Time: New McCain Attack Ad Plays Race Card

Karen Tumulty writes:

When politicians interject race into a campaign, they seldom do it directly. Consider McCain's new ad, which the campaign says it will be airing nationally ...

This is hardly subtle: Sinister images of two black men, followed by one of a vulnerable-looking elderly white woman.

Let me stipulate: Obama's Fannie Mae connections are completely fair game. But this ad doesn't even mention a far more significant tie--that of Jim Johnson, the former Fannie Mae chairman who had to resign as head of Obama's vice presidential search team after it was revealed he got a sweetheart deal on a mortgage from Countrywide Financial. Instead, it relies on a fleeting and tenuous reference in a Washington Post Style section story to suggest that Obama's principal economic adviser is former Fannie Mae Chairman Frank Raines. Why? One reason might be that Johnson is white; Raines is black.

The AP digs into the thin claim that Raines is an Obama adviser:

Obama's campaign says Raines is not an Obama adviser and that McCain's campaign knows it because Raines said so in an e-mail earlier this week to Carly Fiorina, a top McCain adviser. Obama's campaign provided The Associated Press with a copy of the e-mail.

"Carly: Is this true?" Raines asks above a forwarded note informing him that Fiorina was on television saying he was an Obama housing adviser. "I am not an adviser to the Obama campaign. Frank."

Obama's campaign says Fiorina did not respond.

McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said he was not aware of the e-mail to Fiorina, but noted that the Post reported on three occasions, between July 16 and Aug. 28, that Raines was advising Obama.

"If he was not advising, obviously someone somewhere along the way should have corrected the record," Rogers said.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said he has since asked the Post for a correction. Burton said Obama only met Raines once briefly at an event, and that Raines sought an introductory meeting with Obama Senate aide Mike Strautmanis. At that meeting, Burton said no advice was sought from or given by Raines, who also had served as President Clinton's budget director.

Watch the ad:

Comments

[PT6]

It appears McCain's Only Way of Reaching People Hurt over the Last 8 Years is Playing on Worries and old Prejudices that Some How Overshadow their OWN BEST INTERESTS!

My relatives in the Midwest have lost pensions, homes, retirement funds, and JOBS over the last 6 Years!
I wish my Midwest friends could open their eyes and see what the Bush Administration has done to jobs and quality of life in the MIDWEST.

McCain is NO BUSH! He is worse than Bush planning to give the 1% Richest people in America Not Only the Bush Tax Cuts but ADDITIONAL HUNDREDS of BILLIONS in tax cuts too. This will Further Hurt the MIDWEST!

My Heart Aches for my family members and friends in the Old Industrial Areas that will be hurt even more by McCain.

Do not vote Against Your Own Best Interest! Vote FOR HOPE and a Bright Future (Obama)!

[Mikeylikesit2]

Be aware of Republican Voter Caging! From FLORIDA

The MCain campaign has been sending absentee ballot applications to registered democrats or people that have donated to Obama"s campaign. These ballots are deliberately misleading and have postage paid return addresses that are for an election clerk that is outside of your city or town. What this will end up doing is either having your vote not counted, or if you return one of these, they will cite you for election fraud, saying that you already voted absentee. These ballots are only being sent out in swing states and this is a big deal! This is called voter caging.

The McCain campaign is stealing this election as we speak. Please get this information out to as many people as you can, and tell anyone you know who has received one of these ballots that they need to contact their city election clerk or the supervisor of elections immediately. Also call the local media and let them know what is going on.

We will not have a repeat of the 2000 election!

[uclafan]

Why won't McCain hold a press conference and say that it is wrong to vote based on color?

For the same reason he won't bring his adopted daughter around.

He's afraid.

[marasgram18]

can we say rick davis mccain's campaign manager took 30,000 per month for five years defending fannie mae...so stop talking about the paultry amount that Obama received let us keep repeating this on all our posts to the trolls out here.

[WaltD]

McCain of 2000 at least had some principles. The McCain of 2008 has no principles. He is shameless and has no sense of decency. He will do anything, include playing the race card, to wih the presidency of the United States. America can ill afford him to be sitting in the White House.

[krompessor]

Has anyone wondered why Mcain hasn't brought up border security during this campaign? Because if he wins, we won't need border security. There will be a flood of Americans leaving. I have family that's moved to Canada, I can't take this crooked, self serving,lying republic party anymore. George Washington must be rolling in his grave. Is this the kind America that our settlers died for? I used to be proud to be an American, now I'm embarrassed to mention it when I'm overseas.

[TheInvisibleMan2008]

Obama ought to tell Dukakis to keep his mouth shut. The Willie Horton ads were effective because, well, they were true. As governor of Massachussets, Dukakis championed weekend furloughs and as a result Horton, who was serving a life sentence for murder (without the possibility of parole), got out and was able to commit armed robbery and rape. It really is not very strategically sound to remind the public of the whole debacle, let alone to compare Obama to Dukakis, who has the stench of death about him. Jesus.

[SailFree]

Isn't it purely coincidence that Obama and Raines are considered black? Isn't it thus those who see it as racism who are perpetrating the racism?

[SailFree]

It was so foresighted and clever of McCain to put Raines into the Obama campaign staff. Why those dirty rats!

Actually, it is just coincidence, is it not, that Obama and Raines happen to be black, and thus it is that racism is in the eye of the bee holder here, though why you folks want to hold bees is beyond my ken.

[nonconformist2]

PBS has a poll going for people to vote whether they think Sarah Palin is qualified to be president. Right now the "yes" votes are winning, because the right wing is voting en masse.

To change this trend, click on the link below and vote (you don't have to provide email or personal info, just click yes or no in the link and it will give you to vote to date.

http://www.pbs.org/now/polls/poll-435.html

[SailFree]

The last e-mail I got said that the left wing was voting en masse! Do you think that just perhaps BOTH SIDES ARE VOTING EN MASSE? Huh?

[NinerTener]

Are you surprised that McCain is playing the race card?? HE WILL PLAY ANY CARD HE HAS TO IN ORDER TO WIN!!

THIS IS THE MCCAIN POLITICAL STRATEGY!
IT'S CALLED IDENTITY THEFT.

MCCAIN: I STAND FOR EVERYTHING THE OTHER GUY STANDS FOR; REFORM - CHANGE.

THE ONLY DIFFERANCE - I'M WHITE AND HE'S BLANK.

[ilovemydoggy]

More bad news....
To have a laugh, look at the new Sarah Palin Barbie doll:

http://www.vaboomerviosks.com/caribou-barbie.htm

[SailFree]

Semi-cute! Thanks.

[O gurl]

So apparently the Rep. strategy is to LIE with reckless abandon. And when they are caught, just say they didn't know they were lying at the time? Sounds like desperation to me.

[FJRinLA]

NOW IS TIME FOR KEATING FIVE AD
If there is anything they are holding back, they need to launch it now.....doesn't this make it clear they will heave the Rev Wright in after the LAST DEBATE so McCain doesn't have to answer for it....make them be 15 points behind and make McCain demonstrate how much he has really changed since then.

The ECONOMIC/MORTGAGE crisis so similar to that S&L Crisis makes the KEATING FIVE scandal suddenly relevant and fair game....SO WHAT ARE THE DEMS WAITING FOR?

[kwa7154]

Excerpts from McCain's 60 minutes interview: "Scott Pelley: If you were President of the United States tonight and you were going to make an address to the nation regarding this economic emergency, what would you say?

John McCain: I would tell the American people that we're in tough times". Yeah right. Just a week ago, you said "the fundamentals of our economy are strong".

Pelley: Are we in a recession?

McCain: Sure. Technically I don't know.

You don't know? Senior moment again.

Pelley: In 1999 you were one of the senators who helped pass deregulation of Wall Street. Do you regret that now?

McCain: No, I think the deregulation was probably helpful to the growth of our economy.

Amazing that the press allows him to get away with flip flops almost everyday.

Pelley: I'm curious. If you wanna fire Chris Cox, the chairman of the SEC, who would you replace him with?

McCain: This may sound a little unusual, but I've admired Andrew Cuomo. I think he is somebody who could restore some credibility, lend some bipartisanship to this effort.

Pelley: He's a Democrat.

McCain: Oh, yes.

Pelley: He served in the cabinet of President Clinton.

McCain: Yes. And he did a good job. And he has respect. And he has prestige.

What? Can't think of any republicans who can help the country out of this mess?

P.S.- also in the intvw; McCain suggested Warren Buffet as someone who could fix our economy Buffet is Obama's economic advisor.