Axelrod: 'Dollar bill' remark about race

So the Messiah and his chief handler have admitted to injecting race into the campaign (as if it's a new tack for them). Are we supposed to be impressed with their honesty? I'm not. It's not as if they could possibly deny it.

What does the color of his skin have to do with anything? He's the only one bringing it up. Stop the race baiting, Obama!

Although it would be politically correct of the Obama campaign to go with Robert Gibbs' explanation (the first response; i.e. it was about his history) I believe that Obama was correct in his St. Petersburg Times interview that everybody knows that race is an issue, albiet I believe a small one that is often inflated by the media. The comment was, indeed, pertinent in his speech/comments to Missourians that live in an area that is 98% white.

Instead of injecting race into the campaign, as the McCain campaign has claimed, Obama is again only bringing the issue to the fore for a second before moving on to other topics.

It's relevant because some people have a hard time voting for someone who is black even though he graduated from Harvard Law, has written several books and was a professor of constitutional law.

"He's not from central casting when it comes to candidates for president of the United States," David Axelrod today told Good Morning America. "He's new to Washington. Yes, he's African-American."

However, on Thursday, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama was referring to the fact that he didn't come into the race with the history of others. "It is not about race," he said.

"There was nobody there who thought at all that I was trying to inject race in this." - the great Obama.
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Conferred with Fozzie Bear and we agreed that this is the Modern Education way to make an important historical distinction.

Posted by: Eric | August 1, 2008 3:56 PM
Oh PUH-leeze! Obama's remarks were a absolutely baseless accusation against his opponent. The same tactic used against Clinton. How is that especial pertinent to a Missouri audience?
Nice try, Eric.

You know, what's the big deal anyway? He was talking about himself. If he were talking about his opponent, then it would be different, but he was talking about himself.

He has the right to do that, you know.

So, "There was nobdy there who thought at all that I was trying to inject race in this." How does he know that? I guess now he can read the minds of all the people that were there. Is he sure of that?

"It's not about race" according the Obama camp has now slowly morphed into "It's in part about race." And today both Axelrod and Obama use the words "central casting" to try to defend the remarks and claiming the remarks were aimed to educate.

Let's start with the obvious: The faces on all of U.S. Currency are not all presidents. And yes, they are white.

The correct thing to do would be for Obama to stop defending his remarks and apologize for bringing race into the mix.

But then, Obama never admits that he is wrong.

Just because you talk about race doesn't mean you are "playing the race card."

Race is an important issue and a legitimate topic of discussion. Some people may want to bury their heads in the sand and ignore the issue, or pretend it doesn't exist, but it does.

The key is how you address race. Obama was using humor to obliquely reference his own race while addressing the larger issues of some of the rumors and skepticism that have been circulating about him.

Meanwhile, the McCain campaign shows its immaturity in talking about race, by immediately categorizing the mere mention of something remotely racial as "playing the race card." In doing so, they show that they are willing to drag the level and standard of public discourse down to the lowest level.

It might be believable that McCain was bringing race into the election except that he can't get the press to cover him enough to do that in the first place.

No, Susan, you're wrong. He was accusing his opponent of injecting race into the campaign when no such thing happened. Obama is the one talking about it. He's obsessed with race - hardly someone who can bring people together it seems. Please, Susan, if you must drink the kool-aid, keep it to yourself.

One of the key questions in this campaign is whether we as a nation can collectively discuss controversial topics like race in a mature, sophisticated, and civil manner, or whether we must inevitably decline into immature point-scoring, 'gotcha' politics, and ad hominem attacks.

I would venture to say that Senator Obama's campaign has been betting on the former. Meanwhile, the increasing influence of former Karl Rove staffers in Senator McCain's campaign is a clear sign that the McCain campaign is betting on the latter holding true.

So, Bemused -- talk to me.

Does any mention of race constitute "race-baiting" in your view?

And BTW, it was completely legitimate for Obama to raise the specter of attacks against him based on fears related to his race, youth, etc. Are many of you ignorant or naive enough not to realize that Obama has been the subject of racial and ethnically based or tinged attacks. Here are just a few examples:

- New Yorker cover (yes, they were attempting satire -- but they were satirizing the attacks)
- circulated photo of Obama wearing African ceremonial garb
- repeated false rumors that he is a Muslim and the like

I've got new for all of you morons. This campaign is about race, has been from the very beginning! This is America, not Germany! (Unfortunately so for Herr Obama) In any case, Obama does not stand a snowballs chance in hell of getting elected, there are far too many racist democrats out there, although they would be the last to admit it!

Obama is a smug, smirking con man. Nothing more.

Is there a more pointedly dishonest duo in politics today than Axelrod and Obama (with Daley thrown in for good measure)?

The statement was clear that "they" meaning McCain's campaign were going to try to scare us because he looks "different." First a denial, now, they admit that it was about race. Replace the words "look different" with African-american, and its about race. Logically, that's what he was talking about and it was a baseless accusation against the McCain campaign, nothing more, nothing less. Frankly, Obama should be apologizing for his comment rather than criticizing McCain for calling him out.

P.S. I think the Moses ad is hailarryous, so there.

Ok, T-Rain. If we can have an honest, mature conversation about race, then it's not necessarily race-baiting. What Obama said, however, was patently false. He claims that "they" will try to frighten people because of the color of his skin. This is not only intellectually dishonest, it is patently race-baiting. As to the New Yorker ad cover - I believe the Obama-supporting publishers have stated that the cover was satire. The photo of Obama wearing African garb is what it is - I've seen U.S. Presidents wearing native garb - it's not a big deal. There are plenty of false rumors about McCain, and plenty about Hillary. I believe Senator Obama is a Christian, but being a Muslim is not a bad thing at all. We are a nation of diverse cultures, races, ethnicities, and religions. I embrace that. I do not embrace it when anyone - McCain or Obama - tries to uses it for some sick political advantage. And what Obama said was used for for just that.

From the Republican chickenhawk who admires Mr. 8%, Dick Cheney, and worships Jr., comes this profound revelation:

Obama is a smug, smirking con man. Nothing more.

Posted by: Jeff | August 1, 2008 5:09 PM

Thanks for the past eight years, Jeffrey, it's been a great ride.

"Obama is a smug, smirking con man. Nothing more"

Jeff, are you comparing Obama to Bush? If you are than that is pretty serious disgusting and baseless name calling of the worst sort. Have you no sense of decency sir?

Don't play coy with us, Bemused. Everyone knows that the rumors about Obama are harsher, more racist and less based in truth than rumors about any candidate. And anyone with a brain can see that the Republicans are trying to win by making Obama seem alien to mainstream American values. They might as well just admit it, they're not fooling many people. Well... let's hope they're not.

Love the photo work guys. It was as baseless as if McCain used the line......."Nobody thinks that Obama has a real answer to the challenges we face. So what he's going to try to do is make you scared of me." "You know, he's too patriotic, a war hawk, he's hugged Bush, he's got a plain name, you know, he looks like all those other presidents on the dollar bills."

It is truly OBVIOUS that John McCain needs a NEW set of advisers! OsiSpeaks.com

Bemused 4:47 PM -Susans like that in all her posts. She probably believes all Whites are racists. I think Obama brings up race and uses that continuously because of his roots in Chicago, he's been in the Chicago Bubble where all they talk about is Oppression by the Whites. I moved to Illinois 2 years ago, and it's the worst reverse racism I've ever witnessed. It's a mind set and he is trying Chicago politics with Main Stream America, and it's not well liked or understood amongst mixed races. That game doesn't play here, we expect more substance!

Here it is, McCain's Obama dollar bill web add from last month:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDTJDv4hevU

Well, this whole discussion misses the point--he wasn't talking about race per se but FEAR-mongering of McCain's camp.
Doesn't anyone feel obligated anymore to take things IN CONTEXT?

I am a registered Republican and am ex military with service in country RVN as a Naval officer. Obama has my vote.

I am embarrased by the horrible job Bush and his administation have done and associate McCain with many of Bush's policies. McCain's admission that he doesn't know much about economics and his inability to use a PC begs the question --- where has this guy been for the past two decades?

Republican ground rules for a national conversation on race:

1. Current racism against African Americans must never be mentioned.

2. Historic racism against African Americans must never be mentioned.

3. "Reverse racism" against Caucasian Americans must be acknowledged as a henious evil the likes of which the world has never known. Whites must be acknowledge as an oppressed race.

4. African Americans must take responsibility for all racism and acknowledge that the only racists in america are African Americans.

Any discusssion of race outside those ground rules will never be considered legitimate by the Republican Party and it's supporters,

Here we go again, Obam clarifying what he said. "What I meant blah blah blah." Did he poll the people to see how many of them thought he interjected race with that comment? If not, how does he know that most of the people there thought he was not using the race card? If he wasn't talking about color, what was he referring to, maybe the beards, wrinkles, gray hair, one of them was fat, was he referring to size, what did he mean by I don't look like the others on the dollar bills?

Susan, does your brain miss half of what you read. His comment was directed at McCain. Not just an innocent comment about himself. I have read your comments in the past and you seem to miss the point on most of the things you comment on.

Flip Flop, Flip Flop, Flip Flop, Obam just FLIP FLOPPED again, this time on off shore drilling. Tune in to CNN for the latest Obam Flip Flop.

Wayne 4:05 PM-The same could be said of some Blacks not voting for Whites because of their color. I don't know of anyone not voting for Obama for anything other than his Socialist/Marxist views. Maybe a Manditory/Volunteerism Brown Shirt position appeals to you, but I like spending my free time with my own peeps, thank you ha ha!

Racism, as the political coin of the liberal white guilt realm, was minted by the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. It will be spent at every opportunity.

Obama is simply minting his own with his face on it.

Obama is nothing but a cheap salesman, selling empty promises promoted by the thousands that market his image and writes the fluff words that spill out of him. He cares about nobody but himself.

As a state senator he did nothing for the folks in Illinois. He once had an opportunity to save 350 Amtrak jobs that were based in Chicago and he did not lift a finger. We met with him and Jesse Jackson at operation push back in 2003 and he was aloof and just plain uninterested in trying to help 350 families save the jobs that provided their income. He is a man without substance, a liar and a hypocrite.

The American public must wake up and view his uncommitted voting record, his bad judgment, his typical political BS...he is nothing but a hollow puppet man who is filled with nothing but hot air.

America Wake up and see the reality and the damage this fraud of a man will cause our great country if elected president.

I have always been democrat but this time around I must vote for McCain for he is the only real choice.

BHO admits there was a racial element to his remarks? Someone should tell his spokeshumans appearing on the news shows. Daschle didn’t get the memo. I think people are going to soon get fatigued from this constant racial discussion. I am tired of it already. Should these petty squabbles continue I cannot see it helping BHO's campaign.

RNC-if it weren't for the current reverse racism (the one your people dont acknowledge), many of the real cases of racism against Blacks would be looked at more seriously. You've hurt your own cause by not condemning the false claims. We should ALL be working together to end it where it exist, regardless of color.