Racist Obama Effigy Hung In Ohio (VIDEO)

A local station runs a disturbing story about a Ohio resident named Mike Lunsford who has hung an effigy of Barack Obama in his front yard. Lunsford freely admits that he is against Obama because of his race.

Watch the video below:

Meanwhile, as Ben Smith has documented, "New polling and a trickle of stories from the battleground states suggest that Sen. Barack Obama's coalition includes one unlikely group: white voters with negative views of African-Americans."

Race has become the elephant in the room of the 2008 presidential campaign, with Obama's prospect of becoming the first black president drawing some Americans closer to him while pushing others away. At times, the contest has slipped into a familiar dynamic of allegations of racism and outraged denial -- but it's also challenged some easy assumptions about race, racism and prejudice.

"What you see is it's perfectly possible to hold a negative view of at least one aspect of African-Americans and yet simultaneously prefer Obama," said Charles Franklin, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "Racial feelings are not as cut and dried -- not as black and white -- as people often say."

Indeed, in states like West Virginia, Obama surrogates are addressing race head-on:

"He is black," was the first thing Kenny Perdue, the state's AFL-CIO president, said. "The gentleman that's in the White House and John McCain -- they're white men. And I'm absolutely ashamed of what George W. Bush has done to this country."

The president of the United Mine Workers, Cecil Roberts, spoke after Perdue in a parking lot set in the flat plateau below the remains of a strip-mined mountain.

"I'd rather have a black friend than a white enemy," he said. State Democratic Party Chairman Nick Casey spoke, too. Casey, 57, grew up Irish Catholic in Charleston, and he said the bus was following John F. Kennedy's bus route in the 1960 Democratic primary.

"There's a lot of people out there think you're a bunch of inbred, redneck racists," he told a couple dozen people wearing union hats and jackets. "They say you won't vote for a man who's black."

"The rest of the country thought when Kennedy ran we were a bunch of ignorant, inbred religious bigots," he said. "They were wrong, and we made Kennedy president."

Comments

[Tizzlepiss]

It just goes to show you, you can't argue with stupid. Some of our finest people are in Iraq and Afghanistan right now putting their lives on the line for their country, and this fool is hanging crap from his tree. Go figure.

[MissCupcake]

There is also a Star of David on its head. He has used the "SS" in Hussain (sic) to elude to The SS.
This has hate-crime all over it! Please, let's all contact the local police department. Info below

http://www.fairfield-city.org/Police/index.cfm

[Babzter]

Just sent them a polite, detailed email. Hope that helps.

[wahooligan]

15 days until Election Day.

Each day, count on the hate, fear, and ugliness from the darkest corners of our country getting worse and worse.

Republicans and the darkest, most depraved factions of their coalition see the possibility of defeat and are scared. They are scared that something is being taken away from them that is rightfully theirs and each day, we will see these fears manifest themselves in increasingly disgusting and degenerate displays of hate.

In fifteen days, you will be able to do something about it with your vote. You have an opportunity to put the genie back in the bottle and say--resou­ndingly--t­hat this ugliness, this evil, is not American. With your vote you have an opportunity to put your foot down and say "enough" and that the American soul is good, is hopeful, and is willing to change for the better.

But these fifteen days before Election Day are our test.

It will get nastier. It will get uglier. And the temptation to retaliate in kind will get stronger. This is our test. Will we weather the storm or succumb to the urge?

Do we follow the example of Barack Obama? Do we keep our cool and forge ahead to November 4th in the coming days, or do we blow our tops like John McCain?

We only have to endure this for fifteen more days. Barack Obama has had to endure such negativity for 47 years.

This is our test. Pass or fail. You decide.

[Smirk]

Many--most?--states have early voting. Don't wait--vote as soon as possible. Our family is.

[wahooligan]

I think the number of states with early voting is somewhere in the teens.

It was a good feeling to cast my vote for Obama two weeks ago here in VA.

Still trying to figure out if I'm in "real" Virginia or "fake" Virginia. Maybe thank s k a n k Nancy Pfotenhauer can fill me in on that one. Or Tucker Bounds

God I hate Tucker Bounds.

[Adjuster]

Nicely stated.

[Tizzlepiss]

Now we see why Hate should be a crime. Someone should take this article and send it to John McCain and insist that he go retrieve his sign before people start thinking that he thinks this is ok.

[tuttlemsm]

I hope under President Obama the mentally ill get all the help they so obviously need.

[BillMelater]

I had a comment for all the racists out there that could possibly sway them to vote for Obama, but it makes me sound too racist, so I won't post it.

We are all predjudice, racism is institutional behavior, to some degree. It is through education and experience that we gain awareness of our predjudices and are then able to control our behavior to prevent racism. One must also learn to value diversity. This country is a melding pot of various cultures and peoples. It is the differing viewpoints and life experiences of our country as a whole that makes it so innovative and gives it such strength. If everyone dressed the same, looked the same, and thought the same, then we just wouldn't be America.

Unfortunately, our diversity includes the likes of Mr. Lunsford. He has a right to his free speech, just remember to put it in context and move on. Paying attention to him merely lends more credence to his viewpoint than it deserves.

[MainSpark]

"Paying attention to him merely lends more credence to his viewpoint than it deserves."

I'm sorry, but I'm really struggling with this one. I don't understand how his viewpoint can have credence, let alone any more of it. However, if you substituted the word validation for credence, I can buy it.

Be that as it may, I disagree about the amount of attention that should be given to this incident. This man already has his viewpoint, and more, not less, attention isn't going to alter it. He's locked in on it.

Silence won't make it go away. Condemnation from all quarters should be ringing now. If we don't pay attention to him, what would make him know that his viewpoint is unacceptable, not to be tolerated?

[BillMelater]

Most of these idiots only do it to get attention. Deny the attention, they don't do it.

[Formeralaskangal]

Heinous! This is what McCain and more so, Palin have brought out in the country through their campaign. This kind of deep hatred has always been bubbling under the surface, but now these evil people feel they have a platform to let loose of this kind of garbage. Palin gave the mob the feeling that this kind of stuff would be tolerated. The mob mentality of hate feeding more hate. It is shameful and disgusting, but sadly it is reality in America.

I hope the people in the community do some kind of a campaign of tolerance to let this guy and others like him know that it is not going to be accepted. Better yet, I hope they get out and vote Obama/Biden 08'.

[dengal]

what a sad ignorant man.

[anachoret]

The "Real Americans" want to hang a Senator of the United States?
After the big stink over Anti-American liberals, and the call to investigate Congressional liberals.

Is this a part of the Small town values that the McCain campaign wants everyone to embrace?

[KOisGod]

STUNNING ignorance on clear display from the heart of America.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey9ycxaKTeY&NR=1

McCain cannot become president

and he won't

[Tizzlepiss]

Does this man know the Civil War is over? I know we have such a thing in this country as free speech, but this is the type of display you see in angry Middle East countries, not here in America. This guy must hate everyone who is not white. He has a Star of David on the head, and the display is of a black man hanging by a noose. And we wonder where our teenagers pick discusting things like this up. THIS PERSON IS DOWNRIGHT ANTI-AMERICAN. This is so bad, that I bet if McCain saw a picture of it he would have someone march right over there and take back his McCain/Palin sign. Nobody would want this man on their side.

[wniccolo]

this is really upsetting. the idea that someone can think like that so completely-even be proud of it-in 2008 is really more than i can handle.

the idea that he believes so strongly that america is a white christian nation and must have white christians in charge is more than horrifying. it's comforting though that his neighbors (at least the ones they interviewed) see it as offensive and inappropriate.

[agentforchange2008]

This is sad and frightening. What is happening to our country? Has a lid been lifted off of a small group of hateful people that always existed? I really wanted to believe that we as Americans had come farther than this. But, I suppose I was wrong.

Here is a man running for the presidency who wants to bring hope and change to our land. He has not stood up and preached hate or division. And yet, there are some who are so threatened by the fact that he could well ascend to the highest office that they stoop to this level and do this? It smacks of what this country was like in the fifties prior to the passing of the Civil Rights laws. I certainly hope that the authorities crack down on this and prosecute.

[gizzycat67]

And ladies and gentlemen, here is the reason I will never in my life, vote republican.

[wendy31]

second that.

[LauraRN]

Gizzycat,
Up until this campaign..­.I never voted for one party or the other....I have NEVER in my years of being able to vote (I am now 51) seen such hatred and animosity towards a candidate as I have seen towards Barack Obama. I am deeply ashamed of this kind of behavior..­.unfortuna­tely....I believe this will show up at the polls on November 4th....and the beat goes on...we might as well have another Civil War...NOTH­ING has changed since that time...we only put it way in a closet somewhere.

[BlackWidowPilot]

Laura,

I happen to be a Military Historian, an independent voter, and the proud son of a WW2 US Marine. I strenuously beg to differ; a great deal *HAS* changed since the American Civil War.

Just not enough, but we're getting there.... and if We The People elect Senator Obama to the office of President of The United States of America, we'll have finally crossed the threshold into a much larger, brighter world...

Leland R. Erickson

Citizen

[Xenopus]

No one has said anything to him? Why isn't the Secret Service knocking on his door? Isn't a rope hanging from a tree with an effigy of Barack Obama somehow against the law...like indicating lynching? Isn't it considered a threat? This Lunsford guy, the piece of human slime that he is, needs to get some heartache out of this deplorable act.

[cnobody]

lunsford has the freedom to be as racist as he wants to be. i think it would be quite a stretch to claim an implied threat.