Race Card May Help Obama to the White House

Marc Sheppard argues that Barack Obama's presidential bid may benefit from his racial background:

Back in September, a quite topical McCain Ad [video] questioned Obama's economic experience and attacked his advisor "on mortgage and housing policy," former Fannie Mae CEO Franklin Raines:

"Under Raines, Fannie Mae committed ‘extensive financial fraud.' Raines made millions. Fannie Mae collapsed. Taxpayers? Stuck with the bill. Barack Obama. Bad advice. Bad instincts. Not ready to lead."

Great Ad - and right on target. But amazingly, many in the media, including Time's Karen Tumulty, cried foul. Why? Because the video contained "sinister images of two black men, followed by one of a vulnerable-looking elderly white woman." The calculus: One black Obama plus one black Raines plus one white "stuck with the bill" taxpayer equals one subliminal interracial mugging.

Ridiculous? Try this one - the following month, when Sarah Palin mentioned at a California rally that Obama was "palling around with terrorists," the AP branded the comment as carrying "a racially tinged subtext." Hmmm. The Alaskan governor was referring to Obama's still inadequately explained close relationship with unrepentant home-grown terrorist William Ayers - who just happens to be white. Yet the preposterously twisted charge continues its regurgitation on cable news channels ad nauseam.

Such discussion-avoiding dishonesty would seem better suited to racial ambulance-chasers of the Jackson/Sharpton school than to the post-racial savior of man.

But somehow, the Senator has learned to adapt.

He's learned to adapt, alright. As Charles Krauthammer noted earlier:

What makes this all the more dismaying is that it comes from Barack Obama, who has consistently presented himself as a healer, a man of a new generation above and beyond race, the man who would turn the page on the guilt-tripping grievance politics of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

Meanwhile, once again we're hearing that if Obama doesn't win the election there'll be race riots in the streets.

To that, RWP suggests, "that’s why God gave the police AR-15s."