If you wanna know how scared the Republican Party is of Obama, just check the homepage of the Republican National Committee’s official site, GOP.com.One name you won’t find on that homepage is... McCAIN.
Seriously. John McCain is the Republican candidate for president of these United States. Why doesn’t the RNC want McCain’s name or face on its website?
Oh, wait... something just popped up on that GOP page. It’s a link to the “McCain Climate Change Plan.” But within a minute, poof, it disappears. It is one of a variety of rotating links.
Wow. There is not one standing link to JohnMcCain.com anywhere on the Republican Party’s homepage!
Why? Because that would take up valuable digital real estate that’s better used bashing Barack Obama. As in:
“Obama’s Bad Week in Review”
“Obama Lobbyist Hypocrisy”
“Obama’s Iraq Backtrack”
If you thought Team Hillary threw the kitchen sink at him... the Republicans are throwing the bathtub. And probably the toilet too, before long.Matter fact, the Republican National Committee today launched a new website – MeetBarackObama.com – totally devoted to attacks.
To me, that means the contest is already over. The Republicans aren’t even selling their own candidate!
Now what about the Democratic National Committee website, Democrats.org? They’ve got a big ol’ picture of Obama on their homepage. (They must be proud of their guy.) And there’s a prominent link to BarackObama.com.
Democrats.org also takes a subtler approach to negative propaganda. You gotta click a link like “McCain Myth Buster: John McCain and the Truth” to get to the attacks.
Two different approaches, that’s for sure.
22 comments:
almost makes you want to repudiate the neo/theo hot ghetto mess passing itself off as "conservatism", don't it?
rotflmbao....,
Good catch EBM.
I'm still not convinced that Obama deserves to win in November.
However, if all the RNC can offer is attacks on him, the definitely deserve to loose.
I was just reading on CNN how well the negative stuff works--how it sticks in our subconscious and affects how we vote. Think about it: the SwiftBoaters erased Kerry's heroic service with their negative ads. People eat it up.
Are you going to update Keep It Honest '08 to combat this stuff? Like a MeetJohnMcCain.com?
"Short is the road that leads from fear to hatred." -Italian proverb
I'm with kellybelle on this. Don't sleep on negative campaigns. Fear-tapping. And that's some powerful shit.
McCain's plastic. So is Obama to an extent. Gonna be a lotta distractors in this campaign.
...brought to you by the people who gave you the Willie Horton ad no less.
This reminds me of George Lakoff's premise. People don't make choices based on policy...it's about their values. And to some extent, according to Lakoff, decision making has little to do with a thought process - it's emotional.
I'm sorry to pester y'all but I just got back from the GOP site and it's hilarious! First, they try to style it like the Obama site. Then just dumb luck, Obama can't seem to take bad pictures. So do they dare put John McCain's pasty face up there? It would turn into a beauty contest and it's over (Nixon/Kennedy). But yeah, I'm with KB and DS - don't take any chances.
I too must agree with kellybelle, if the Democrats aren't willing to fight fire with fire, we are going to see a repeat of 2004. They are trying to shape America's image of Obama before he has a chance to shape his own image.
No doubt, y'all, the relentless negative defining of John Kerry stuck. But John Kerry wasn't as inspiring and charismatic as Barack Obama.
Then again, the GOP has something much more potent and primal to tap into this go-round: fear of blackness.
How, then, do we respond? Urging the Democratic National Committee to demonize John McCain, or to marginalize him for his advanced age... I think that would only further corrode our civil discourse.
Tactically speaking, is there a way to stop the GOP's mind-fuckery... while staying positive about Obama and about our political process??
DeAngelo Starnes said...
I'm with kellybelle on this. Don't sleep on negative campaigns. Fear-tapping. And that's some powerful shit.
McCain's plastic. So is Obama to an extent. Gonna be a lotta distractors in this campaign.
Obama is plastic? On what planet? I guess Mr. Stearnes has an unshakable wisdom that the millions of people who have volunteered and donated to Sen. Obama's campaign don't have. Clearly, we are all suckers. Sen. Obama may be a lot of things, but 'plastic' doesn't come to mind. People become so cynical, that it blinds them to the truth.
Granted, you have every right to not support Sen. Obama because you don't agree with his policies, that's legitimate, but you cannot ignore the GLOBAL IMPACT of his candidacy. From Kenya, to Britain, to France, this is HISTORY. And it is really disappointing to me when so called "black nationalists" can't acknowledge this. Because at the end of the day, we do not live in a vacuum. We are part of a global community. (Surely, even you must know there are more people of color on this planet than there are Europeans.) So called- black nationalism was a band-aid during a painful time, but like communism, it simply does not work.
I would love to know who black nationalists think WOULD make a good president. I mean if a bi-cultural man, who was raised in Hawaii and Indonesia, is not good enough, then who the fuck is?
Finally, what I have realized about so called black nationalists is this; they are really good at pointing out what is wrong with this country, but I have yet to ever read a sound solution. If Barack won't make a good president in your eyes, then WHO THE FUCK WILL? Give me a name. Give me a solution. What the fuck is YOUR plan? What do you have to offer other than complaints? History is happpening right in front of your eyes and you are sitting on the toilet.
BTW, I am an African-American 40 year old female. Black History is my passion and I am so thrilled to be alive to see this day. Are you?
BTW, the "Whitey Tape" has since been debunked. It was stolen from a novel. If anyone from this site cares.
The Republicans have no idea what they are in store for. Believe that. They are playing by rules that don't exist anymore.
I used to come to this site because I was a fan of "The Wire" and I discovered it thru that. But I don't think I'll come back. No offense UBM, but you can be a bit of a downer. Even in your post regarding Obama winning the nomination, you mention some "vicious rumor" that was a buzz kill. Personally, I don't see the point of always highlighting so much negativity. I mean, there will always be racists. But clearly, SOMETHING ELSE is happening. A change is happening. Why not focus on that. But I guess, it's your blog, so your choice. Good luck.
anon...
"So called- black nationalism was a band-aid during a painful time, but like communism, it simply does not work.
I would love to know who black nationalists think WOULD make a good president. I mean if a bi-cultural man, who was raised in Hawaii and Indonesia, is not good enough, then who the fuck is?"
Question, anon.
Which consolidated block of voters put Obama over the top?
Answer:
The Black Vote.
Two more questions:
(a) What is "Bi-cultural"?
(b) And African-Americans voted for Barack Obama 90+ percent because of what?
Maybe, "ethno-centrism" also known as "black nationalist sentiment"?
Let's not pretend that Black folks voted for Obama because his policies were so different from Clinton's. Moreover, it is the consolidated "black nationalist" block voting that put Obama over the top.
His bi-culturalism, whatever that means don't mean diddly. Imagine Barack having been married to a "white" woman. You think he would've gotten the black vote, especially the black female vote?
Without "militant" Michelle there is no way Obama ould have done as well as he did among black folks. She authenticated his "blackness".
Thus don't knock "Black nationalism". without it there would be no Barack Obama the democratic nominee.
Obama's camp needs to stay simple, ...just keep showing the public who McCain REALLY is - a Saint E. escapee.
Check out this video, it's funny if nothing else.
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/325.html
Peace
^ Thanks for that, fishesalot. That's a good, tough negative ad... and honorable. And tactically smart (at least in terms of reaching viewers 40 and under).
Watching the roundtable on ABC's "This Week" right now, there's a different way to read the near-absence of John McCain's name from the Republican National Committee website.
The McCain campaign understands that "the Republican brand" is severely damaged right now. McCain wants to put distance between himself and President Bush... and between himself and the word "Republican."
So maybe it's McCain's idea that his mug isn't plastered all over the GOP.com homepage.
Again, to me this says the contest is already won (unless Obama does something to lose it). The Republican Party is igging McCain... McCain is igging the Republican Party. That's not a strong way to roll into a presidential race.
Maybe I'm still shook from the "jack move" that was the election of 2004, but Sen. Obama needs to hammer the number "95",over and over again to show the percentage that McCain voted with Bush and pick 4 or 5 bad policies that Bush and McCain agreed on and hammer them over and over again.
Thanks Mr. Fisher for responding to my post even though it wasn’t directed at you. And thanks for parsing it and not really directing your comments to my key questions. As far as you questioning what multiculturalism is, well I won’t waste my time explaining that. It is pretty self-explanatory. I mean the man was raised by a white mother/grandparents/Indonesian man in Hawaii and Indonesia, with African siblings/granparents and a half Indonesian sister. What about that don’t you get? We live in a global community. Barack’s nomination isn’t just monumental for black people here in the States, it is significant on a global level. If you have a better candidate in mind, I would love a name. Please, enlighten me. But then again, I wasn’t talking to you in the first place, was I?
And as far as what I know and appreciate about “ Black Nationalism” is from what I studied about Marcus Garvey, who I consider to be an unsung hero of the pre-Civil Rights movement. He emerged during the 20’s when it was legally acceptable for black men to be lynched by white men with impunity. “The Red Summer,” comes to mind, where black soldiers returning from WWI were lynched in the south.
I know my history. I know the history of our people; which is why this week is so important. And my frustration lies in the fact that certain black people can't embrace this.
We have come a long way. And as far as us voting in blocks; that has nothing to do with “black nationalism.” It has to do with us being vigilant of our voting rights in this country, which our ancestors worked and died for. We voted in blocks for Clinton, who in the end, betrayed us. Of course we are going to come out in droves for Obama. That was my point! THAT WAS THE POINT OF MY POST! That even in this historical moment, that WE helped make happen, there are still black people who, because they have nothing else going on, have to piss on this moment.
So frankly, I am not sure what the point of YOUR post is. What is your point? And as far as his "bi-cultralism" not meaning anything, maybe not to you. But I would NEVER vote for Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson or Louis Farrakhan.
But once again I ask: If not Barack Obama, then who? If not now, then when?
A perspective from today's Times Of India:
Here's a trivial observation that suggests why Obama, because of his eclectic and unusual upbringing, may be different: He's the only American leader who has been heard to pronounce Gandhi and Pakistan correctly — just like it's pronounced in the subcontinent (Gaan-dhi, not Gain-dee; Paak-isthaan, not Pack-is-tan). In other conversations, Obama has also referred to Indian success in technology fields, and drawn comparisons between his father (who came to the US "without money, but with a student visa and a determination to succeed") and the experiences of Indian immigrants.
Such empathy and "connection" to immigrants from the subcontinent is only one part of Obama's plural multi-ethnic background and wide-ranging eclectic education (American, African, even part-Asian) that makes him arguably the most unusual and exciting presidential candidate in US history — more universalist than American.
No offense UBM, but you can be a bit of a downer. Even in your post regarding Obama winning the nomination, you mention some "vicious rumor" that was a buzz kill.
I didn't mean to harsh your buzz, Ms. Anonymous. I'm just trying to keep my eyes on the prize.
Winning the Democratic nomination is fantastic. But Sen. Obama better not rest on his laurels. His supporters better not either.
If Barack Obama is to become president of the United States, who will make it happen? An army of magical bunnies wearing pastel smocks?
No... dedicated, sophisticated voters will have to make it happen.
So instead of trying to squeeze multiple orgasms out of Obama's victory in the playoffs... you should take note of the game plan that'll be used against him in the Super Bowl.
That's what I'm about. And I hope you'll keep reading and commenting.
Undercover Black Man said...
If Barack Obama is to become president of the United States, who will make it happen? An army of magical bunnies wearing pastel smocks?
Umm...no. The millions who are campaigining and volunteering for him and implementing his fifty state strategy. (see NYT article below.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/us/politics/08obama.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
Nobody is resting on their laurels.
I just realized, we are pretty much saying the same thing. So I apologize. Even though I wish instead of that "youtube" video of that old racist woman singing that dreadful song, that you would have posted the video of the Kenyan men in Obama's father's village celebrating his nomination.
But either way, I guess we are on the same page, we just interpret the words differently.
My "Eyes are on the Prize." (my favorite documentory.) No doubt.
Yes. We. Can.
If Barack Obama is to become president of the United States, who will make it happen? An army of magical bunnies wearing pastel smocks?
If they are time-traveling bunnies, I'll vote for him without hesitation!
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