Is Senate campaign ad racist?

Looks like typical RNC codes sent out to the rural base. Nothing new or shocking here.

It's obviously tacky, but I just don't see the racism here. The porn angle seems a bit odd, but I didn't even notice the interracial bit until it was mentioned in the text. Am I just not racist enough to understand the target audience?

PJ

"But the GOP is the party of Lincoln," cries the Swamp's wingnut contingent, "yet Robert Byrd was a KKK member. Ergo, Demo-Rats are the real racists." This Board has seen much "debate" on this particular issue, but no doubt John D. is hunting and pecking his way to just such an argument right now.

Bottom line is that the ad will be effective because it plays to that part of the Republicant base comprised of racists. These people do not view segregation as bad, but do view racial "interbreeding" as awful. These ads are enough to get these people out of their trailers and to the polls. In a tight race like this one, that's enough to do the trick. The RNC will not pull the ad.

Wow.
I actually watched the youtube Ford ad above, the one with the blonde and the playboy party.
Wow.
What a joke. How ignorant do these ad makers take people to be? How can anyone watch that ad and think "Hyuck hyuck, golly, these people must be real, I'm not votin for some playboy!"

What a waste. So this is what the big money contributions and $5000 per plate luncheons buys both Dem and Repub campaigns? This is what Uncle Rove thinks will stir the base, a white woman wants a playboy black man to call her? Hyuck hyuck, its them thar morals, and watch out for them gays! Cut and Runners! Flip Floppers!
If you are remotely persuaded by this swill you are the rubest of rubes. If you are remotely persuaded by this ad I wouldnt want to be anywhere near your affiliated party.
What a waste of photons, what waste of bandwidth that I even watched it.
This is politics in America, these are the real issues? Grow up America.
What a joke.

Nope, not racist. Just funny. Keep grasping at straws to try to help the Dems, Franky. The DSCC ran a completely racist ad that was condemned by several latino groups earlier this year, but naturally that doesn't touch Frank's radar. Nope, only when it can hurt a republican campaign is Frank concerned about racism.

Face it, Harold Ford is dead in the water.

The republicants are playing the race card to help retain power at election time? They aren't that evil are they?

The Jesse Helms one is very good. It is true after all.

Erick:

The ad does not target thinking people. It targets the very rubes that you are talking about. And it will work. This is all about getting out the Repuke vote in TN.

Harold Ford Dead in the water? Hey Bill, nice vailed Emmett Till reference! With wordplay like that, there's a place for you on the RNC Marketing team.

OK, I failed to see the race thing.. maybe sexist but not racist. Then I read that the innuendo of a black man and white woman having relations. Well, sorry, but that is just stupid. I'm pretty smart and I didn't see that. What are we? In 1955?
Stupid ad, even more stupid for W. Cohen to slam it out loud.

OF course it is. Since I can't debate points head to head, I'll just call the Right racist!

Mack, that post you made says a lot more about you than it does about me. "Dead in the water" is a common term for a boat that has an engine that doesn't work. My point was that Harold Ford's campaign is going nowhere. Corker's ahead and gaining steam. Try and pull out Emmett Till and every other attack you can come up with against me that have nothing to do with my post. Here's an online definition I found of the term "dead in the water," notice it doesn't reference Emmett Till, although I'm sure you will. But dang if it doesn't accurately reflect the Ford campaign.

"Unable to function or move; inoperable. For example, Without an effective leader, our plans for expansion are dead in the water."

The straws are getting mighty thin around here.

I didn't get the race card out of that, but, doesn't it seem unbefitting for campaigning? This is what all that money pays for? What happened to days where someone payed a price for running a dirty campaign? Both sides...why do we let them?

There are what are referred to in these comments as "rube" racists, hardcore racists who disapprove of interracial male-female relations. But, the majority of white voters would be racist if their white daughter brought home a black date, much less one from a "lower" class background. Their wouldn't be much investigation of character or merits going on.

And quotas? The same people against job quotas aren't decrying college quotas. All top schools in America set aside slots for alumni and celebrity children, these are overwhelmingly white. The kids overwhelmingly unqualified. How do you think George W. got into Yale -- by his test scores! Also, most schools in the US are paid for by property taxes, thus guarenteeing education is based on race and class, not merit. If opportunities in the US were based on merit, all public schools would be funded equally, and all kids would be learning to read and write, not just middle class ones living in areas where most black families are red-lined out of.
(By the way I am white and a teacher and mad about racism.)

Hey Frank,

Where was the Swamp post in September about the DNC ad that Latinos said was racist? Where, come on answer the question Frank, where was it? Frank you are about as objective as a Howard Dean political ad. You are a farce as a journalist. That's the real story.

Of course it plays to race. If you don't think that placing the thought of a black man with a white woman is designed to stir anger and resentment in the hearts of some white folk, you're just wrong.

a blinkin is correct. This add appeals only to the lowest common denominator.

PJ the subtle racism you are missing is where older, less diverse white voters will not want to elect a Black man to a higher office from fear that if Blacks rise in stature they may begin to date their white daughters and sons. Or, equally worse (in their minds) is to begin taking jobs and living in their neighborhoods.

I think politics is a dirty game but this ad hits below the belt.

I grew up in Mississippi and never saw the beauty of the state until some one from another state pointed it out to me. I saw it every day. It was a normal sight. I was inured to the beauty. The same holds true with other things such as racism.
I am a 61 year old WASP and experienced all the feelings of racism that my society taught me growing up. Forunate as I was, by the time I was grown I knew what racism was wrong, I still had small remants of racism in me that I could not see. I was accustom to them. Some of the remants, hopefully all, were pointed out to me by friends. The mud that the RNC is trying to throw is definitly racist.

To those who don't understand the race card being played, interracial marriage and relationships are still a big deal in some states. Like Tennessee with currently around 3.2% of marriages being mixed race, with the people in those have feelings of alienation from their community. Compare that to other states with much higher mixed-race marriage rates, and you begin to see why the implication that this black politicians gets it on with the blondes at playboy parties is offensive.

Bill,
Why should Frank talk about that add you tirelessly keep referring to? It would only bring out the large number of Republicans that agree w/ the message contained in that add spot and further ruin your parties chances by turning off immigrant communities and moderate voters. The Tribune is doing you a favor by not talking about that video.

1955: Miscegenation [Tennessee State Code]Prohibited marriage or living together as man and wife between racially mixed persons. Penalty: One to five years imprisonment in county jail, or fine.
This law was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1967, along with similar laws in 15 other states. I can't find when Tennessee actually repealed the law, but South Carolina repealed theirs in 1998 and Alabama in 2000. A clear majority of Alabama's whites voted against repeal.
It is glaringly obvious, to anyone who cares to look at the data, that political appeals based on interracial sex are still viable.

The only thing I find stupid about this ad is that it implies that because Harold Ford went to some Playboy parties he'd be a bad legislator. Do you know how many prominent people in LA have gone to those parties? Most of them just to see what they're like? I'm pretty sure one of them's the governor of California. What's so wrong about checking out a few bunnies at a party?

There's lots of good reasons to dislike Ford and his lousy campaign, but that's just not one of them.

"Racist!" is something Liberals ALWAYS start shouting when they're losing the argument. That's their script. So if the Democrats and their media echo chambers are shouting "racist", that just shows how weak their arguments are.

Per Deborah:

"What are we? In 1955?"

We're in Tennessee in 2006; many people there lived in a de jure racially-segregated society. Although the law changed over a very short period of time (by force of "unelected judges" on the Supreme Court and over vicious protest by the South), the segregationist culture cannot change so quickly. Take a trip to the South and you'll see what I mean. In the meantime, it is a bit optimistic to think there is not a wealth of bigots in Tennesee.

The republicants are playing the race card to help retain power at election time? They aren't that evil are they?

Posted by: Bubba | Oct 24, 2006 10:13:06 AM

Is this any worse than the Dem's exploiting the Page scandal for votes. Is this any worse than Dem's exploiting the deaths of US soldiers for gaining power. It really amazes to read entries from the supporters of both parties. Some of you follow these parties like Lemmings into the sea. If you honestly think the Dem's are above this kind of crap, then I have some really "valuable" heirlooms I could sell you.

What more would you expect from the RNC when their entire existence as a "wholesome" pillar of Americana has begun to crumble. The RNC is running deceitful ad campaigns across America hoping to continue their underlying motive to "bear false witness." Americans are far more intelligent than the Repugnants care to realize.

Just remember Psalms 50:18
When you see a thief (Jack Abramoff), you (RNC)join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers (Mark Foley, Don Sherwood).

The posters suggesting that they can't see anything racist about the anti-Ford ad are either naive northerners or blind ideologues.

To anybody raised in or knowledgable about the South, the ad essentially says: "Harold Ford likes to f*** white women." Nobody in the South is going to miss that inference. There is a significant voting block in a state like Tennessee that is going to be powerfully motivated by a statement like that.

You can debate a lot of different issues regarding who said what first, but there can be no doubt that this is an intentional appeal to prejudice.

Once again it's not overt racism that floats the GOP boat, it's the coded messages and innuendo of secretive cowards like Rove and Cheney. The Republicans are driven by a cabal of angry, sexually inadequate or repressed white men that stop at nothing to advance their desire for wealth and power as a substitute for their personal deficiencies. Racism is secondary to these creeps, it's just another tool to rally the rubes.

If the racist pigs at the heart of the "conservative" movement were brazen enough to be sincere about the real message in ads like these, they know that they would be forever banished to the waste heap of nutbag extremism where they rightfully belong.

I can only imagine how vile the GOP message will become if Obama decides to pursue the presidency.

Have you seen the most recent anti-Tammy Duckworth ad from the RNC? Talk about racist! God I hope they go down in flames. The Republican party does nothing but prove to all that they are the party of rich white racist America. We won't last much longer if they stay in power.

this campaign approach is tied to a larger GOP ground operation that follows up with phone calls, letters, and face to face discussion with potential voter (database).

Feedback from the voters database lets them know how effective their ads are and determine if it should be continued ?

jg

The Republicans have nothing to run on,they've had complete control of Congress,and the Whitehouse for six years now,and have accomplished ZERO,ZIP,NADA,so they are falling back on their guns,god,and gay bashing Christian Conservative base for help.
These type of commercials show that the Wingnuts STILL have nothing to offer America except fear tactics.
They still believe that swiftboating will work for their sorry Wingnut candidates.

They are doing this with the name Mark Foley still ringing in the GOP ears.

It won't work.

The Republicans have failed We The People,and they wil be fired on Nov.7,2006

Not as bad as the one coming out using bin-Laden the guys they never caught to scare America. They seem to use any lowlife tactic. RNC grow up you lowlife garbage.

"just not right"

I laughed out loud at that. It is the last argument of someone clinging to arbitrary "moral values" which they can't defend in any other way.

That campaign slogan is very telling. I have heard that same wording come out of the mouth of racists talking about inter-racial marriage. This ad would definitely appeal to the southern racists I have personally known.

Don't fool yourself, racism is alive and well in the south.

If people claim they fail to see use of race in this strategy here they are either completely naive, or full of it. Not to mention, it is a completely idiotic ad and shows the worst in politics. "Yeah, he wants to make it easy on terrorists, yeah he takes money from porn producers, duh....". What a load of crap. The sad thing is people will either conciously or subconsciously fall for it.

Oh and Jim West, dont take this too hard, but you are an ignorant man. If you like Jesse Helms you and me dont get along.

Deborah --

I'm guessing you must live a pretty sheltered life not to "get" the racism in the ad. It has everything to do with people who would NOT vote for Ford anyway to make sure they turn out for the vote by angering them. There are still a lot of whites that look at a black man with irrational fear, that they are going to chase after white women.

The ad plays to the worst elements of who we are as a nation, just like when the ads against John McCain supposedly fathering a "mixed race" baby (actually a baby he and his wife adopted) in SC during the 2000 primaries. The ads were obviously not true, but were enormously effective, and McCain never recovered from it.

It doesn't matter if it's racist or not. What matters is that Tennessee make the best choice for Tennessee. If in 100 years Tennessee continues to be 100 years behind the rest of the world, Tennesseans will have to live with that and it'll be better for Americans in other, more progressive states that don't have to deal with Tennessee.

From someone who actually lives in Tennessee and have seen that swill during primetime, I am insulted. I am, like many here in Nashville, a transplant from much bluer areas. Having lived in the south for a while now, the ads appalls me. But doesn't surprise me that the GOP has resorted to this tactic. And make no mistake, it is a tactic that they have used regularly. Willie Horton, swiftboating, fear, racism, sexism, have they no shame at all. It's just disgusting.

Hey, not all Republicans are racist, sexist, homophobic, pedophiles....only the ones that they elect into office to represent them....

JD/JohnD..or "typical lib democrat"

You can't even back up your lame posts with your real post name.

The Republicans have failed the American people,and they will be fired on Nov.7,2006

The ads are designed to anger black women who traditionally do not like to see any black man of power in the arms of white women.

If you don't see how this is racist then you must not have been a black man in the south. It has only been around, oh say 30 years, since black men were still lynched or beaten for just looking at white women. Why do the Republicans stoop to such low levels? Because their base in Tennessee is still the good ole boys in pickup trucks with their confeferate flags in the window. You better watch the voting machines in this state!!!!

Frank, still waiting for you to explain why you cover this allegedly racist ad, yet you did not cover the DNC ad that riled up the Latino community and that the DNC pulled after a few days. I know you read these, Frank. Come on answer the question.
Or can't you answer why you didn't cover it because you know you are nothing but a partisan hack disguised as a journalist?

This ad is classy,much better than the Michael J. Fox dem ad.
John E....being in Canada,why do you involve yourself in american politics???
Paulo

If you Republicans and spokesman, Ken Mehlman, can't see the racism in this ad, then kindly let me refer you to Senator Trent Lott's statement about Strom Thurman that got Lott booted from the Senate leader's job.

And John McCain, where are you? You got this same treatment in the 2000 campaign regarding the "black baby" adoption. But changing the subject from racist to Mehlman's reply to Tim Russert today: "We have no control over that ad; an independent person is responsible for that ad."That's the same old hoss they road in with to further blacken John McCain's record that referred to his sister's breast cancer. This is precisely when we all lost our vote for him.

Come on, John (McCain)! Tell your rascist buddies to throw out this garbage! And to Harold Ford: Get your people to work on an ad that shows them for what they are. I'm a southerner, and I approve this post!

V. Novosad
Sugar Land, Texas

Do people who are stupid enough to be swayed by this ad even vote?

For those of you who tend to fool yourselves into believing that racism is dead in the south (I can't imagine where you come from), try living as a white man in the deep south (Southeastern NC) and experiencing other stodgy white men who say slightly racist things, then sit back and wait for a reaction, just to gauge where you stand on their disgusting racist sliding scale. It was truly a sickening experience.

Ironically, ALL (and I'm not just assuming or exaggerating) of those men who would say those things were conservative, Evangelical Republicans.

Thank God I no longer live amongst "them." Now I'm in a much more accepting part of the country (red state Central Ohio) where white men and women for that matter, really don't overtly vocalize their disdain but instead categorize and classify based on race or economic level.

I can't believe what I'm just reading, but somebody used the N word in a posting. Whether it was used to denigrate someone or to defend Harold Ford, that's just a word I think we can all agree shouldn't appear in print on a major newspaper web site. What is wrong with you, moderator? First the F word a few weeks back, and now this? Someone get a clue.

The latest threat to voters is not a terrorist - it is a handsome black man that wants to have sex with your white wife or daughter.
The GOP cant get people to pee in their pants any longer by ratcheting up the Osama threat.
What do some white people fear and hate more, or at least as much, as a terrorist?
Sadly, the black man.

Heads up J Dennis Hastert went before Ethics Committee yelling was heard down the hall. Hastert was in there for four hours

If something like that were shown in IL, I'd be insulted they thought I was stupid enough to fall for it.

Racist Republicans??!! No way! They stand for freedom, liberty, and equality for all, right?

This commercial is right out of the Karl Rove playbook.

They are trying to appeal to the rank and file wingnut party members down yonder in Tennesse.

This is the same state that gave us the Grand Wizard Dr.Bill Frist,the same Dr.Frist that incorrectly diagnosed Terry Shivo while watching a video tape of her in his office.

George Jr.,and Cheney are making John Kerry look like the better man,with a better plan for the future,everyday that goes by since they stole their last election.

If Kerry was a flipflopper,then I want a flipflopper for President.
Not the stay the course murdering monkey that we have been saddled with for the past six years,thanks to the Supreme Court.

We must have change in order for this Country to get back on track.
Vote the wingnuts out of office.

Leonard,
In your post you state, "The ads are designed to anger black women who traditionally do not like to see any black man of power in the arms of white women."

Please refrain from generalizing about how black women think and what we feel. We are all individuals just like any other group of people who don't necessarily share the same ideals, ideas, values and thoughts. What if I turned the tables and posted, "The ads are designed to anger white men who traditionally do not like to see any black man in the arms of white women."
How would you feel? Does that apply to you?

Your weak and stereotypical assertion doesn't apply to me as a black woman nor does it apply to several black women who I know.

Please speak for yourself and not for others.
Thank You

John D.,
I'll repeat what was said earlier to Bill. Why should Frank talk about that add you tirelessly keep referring to? It would only bring out the large number of Republicans that agree w/ the message contained in that add spot and further ruin your parties chances by turning off immigrant communities and moderate voters. The Tribune is doing you a favor by not talking about that video.

Wow, the Democrats, proud players of the "race card" for the last 20 years, are complaining about the GOP playing a race card.

Why does Al Sharpton and hypocrisy come to mind/

You remember Ghandi? He runs a gas station in St. Louis.

Or so Hillary Clinton says.

Paulo thats a low budget freak ad

Marty,
Please explain how the Dems are exploiting the deaths of our soldiers to gain power. Most Dems want us out of this mess to avoid anymore senseless deaths.
And I believe you have missed the point of the Foley scandal which is just one of many scandals that justify changing the course in Nov. As disgusting as his behavior is, the larger argument is not about Foley or his emails/IM's. It's the obvious cover up by the Speaker of the House. Do you really believe Hastert doesn't recall a conversation about one of his own having inappropriate exchanges with a 16 year old? The party that is more interested in winning at any and all costs is the GOP. Rove wrote the book on dirty politics. Mcgovern, Muskie, Mark White, Dukakis, Harkin, McCain, Gore, Kerry...all swift boated. And as much as you, and others, like to justify this behavior by pointing out similar actions by the Dems, which party is more guilty of bringing politics to this level? All of it wrapped in god and the flag. I'm with John E, fire them on Nov. 7th.

The ad is not racist at all; it's mildly entertaining and for a political ad, that's something different.
I would invite those who see it as trying to appeal to us dummies to look at Ford Jr.s voting record. There's a lot there. Hyuck hyuck.
(I live in Tennessee and have already been able to vote for Bob Corker). Hyuck hyuck.

Dale Peters...
I know...it came out that Michael J. Fox goes off his medicine for a coiple days before he does these ads,for greater affect.
It looked like he was bouncing around in the back of a watermelon truck on the way to market.
Paulo

Ok, maybe I am sheltered.. but I like to think there are more people like me out here... disgusted with politicians slamming the opponent and not stating thier sides' policy. Diane Feinstien had some illegal nanny 15 years ago or something and I'm thinking... WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH GOVERNING MY STATE?... and the politicians are still playing dirty... will it change?

The AD Appeals to the fears of the majority group. Fear is a powerful motivator. The dixie-crats used it in 1948, and when they morphed into the republican party they still use it.

This disgraceful approach by the Republican party is causing me, as a life-long registered Republican, to support Harold Ford. I agree with Senator Cohen, the RNC has fallen into the gutter and my wife and I are disgusted. For the first time in my life, I plan to vote straight Democrat. It's time to clean house and to clear away the stunning arrogance of Republican leadership.

This looks like something the Daily Show with Jon Stewart would do as a satire of political ads. And the blonde isn't even a good actress - don't tell me that's the best the RNC could afford to hire? Wait, she's probably some congressman's mistress. Duh!
The line that really angers me though is: "Terrorists need their privacy." Implying that trying to protect our rights is somehow aiding terrorists - now that's a propaganda pitch that really reeks. And another typical Rove touch: have the candidate protest the ad, but saying it's the RNC who's refusing to stop airing it. Rovesputin pulled a similar trick in his early days. But then Richard Nixon was his childhood idol - need I say more?

To Dale and Paulo re: Michael J Fox ad ....
And even if Michael J Fox did stop his medicine as you allege, does that make any difference? He suffers from a horrible, incurable disease. Maybe it's a good thing people see just how devastating illnesses like Parkinson's are before they sit in judgment on medical research that could help alleviate such suffering.

As someone who also endures a chronic, incurable neurological disease, I think what he did took courage. I'm not a celebrity, but I know I sure don't like people to see me when I'm having a bad day - and we're not talking about a "bad hair day" either.

Bill,
I noticed that you said Harold Ford is dead in the water.

Bill,I just checked with Fox News,Mr.Ford is running neck,and neck against his racist Republican opponent in Tennesse.
That is why KKKarl Rove has started running a swiftboat campaign against him.

Will the Republicans ever run a campaign based on principles??

When your party thrives on being crooked I guess that would be impossible.

The Gop,The Party of Moral Values, my a*s

pj,

no, you're so racist that the racism in the ad is too "coded" for you to recognize.

re: mack: dead in the water = emmit till.

i didn't think it could get worse than the interpretive license used to nake the playboy football party reference into "racism" but that dropped the bar another notch.

then, i never thought i'd see the day that an american reporter would demand smugly of a candidate to reveal whether he had any undisclosed jewish blood.

honestly, while the right gets drunker and sloppier with its dominance, its still more discomforting to see the left howling and twitching as it recedes further into the twilight.

there aren't enough lieberman's.

The ford's have a long history of corruption... Harold's uncle is up for trial right now for accepting bribes, the family has been behind dead people voting, his aunt tried to rig an election, his brother is a retard ( http://www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=2030262 ), his father had the record for the most bounced checks in Congress, his father also threatened a utilites worker with a shotgun, his uncle has shot at a TN state trooper while driving 110 mph down i-40, his uncle owes over $50,000 in back child support to 4 different women and just bought an $80,000 bmw. The Ford family has a long track record of corruption and uncivilized behavior...

If you're not from this region, you really have no knowledge of the situation, just what the media chooses to tell you...

The list of sins is very long, my friend...

I really don't understand how this blog (and this morning, the Today Show) can discuss this ad without explaining its context, which is criticism over Ford's attending a Super Bowl party hosted by Playboy. If the blonde-babe come-on in the ad was purely gratuitous, of course it would be a racial slur. But it refers to something specific, so the real issue is whether the GOP's intent was to spark the bigots out there as a bonus while chiding Ford for his lifestyle. Not mentioning the Playboy party obscures the issue and misrepresents it. Careless journalism or biased journalism....either way, The Swamp screwed up.
My take: it's just a stupid ad, making too much out of a stupid issue. Who cares what parties Ford, a batchelor, goes to at the Super Bowl?

Janie E., please state how Bob Corker is a racist? You keep calling every Republican a racist when I think it's you who is the racist.

Having seen the ad last night, it's not racist. A little dumb perhaps, but not racist. And Bob Corker has asked the RNC to stop running the ad because he doesn't like it and finds the ad irrelevent, which I would agree with.

But if you folks want to look for racists, try these folks out: Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, any white liberal democrat (you see you folks believe the black man or woman can't make it unless there is some government program to help them), Kweisi Mfume, Steny Hoyer, any white liberal Hollywoodite (how many black-starring programs are on network TV?).

These are the true colors of a real republican.
Making fun of someone with a crippling disease.
Rush talks to his cult and demonizes everything that is contrary to his bemused view. The religious right has hijacked our ability to further stem cell research even though the majority of people would like to see more research. To make claims as to whether he was on medication or faking it....you guys are pond scum. You are the lowest of lows. You guys value the dribble that comes from scum like Rush? The hypocritical drug-addicted king of AM radio? Do you have to sell your soul before you can join the coven?

Linking a black man with a white woman is obviously playing the race card. The KKK used to use that very tactitc, if more overtly, to rile people up.

It may be shameful, but, hardly suprising. After all, this is the same Republican crowd that feels justified in questioning the service and patriotism of decorated war heros like Max Clealand, John McCain and John Kerry - even though their candidates in all of those races never served. (I don't count the Tx Air National Guard, esspecially when Bush only showed up when he wanted to).

We need to just get used to the idea that the current leadership in the Republican Party feels justified in saying anything, doing anything, to hold on to power. They will lie, cheat, steal, whatever it takes. They have no shame and therefore no concience.

Dale Peters...
I know...it came out that Michael J. Fox goes off his medicine for a coiple days before he does these ads,for greater affect.
It looked like he was bouncing around in the back of a watermelon truck on the way to market.
Paulo
Posted by: Paulo | Oct 24, 2006 6:34:57 PM

And while we're at it Paulo, maybe we can get Rush to mock your writing and spelling skills. Gee, you might even be an illegal alien or something judging by the way you express yourself. What would Rush say about that?

Or maybe it could be that you're just faking your ignorance to get sympathy from other wingnuts.

It is because of ads and attitudes such as these, the GOP is getting killed in New York and may become an extinct species in the Northeast. Also add, George Allen and Macaca and Tom Tancredo and his address to the League of Southern voters to the list.

Even if the RNC pulls the ad, it already has a second life on cable TV and the internet. Goal achieved.

I didn't catch the racial overtones; seemed more about sexual licentiousness to me. (Takes porn money, hangs with floozies.)

Slogan is priceless: he's just not right. Ghost of Barry Goldwater ads -- you want to add the word "wing".

Wish Harold Ford would do a sincere ad to black community, inviting them to turn out and vote so that this type of ad backfires on its makers.

Corker has just proved how ineffective he is, and how ineffective he would be as a Senator. He's going to be a "rubber-stamp" for a Republican party out of control. If Corker wanted the ad pulled and can't get it pulled, then he needs to explain to Tennesseans just what he thinks he can accomplish in the Senate except being a rubber stamp for this Republican leadership as they hack away at Social Security and lie about Iraq. Either Corker can have an impact in the Senate or he cannot. This ad flap proves he cannot. Either that, or he's just lying about wanting the ad pulled. He calls the ad "tacky" but whines that he cannot get it pulled. This is an ad that mocks Tennesseans as racists, hillbillies, elvis impersonators, and trailer trash. Corker bemoans the fact that it's by an "independent" group, yet Ken Mehlman defends the ad. This is the Republican Party, folks~the party of racists and outsiders who mock and smear all Tennesseans~and Bob Corker can't--or won't--do a thing about it.

From blake's post: "...his [Ford's] brother is a retard..."

I thought this issue has been addressed - why is that word still being allowed? I don't know, nor does it matter, the status of Ford's brother's mental faculties (what does that have to do with Ford himself anyway?), but to use that hateful word to try to impugn a candidate is to show blatant disregard for all who suffer mental disease and disability and their families. Moderators, please do some moderating once in a while. Thanks.

The poll I was referring to was the SurveyUSA poll done last week that had Corker at 51 and Ford at 42. This is less than two weeks before the election, mind you. That's dead in the water to me. G. Chell, you can keep New York and those tiny states in the Northest. We'll take the rest of the country any day.

Folks, while I always have a soft spot for Michael J. Fox as he is around my age and what has happened to him is very painful to watch, Mr. Fox has opened the door for criticism. Whether he knows it or not, he has lied in several ads. Jim Talent is all for ADULT stem cells, which actually have proven to help, but opposed to EMBRYO stem cells, which to date have NOT shown any inkling of helping. Fox says Talent is against stem cell research and wants to criminalize it. Untrue. What Talent does want to outlaw is stem cell research used for cloning purposes.
Also, while his ad for Ben Cardin in Maryland says Cardin supports stem cell research, Cardin actually voted AGAINST it.

It is fact that Fox will not take medication when he is appearing on Capitol Hill, doing an ad, etc. Having said that, though, what he is like when not medicated unfortunately is who Mr. Fox is -- a Parkinson's victim.

blake,
So what your trying to tell me is that the Hillbilly idiots like you,down yonder in Tennesse,should vote against Ford because of things his family did???

blake,Thanks for giving us the Grand Wizard Bill Frist by the way,you redneck hillbilly's are a joke to the rest of the country.

John D.,
Show us these "facts" that he stops taking meds. Also someone tell us how you can choose your family. I know it's too late for Ford but I'm sure there are future pols who have family members that have made mistakes. If you can share your secret then maybe swift boat attacks on family can be pre-empted.

Jethro, first of all please inform me where I attacked Harold Ford's family.

Regarding Michael J. Fox and how he stops taking his meds at certain times, well Jethro it is in his book "Lucky Man." I'll repeat that for you: In Michael J. Fox's book "Lucky Man," he writes that when he appears before Congress or other similar functions, he will not take his medication so people can see the true effects of his Parkinson's.

Having said that, without his medications, Michael J. Fox suffers incredibly. He is his true self without the meds, and I do not mean that in a negative light. It is what it is.

Also, what people are attacking Mr. Fox over is that he makes false claims in these ads. For instance, he says Talent is against stem cell research. Sen. Talent is not. He is in favor of ADULT stem cell research, which has proven successful in more than 70 instances. Talent, however, is against government-funding of embryonic stem cell research, which to date has shown not once to work. In addition, he did an ad in which he says Rep. Cardin of Maryland is for stem cell research, when in fact Cardin voted AGAINST it.

Again, my heart goes out to Michael J. Fox. He is my age, I grew up watching him, always enjoyed him. But he should be honest and not deceptive in his partisan campaigning.

",you redneck hillbilly's are a joke to the rest of the country."

Ahh the sweet sounds of liberal tolerance.

The very working class, average Americans John E. and the left claim to be for. Sounds like a little self hating going on for a 43 year old. Is your son serving in Iraq with any "red neck hillbillies?"

Maybe one will save his life someday.

Hmmm. over hyping Obama, over trashing poor southern white folk.

John E. are you a self loathing guilty white male?

If so, stop taking it out on the rest of us.

It's also worth noting that the "voting against stem cell research" that Fox campaigns against does absolutely nothing to the legality of embyonic stem cell research. Embryonic stem cell research is legal and is being pursued privately by every major research university in the U.S. Jim Talent never once voted against its legality.

All that Talent and the democrat Ben Cardin did was vote against government funding of research that takes away the ability for human life to grow out of embryos. Embyronic stem cell research may or may not be a panacea for people afflicted with diseases like Parkinson's but since private research has been proven to be more effective, anyway, there's absolutely no reason to spend the taxpayers' money on something that 1 out 2 Americans consider to be research that destroys human life.

John D.,
The comment about Ford's family was not directed at you but the others who brought it up.

And with regards to Fox not taking his meds, I don't see a problem w/ that. So he is being himself and showing those who don't know how Parkinson's has taken over his life. It would be worth criticism if he was acting.

Wow. "Redneck hillbillies" And to believe this is one of the same posters that calls everyone who disagrees with him racist at the drop of a hat. He should know that demeaning epithets aren't just limited to racial name-calling. Anyway, this is a great example of exactly how much the left truly cares about poor whites from the south.

Blake,
How could Harold Ford have chosen to come from a different family?

JD/John D,
Girlfriend,I like myself,in fact,I think that I'm a great guy.

Bill,
I've always thought that a well educated young Republican like yourself should move down to the deep south so that you can be a leader amongst your fellow constituents down there.
I'll bet you can get a big ole piece of property down yonder fur nutin et all Bill.

JD and Bill,
How are you so confident that blake is poor and white?

Has anyone seen the new Ford ad where he tells the camera that the republicans are "attacking my family?" He refers to a picture (presumably with Harold and his brother as kids and their parents) and then gestures toward a bunch of pictures he has hung up in his kitchen that look like they were drawn by third-graders. Whoever made the ad is STRONGLY suggesting that the GOP is going after Harold's non-existent children. I guess the director thinks nobody knows that Ford is a bachelor. Never does he mention that the "attacks" are against his corrupt father and his younger brother who couldn't stand that Tennessee democrats nominated a Jewish white man to take his brother's former congressional seat and is now running against him as an independent.

And they say the messages in the republican ad are veiled.

Dienne, I completely agree with you about the moderating or lack thereof. I just wait to see which four letter word slips in anymore.

Again, Jethro I am not criticizing Fox for not taking his meds to get his point across. I see no problem with him showing the full ravages of Parkinson's upon him. My heart goes out to him and cannot believe this man in his 40s is in this condition.

I just want him to be honest and not dip into lying partisan politics, which he unfortunately has done. And as Bill points out, private embryonic stem cell research as well as state-funded continue. It's just whether the federal govt should be involved. And the other important point being is that adult stem cells have proven effective, embyronic to date has failed.

I'm not confident Blake is poor and white, but John E. sure is.

I doubt Blake is, but if you disagree with John E. and challenge him, he freaks out, can't handle it and quickly resorts to the insults.

Its common among many left wingers. See the title of this thread for proof.

Bill:

And the GOP is getting killed in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, PA, Colorado, Minnesota and Iowa too!! and pretty soon, it would be California's turn. The North will rise again and will be the majority..The GOP will only hold the south and Texas and they can have it!

Yes, I must agree with Dienne. I don't see where Ford's brother's condition has anything to do with anything. And for someone to make fun of someone for their handicap is quite grotesque. Course, we have John E. calling Bill Frist a Grand Wizard, which is quite grotesque as well. But then I never expect anything but the gutter from John E.

G. Chell, Ohio and Indiana will remain in the red column for a long time in every presidential election, count on it. Illinois has long been lost, but surprising inroads are being made in the collar counties and downstate. California has a republican governor poised to romp to a second term. Pennsylvania is a post-industrial mess that is hemorhaging population (I should know), you can have it. Colorado and Iowa will stay red.

Here's the lastest poll on Tennessee:
Corker 49, Ford 44 stick a fork in Ford.

G. Chell, why don't you consider Texas a part of the South?

If you want to know what goes on at the R.N.C,go out into the back yard after a hot, hard rainy- really rainy night. Turn over a big rock. Take a good look at all the creeping, slimy things as they go slithering for cover. That's today's Republica party. They've just begun to sling the fecal matter11

Bill,
Typical knee jerk response from a young Republican like yourself.

Go ahead Bill,stick a fork in the black candidate,like the rest of the wingnut crowd is doing.

Bill:

Dont change the topic. I am talking about congressional races here. I am talking about Election 2006. If you guys dont have illegal aliens counted towards the census, Bush would have lost the Presidency in 2000. Half of the electoral gains made by AZ, TX and FL is due to illegal aliens being counted in the census. Of course, same is true of CA. But, the GOP gains more due to the presence of illegal aliens in the states where they are strong. Where did I say Texas is not part of the south. Its voters, particularly its white voters are the biggest beneficiaries of illegal immigration. These illegals boost the power of the white Texans by adding a lot more electoral votes...and this has been aided by DeLay's gerrymandering. If the Dems dont gerrymander out the GOP in Illinois and New York like the GOP did to the Dems in Texas, they are the biggest bunglers and dont deserve any power anywhere, let alone at the Federal level.

ooh, G. Chell. Entertaining post.

I hope you stick around. There's lots to talk about.

Oh, by the way...in case you haven't been paying attention. Most illegals from Mexico end up in the Chicago area blowing your theory.

I'm glad you asked, G Chell, here let me quote you:

"The North will rise again and will be the majority..The GOP will only hold the south and Texas and they can have it!
Posted by: G. Chell | Oct 25, 2006 2:54:57 PM"

Now, it seems to me like you referred to "the south" and "Texas" as two separate places in that post. I can't wait to hear you explain your way out of this one.

I don't know what census figures you're going on but for aliens to vote they need to be naturalized. Plus, your argument assumes that all the illegal aliens in Texas, Ariz., and California are republicans. Every "immigration rights" rally I've ever seen is filled with marchers from liberal groups, people waving Mexican flags and marchers screaming slurs at the President and even sometimes destroying his effigy.

While I agree with you that illegal immigration is a big problem its affect on congressional district makeup is the least of the problems this nation has with it. The drug trade, the drag on the economy and jobs are much bigger victims of illegal immigration, not to mention its real victims, the poor who work in unsafe conditions.

As for DeLay and his gerrymandering, he was only undoing what the democrats of Texas (and in the pre-1996 U.S. Congress) did before him. Dan Rostenkowski and company taught him too well.

You have a vivid imagination, G. Chell.

I tell you what, if someone was really slick at the DNC and knew how to run a campaign, they'd make a similar "jokey" ad and run it in all the same markets as the RNC one. Except this ad would make a bold statement and be risky, so the DNC would naturally never have the (guts) to do it.

This ad would have the same hokey music but feature pictures of Ford at the Super Bowl enjoying the Playboy party. They could even hire some bunnies to say how much good, clean fun they had. Then Ford would address the camera and say "I couldn't believe the Republican National Committee was criticizing me for going to a party thrown by Playboy. You know, with what's going on with their party, I'd expect them to be relieved that a bachelor politician likes girls and football."

And at this point the spot would show reverse type "negative" headlines detailing the Mark Foley IM transcripts.

Then it would flash back to Ford in his suit looking all senatorial and he'd say, "if you want mud slinging and scandal then vote for the republicans, but if you don't care about any of this nonsense and really care about the issues facing Tennessee today, then vote for me, Harold Ford, for U.S. Senate. Together, we can change things in Washington."

Sometimes these things write themselves.

This ad is typical of the non-issue negative ads and misleading ads run by both national parties this year. But, honestly, let's give credit where credit is due...Mr. Rove for starting the truly ugly efforts.

The ad isn't overtly racist, it appeals to racists who think black men should only marry or have sex w/ black women.

"I don't know what census figures you're going on but for aliens to vote they need to be naturalized. Plus, your argument assumes that all the illegal aliens in Texas, Ariz., and California are republicans. Every "immigration rights" rally I've ever seen is filled with marchers from liberal groups, people waving Mexican flags and marchers screaming slurs at the President and even sometimes destroying his effigy."

Obviously you have no mathematical clue or any understanding of how electoral votes are apportioned among the states. Texas has 31 electoral votes because the census counts the illegal aliens and legal aliens for redistricting purposes. Thus for instance, if Texas has 30 million citizens, 4 million legals and 3 million illegals, and New York has 30 million citizens, 1 million legals and no illegals, Texas population is counted as 37 million and New York as 31 million. Thus, Texas gets 31 electoral votes and New York 28. If we only count citizens, both New York and Texas would get 29. Texas thus has a three vote advantage merely because of the presence of more aliens, legal or otherwise. Very true, that only citizens can vote. What do these illegals and legals do? They boost the power of Texas citizens over that of New York citizens by simply residing in Texas. In other words, it boosts the power of southern whites over folks in other areas, because they are the majority in Texas. Rep. Candice Miller tried to introduce an amendment to include only citizens for redistricting purposes because Michigan was getting screwed big time. However, DeLay and others called her in and forced her to withdraw the amendment, because only using citizen numbers in the redistricting process would mean that blue states would gain electoral votes and the GOP could be shut out of the Presidency. Had only citizens be included in the apportionment of electoral votes, Bush would have lost in 2000. Gore would have received 281 electoral votes instead of 267.

http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/03/07/oh_redistricting.html

Don't forget Diebold G. Chell.

DIEBOLD BABY!

It's just the liberal media twisting things again. You should be used to it now!

G. Chell, are you naive enough to believe that illegal immigrants aren't driving up the census numbers in huge blue state population centers such as New York City and Chicago, too? Or Los Angeles? I wonder how many of Daley's "hispanic democratic organization" members are illegals. Why should the republicans stamp it out when this is a redistricting game that's obviously played by both sides? I don't feel one bit bad for Michigan.

I have one question for those who say this is not race baiting. Would the same ad have the same impact if it were run in say, New York or Los Angeles? I know it is hard to speculate, but I strongly feel that it would not.

In the south, especially states like Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, etc., it is unfortunate that a lot of the old attitudes about blacks still persist. I know, I'm from Alabama. Remember, it was because of the outrageous behavior in Mississippi that was the sole reason for the creation of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

This subtle implication of a black man being intimate with a white woman panders to the most racist instincts of the Southern white male. This is no accident. As many have pointed out, it was the exact same tactic used by the Bush team in 2000 to "discredit" John McCain, by passing out flyers that showed he was the father of a brown baby. That campaign sunk McCain chances in a key primary.

It is also no accident that there has not been a black senator from the south since the 19th century. And the ad has possibly helped Corker --in a CNN poll out today, Corker has picked up an 8-point lead over Ford, where just a week ago it was just about neck-in-neck.

Our country has made great strides in race relations, but without question, we still have a ways to go.

I guess you have to be a typical Democrat racist to read racism into this. Maybe the ad is targeting DEMOCRATS who think everything is racist? If a blck woman was used, Democrats would have found that racist somehow, too.