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October 27, 2006
The Politics of Race
The recent flap over the RNC's ad against Harold Ford hasn't been sitting well with me. This puts me in a position I absolutely hate - having to (almost) defend Republicans - euch. The controversy specifically relates to the blond "Playboy Party" girl - how she asks Harold to call her and gives a wink. It seemed like a good ol' fashioned political hit ad that was admittedly slightly amusing (which is the most insidious kind because it gets in your head with realizing it). Then the accusations of racism started flying. At first I couldn't understand why. And then I found out why people were making a big deal - because Harold is African American and the woman is White.
Perhaps I'm "naive". Perhaps I'm living in a "tweed jacket liberal-fantasy land". Maybe I need to "leave the beltway" more often. But...
What the hell is racist about a chick telling some dude to call her?
I mean, honestly, are there more than a tiny handful of idiots out there who still get worked up over this? I thought they were all focusing their hatred on the gay community now!
Harold Ford has the RNC running scared. He's taken a seat that should've been an easy lock for the Repubs, and is about to flip it. He's run a fantastic campaign while employing some absolutely fantastic talent. He's substantially more conservative than I would personally like, but he seems like a great fit for Tennessee. He's smart, he's religious, and according the "Quorum of Ladies" with whom I hang out, he's quite..."hot".
There has been some real bigotry this election cycle from the Republicans - George "Macaca" Allen's tendency to hang around with White Supremacists is a pretty clear example. I don't know if the RNC meant for this ad to have any racial overtones - it seemed to me like they were trying to reinforce the party-boy image. Racism does still exist out there, and people do still play on those fears - but this didn't strike me that way. But like I said, maybe I'm naive.
Euch - I actually somewhat defended the opposition. I'm going to go take a shower now.
Posted by MikeSager at October 27, 2006 9:27 AM
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