Did GOP Ad Darken Skin-Color Of Indian-American Dem Candidate?

The National Republican Congressional Committee is running an ad in Minnesota that local officials suggest distorts the skin color of the Democratic candidate for the seat, Ashwin Madia. Basic visual evidence seems to back them up.

Madia, a son of East Indian immigrants and a marine veteran, is pictured in the spot with a darker face and long shadows cast upon it. The ad accuses him of wanted to raise taxes, but the superficial aspects are the ones that have jumped out to observers.

"I'm not saying that I know that the people who made the ads knew that this would happen," Clay Steinman, of Macalester College, told a local news station. "But I think they knew that darkening him, and de-saturating the color, making him look a lot less lively, would have negative connotations."

Indeed, a side-by-side shot of the advertisement and a website photo of Madia -- who is running for the third district seat of Erik Paulson -- suggests that the NRCC deliberately made his cheeks and even the lines under his hairline darker shades.

Such a move would, obviously, carry with it deep racial connotations. But it should be noted that similar charges of image-distortion were leveled against Hillary Clinton's campaign for an ad it put out against Barack Obama during the Democratic primary -- charges that were revealed to be false.

In this case, Madia's own campaign is crying foul. "I have seen negative campaigns but nothing as deplorable, or as disgusting as this advertisement or as the national Republicans have done," said campaign manager Stu Rosenber, in that same local report.

And the Minnesota GOP has already been accused and questioned for attempting to cast Madia as a poor fit for the district's population.

"It is a very sharp contrast," Ron Carey, the state's GOP Chairman, said recently in a press conference. "Erik Paulson fits the district very well. People have to draw their own conclusions but Erik Paulson is a very good fit from a philosophical standpoint and a lifestyle standpoint for the third district."

The NRCC did not immediately return a request for comment.

Comments

[tel8034]

This is why McCain didn't pick Jindel as his running mate ....................... It would have been difficult to incite the race war that he is engaging in now.

[dSquib]

It's possible, though darkening the hue of a candidate, of any colour, you want to paint negatively seems a common tactic. Could be some perfectly run-of-the-mill image manipulation for fear purposes.

[SENATORCALLENBOWE]

THE DARKER THE BERRY, THE UNBREAKABLE THE JUICE :)

[harvest9]

It must be a common Republican race-baiting tactic. Virgil Goode (R, VA-5th Dist.) did the same "touch-up" of a photo of his Democratic opponent, Tom Perriello.

Tom, who is white and normally clean-shaven, grew a beard while on missionary work overseas. Goode, dispicable bigot that he is, darkened the photo considerably, presumably to give Perriello a vaguely Middle Eastern look, and ran it in a TV ad, complete with lies and scary music. Sickening.

[LeftLeanWing]

If it was me they could darken my photos as much as they wanted to as long as you could see my Eyes and my Teeth..

Truth be told, I've had Driver's License pictures that made me look like a thumbprint.

JUST DON"T MAKE ME TOO ASHY or TOO SHINY.

One would make me look like I've been working in the fields all day long in Winter
The Other would make me look like I've been working in the fields all day long in Summer.

[fatmex]

what the hell are you talking about?

[LeftLeanWing]

I'm Sorry Fats, It's A Black Thang !

[HerbTee]

I am sure Bobby Jindal must be very proud of being an East Indian and a Republican right now. For the life of me, and as an African American male, I cannot understand exactly what inspires a person of color to ever join the Republican Party. What is the actual motivation? What is the end game for people of color within this party? The ReTHUGliKKKan wing of their Party is raci$t, either overtly or by using numerous "codewords" and innuendo.

[LeftLeanWing]

And they will not have to darken his photos; because he is almost Wesley Snipes brown-black already. They'll probably make him use Nadinola or Ambi between now and 2012.

[jlarue]

Some years ago SNL did a skit as a takeoff of Mutual of Omahas Wild Kingdom but it took place at a cocktail party and was to find the elusive black republican! The repug party is the party of rich elitist white folks!

[vjthedj]

Bobby Jindal is so distant from anything East Indian. He changed his name to Bobby? Changed his religion for which he believes in excorcism. According to family lore, Jindal adopted the name "Bobby" from the character Bobby Brady after watching The Brady Bunch television series at age four. He has been known by that name ever since—as a civil servant, politician, student, and writer—though legally his name remains Piyush Jindal. There is no way that any republicans will vote for Piyush, but they certainly will for Bobby. As long as you are a sell out minority, you'll fit right in with republicans just like Condi Rice Take it from me, an East Indian.

[wm1066]

The RNC has pulled out all the stops and is running some bad ads on TV. The one I find really offensive is the ad against Al Franken that has 4 washed up hollywood types trash talking Franken.

[KickerBoard]

I'm sorry but I'm going to say it: this par-for-the-course GOP bigotry is exactly why I do not understand people like Bobby Jindal, Alan Keyes and that Muslims for McCain group. What are you seeing, Governor Jindal, that the rest of us are missing?

[houseofglass]

Imagine hating people of color, while being a person of color, inwardly desiring to be the white person you see as superior.


What is Clarence Thomas up to these days?

[IdocNC]

Seems like anyone who is not white to the GOP is below human unless if they conform to their version of cultural norms and dare I say it "look like them" also. What scum..

[JackAbug]

Oh common now! Liberals always cry racism when anybody but them uses a picture of sombody with brown skin. Its a KNOWN FACT peoples skin collor changes. Even white people get tan in summer. Plus take one picture in sun or with a flash and one with less light and the SAME PERSON looks diffrent. Theirs not a conspirecy to use photo or computer tricks to make dark people look darker! Just a conspirecy to blame somebody else for everything even just brown people being...BROWN. You try to call Republicans racist but you just proove your the real racists.

[RobinSeattle]

Quck, somebody ask Bobby Jindal what he thinks about this!

[lejman]

all this talk about bobby jindal as the face of the future of the republican party, and an indian american in minnesota is "not one of us"?? this is the national republican party in total disconnect, and, unfortunately, what the minions really think.

[AmericasMostGangsta]

sorry, he can't comment. He's at an exorcism right now!

[alembic54]

thats because the GOP is RACIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lynnn]

That's right GOP piss of every minority group in this country!

[ZimboChick]

Ok I did not bother to read the story. I have a question: are dark skinned people not persons????You all will make me catch a complex in here, in all my dark glory - Michelle Obama's and mine. People should be outraged that this is even a headline gees!

[WilhelmOttoWolf]

For the record. Republican Erik Paulsen is not the incumbent in this district. He is currently a member of the Minnesota Legislature. The current congressman is retiring after 20 years and is the highly admired Jim Ramstad, a moderate Republican with a terrific reputation for integrity, honesty, and working on issues that cross partisan lines. Ramstad would never run adds like that.