Wednesday, September 10, 2008

McCain Does a Remarkable Homer Stokes Impression

And I have it from the highest authority that that Negro sold his soul to the devil!
- - Homer Stokes, O Brother, Where Art Thou?

The attack strategy emerging on the McCain side is to assault across the lines of family values and sexuality. First, the Republicans nominate a pedestrian hockey mom. Then they falsely accuse Barack Obama of calling her a pig when he directs a common aphorism (even used by John McCain in the past) toward McCain/Palin support of Bush policy. Now they have jumped with both feet into the hog slop with a tawdry "education" attack ad that spins Obama into a seedy lust merchant encouraging kindergartners to have sex. The sexuality line of attack is not unusual since there has historically been a white stereotype about black male hypersexuality more or less riding the undercurrents of American politics. That undercurrent surfaces at the end of the new McCain attack ad.

It's clear that the slickest, quickest way to demonize an African American candidate for president is to attack his family values and sexuality. And McCain has started demonizing Obama full bore. But there could be blow back against the Republican attack ad; that blow back is already emerging on the tubes:


McCain's opposition to a bill that teaches kindergartners to protect themselves from child molesters is potentially radioactive. I don't know how hockey moms feel, but what nurturing soccer mom (or dad) would oppose the idea of schools doing more to teach children how to protect themselves from molestation?

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