McCains "How Disrespectful!" ad contains a racist dog whistle

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

The gist of the ad is Supposedly a sexist attitude displayed by Obama towards Palin.

They called her good-looking, say she does what she is told, etc. But, for their call-out tag line, they say How DISRESPECTFUL!.If they had truly wanted to portray Obama as sexist, they would have said, How Condescending!

Instead, they show Obama's picture and say How Disrespectful!

So, folks, they are saying and showing a black man being "disrespectful" of a white woman. I would like to remind people that one of the most notorious lynchings in our history was that of Emmet Till who was lynched in Mississippi for being disrespectful of a white woman by whistling at her.

That, my friends, is the extremely ugly subtext of this McCain ad.

[Enrique]

1. called her "good looking"

lock up your governors! :scared:

[GoesTo11]

23. Biden was asked about differences between himself and Palin. "She's good looking"

Vice presidential candidate Joe Biden thought he was fit. Then he stood next to running mate Barack Obama.

‘‘Hanging out with this lean, good-looking guy is making me feel pretty old, you know what I mean?’’ the 65-year-old Biden said to laughter at a forum on the economy on the roof of the Toledo Lucas County Public Library. ‘‘I thought I was in pretty good shape until I started hanging out with this guy, you know what I mean?’’

Biden’s self-deprecating humor came during his introduction for 47-year-old Obama at a campaign event about the economy.

He started out talking about the differences between Obama and Republican presidential candidate John McCain, and the differences between himself and Republican vice presidential pick Sarah Palin, Alaska’s governor who is a former beauty pageant contestant.

‘‘Well, there’s obvious differences. She’s good looking,’’ Biden said to laughter.

===

Note, he called Obama good looking too. Was he trying to dismiss Obama too?

[Radical Activist]

2. A lot of lynchings were for that reason.

It was probably the top excuse for it.

[liberal N proud]

3. The McCain campaign is full of sick bastards

Does Rove have his fingers in the campaign somehow.

[FatDave]

17. "Does Rove have his fingers in the campaign somehow?"

Yes. It was confirmed a couple days ago.

[KittyWampus]

4. No shit. But gee, McCain doesn't know how to use a computer and if you don't know either

you're stupid.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

5. I would be curious to know where exactly they are running this ad. nt

[falcon97]

6. I think it's louder than a dog whistle. n/t

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

7. I've seen the talking heads discussing the ads today including this one

but I haven't seen anyone making this particular point. It deserves to be made. McCain is starting to turn into the very definition of sleazoid campaign.

[GAtomboy]

8. Funny

When I first heard that ad, the word "disrespectful" jumped out at me but I couldn't figure out why. (Probably because I'm not an old white card carrying KKK dumbass) Interesting take on the ad.

[tallahasseedem]

9. Exactly...

bow down to the white woman!

[MSU_Spartans]

10. This eventually has to backfire

You can only play for sympathy so long. Eventually, people will begin questioning if they can handle the heat well enough.

[glitch]

11. I think this angle was one of the major ones they had for choosing Palin in the first place.

along with the oil ties and shared psychosis, of course.

I expect this meme to get louder and more frenzied through October.

[SeaLyons]

12. I think the ad has two implications...

racism and a shout out to Hillary supporters that want to be "respected". I think it's completely evil. Racism is the specific message imo.

[PerpetuallyDazed]

13. If you saw it as racist, you were probably looking for it

but I see how on second thought it could be perceived racist. My first impression: the "respect" issue is one that Authoritarians (i.e. most Republicans wing-nuts) take very seriously in their candidates.

[BlooInBloo]

15. That's what I tell black folks all the time...

They're very grateful to me for setting their oversensitive asses straight on things.

:rofl:

[PerpetuallyDazed]

31. This is just my perspective...

:shrug:

Also, we're talking about Republicans here... in my experience anyways, it's easy for me to generalize them as being a group unable to take constructive criticism. They consider it an "attack"on them personally.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

18. Definitely not looking for it, but when it hits me over the head like a 2x4

I can recognize it.

Also, take this ad in conjunction with the other one where Obama was speaking in front of a "change" banner which miraculously had both the c and the e obscured so that it looked like it said "hang". (maybe someone can post a picture of that one). So, it's actually becoming a pattern.

Also remember the famous Democrats/"Rats" ad. They have a history of slipping in subliminal messages.

They love this sick bullshit.

[PerpetuallyDazed]

30. Yeah, I saw that ad

and agree it was VERY suspicious! Do you have a link to the Democrats/"Rats" one??

However with this one, again, I noted the racial overtones but only made that observation second to the whole Authoritarian and http://faculty.virginia.edu/haidtlab/articles/haidt.graham.2007.when-morality-opposes-justice.pdf">moral institution frame of authority/respect that McCain & Palin demand in their minds. ;)

My analysis: if you're already a racist, this ad spoke to you that way ("That uppity %^$$!") and made you angry. If you're just a typical Republican, you got angry because liberals are seeming to degrade those values of yours, ("Those baby-killers have no morality!")

[DefenseLawyer]

14. "He doesn't know his place" n/t

[AllentownJake]

16. Meh

The racist were voting for McCain anyway.

[GoesTo11]

19. About racism in McCain's ads

1) There is never anything overt
2) If someone says they see racism, others are quick to point out that it's all in the head of the viewer
3) Overall, we do not want to play up racism in ads because that would mean Obama's side is playing the race card
4) Almost every McCain ad has something - shading of a photo, mug-shot like background, guilty words with at least a bit of history next to an unflattering picture of Obama with one of several expressions - that could be read as racist or not. In other words, they have things that, if they were racist and trying to signal, they would include these, but they could also argue that they included them to make other points (inexperience, not trustworthy, etc.). But these people aren't stupid, they know race plays to them, they have shown in the past the willingness to use it, and they are doing it again and again so it's not just coincidence. They are making it all about race in a way that is horribly divisive for the country and is downright evil given the history of the country.

OK, that's all. I know we don't really want to talk about this, and I know I'll get flamed for this. But I said it.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

20. I understand your major point .

And I agree, this is almost an attempt to draw Obama out and have him play the race card which will always play negatively against him for the most part.

The irony is deep. Meanwhile, they ARE playing the sexist card in the whiniest fashion imaginable "How disrespectful! (to all women)"
while concurrently playing the race card themselves subliminally, so they score points with 2 different groups. (Let me add - of course we're not getting the racist vote anyway, but a shout out to them by the McCain camp is just disgusting beyond words)

AS to #1 - this is pretty damn overt
#2 - any halfway knowledgeable person can see this for the knuckle-dragging appeal to KKK types it is.
3. Agreed
4. Agreed

My answer - Obama can't call them out as the racist thugs they are - BUT WE CAN! And so can the media. But he probably can't, and his direct surrogates probably shouldn't.

When the question arises, they can deflect with something like, I have to hope and believe that was not the intent. I truly thought we got beyond that point a number of years ago.


Be sad, be sorry, be regretful. Heck, you could even DEFEND them from the charges of racism arising from the internet. "I heard that. Apparently some people see it as a veiled reference to Emmet Till. We don't see that."

[abbiehoff]

21. We know that this ad is racist and is directed at racists.

We know that Rove and McLame think that the way to win is to stir up any racism they can.

I think they may be overestimating the appeal that this sort of pandering will have.

They hang out with too many Repugs and racists and think that the majority of Americans are with them.

I think they are wrong.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

22. I agree with you. I think we have passed a "tipping point" or

critical mass or whatever you want to call it , where the majority of America would like to be part of a post-racial society.

Personally, I think Katrina was the actual historical/political occurrence where a lot of people could see a racial dissonance played out for them on their wide screens and they rejected it. Blacks "loot" and whites "salvage". No. We are Americans. Together. And there is a particular person who could really bring us together. And it's not John McCain.

[madaboutharry]

24. I agree that this is a disgracefully racist ad.

John McCain is a racist. He is a vile man. He is undeserving of the presidency.

[JustAnotherGen]

25. Phoebe

Especially ugly in light of the fact that Joe was just being Joe and HE said it - not Obama. Though I do totally agree with your analysis of the subtext.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

27. Yes, it was Joe and he was just being Joe as you say.

Most younger folks who grew up in a more poltically PC environment know not to make any comment whatsoever about someone's external appearances. I think in the ad it says "they" said she was good-looking, meaning the Obama campaign.

But they still showed the picture of Obama alone with the "How Disrespectful!" sub title.

[KakistocracyHater]

26. try this

pay respect to McCain, remind people that they voted for Bush because they felt they could 'have a beer with him', then raise a glass & toast McCain & vote for Obama, for all our veterans.

[These Eyes]

28. I'm so glad

this thread was started. When I first saw the ad this morning, I was so angry I was shaking. Then I felt depressed. A couple of days ago I was doing some research and ended up on the website <www.withoutsanctuary.org > and was brought to tears. The McCain campaign knows exactly what they are doing. While those who can hear this dog whistle won't vote for Obama anyway, it's still reprehensible. My parents grew up in the south and have talked about how they had to be careful about not making eye contact with whites, among other things. I told my mother about the ad; her first reaction was disbelief which quickly turned to pain and fear. So, needless to say, I'm upset all over again. The republicans pull this racist crap every election. ENOUGH! They have got to be called out on this. I'm hoping, and maybe I'm an eternal optimist, that this is going to backfire on them.

[madaboutharry]

29. Welcome to DU.

I am so sorry for you, your mom, and every decent American. I am so depressed, not because I think McCain is going to win this election because I still believe that Obama will prevail, but because of the ignorance we still live with. I will tell you the truth that while working the phone bank at the Obama office I have had people make racist comments to me on the phone. I don't know how to shake it off.