Obama Racism/Muslim/Unpatriotic/Scary Black Dude Watch, #60

Shaker Anna passes on this highlight from an article about the race-based attacks Obama is already facing in this campaign, many of which we've discussed in this series:

In South Dakota, a TV station briefly aired an ad that was edited to show Obama saying, "we are no longer a Christian nation, we are also a Muslim nation." It omitted his saying, in the same speech, that the United States is not solely a Christian nation.

The ad, which included a photo of Obama wearing a turban as part of a traditional outfit given to him in Africa, concluded with a man saying: "It's time for people of faith to stand against Barack Hussein Obama." A group called the Coalition Against Anti-Christian Rhetoric paid for the ad, which stations quickly dropped after the Obama campaign complained.

It's a notable example not only for the content, but for the strategy—which we can be assured will be endlessly repeated over the next few months. Run a ridiculously incendiary (and untruthful) advert, then just pull it when the Obama campaign complains—after the damage has already been done.

Meanwhile, Obama's opponents are also laying the groundwork for blaming him if race "becomes an issue" during the campaign:

The McCain campaign promises to condemn any race-based political appeals. But it also insists it won't stand still for false charges of racism or for allegations merely aimed at preventing criticism of Obama on legitimate issues.

"Every word will be twisted to make it about race," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a McCain friend and adviser. When he and others confront Obama on issues such as national security and the economy, Graham said, it will have "nothing to do with him being an African-American."

Uh-huh. Except for all the dog whistles that will be used during those "confrontations." And if the Obama campaign or his supporters/defenders have the temerity to point out that the old GOP favorite "welfare queens," as a possible example, is race-baiting, then they'll be accused of "playing the race card" by the race-baiters. See how that works?

Political professionals differ on how much racially tinged campaigning might emerge this summer and fall. Terry Holt, a GOP strategist who worked on President Bush's 2004 re-election campaign, said Republicans know that McCain has no tolerance for such tactics. For the McCain campaign, he said, "it's not about what Obama looks like, it's about what he's going to act like."

"I think we can have an honest and tough debate without race being a major factor," Holt said.

In other words, as long as Obama never points out when his race is being used against him, as long as he "acts" properly, then race won't be a major factor.

The GOP has good reason to worry. Their usual line of attack—that the Democratic candidate is un-American and out of touch with "real" American values—takes on a much more nefarious shape when directed at an African-American candidate, especially one who's been attacked for being unpatriotic and a Muslim and a traitor and blah blah, which the GOP's candidate has already condemned. It's going to be tough for them to use any of the standards in their bag of tricks without Obama's race necessarily giving them a wholly different context.

And that’s what these thinly veiled "what he's going to act like" threats are all about. You know we say this shit to every Democrat, Obama. Don't try to make it about race.

Fuck them and the bullshit backstabbing rhetoric they rode in on.

Obama Racism/Muslim/Unpatriotic/Scary Black Dude Watch: Parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One, Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three, Twenty-Four, Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six, Twenty-Seven, Twenty-Eight, Twenty-Nine, Thirty, Thirty-One, Thirty-Two, Thirty-Three, Thirty-Four, Thirty-Five, Thirty-Six, Thirty-Seven, Thirty-Eight, Thirty-Nine, Forty, Forty-One, Forty-Two, Forty-Three, Forty-Four, Forty-Five, Forty-Six, Forty-Seven, Forty-Eight, Forty-Nine, Fifty, Fifty-One, Fifty-Two, Fifty-Three, Fifty-Four, Fifty-Five, Fifty-Six, Fifty-Seven, Fifty-Eight, Fifty-Nine.