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

[ABJ]

Obama sure as heck showed his "bad instincts" when disagreeing with the war in EyeRaq as the Republicans call it.

"No Economic background" - that is rich coming from McCain, one doesn't need a background in economics to know that "the Fundmentals of the economy are strong" - what is mcCain's excuse - can't win discussing the issues, lets try win by lies and fear - par for the course when it comes to the Republicans!

[Trollstakeyourmeds]

And..let's be honest. At least Obama didn't come right out and say "Economics is not something I am very good at", like a certain wrinkled-up has been from the Palin/McCain ticket.

[eilish]

When I was trying to help my son get VA benefits after he was blinded in ee-rock I had to start saying EyeRack because nobody knew what I was talking about. They thought he'd been in a car wreck. LOL

[ShamusNYC]

Not only that, but the ad is a lie.

It's gotten to the point where Obama can just dismiss anything John says as "more lies & distortions".

John should really read a book on the problems with lying: it's called "The Boy Who Cried Wolf"

[oaddi]

Don't get distracted stick and move. John does not run Sarah's campaign anymore.

[HWNA]

Ha, I like that, referring to it as "Sarah's campaign"...although I am beginning to think that it is "Todd's campaign" more than "Sarah's campaign".

[Safire]

Now is the time to start talking about The Keating 5.

If Mc wants to throw rocks from his glass house, so be it!

Keating 5 needs to resurface NOW!

[patwal]

Agreed

[CrittersRTasty]

Okay-
"The Ethics Committee ruled that the involvement of McCain in the scheme was also minimal, and he too was cleared of all charges against him."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keating_Five#cite_note-az-keating-5

[karela]

The ethics committee also said that he showed extraordinarily poor judgment. He did after all go along with the other guys to the meeting for the purpose of staunching an investigation that harmed one of his contributors. What he said or didn't say after he got there does not alter the fact that he joined the others and went there for that purpose.

[TheNuff]

It was a compromise.

[DrVeruju]

McKeating 5

[HWNA]

I agree; I am hoping that the Democrats don't wait until the last 24 hours to bring up John McCain's involvement in the Keating 5 scandal.

When they do that (wait until the last few days), they don't give time for it to become discussed as a valid criticism and therefore people just dismiss it as "smear", even if it is completely true.

[johnu1974]

we can't let mccain distract obama from whats important right now. he needs to continue to hit mccain on the issues, and he can't step into this pile of crap mccain has let out.

[kathy001]

I AGREE!!! Obama needs to hit back with FACTS on the economy. Phil Gramm's manipulation that led to this meltdown and McCain's history of deregulation. Let McCain wallow in his own filth. Obama needs to put the facts out there for everyone to see and hear.

[eilish]

But the Keating 5 IS a main issue! John McCain aided and abetted the deregulation of the savings and loans which resulted in their total meltdown and cost taxpayers something like $250 billion dollars. That was one of the ominous signs of what was to come, and it needs to be brought up. Why is it sacrosanct?

[obamasOHangel]

I'm with the Times writer on this one. They focused on Raines (the black man) instead of Johnson (the white man) for one reason only. Johnson was the one who worked with O's campaign team. Why not feature him in the ad? SMFH....when all else fails, slam your ace in the hole to scare people. Especially people like the elderly white woman portrayed as the victim.

Statement from Frank Raines on the ad: "I am not an advisor to Barack Obama, nor have I provided his campaign with advice on housing or economic matters."

"This is another flat-out lie from a dishonorable campaign that is increasingly incapable of telling the truth. Frank Raines has never advised Senator Obama about anything -- ever. And by the way, someone whose campaign manager and top advisor worked and lobbied for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shouldn't be throwing stones from his seven glass houses," said Obama-Biden campaign spokesman Bill Burton.

I agree with Raines and Burton.

[JR49]

I am surprise to see this piece of crap and bullshit here. It is pretty well known by now that Barack Obama had nothing to do with Frank Raines and that it is just another Republican BULLSHIT.

[clearthinker2008]

Here we go.

[flymic]

McCain is running the most disgraceful campaign since Nixon.


He is horrible and needs to be taken o task.

[Voltage]

Nixon won his second term in a landslide, didn't he?

[speeddeeps]

I hate to say this, but Nix0n knew how to run a good campaign,( even if that means using below the belt tactics)

[2bad]

Yea, right before he had to RESIGN in disgrace!!!

[bluestatelib]

What good did it do him? He resigned in disgrace a year and a half later as a direct result of his disgraceful campaign tactics (think Watergate burglary).

[boing007]

Voltage

Nixon won his second term in a landslide, didn't he?

If McCain really is Bush's third term then we should call their organization CREEP:
Committee to Re-Elect the President.

[newdreams]

McCain is one desperate man that can offer nothing but lies for self-promotion.

[Mike4Obama]

IDK. I saw a post about this yesterday. I think it's a stretch and its very defensible. I would refrain from even bringing this crap up unless it could be proved beyond a shadow of a doubt. Of course the McCain fear mongering campaign would never make it obvious and stick to the subliminal imaging.

[robXdion]

That's the thing with racists today, They try to be subtle enough to disavow their true intent if detected. And they'll accuse the offended of racism for pointing out their sly racist tactics. Standard Operating Procedure.

[HWNA]

When the man in the ad is not even an adviser to Obama, what possible reason could there be to include him in the ad?

That's not very defensible, at all.