Election '08
Since I'm a Canadian, I can't endorse any of the candidates, (well, now that Colbert is out), but I am of course following the races relatively closely given the overarching impact the US has on Canadian and world politics. As the race closes on the first primaries, the mud-slinging is starting in earnest. I came across two posts today regarding the Clinton campaign and her allies going after Obama. Interesting reading, to say the least.
Let’s be clear about the continual smears from the Clinton surrogates: “Hey, this guy is a Muslim, black, drug-dealing, madrassah-going, unelectable, scary brown Hussein — but we didn’t mean it the way you took it.”
The Clinton campaign, like any county sheriff from the Deep South in the Jim Crow era, is making this campaign about one thing: “N***er, N***er, N***er.” It’s repulsive and inexcusable. 1 To put this in context, Atrios uses a phrase “scary brown people,” when he justifiably points out some Republican appealing to racism and xenophobia. Appeals to fear conflate all of these: Muslims, black people, madrassah-attenders, brown people, various Husseins, inner city drug dealers, etc. The Clintonistas are doing the same thing right now. Every day this month.
And that's pretty tame compared to Jill Tubman's translation of Bob Kerrey's comments.
And on the Republican side, Ron Paul's shot at Huckabee over his Christmas ad is, well, certainly not mincing words.
