I knew something was wrong with this McCain ad, but I just couldn’t place it. Brent Staples, though, explains it perfectly in The New York Times:
In the Old South, black men and women who were competent, confident speakers on matters of importance were termed “disrespectful,” the implication being that all good Negroes bowed, scraped, grinned and deferred to their white betters.
In what is probably a harbinger of things to come, the McCain campaign has already run a commercial that carries a similar intimation, accusing Mr. Obama of being “disrespectful” to Sarah Palin. The argument is muted, but its racial antecedents are very clear.
The thinly veiled racial undertones in this election are hitting some voters loud and clear, even though some may not recognize it. Staples also talks about other members of the GOP are characterizing Obama with antiquated racial signifiers like “uppity” and– maybe even more appallingly– “that boy.”
I’m hoping these instances will be fewer and farther between as we near November 4, but something tells me that the opposite will be true. Meanwhile, in our so-called “post-racial” society, Obama will have to continue to be conciliatory where other candidates might be downright indignant, a throwback to the days where black men had to avert their eyes from a white woman to avoid retaliation.
The way that Republicans have attacked Obama are disgusting, but not surprising. They have placed him in a particular quandary wherein he is ridiculed for being too soft-spoken and passive to be an effective president during this time of war, yet his image is hardened when it’s convenient to characterize him as the bad guy, just like in this modern Willie Horton ad (Daily Kos suggests you watch it without sound for the full effect):
It’s tough to see Obama have to tiptoe around things that candidates don’t typically have to avoid, but if it gets him into the White House, do we have a choice?
