The Race Card

This last week of July 2008, the McCain campaign is running a campaign ad which features sepia head and shoulder picturesof Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Barack Obama. This(possibly Irish) guy was not impressed. Apparently McCain would like us to believe that what Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Barack Obama have in common is ditziness, moral laxity, shallow celebrity. . .



There is almost too much irony to stand here, not the least of which is that Paris Hilton's parents have contributed the maximum legal amount ($4600) to . . . John McCain. What a great guy! Accept the cash and then hold the kid up to public ridicule!



We've been here before though. The ad calls to mind the blatant appeal to racism in the Republican National Committee ad against Harold Ford, Jr. of Tennessee, which featured a winking blonde inviting Harold to "call her.' The McCain campaign may be connecting Obama to two sexually flamboyant white women in a racist appeal against Obama. Nice! Well, it worked against Harold Ford.



So, Obama responds with a comment to the effect that McCain wants us to believe that he [Obama] "doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills." And McCain's slimemeister accuses Obama of playing the race card from the bottom if the deck. Isn't this equal to supporters of a candidate who used political influence to get an Air Force Reserve billet and was then AWOL sliming a decorated Vietnam veteran? Thus, another example of the link between Republicans and Truth.

How Could This Be?

In July 2000, gasoline was $1.47 and ExxonMobil profits were 4, 015 billion dollars. This year gas is $3.79 and ExxonMobil profits are 12 billion, 600 million dollars. Why? Does anyone believe it has nothing to do with the President and Vice President being oil men? Is there any doubt who the oil industry supported financially in the last two presidential elections? Might we assume that whichever candidate they support in this election will see that gas prices continue to rise along with the profits of ExxonMobil? Thay are supporting John McCain in a big way.

If these folks are willing to accept a tariff on all oil products we export, I am willing to accept their rhythmic drumbeat, "Drill, drill, drill!" To whom would we export oilthat we need here at home, anyway? Japan? Gee, aren't they the ones who make it so difficult for our manufactured products to penetrate their markets? China? Oh, yeah? American capitalists want to export our oil AND our jobs?