether its a furrowed brow, big nose, or whatever. For Nixon it was huge jowls.

They're gonna do that to a black man as well as a white man.

If America is ready to elect a black man President, then it's time for us to accept political cartooning of black men without screaming "racism" or "unfair" or anything else. It is what it is, satire, cartooning, humor.

I have no doubt that MANY of the individuals buying this pancake batter are indeed racists, and maybe even the artists are --- at the very minimum they were pandering to such. But that's besides the point.

Once Obama became a candidate for the Presidency of the United States of America, having cartoons drawn of him became part of what goes along with it.