This election will prove whether America is smart or dumb.

He's kind of staking out the outer fringe of the GOP argument that Obama is racializing the campaign...

Ole Joe has a point there...maybe Obama should've thought about that before he chose to be black.

It's a race war now? How can networks even let that clown get away with saying that? And then he's laughing and smiling a moment later? You don't make charges like that and then want tpo play all happy-go-lucky.

I love ALL McCain surrogates are saying McCain wants to talk about the issues - like if they say it enough it becomes reality.

Obama has some of the lamest surrogates in history.

Once again, this from the McCain Youtube site from JUNE!! Notice the face on the bills.

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

And then the McCain Camp puts out this ad - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/01/mccain-camp-happy-to-inje_n_116360.html

It's like they had all of the race hate attacks stored up waiting for the moment Obama possibly brought up his own race and figured that gave them the opening to run on the topic.

Like the "troops/publicity ad", it was admitted by a GOP operative that the McCain camp had an attack strategy waiting should Obama have went to the troops. It was pretty much a no-win trap.

Joe Watkins is a minister in a predominantly white Christian denomination (i think its Presbyterian) should know better than this.
This guy is a nobody and quite frankly a shill for JM. Whenever he comes on i just press the mute button. He has no credibility. he will say anything to score a few points with his Republican buddy's.

PRINCETON, NJ -- According to Gallup Poll Daily tracking from July 29-31, John McCain and Barack Obama are now tied at 44% in the preferences of national registered voters.

Dr. Danny Jazarevic, former Chief of Trauma, Critical Care and Vascular Surgery at Landstuhl concerning Obama’s canceled visit to Ramstein and Landstuhl: “Last week, Senator Obama skipped a visit with wounded U.S. troops at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany because the Pentagon would not allow campaign staff or media to accompany him into the hospital. I served as director of trauma surgery at that hospital for nearly four years and saw the effect that a visit from a celebrity like Senator Obama could have on morale. During that time, I do not recall a single member of Congress canceling a visit with the troops despite being just a few hours away, but Senator Obama seems to have been more concerned with how the visit would affect him than how it would affect the soldiers recovering from wounds received in the service of their country.”

I worry about race being the issue - that's not something that's to Obama's benefit. If even a fringe associate's Obama with "race war" or anything like that, it's not a good thing.

But take a look at Watkins when he defended McCain speaking in Canada and attacked Obama in Germany. His defense earned him the nickname "Special Kind of Stupid"

http://strategy08.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/joe-watkins-is-a-special-kind-of-stupid/

McCain is framing the argument with the help of media hack like Dana Milbank, George Stephenopolus, Mark Halperin, Pat Buchanan, and Jake Taper.

Drudge report is their mega phone...it is time Obama adopted Hillary's communication strategy if he is to win this election or else he won’t be able to get his message out.

Sell out, uncle tom, uppity. I thought you'll was talking about Obama for a second!!

This is panic mode by the McLame camp. This Rovian / Helmsian racial crap is supposed to get smeared on the opponent a couple of days before the election in order to leave no time for cooler heads to prevail. (It's also supposed to be a bit more subtle). Going over the top on this on AUGUST 1 for chrissakes is a sign of sheer desperation, and a guarantee that it won't work.

Okay, maybe I live in my own little world by I feel like this kind of junk firms up support for Obama from those who were already going to vote for him and might actually sway people who were doubtful about him to feel less doubtful. They may even be starting to see that McCain actually isn't an honorable man.

"As noted here yesterday, the point of accusing the Obama camp of playing the "race card" is to undercut his image as a racial uniter who's not interested in re-fighting past political battles, and instead to paint him as confrontational on race."

His image as a "racial uniter"? What are you on drugs? Obama ran the most Racist primary campaign in History against the Clintons. Now he is trying it against McCain and people are seeing right through his bullshit.

Obama can end this now, Today. McCain has given Obama ALL the ammunition he needs to shut this down completely.

McCain has a web video that puts Obama's face ON A DOLLAR BILL! ! !

Video:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/08/01/mccain-ad-did-make-fun-of-obamas-appearance/

McCain has personally delivered the PERFECT counter to his own ridiculous accusations. Perfect.

Why isn't the Obama campaign sending this video to every news organization? Why haven't they done this already? Whatever the reason, they need to get on the ball and shut this narrative down.

Sen. Barack Obama got heckled today while giving a speech in Florida. The hecklers were African Americans who wanted to know why he hasn't spoken out for the AA community.
Obama is starting a race war with African Americans who denounce him.

One thing that never ceases to anger and annoy me about TV anchors talking heads is that they never call fools like this out. The interviewer's response - and I have no idea who she is - was like, "Well, we'll see if that happens." (ie - Obama ceasing his "race war") It should have been - "Hold on a second, Rev. Watkins. A race war? That's a very strong charge. Exactly what do you mean by this and how is Obama waging a race war?"

Never happens, though. Sigh....

Obama's had his 15-minutes. The racism and sexism he, his campaign, paid propagandists (which I'm sure include a number of TPM commentors), and the unruly but star-struck cult following have trafficed has gotten very old, pathetic, and embarrassing. It is long past time to truly call everyone on this trash. It is unseemly that the Democratic party has been usurped by an arrogant cult leader that has no experience, claims credit for the efforts of others, and throws anyone and everyone under the bus when they get in the way of his quiotic quest for the White House.

You know, at least Clinton and McCain can look themselves in the mirror and be proud of what they have done in life, what they are doing, and how they affect the people around them. As well, their patriotism is intact and they inspire trust and respect. For Obama, except for and including the Hitlerish cult following he as assembled, it's all a calculation absent any substance.

Well it has begun. Now let's see if the DNC and the Democrat "leaders" have the balls to fight back.

I just want to shake them! They are as guilty as McCain for allowing this kind of stuff to happen. If they aren't careful they are going to lose the whole thing.

It seems to me that the media have decided to support McbushSame, and sadly nothing much can be done on this.

Honestly, I don't know what the Obama campaign can do...

No matter what they say, the media are spinning in favor of McBushSame...

Any takers?

"Race war"? Wingnuts can't escape the 1960s, and don't think anyone else can, either. McCain is re-fighting the Vietnam War again and again until we WIN, dammit, and wingnut "strategists" are seeing Black Panthers behind anyone who isn't as pasty as McCain.

I'm sooo glad this is the last presidential election where we'll have a candidate from either party who's stuck in 1968.

The seamlessness that these individuals went from Bush loyalists to McCain advocates is amazing.

Just once I would like to see someone call them on the many times that they have been wrong in the past. Unfortunately, the wrongs of the republicans are for history to decide, while the wrongs of everyone else are for voters to decide.

If it was to seriously be a race war then what side will Watkins be on.

That is the question the host should have asked to make him think of the words he uses before he says them. Being from the south, these are the type that laugh at racial jokes directed at him but sees no problem with the joke except how funny it might be. I grew up with these types of people and they always created this foul taste in my mouth on sight.

Would we as Americans really would like our country to be portrayed to have the type of people that could recreate a Rwanda or Bosnia. This is complete and utter trash and incompetent reporting and hosting. The suggestion alone of a "race war" to an intelligent society should make you want to vomit. This is the most disgusting telecast I have witnessed "to date". The news media needs to be more responsible in what they air. They are up in arms because of Janet's nipple but the allow someone to incite a race riot without question.

I wish we could have had these types of conversations on the air during the day of Malcolm X and the Black Panthers...

Oh we did and do you remember how you felt then and seem as if the Republican want it back. Please note in today's society the black race is not at the complete bottom of the barrel anymore. Blacks are now the biggest consumers in America per capita. This means that they have much more money to waste than the thrifty white half. Potentially financing this race war that Watkins identifies is actually realistic today.

We the People in reality know that Americans, namely blacks, have grown closer due to many of the strides this country has made due to the past 150 years of freedom more so in the 60's - 90's. The new millennium really has been too fruitful, but I digress.

There is no possibility of a all out race war because it doesn't make since to real Americans to fight over something so petty. "Are we not human" as many a black person has said and still saying. What really is the difference between a common black person and white person in America? On the other hand, what is the difference between a millionaire and a common black person or white person in America?

We listen to this crap and act on it. When will we be "aware" and start making them listen to us? How do we do this? By using the same thing that makes us different in this country, "MONEY". Stop giving it to them and pay attention where your money is going when you use it.

We continually give them the resources to keep us separated and fighting while they clean up from both sides because we got to eat.

Everybody we talk about in these blogs have absolutely nothing in common with us except they breathe. They are not true Americans because they would feel like they are in this crap with us and demand true debate. The perpetual dissemination of this garbage is truly infuriating and makes you want to scream at somebody, but the ones responsible are never there.

WE ARE THE PEOPLE... PEOPLE.

There needs to be a boycott of cable television. CNN/MSNBC/FOX, etc. is GARBAGE. At least broadcast will try to be - hell I don't know-place description.

Anyway, this guy is totally off message and wrong--we've already moved on from this. According to the WSJ today, Obama is playing the svelte card. Think it'll work? Ask yourself this: are you more svelte than you were 8 years ago? I'm sure not. And I blame Obama. He's glommed up all the svelte and there's none left for ordinary Murikans like you and me.

What? You mean to say race is going to be an issue in this election?

Who could have guessed?

Republicans stand 4 R-epulsive E-gotistical P-erverted U-nprincipled B-ackstabbing L-ying I-gnorant C-owboys A-nd N-eocons S-ubversive,GOP stands 4 Gas Oil People or Gain Or Profits,also to all the uneducated hatemongering racist imbeciles who keep talking about driking kool aid and empty suit and all this bullshit about hes to far left or blah,blah tony rezko,rev.wright,bill ayres if he was white muthafuckas wouldnt b talking about all that shit,if he was white he would b leading by 40% and tha last time i check i heard dennis kunichich was way more liberal than Barack,also much respect to all the open-minded smart GOP's like sen.chuck hagel,sen.richard lugar,Gen.colin powell,susan eisenhower,president.reagan son whose a staunch obama supporter!!!