Posted on 03/11/2008 7:18:10 PM PDT by forkinsocket
ON first watching Hillary Clinton’s recent “It’s 3 a.m.” advertisement, I was left with an uneasy feeling that something was not quite right — something that went beyond my disappointment that she had decided to go negative. Repeated watching of the ad on YouTube increased my unease. I realized that I had only too often in my study of America’s racial history seen images much like these, and the sentiments to which they allude.
I am not referring to the fact that the ad is unoriginal; as several others have noted, it mimics a similar ad made for Walter Mondale in his 1984 campaign for the Democratic nomination. What bothers me is the difference between this and the Mondale ad. The Mondale ad directly and unequivocally played on the issue of experience. The danger was that the red telephone might be answered by someone who was “unsure, unsteady, untested.” Why do I believe this? Because the phone and Mr. Mondale are the only images in the ad. Fair game in the normal politics of fear.
Not so this Clinton ad. To be sure, it states that something is “happening in the world” — although it never says what this is — and that Mrs. Clinton is better able to handle such danger because of her experience with foreign leaders. But every ad-maker, like every social linguist, knows that words are often the least important aspect of a message and are easily muted by powerful images.
I have spent my life studying the pictures and symbols of racism and slavery, and when I saw the Clinton ad’s central image — innocent sleeping children and a mother in the middle of the night at risk of mortal danger — it brought to my mind scenes from the past.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
It is delightful to see Mrs. Clinton on the receiving end of racial McCarthyism.
Apparently, the requirement for being a sociology professor at Harvard is a highly active imagination, combined with a bit of paranoia. I, a white male, got absolutely no racist message from this bit of Clinton fluff. The point of the ad is whether you want an experienced person as President. Based on that criteria, I want neither Obama nor Clinton. Which leaves me open to attack as being racist and sexist.
That’s kind of a weird analysis by this New York Slimes op-ed guy who we never heard about before today.
He claims that there is “subliminal” racism, that nobody apparently saw before today.
He says that because the girl is blonde, then the KKK was invoked. What BS.
Sounds cooky to me. This is an Obama hack, part of the media campaign to make his socialist ass president.
By writing this asinie article NYT is actually helping Klintons, who desperate want at this point to INJECT RACIAL issues in the campaign.
They know fully well that in General Election campaign, media would successfully bring Blacks back to them by proper amount of hate/fear mongering.
If Obama and his surrogates have any intelligence, they would give one speech on how they would NOT ALLOW this campagin to become campaign about race. Otherwise Klintons would get their wish.
GHW Bush did not run that ad. It was some other clown totally unconnected to the campaign. I hate it when people diliberately lie to tarnish a good man. Bush I may not have been a great president, but he was a decent man. These liberal pukes have no concept of honor and decency.
It shows. It really shows ...
You know it could be so........the Clintons have played race the whole campaign through.....there is no Democrat wily enough to deal with the bad guys at large in the world. They all want to cuddle up to them and make money together at the expense of the “cattle”...as she called everybody but the President.
Perfect example of the inkblot test in action - show a picture to a leftist, any picture, or show a blog post or magazine article, any post or article, or the wording of a proposed law or constitutional amendment, etc., and if they sense a way to gain some political advantage, they will “find” racism in it. The eye of the beholder, etc.
Watch her and her enablers again and again, Orlando. It's the politics of personal destruction. You are assaulted and battered. Every weapon is at their disposal.
The Clintons are despicable to play upon and capitalize on such sickening fears and innuendo al for their ultimate power.
I felt the same way when I saw the ad, something was seriously wrong in the Clintons imagery.
Before the race fights started, Clinton had a big lead over Obama. It's only favored him, and his campaign knows how to use this.
“The Willie Horton ad that George H. W. Bush used against Michael Dukakis in 1988 was a crude manifestation of this strategy”
The point was that Willie Horton was a dangerous guy who shouldn’t have been let out of prison, a point lost on the sociology professor from Harvard.
That is because you haven’t made the study of subtle racism your life’s work. If he can’t find racism in EVERYTHING a white person does, then his work is worthless.
Ask the professor the following question: Why did the white man cross the road?
Prof’s answer: Because he is a RACIST!
Really good “subliminal racism" will not be "seen." It will be subtly felt, but not the most affected person will be able to explain why. It will not be obvious enough for any media or lawyer to make a good case. But it will be effective.
If Willie Horton had been a white guy let out of prison by Dukakis, I would have no problem with anyone using Horton to make a point against Dukakis. I have no problem with anyone using the black Willie Horton against Dukakis.
All the Southern Primaries where there is significant Black Population are out of the way. All except Kentucky.
Remaining States are mostly States where Blacks are in smaller numbers, starting with PA.
I don’t think he wants this nomination battle be about race.
He needs to cut in HER base and he can’t do that if HER BASE thinks he is playing the RACE CARD.
ONLY REASON he is here is because he NEVER let the campaign be about race. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Why do you suppose Jackson, Sharpton, Bonds and Farrakhan have been hiding out in Bunkers for MOST part? Even they know that their MUGS are associated with RACIAL POLITICS. The best thing they can do to help Obama is not let his Campaign be associated with racial politics. One way to do that is by NOT BEING SEEN.
Her tit is in the ringer now!
“It is delightful to see Mrs. Clinton on the receiving end of racial McCarthyism.”
If they’ll go this far against the Clintons, wait til you see what they’ll do to us.
Good grief. I think the author of this article is just looking for racism. I've seen that ad and while it's really dumb, I don't see anything racist about it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.