Worse Than "That One"

We covered the debates live on our website, as we always do, so we had instant analysis of many of the moments of the debate. The one moment that was jarring for most was McCain's "that one" comment. Some questioned if it had racial implications.

Honestly, I felt it was just more awkward than anything else. And that if you're going to read anything into it, it should be his general disdain of Senator Obama, rather than an assumption of a racially loaded term. He seems to have the attitude of "How can this young whipper-snapper who is just a first-term Senator dare to challenge me for the presidency?!" As in, "Get a load of that one!"

For me, the more worrisome moment of the debate came when McCain told a young, black questioner, "You've probably never heard of Fannie Mae." We were doing play-by-play of the debate on our website and I shouted out, "Why not? Why wouldn't he have heard of Fannie Mae?"

Would McCain really have said the same thing to an older, white questioner? It seems unlikely. Of course, it's nearly impossible to separate out age, race and whatever else is going through McCain's head at that moment. Can I say definitively that McCain said that because of the person's race? No, I definitely can't. But that was a moment for me that was more loaded with racial possibility than his reference to "that one."

I think McCain has to at least be savvy enough not to tell someone in the audience that they don't know elementary things that are in the news, no matter what their race is. Chalk up yet another awkward moment brought to you by Grandpa McCain.

Young Turks on You Tube

PS - I'd like to thank our viewer "stanski" of reminding me of this on our blog after the debate. It might have slipped under the radar if he hadn't brought it up again.

Read more reactions to the Obama-McCain Town Hall Debate from HuffPost bloggers

Comments

[drsmc41]

I asked the same question. I am willing to bet my .92 cents that he made that assumption due to his race, and probably age. Everyone knows who Fannie and Freddie are...

[SavvySigma]

The problem is that McCain is displaying a number of suspicious behaviors/comments/mannerisms.
Add all of the following together:
1. Refusal to look at Obama
2. Barely shaking his hand
3. Allowing racial undertones at his rallies
4. Stating that perhaps a black questioner doesn't know about Fannie Mae (You point this one out yourself)

Add these to other things over the past years (even all the way back to the MLK holiday stuff), you've got a man who displays some SERIOUS issues toward black people! You got to think about the BIG picture.

[Barticus]

I'm voting for That One

[nancytheragingliberal]

So am I.

[Belleweathered]

What's more shocking about McCain's assumption that voters don't know of or have ever heard of Fannie & Freddie, is the FACT THAT MCCAIN HIMSELF DOES NOT KNOW WHAT THESE INSTITUTIONS DO!
McCain and Palin have both claimed that FNMA & FHLC "GIVE MORTGAGES" to borrowers.
That is NOT WHAT THEY DO. FNMA & FHLC FINANCE OUR SECONDARY MORTGAGE MARKET by issuing publicly traded stock based on the purchase of mortgage-backed securities.

[changeishere08]

Unprofessional. Dismissive. Petty. Neg@tive. Unpresidential. Unfit to Lead. That about sums up McCain.

[changeishere08]

Unprofessional. Dismissive. Petty. Negative. Unpresidential. Unfit to Lead. That about sums up McCain.

[changeishere08]

The comment "That One" didn't resonate with independents and undecideds and it shows. It's all culmative: the dismissive tone/behavior from the 1st debate, the Palin rallies, and now "the One". McCain didn't address Obama by the gentleman from Illinois at least, nor Sen. Obama. It was dismissive. McCain showed that he doesn't work well across the aisle.

[drewDVM]

I'm for Obama, and I think McCain is a horrible candidate...

But this article is a little unfair. It kind of sounds like the kind of arguments we criticize the right-wing authors of using on their own devoted readership, who we believe aren't intelligent enough to figure out what's going on.

The McCain comment was "I bet you never heard of Fannie Mae before this crisis." Now that might be belittling or even racist, considering the color of the person asking the question, IF you think the existence and nature of Fannie Mae was well-known before the current crisis.

But if that's the point you're trying to make, it seems odd that you would omit the end of his sentence when quoting him, and write the whole article in such a way that if someone didn't know McCain's actual words, it would sound as if he were implying that the questioner STILL hadn't heard of Fannie or Freddie at that point.

And if that's the point you're trying to make, it was clearly lost on a lot of your commenters, who have expressed shock that McCain would assume the man hadn't been following recent financial news, or have noted that the questioner would almost have to know about Fannie, considering it was part of the context of the question.

[changeishere08]

The comment "That One" didn't resonate with independents and undecideds and it shows. It's all culmative: the dismissive tone/behavior from the 1st debate, the racially tinged Palin rallies, and now "the One". McCain didn't address Obama by the gentleman from Illinois at least, nor Sen. Obama. It was dismissive and it was racially tinged to "that b0y". People of color, especially african americans, know what dog whistle, subtle r@cism is. If we are telling you that's what it is, take our word for it.

[changeishere08]

The comment "That One" didn't resonate with independents and undecideds and it shows. It's all culmative: the dismissive tone/behavior from the 1t debate, the racially tinged Palin rallies, and now "the One". McCain didn't address Obama by the gentleman from Illinois at least, nor Sen. Obama. It was dismissive and it was racially tinged to "that b0y". People of color, especially african americans, know what dog whistle, subtle racism is. If we are telling you that's what it is, take our word for it.

[cmilburn]

I caught it as soon as he said it and told my wife, "Wow, that's kinda condescending." As for the "That one," well, you never know what's in someone's heart or head. Could there be a tinge of racism in what he said? Sure, maybe, maybe not. I do know he makes remarks about people when he thinks no one is listening.

[PatForObama]

My husband literally jumped up off the couch and sputtered "Did you h-hear...what he just SAID?" Actually I hadn't (zone-out moment when McCain prattles) but got plenty riled when he told me.

Excellent angle, stanski via Cenk, re even more racism in this campaign. And some wonder why people who aren't white are angry, sigh...

[BruceHNV]

Cenk and readers:

McCain has been saying this to the audience at large on the stump. He is under the minsimpression that "Fannie Mae" and "Freddy Mac" are inside-the beltway terms of art, apparently, and Joe Sixpack has not heard the terms.

He is unware, somehow, that these terms have general currency in the world outside of his.

Just another sign of how truly, woefully, out of touch he is with the ordinary American Citizen.

[foxbat]

You can't fault McCain too much. After all, his running mate probably didn't know about FHLMC and FNMA until she was finally told about it by her "handlers." Originally, she just thought it was two of McCain's relatives that didn't do a job managing their paychecks.

[jlarue]

I noticed this also and had the same reaction. It was condescending at the very least. I too feel the "that one" comment was more a testimony to McCains disdain and disrespect for Obama then anything else but can you imagine this guy negotiating with a foreign power and having that attitude....this guy should not have his finger on the button unless it is to his tv remote.

[Vige]

As a 62 year old white woman I was puzzled by that comment. Was he inferring you are young therefore can't possibly be informed or did he mean you are black and can't possibly be informed. Of course maybe he was just rambling incoherent as he often does.

Was not a great moment for him of for us that were watching.

[popizzy]

Sen. McCain, we all know you are a betting man, hell, you even prefaced your comment with "I bet you never heard of....."

My question to you is did you seriously assume that the questioner had never ever ever heard of Freddie or Fannie? I mean seriously? You do know we live in 2008 and these two institutions played a major role in the spike of home ownership right?. Sen. McCain, for all you know the young man that asked you that question could have had a mortgage from either one of them, but yet you feel like its ok to ASSUME that he was ignorant to both. Well with all due respect, I think you are the ignorant one for your sheer stupidity of assuming that he or anyone else would not be an informed citizen. So Sen. McCain, you know the old adage of "when you assume you make an ass out of you and me"? Well this time, your assumption only made an ass out of you.

Thank you.

[tuttlemsm]

"You do know we live in 2008 and these two institutions played a major role in the spike of home ownership right?"

Not only that, but Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been instrumental in promoting minority home ownership.