McCain Campaign "Tired of Catching Spears."

[tishaLA]

The McCain campaign is gearing up to criticize Senator Obama for his past associations with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright and a former Weather Underground operative, William Ayers, in the home stretch of the presidential race.

The McCain campaign, according to one aide, decided it would play the Wright and Ayers cards after Mr. Obama's campaign ran ads linking Senator McCain to a talk radio host, Rush Limbaugh. "Our position is we are no longer going to feel constrained to avoid his very real associations in contrast to the very fictional associations he has imputed to John McCain in this campaign," this aide said.

The Wall Street Journal on September 19 quoted one of Mr. McCain's top aides, Mark Salter, as saying the campaign was "tired of catching spears." He also said, "They played it one way, we played it another way. Now we're both going to play it the same way."
The Fascist NY Sun

I realize that "catching spears" is a metaphor, but it strikes me as one that is intentionally provocative and racialized. How close to the edge is the McCain campaign going to get? When will they go over the edge?

[jakem]

1. Britney?

:shrug:

[mr_hat]

5. "Spear Chucker."

It's an ancient (circa 50s) racial slur.

[Redstone]

13. Actually it was still in common usage in the 1970s, at least in Pennsylvania.

Redstone

[Major Hogwash]

26. Maybe we could do a You Tube of McCain and Archie Bunker saying racial epithets.

That's what McCain sort of reminds me of, an old white irritated racist.

Except that McCain doesn't have any of the redeeming qualities that Archie had.

[AspenRose]

28. That's not a bad idea, actually

[WCGreen]

50. Apparently, in the '00's by the McCain cabal.

[Motown_Johnny]

61. self delete. dupe

[elehhhhna]

62. chicago, also, late 70's

[gmoney]

57. Reminds me of the Chevy Chase and Richard Pryor "Job Interview" sketch...

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/richard-pryor-and-chevy-chase-clip-from-snl/1876271894?icid=acvsv3

[DangerousRhythm]

68. So help me, but I was thinking the same thing.

How awful. I mean really? Spears? Not a lot of younger people would catch that, but I did. Not fucking cool, McCain camp, not cool at all.

[AspenRose]

2. Bastards.

Of COURSE it's racialized.

:mad:

[Alhena]

19. Thankfully Wright and Ayers are both old news

if this was truly something late-breaking that the public hadn't already digested then I would be more worried.

[krkaufman]

96. And may backfire given their triviality compared to the pressing economic crisis

I hope they *do* start attacking on the Wright/Ayers front; I could see it being a net-positive for Obama's vote.

[phantom power]

3. Wow, there's some racist dogwhistling.

[countingbluecars]

4. Yikes! n/t

[babylonsister]

6. Can that expression be any more obvious? These guys

have already been called on their bullshit; this will not help.

[Redstone]

7. So, now they're calling Obama a "Spear-Chucker?" How fucking nice.

Redstone

[PermanentRevolution]

33. They very carefully left themselves just enough wiggle room to claim otherwise

So any accusations like that can be spun as "playing the race card" and "deliberate misinterpretation"

:grr:

John McCain deserves to be run out of this country after how he's conducted this campaign. Absolutely fucking disgraceful.

[AtomicKitten]

8. Tacky remarks, McBush.

[Alhena]

9. Time to break out the "McCain dumped his disabled wife" ads

[nc4bo]

10. motherfuxkers. 527's? Time to cue up some Hagee, Parsley and Muthee for the audiences. nt

[FatDave]

60. Don't forget Keating.

They can rehash the same old tired shit, but Obama's got stuff he hasn't even brought up yet.

[kath]

88. EXACTLY -- start showing them RIGHT FUCKING NOW.

This morning I saw the tape of Muthee blessing Palin, and going on & on about how "we need more believers in the government" and in the schools, in the media, in the economy, then talking about witches and demons, and it **totally** gave me the creeps. Show that and some of the video of Joel's Army, and most of America would be utterly freaked out.
Talk about the CNP and some of its members, such as Gary North - then quote North on his preferred means of execution under the Biblical law that he wants to put us all under. :scared:

[thoughtcrime1984]

11. "When will they go over the edge?"

IMO, they did with that ridiculous sex education commercial, not to mention all of the blatant lies on the majority of his ads.

[goodgd_yall]

12. Pandering dope n/t

[Median Democrat]

14. Translation - Ignore The Economic Meltdown - Lets Rehash The Irrelevant Fluff

Under Republican rule:

1. The U.S. suffered the worst attack on American soil on 9/11.
2. The U.S. invaded and occupied Iraq based on the false charge that it possessed weapons of mass destruction.
3. The U.S. ignored Afganistan and allowed Al Queda and the Taliban to re-establish their presense in Afganistan.
4. The U.S. lowered taxes for the very rich allowing their wealth to skyrocket while the real median household incomes of American families declined.
5. The U.S. suffered through two separate bear markets, one at the beginning of Bush's presidency, and the one we are experiencing now, which marks the first time a U.S. President has suffered through two separate bear markets. Even Hoover only had one big depression.
6. The U.S. suffered through a series of major company collapses with Enron and Worldcom during the accounting scandals of 2003 Rather than impose stricter regulations, the Bush administration just scape goated Ken Lay and Richard Egger without fundamentally changing financial regulations, and ignored the fact that these collapses were attributable to the deregulation master minded by Phil Gramm.
7. The U.S. went from a surplus to large and growing budget deficit and exploding Federal debt.
8. The U.S. ignored abuses in the mortgage industry, as George Bush encouraged Americans to shop with borrowed money.
9. The U.S. experienced the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
10. The same GOP that railed against market intervention is presiding over the greatest nationalization of private industry the World has ever seen.

During this time, John McCain vigorously defended and supported the policies and President that led to this mess.

The honorable thing for John McCain to do is to admit the moral and intellectual bankruptcy of Republican policy. However, John McCain has no honor. Thus, because the Republicans can't win on thier record, expect them to do some pretty incredible things to try to distract American people from the truth that is staring them square in the face; that Republican rule has been an epic economic and foreign policy failure.

Also, expect the MSM to largely support the GOP in this effort. The McCain campaign has once again attacked the MSM as liberal, which always signales the large corporate MSM to back-off and cover the topics handchosen by the McCain campaign, as listed in Steve Schmidt's "suggestions" of the things the MSM should be focusing in on, which have nothing to do with current economic crisis. The last time the McCain campaign raised the liberal media charge in earnest was during the RNC convention, and the MSM dutifully covered lipstick, pigs, Palin's personal issues, and Obama's patriotism. Expect the MSM to dutifully comply with McCain's campaign's direction, now that they have the political cover of a "liberal media bias" allegation.

The distraction will have to be very big to distract Americans from the current crisis, but never underestimate the power of the MSM to completely ignore the issues and focus on trivia and character attacks.

[AzDar]

15. WTF does this even mean?

Idiots.

[eShirl]

16. next they'll be "tired of slipping on watermelon seeds"

[Alhena]

22. I shouldn't have but I laughed :)

[yardwork]

17. I have expected from the beginning that McCain will go Ugly Racist in October.

I think that's been the plan from the very beginning. I think that the Republicans have a three-part strategy:

1. Suppress the Democratic vote by all means possible, legal and illegal. Vote-caging, machine-rigging, ballot box stuffing, long lines in Democratic precincts, "malfunctioning" machines, lost registrations, vote purging, stolen ballots, etc.

2. Fire up the base. There will be lots of bills against gay marriage in various states that will appear by magic in the next couple of weeks. Sarah Palin is helping energize the End Times loons.

3. Lie like hell about Obama and scare people to the polls to vote against him. Expect the filthiest nastiest most low-down dirty campaign we've ever seen to explode in just about two weeks.

[renie408]

18. I think that is too far. I think the implication is obvious. Fuckers. n/t

[WI_DEM]

20. well this was expected that they would pull out the Rev. Wright card

Now it's time for Obama to go on the offense with the Keating Five and tapes of Palin in her church.

[Crowman1979]

21. LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE MCCAIN!!!

You're lucky she even let you use her image in an attack ad you bastards!

[PermanentRevolution]

23. Like they weren't ALWAYS planning on using Wright in October

:eyes:

Oh, and the "spearchucker" allusion is an obvious attempt to bait Obama. It's just ambiguous enough to be defended as innocuous and say that a response is a deliberate mischaracterization.

[AspenRose]

27. Yep

and if Obama says anything then they get to scream "HE'S PLAYING THE RACE CARD!" over and over again.


They are truly vile.

[endarkenment]

24. Who could have imagined they would trot out Ayers and Wright while dog whistling?

I am shocked, shocked I tell ya, at this development.

[mscuedawg]

25. Call him a waaaaaaaaaambulance!!!

Altho, I wouldnt wanna be linked w/Rush Limberger either... :puke:

[Debi]

29. How long has he been chasing spears and how many times did she let hm catch her?

:shrug:

Gee, what a convenient way to use racist language AND get a little more nasty! :crazy:

His campaign will be infamous (he's definitely beaten out GWB's primary smears!)

[NatBurner]

30. so Obama's a spear chucker now, John?

great.

asshole.

[vanderBeth]

31. I thought they would try to aviod race

Then they do this. Assholes.

[mvd]

32. What a laugh

McCain is just flat out lying about his associations now. It's amazing what they think they can get away with. Keating 5, here we come - full bore if this happens.

[olegramps]

36. It will backfire with many younger people

My hope is with the youth of the nation. The major media outlets are turning against McCain and Palin. Every day brings out more evidence that his choice was a terrible blunder and there is no escaping the consequences. As for the majority of the Republicans, they are a hopeless case of blind loyalty feed with a big dose of outright racism. This latest allusion to the "spear chucker" crap only solidifies my revulsion for their party that began with the election of the Nixon of McCarthy fame, union busting Reagan and the puppet Bush.

[betharina]

34. catching spears? how about a little word association...

http://www.hulu.com/watch/1477/saturday-night-live-word-association

repukes are definitely playing the race card. who uses that phrase?

[Raschel]

74. who uses that phrase?

Nobody. And McCain can barely stand up, much less catch anything.

This is so bad it's starting to look like the Klan all over again.

[Thrill]

35. No surprise. They plan to play their last cards

[SeattleGirl]

37. "...no longer going to feel constrained....."

No longer? WFT? I don't think the McSame campaign has restrained themselves at all.

[jberryhill]

38. Don't take the race bait - this is intentional

They think they will "get even" for "lipstick on a pig" if this is taken as a racial slur.

It is a racial slur - and a calculated one - but they want to be called on this in order to play that game.

[BlueIdaho]

39. We will all be bloody before this is over.

Get used to the idea - the fascists will fling shit, wield their clubs, and strike at us with knives. Before the election is over we will all be tested - told to stand firm for our democracy and for the future of America and we will not yield, we will not flinch, and we will not quit until these bastards lie broken before us.

[Chorophyll]

40. Campaign aides don't say things like that by accident.

Despicable, but not unexpected.

[zulchzulu]

41. It's the "We Got Plenty of Nuttin'" campaign push

I could see some response ads to Johnny Songbird that would bite him in the ass.

[CitizenPatriot]

42. I thought they meant Britney

and I'm going with that. Love to turn their shit around on them anyway.

to McSame et al: Now, shy would you complain about catching Britney when you went to all that trouble to put her in your ad? EXPLAIN you drunken monkeys you.

God. these people are so sad!

[IntravenousDemilo]

43. So Obama should start his next campaign appearance carrying a huge motherfucking spear...

...and say, because nobody in the general public has any idea who Mark Salter is, "Is John McCain in the audience? I brought this along just in case he wants to play catch." And then come the rest of the regularly scheduled remarks.

Really, deflection is the best way to deal with these comments. Take what would be considered a "negative" in some eyes, make fun of it, and turn it into a positive. Let the air out of their tires, metaphorically speaking, or beat them with their own (Mc) cane.

[lapislzi]

95. No, the best way is to leave it the fuck alone.

He should treat this with the contempt it deserves. It is not our candidate's job to immerse himself in this sty. It is OUR job. Let this fester below the surface below for awhile. It will do its work.

Unbefucking believable.

[dave29]

44. that's the most overtly racist thing I've heard to date in this campaign

YUCK. I mean. Disgusting....

[TooRaLoo]

45. He should try a prophylactic.

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[truthisfreedom]

46. They're tired because they've been catching them with their chest.

[NashVegas]

47. You Mean, Kinda Like Lipstick On a Pig?

They're playing "chicken" with racial-gender stereotypes. Obama won round 1, now he's got to show he can take what he can give.


And Romans carried spears, too.

[quaker bill]

48. It will not help

The associations game is a dead horse and they will only look more stupid for beating it. The folks who would believe this stuff are in the McCain camp already, and do not need more to remain convinced. Pretty much everyone else will see it for the petty BS and shallow attempt as swiftboating that it is.

Barack will use it against them, just he already has.

[edhopper]

49. Is this a preview of the debate?

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/597861/2890875

[Undercurrent]

51. It's still in use,

and here is the kind of person who still uses the term "spear chucker".

My ex father-in-law is the retired VP of a HUGE global petro chemical corporation uses the term. He also calls his domestic, and landscape workers "my 5 dollar an hour" men (or gals). He hires undocumented Mexicans and that's what he pays them. This is a man who is worth nearly a quarter of a billion dollars, and he uses essentially slave labor. I think he does it not to save a dime, but to inflate his own self importance. His is a pig. Rich, but still just a pig. Nothing more.


:: typos ::

[Rocknrule]

52. I hope McCain loses his temper during a debate and blurts out something like this

just so everyone can see what he and his party truly represent

[Fire1]

66. That's just too much to hope for!!

[dkofos]

53. We can toss out Murthee. I'm sure mcPERV hasn't heard of him.

[travelingtypist]

54. I'd place $$$ this ends up on Worst Person tonight.

:wtf:

He actually called Obama a "spear chucker." I can't believe that.
I don't know why I'm shocked.

[travelingtypist]

100. I would have won that bet.

Olbermann used this. Hahahahaha.

[backscatter712]

55. I hope Obama's ready to counterattack with McCain's and Palin's crazy preachers.

Note the plural here.

Wright's already played itself out in the primaries, so there's nothing new they can't dig up that we haven't already seen.

Most of the public hasn't heard about Hagee & Parsley's anti-semitism, or Muthee's witchhunting. This will be a beautiful little roasting job...

[backscatter712]

56. self-delete - dupe post.

Gotta love the DU server hiccups...

[quiet.american]

58. So McCain really wants to go there, eh? Unleash the Hagee! nt

[SoxFan]

59. Oh no. He went there?

What's next? Is he going to refer to Obama as "Sen. Hoptoit McNegropants" and say it was taken out of context?

Are we going to see Obama "morphed" into, well, take your pick?

[FatDave]

63. I have never in my life heard anyone refer to "catching spears".

Anybody else? "I'm tired of catching spears". Does that even make sense in a non-racially offensive way?

I agree that Obama should not take the bait, but really, this is totally different than "lipstick on a pick" which is a well-worn saying.

[moondust]

64. Me neither.

Where else could this possibly spring from but a culture of backroom bigotry?

[dchill]

70. It's not the catching of the spear that is offensive...

it's the implied chucking.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/spearchucker

[FatDave]

93. Yes, I get that part.

Soon as I read it, I knew what they were getting at.

My point is, how can they play this off as innocent? If they had gone with "call a spade a spade", that's actually an innocent, nonracial expression. Or they could use "the pot calling the kettle black". Sounds possibly racial, but it isn't. If the intent is to stir up outrage over something they can claim is an innocent expression, they have to use something that is believable as an innocent expression. And I don't see how "tired of catching spears" can mean anything other than...well, just what ti sounds like.

[Raschel]

77. I have never in my life heard anyone refer to "catching spears".

Neither have I. This should be all over the media. McCain is such a dirty pig. Look at what he did to his first wife.

If anyone has ever doubted that McCain was pandering to racists with his visits to Sturgis, Nascar,
small all White towns, and his pick of redneck Sarah Palin with her trailer trash family, this statement should put that finally to rest.

He needs to be called out on this by the media, they know Obama can't do it.

If there is anyone in his party that has any kind of decency they should be denouncing this as well.

[jberryhill]

89. I've heard "javelin catcher on the track team" as a joke sports position...

And there is Hamlet's "To Be Or Not To Be" soliloquy:


Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,


But, no, "catching spears" implies a spear chucker.

[dchill]

65. "Catching spears" is a metaphor, all right.

It's also a thinly veiled epithet. I guess that makes the McCain campaign "Spear Catchers." Somehow, that doesn't seem to be insulting enough.

[KittyWampus]

67. It's a metaphor that I've NEVER heard used ever before. EVER.

[dchill]

69. Really? Wow...

Where did you grow up? I heard it plenty as a kid and an adult in NE Ohio. ("Spear-chucker" - that is.)

[tishaLA]

71. I think many people have heard "spear chucker" but I don't think

many have heard the phrase "catching spears." That's what's so odd about the McCain campaign's phraseology.

[RollWithIt]

76. Ok, I'm from Akron, Ohio... City of Green in between Akron and Canton....

Also lived in Cleveland and Colombus... what does Spear Chucker mean? Honestly, I'm still not sure. Is it a religious reference?

[dchill]

79. Here:

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/spearchucker

Etymology

The word is derived from Native hunters in Africa; hunters throw spears to catch their prey

spearchucker (plural spearchuckers)

1. (UK, US, offensive, slang) A Black person

[RollWithIt]

83. doh..... that's fucked up....

How's that for a race card. Gees, at long last, have they no shame?

[dchill]

80. dupe

[Richard Steele]

85. It's not a metaphor, it's a thinly-veiled reference to a racist slur.

Who the fuck ever said "catching spears"? No one.

[eridani]

72. If Wright is fair game, then so is Palin's whackjob church

I wrote the following to the New York Review of Books--

I'm wondering how one could write an article about the Republican candidates and not mention their VP candidate's utterly bizarre and possibly dangerous religious beliefs. Her church is so off the wall that the Assemblies of God kicked them out in 1949.

The glossolalia doesn't bother me--nothing wrong with getting a little enthusiastic in church. Even the healing through cell phone calls isn't so bad, assuming that people on the other end are using evidence-based medicine also and just trying to cover every possible option.

What ought to be disturbing to any sane commentator is her statement “Yes, I think I will see Jesus come back to earth in my lifetime." Should McCain win, we are just one more possibly fatal melanoma episode away from putting the nuclear football in the hands of someone who is looking forward to the destruction of earth in a scene straight out of the Left Behind series.

Why isn't anyone writing about this?


http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/8/114332/7479
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/5/0244/84583
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/09/15/bess/index1.html

[Teaser]

73. bring it, b*tches.

bring it.

[RollWithIt]

75. They want to raise a 6 month old story as new ammunition? Ok, we'll bring Palin's minister into it..

Bring it on Fuckers.

BTW, what does "catching spears" or "spear chucker" mean. I honestly don't know.

[minnesota_liberal]

78. Get out of Britney's mosh pit!

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

[bleever]

81. Is Mark Penn now advising the McCain campaign?

Seems more and more like it.

[jenmito]

82. Besides the obvious racial slur, they DID say that Wright was "on the table" over a month ago

for Obama using the "not knowing how many houses he owns" subject. They were going to use Wright anyway. The Limbaugh ad is just a poor excuse:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=6691916

[paparush]

84. Racist C@cksucker!!!!!!!!!! (McCain, not Palin (in this case))

[TheDonkey]

86. It's game time Obama!

rethugs are foaming at the mouth to run "Goddamn America!" ads. As incredibly stupid it is, this sort of smear offensive can have an impact.

[Stellabella]

87. That is definitely racist.

[anonymous171]

90. Obama will trap McCain this way.

"While I'm talking about the economy, McCain is talking about Pastors." Hit McCain for not wanting to help Americans.

[Cha]

91. I've never heard of that fucking metaphore before.

"catching spears"? Is that a hold over from trips to Africa back in the day?

The noodle crew may be tired of catching spears but they'll long for the day when it was only spears they had to worry about.

[Borgnine]

92. I've gone from respecting McCain...

...to disagreeing with him the majority of time but still acknowledging his integrity, to loathing the way he was running his campaign, to outright hating the fucking bastard.

McCain better just retire after this fiasco of a presidential run. This pig isn't fit to serve in any capacity.

[Mad_Dem_X]

94. Wow. Just...wow.

They're not even trying to hide it anymore.

[City Lights]

97. Assholes of the highest order.

Absolutely disgusting.

[barack the house]

98. In fairness limbaugh didn't like McCain for a long time till this election.

[Overseas]

99. I am also appalled by the racist language. On the Pastor War,

let us not forget we can run Paisley and Hagee on McCain -- doesn't matter if he broke up with them. Republicans aren't following those kind of polite rules. We could also show some clips of Old Maverick McCain saying we mustn't pander to the religious right, next to the New McSame, praising the right wing pastors.

We've also got "Mission from God" Palin, with her pastors-- the witchcraft guy and the Jews for Jesus guy.

So I think they've been holding off on the pastor war because they don't want the Obama team to respond with our material on their courting of the Christian fundamentalists.