Election ad 'plays on fear of Arabs'

Guardian ^ | 03/12/04 | Suzanne Goldenberg

[Pikamax]

Election ad 'plays on fear of Arabs'

Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington Saturday March 13, 2004 The Guardian

The re-election campaign of President George Bush provoked a new controversy yesterday, with a television ad campaign using a picture of an olive-skinned man to illustrate terrorism. As a voiceover warns that Mr Bush's presumptive opponent, John Kerry, is soft on terrorists, a split-screen shows people at an airport, and a young man with flickering eyes who turns menacingly towards the camera.

The ads are the most aggressive so far - targeting John Kerry by name. Arab Americans said the campaign played on racism and fear, and could inflict further damage on a community marginalised after September 11.

"When they turn around and say John Kerry would be soft on terror, they don't use a picture of Osama bin Laden. They use a young good-looking, Middle Eastern male turning around looking furtively," said James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, which called on the Republicans to change the ads.

Amid the furore, there were suggestions yesterday that Mr Bush's strategists are seeking such controversies to shore up Christian Right support.

Although the first round of the campaign ads last week were criticised for images of flag-draped coffins at the charred shell of the World Trade Centre, such imagery has played well to Mr Bush's core supporters. So has Mr Bush's support for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages.

Meanwhile, Mr Bush has been assiduous in courting the party right. On Thursday, he addressed an evangelical Christian convention, putting himself firmly in their camp by reiterating his opposition to stem cell research, abortion and same sex marriage.

In preying on bigotry, Republicans may have calculated there was little need to court the Arab American vote. A new poll yesterday put Mr Bush's approval rating at just 32% among the sizeable Arab communities living in swing states such as Ohio and Michigan.

[Diogenesis]

Zogby suggested a Palestinian "state"
to be run by terrorists which was adopted by Hillary and then the Democrats.

PARTIAL LIST OF TERRORIST ACTIVITIES

1968 Robert Kennedy assassinated
1972 Munich Olympic Massacure Sep-5,1972 (Black September)
1976 Entebbe Hostage Crisis, June 27, 1976
1979 Iran Hostage Crisis, Nov. 4, 1979 444 days
1979 Grand Mosque Seizure, Nov 20,1979
1981 Assassination of Egyptian President, Oct 6,1981
1982 Assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister, Sept 14, 1982
1983 Bombing of US Embassy in Beirut6, April 18,1983
1983 Bombing of Maring Barricks, Beruit, Oct 23,1983
1984 Hizballah Restaurant Bombing, April 12,1984
1985 Egyptian Airliner Hijacking, Nov 23,1985
1985 Rome Airport murders
1985 TWA Flight 847 hijacked, U.S. Navy diver murdered
1985 Achille Lauro hijacking, Homacidal maniac lived in saddams Iraq
1986 Aircraft Bombing in Greece, March 30, 1986
1988 Pan Am 747 Flight 103 Bombing, Lockerbie, 100's murdered
1988 Berlin Discoteque Bombing, Dec 21,1988
1992 Bombing in Israeli Embassy in Argentina, March 17,1992
1993 Attempted Assassination of Pres. Bush Sr., April 14,1993
1993 First World Trade Center bombing, February 26th, 7 Killed, Hundreds injured, Billions
1994 Air France Hijacking, Dec 24,1994
1995 Attack on US Diplomats in Pakistan, Mar 8,1995
1995 Saudi Military Installation Attack, Nov 13, 1995
1995 Kashmiri Hostage taking, July 4,1995
1996 Khobar Towers attack
1996 Sudanese Missionarys Kidnapping, Aug 17,1996
1996 Paris Subway Explosion, Dec 3,1996
1997 Israeli Shopping Mall Bombing, Sept 4, 1997
1997 Yemeni Kidnappings, Oct 30,1997
1998 Somali Hostage taking crisis, April 15,1998
1998 U.S. Embassy Bombing in Peru, Jan 15, 1998
1998 U.S. Kenya Embassy blown up, 100's murdered
1998 U.S. Tanzania Embassy blown up, 100's murdered
1999 Plot to blow up Space Needle (thwarted)
2000 USS Cole attacked, many U.S. Navy sailors murdered
2000-2003 Intifada against Israel - 100's dead and injured
2000 Manila Bombing, Dec 30,2000
2001 4 Commercial airliners hijacked, 250+ murdered
2001 World Trade Center attacked, 2800+ murdered
2001 Flight 93 murders
2001 Pentagon attacked, 180+ murdered
2002 Reporter Daniel Pearl, kidnapped and murdered
2002 Philippines American missionary, Filipino nurse killed
2002 July 4, El Al attack Los Angeles LAX, several murdered
2002 Bali bombing - 200 dead, 300 injured
2002 Yemen, French Oil Tanker attacked
2002 Marines attacked / murdered in Kuwait
2002 Washington D.C. sniper
2002 Russian Theater attacked, 100+ dead
2002 Nigerian riots against Miss World Pageant, 200 dead, dozens injured
2002 Mombasa Hotel Attacked, 12 dead, dozens injured
2002 Israeli Boeing 757 attacked by missiles, fortunately no one injured
2002 August Hotel bombing in Jakarta, Indonesia. 12 dead, dozens injured.
2003 Rusian concert bombing
2003 Phillipines airport and market bombing
2003 Foiled SAM plot in the USA
2003 UN Baghdad HQ Bombing

[RetroSexual]

Perhaps if Arab Americans spent more energy speaking out against terrorists we would be less inclined to use them to represent terrorists. The fact is that all 19 of the 9/11 hijackers looked like the guy in the ad.

Where is the outrage in the Arab community about their terrorist neighbors?

[clintonh8r]

Geezis....I guess we're gonna have this hyper-analysis of Bush's ads for the next eight months. I notice none of Effing Big-head's ads gets the proctological exam, though....

[cwb]

Zogby was just on Hannity and Colmes saying this ad is prejudice against Arabs...and may cause an outbreal of anti-Arab sentiment. It appears Bush is being prohibited from running a campiagn this year.

[Diogenesis]

It appears Bush is being prohibited from running a campiagn this year.

BADA-BING

Time to re-rename the War for Enduring Freedom to INFINITE JUSTICE.

[F16Fighter]

"When they turn around and say John Kerry would be soft on terror, they don't use a picture of Osama bin Laden. They use a young good-looking, Middle Eastern male ", said James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, which called on the Republicans to change the ads.

I propose replacing the "young, good looking Middle Eastern male, turning around looking furtively" with Zogby himself -- at an airport terminal.

[Cicero]

Is he supposed to run an ad showing blonde terrorists? Or the usual little old ladies in wheel chairs? Arabs have been involved with most of the terrorism around the world for the past twenty years.

[Spruce]

Time to re-rename the War for Enduring Freedom to INFINITE JUSTICE

I second that.

[OldFriend]

Zogby can kiss my royal jewish rear end!

With apologies to Mike Moran!

[GeronL]

its racist. we all know muslims can't be terrorists. /sarcasm

[Paul Atreides]

"When they turn around and say John Kerry would be soft on terror, they don't use a picture of Osama bin Laden. They use a young good-looking, Middle Eastern male turning around looking furtively," said James Zogby,

Gee, I didn't know that Mel Gibson produced the ads. ;-)

[Paul Atreides]

The libs are just livid that W had the temerity to run any campaign ads at all. In their world, Kerry gets to trash W all he wants, and W is supposed to take it.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Yes, and I was outraged when during WWII FDR used ads regarding the war in the pacific using Japanese-looking men.

[SelmaLee]

I'm sure they have a whole cast of people lined up and ready to trot out - to counter any ad that the Bush/Cheney team puts out.

"Hey, look, that guy in the corner there, he has dark eyes!" "Quick, get James Zogby on the line and fax these talking points to him!"

[cwb]

Yeah...I'm thinking it is also time to take this war to the media. Their reactions have reached such a level of desperation that they have dropped any pretense of objectivity.

[Principled]

bigot: a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices.

Is it obstinate to fear middle-eastern males? Not in my opinion. Middle eastern males very nearly to a person have been the terrorists. The only exception of which I am aware is when some middle eastern females tried to murder some innocent Russians in a theater.

Is it intolerant to be desirous of being free from those who would kill you? I am intolerant because I won't tolerate those who would kill me solely due to my religion not being ok with them??

Prejudice is prejudging. Exactly what does the author assert is being prejudged?

This article deserved a turbo-mega-hurl alert, pike.

[blam]

"Zogby can kiss my royal jewish rear end!"

Both Zoghby's can kiss my WASP rear end too!

[jackbill]

James Zogby is a Super-Delegate to the DemocRAT Convention in Boston.

Besides that, he is a major league Clymer.

[OldFriend]

We must not be the silent majority or the media will escalate their bias to a level never seen before.