I Think He's Serious

Douglas Daniel of the AP informs us that linking Obama to unrepentant domestic terrorist Bill Ayers is subtle racist.  His gist - forget about the fact that Bill Ayers is white; when folks think of terrorists today they think of suspicious looking dark-skinned people (not Timothy McVeigh).

Save this for the laugh track:

WASHINGTON (AP) - By claiming that Democrat Barack Obama is "palling around with terrorists" and doesn't see the U.S. like other Americans, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin targeted key goals for a faltering campaign.

And though she may have scored a political hit each time, her attack was unsubstantiated and carried a racially tinged subtext that John McCain himself may come to regret.

...

Palin's words avoid repulsing voters with overt racism. But is there another subtext for creating the false image of a black presidential nominee "palling around" with terrorists while assuring a predominantly white audience that he doesn't see their America?

In a post-Sept. 11 America, terrorists are envisioned as dark-skinned radical Muslims, not the homegrown anarchists of Ayers' day 40 years ago. With Obama a relative unknown when he began his campaign, the Internet hummed with false e-mails about ties to radical Islam of a foreign-born candidate.

Whether intended or not by the McCain campaign, portraying Obama as "not like us" is another potential appeal to racism. It suggests that the Hawaiian-born Christian is, at heart, un-American.

Uh huh.  And suggesting that Dukakis was out of touch was anti-Greek.  Suggesting Kerry was an arrogant, out of touch aloof snob was, hmm, anti-French.  Suggesting that Gore grew up in a Washington bubble and was out of touch was, help me here, anti-space alien?

Is there anything about Mr. Bitterly Clinging Obama that spells "down home regular guy"?  Of course not.  And he and his supporters cite his colorful biography all the time.  For that matter, when Obama is praised as giving America a chance to present a new face to the world, whatever do people mean?  I always thought it was a reference to his race - am I wrong about this?  Let's revisit the comedy classic from Andrew Sullivan:

What does [Obama] offer? First and foremost: his face. Think of it as the most effective potential re-branding of the United States since Reagan. Such a re-branding is not trivial—it’s central to an effective war strategy. The war on Islamist terror, after all, is two-pronged: a function of both hard power and soft power. We have seen the potential of hard power in removing the Taliban and Saddam Hussein. We have also seen its inherent weaknesses in Iraq, and its profound limitations in winning a long war against radical Islam. The next president has to create a sophisticated and supple blend of soft and hard power to isolate the enemy, to fight where necessary, but also to create an ideological template that works to the West’s advantage over the long haul. There is simply no other candidate with the potential of Obama to do this. Which is where his face comes in.

I guess Obama is black if they say so, and I'm a racist if I mention that Bill Ayers is white.  Got it.

Comments

[MeTooThen]

And to remind America that Bill Ayer's Weather Underground and the Black Liberation Army (BLA) were responsible for the murder of white and black men, including Waverly Brown.

Read About it Here.

[Jane]

Has anyone else noticed that for months (years) Obama ran on his "judgment". Now that his "judgment" about his associates is being called into question, he says questioning his judgment is out of bounds.

[BOATBUILDER]

I guess that means the AP is going to start running pictures of Ayers and Dohrn, with bios and history, so we all know just what kind of terrorists they are. Right?
The idiots see everything in terms of race. Maybe they will stem into this one.
But I'm not holding my breath.
"Barack Obama--the equal opportunity anti-American."

[BOATBUILDER]

step

[davod]

I wonde how Andrew feels about the black churches views on the homesexual lifestyle.

[bgates]

I despise Douglas Daniel for the content of his character. I've never seen the man, though, so I don't know if that makes me racist.

Kind of a Schrödinger's Klan scenario.

[joan]

The Left is so ridiculous -- didn't Obama tell us several weeks ago that 'he looks different.' Or was it 'I don't look like everybody else.' It might have been 'I'm not what you're used to looking at.'

Escapes me which one.

[clarice]

I'm so old I remember when the media was sure every terrorist was a white fundamentalist. Who knew?
BTW per Steve Gilbert, the AP has changed the title and is scrubbing the old one everywhere they can find it. I suppose when you are laughed at around the world, it stings.

[MayBee]

Now that his "judgment" about his associates is being called into question, he says questioning his judgment is out of bounds

Yes, Jane, now talking about his judgment is a distraction. People should be talking about the economy and how erratic McCain is.

[Rick Ballard]

"didn't Obama tell us several weeks ago that 'he looks different.'"

I interpreted that to be a reference to the Dumbo ears capping a Skelotor physique terminating in ET hands and fingers.

What's being black got to do with anything?

[jpe]

Is there anything about Mr. Bitterly Clinging Obama that spells "down home regular guy"?

Why not? He seems like a nice enough guy. I can't help but read your comments against race, since they're so inane otherwise.

[Ann]

"I interpreted that to be a reference to the Dumbo ears capping a Skelotor physique terminating in ET hands and fingers."

LOL, Rick, you are the best illustrator. Who needs Adobe when you are around?

[Alex]

Her comments were racist? Obama and his folks are insane. Totally insane. Does that make me a racist? No, just a discerning voter with enough sense to fear fraud from the Left.

[PeterUK]

"I can't help but read your comments against race, since they're so inane otherwise." ??

Might be worth remembering Obama had a white mother.How come she is airbrushed out of the equation,racism?

[matt]

why doesn't someone find the old Post Office/FBI "10 Most Wanted" posters of these two scumbirds and use that in a piece?

[DrJ]

PUK,

Non-blacks are always airbrushed out -- it is the modern equivalent on the "one drop" test. Tiger Woods, for example, has more Asian in him than black. Do you ever hear about that either?

[Old Dad]

PeterUK,

It's simple math. Palin is half racist.

[bio mom]

Just the media playing in David Axelrod's sandbox. He has used this racism charge so often in his campaigns it could make your head swim.

Ignore all polls. Garbage in=garbage out.

[PeterUK]

William Charles Ayers - Friend of Obama Obomba and Obama.

[How to defeat BHO]

Isn't Palin somewhat immune from charges like this due to the fact that she's married to someone who's part Eskimo? [reductio ad APum follows]

[TGO]

Is there anything about Mr. Bitterly Clinging Obama that spells "down home regular guy"? Of course not. And he and his supporters cite his colorful biography all the time.

Typical wingnut, even when trying to defend another racist wingnut you can't help but use racist slurs against a black man.

[kim]

So, Rick, has he Marfan's like Honest Abe? Say ah.
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[DebinNC]

TM's thread above features a NYT piece on the failure of Fannie/Freddie. It contains this:

"“We didn’t really know what we were buying,” said Marc Gott, a former director in Fannie’s loan servicing department. “This system was designed for plain vanilla loans, and we were trying to push chocolate sundaes through the gears.”

Does anyone doubt that had OFHEO Director Falcon used those same words in the same context during the 2004 Banking Committee hearing we've seen so often lately, that the CBC would have demanded his resignation for his "racist" comments? If someone wants to find racism, he can see it in almost anything.

[kim]

TGO, typical guilt ridden liberal, finding racism in everything. Listen, pal, part of the reason Obama bombs with bitter clingers is that most of them have already worked with lots of black people and understand that it is the nature of your character that counts.
====================================

[Jim Ryan]

most of them have already worked with lots of black people and understand that it is the nature of your character that counts.

They've been in the 21st Century for years now and can tell Obama wants to take them back to the 20th. That dog just won't hunt.

[PeterUK]

GLOP isn't typical guilt ridden liberal,GLOP simply needs a stick to beat you with.
Vote Obama and have the boot of political correctness grinding your face forever.

[Jim Rhoads aka vnjagvet]

Playing the race card about this will not help in Eastern Ohio and 've Western Pennsylvania. It is like calling wolf to them. They've been bombarded with this kind of carp forever and are sick of it.

I say to AP, Axelrod, his minion TGO and the rest of them KEEP IT UP.

[The Nadir]

Palin is saying that Obama is DIFFERENT from the rest of us. Trying to say that he's a terrorist. Trying to make people remember all those bogus spam emails that said he was a muslim when he clearly was not.

I would say Palin is closer to being a terrorist, considering that her husband is a secessionist, considering she attended events hosted by a secessionist who "hates America".

I would say McCain is closer to being a terrorist than Obama, considering that he accepted money from G. Gorden Liddy, Watergate scandal crook who advocated the murder of Federal agents in 1990.

[pdbuttons]

If there has to be just one reason that I'm going to hold my nose and vote for Mc/Palin- this article is it!/ please-sink further!

[matt]

you know, by liberal standards, Palin should be immune. She's married to an enrolled Native American and thus her children would be considered Native American by the miscenegenated standards of yesteryear.....today, it's a label of pride. That just shows how messed up the liberals are, I guess.

An empowered woman scorned by NOW; the wife of a Steelworker scorned by the unions; a corruption fighter scorned by Ralph Nader; an environmentalist scorned by the Sierra Club. How do these people look themselves in the mirror at night?

[PeterUK]

The Nadir,
I can well see why you call yourself the Nadir.More bg sockpuppetry?

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Wake Up Folks! No We Can't!

He's Baaaaaaaack! And he's awesome!

[PeterUK]

"How do these people look themselves in the mirror at night?"

With great admiration.

[DebinNC]

It's easy for Obama fans to counter "Ayers" with "Keating" or "Wright" with "Hagee". But have any of them attempted to justify how and where Chairman Obama's CAC spent the $160M, or have they explained why no positive results were seen? I haven't seen it.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

why doesn't someone find the old Post Office/FBI "10 Most Wanted" posters of these two scumbirds and use that in a piece?

Start with this post at Doug Ross Journal.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

If you haven't read this Michael Barone piece, you should:

Obama Needs to Explain His Ties to William Ayers

[bad]

Ann brought these letters to our attention. LUN

One of the letters is a request for cash from various groups to pay for operating expenses for the CAC as it is starting up. Nothing unusual in that.

But then things start to smell a bit.

My take on the remaining letters exchanged is that Obama was looking for "matching funds" from foundations in Chicago in order to secure the $49.2 million from Annenberg. The "matching funds" needed to fall within certain dates to be considered.

The off-putting part is that the funds were already granted to various groups for whatever purpose. They weren't going to "The Annenberg Way" of education reform because the CAC had not yet gotten off the ground to push "The Annenberg Way". It appears that foundation funds going to school reform groups were used as matching funds by the CAC regardless of how the money was spent.

Perhaps this is the way the foundation world works but it seems sleazy and more than a little dishonest.

[centralcal]

Sara: loved the wake-up folks link!

[DrJ]

The Barone article indeed is interesting. He claims that Ayers introduced Obama ("sent" him in the Chicago vernacular) and I've not seen that said so explicitly before. It is possible, but not really proven yet.

[Bill in AZ]

Obama's down on us for dissing the socialist race. I'm racist. I hate socialists.

[Porchlight]

Maybe Barone is referring in part to the launch party at Ayers and Dohrn's house, Dr. J. People have been calling it a "fundraiser" as if it was one of many, no big deal. But it was Obama's political debut. These aren't generally casually arranged.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

OBAMA CONTRIBUTIONS: THE RNC FINALLY BLINKS!, ATLAS GETS RESULTS! NEWSWEAK PLAGIARIZES ATLAS

[DrJ]

I always took the "party at Ayers'" as his coming-out party. Barone seems to imply a further mentoring relationship, at least to me. Could be. If no, is a single party all it really takes to break in with the right people? I'd be surprised.

[clarice]

It's interesting that Obama when he spoke of his role in CAC sometime ago (See Gateway Pundit, I think for the video) says this was his executive experience and he handed out $50 million in Annenberg funds. The terms of the grant required a 2 :1 contribution from elsewhere and he seems to suggest they never had that--otherwise when bragging of his role, why not say $160K?
Odd..Early on Diamond caccounted for $110 m in the CAC acct..other times he and others say $160m..I say smoke and mirros..They got Annenberg only.

[DebinNC]

McCain response to AP:
“The last four weeks of this election will be about whether the American people are willing to turn our economy and national security over to Barack Obama, a man with little record, questionable judgment, and ties to radical figures like unrepentant domestic terrorist William Ayers. Americans need to ask themselves if they’ve ever befriended an unrepentant terrorist, or had a convicted felon help them buy their house — because those aren’t smears, those are true facts about Barack Obama.” —Tucker Bounds, spokesman McCain-Palin 2008

[clarice]

In one of the debates Hillary also raised questions about Ayers' ties to Obama..

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Yo Barack, if Ayers isn't relevant, why then is your work with him what qualified you for the Senate?

Obama's Pals

[DrJ]

You are probably right, Clarice. It is likely that the other monies were from existing grants or programs. I don't know if this is standard practice or not, but the grants I put together for a University that required matches always used new monies. Maybe I just made my life more difficult than it had to be.

[jc]

I think it would be helpful if everyone changed their language from: 'William Ayers' to: 'Timothy McView wannabe William Ayers.'

More people would get the point if that phrase became the common language. Just because Ayers was more inept than McView does not make him a better person.

[DebinNC]

As clarice said, here's Obama on video in 2000 during his failed campaign to unseat Bobby Rush:

"I've chaired major philanthropic efforts in the city like the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, that gave fifty million dollars to prompt school reform efforts throughout the city."

Why doesn't his campaign bio include that?