Prominent Liberal Blogger Says Britney Ad Implies Obama Has a “Taste for Young White Women”

Sounds like Swift-Boat II…

Senator Obama is extremely popular with his supporters and thats the way it is supposed to be. The fact that John McCain’s supporters find it hard to get enthusiastic about him is simply a sad reality.

Wow, I am so sick of Obama playing the race card. Why does he think he is the one the world has been waiting for when he is down in the polls?

Fact: In the latest round of polls, Mccain is polling stronger with the republican traditional base, than Obama is with the democratic traditional base.
Vote Mccain 08
Vote Hillary 2012!

No Jake, it is perfectly typical and respectable to use images of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears in political campaigns…what subtext?

You know, for all of the talk about Obama, what about Britney? Trust me, I’m no great fan, BUT, the girl has issues and has been working to get herself back on track —and then to be portrayed in such a demeaning way? What was McCain thinking? Why do this? She’s young and clueless (despite being a celeb) Kicking her while she’s done is just mean. Unseemly; has that ick factor to it and is paparrazi and tabloidish to boot. We are at war, people are losing their homes, jobs, investments; gas and milk prices are at record levels and THIS is what we get?

What purpose would the ad serve if the “sexy white girls” were not in it?
Calling him a celebrity? That’s a fault? Out of the millions of available celebrities why these two? And then they throw something in there about gas prices just to make it look legitimate.
It’s so obvious what whole purpose of the ad is.
Then the McCain team knows that reliable MSM will reinforce these images by playing the ad a million times.
Welcome to Swiftboating 2008.

Any criticism of Sen. Obama has to racist? Right? Having staff or staff paid by others (aka MSM) cry racist every other day is NOT a good strategy for winning this election.

NEWS FLASH To all of you John McCain supporters….he is not going to win.
Obama/Hagel ’08

Why do the liberals and Obama always bring up the race of their candidate?

i guess if he were that low obama could put out a few winner adds about mccain——however he is proving to be the better man.—–i could put out a few good cartoons about mccain and they would be true–he keeps trying to scare the older women.

So if there are any white people in an anti-Obama ad, it’s racism?
When all else fails, accuse McCain or his supporters (and I’m not even one of them!) of being racist.
It worked in the primaries, so why not?

as a big Obama supporter
I say this “liberal blogger” and I am a liberal…
is an idiot.
I studied “feminist rhetorical critique” at Ithaca…
this hurts people who are really trying to fight racism and sexism where it really exists…
this blogger who said this should shut up
I see this similar to other signs that the Obama campaign needs to get a hold of its direction…
bring in more humility (like the VP choice being one that recognizes what the candidates weaknesses are rather than trying to ignore them)
and try to make sure they have a little humble voice in the back of their head telling them…”if you act bigger than the election…or bigger than the voters…you will be brought down hard.”
having said that McCain campaign is acting …like snide stupid jokester of a High school football hero at the 20th reunion where the nerdy loser has suddenly become the wealthy success story.
Mccain is the weaker candidate and not smart or modern enough to handle all these issues we are facing…again unless OBama shows with his VP choice that he is not who he says he is…and then Mccain could step in with his choice and show he is the maverick.
Obama needs to be VERY careful with this first Presidential decision.

old
it is moreso the old ideas–like in the 50s—–as far as old what else could you call mccain—no dont say it

Josh Marshall is totally off base here. The ad equates Obama with the most vacuous of the vacuous and implies celebrity and drawing large crowds (with rock concerts by the way) does not a leader make. It is a good ad and turns a strength into a liability. How on earth does a white woman saying call me equate with this? And uppity -those are Josh’s words. Just another example of the Obama campaign and Obama supporters playing the race card yet again. Any criticism of Obama is racist -yup hope that works for them.
As for me I think I shall rely on those same voters who, in their wisdom put George Bush back in the white house when he was losing a war, trashing the economy and while bringing huge windfall profits to Arab countries that hate us to rise up and vote in overwhelming numbers against Barack Hussein Obama.

Harold Ford, the most intelligent and qualified candidate for the senate in 2006 was a shoe-in as our next Tennessee Senator. The excitement and support was overwhelming UNTIL the blonde bimbo “Harold, call me” ad. The minute it played, my husband said “That’s it. The ‘conservative’ vote has been mobilized.”
Tennessee is for the most part a great place with many kind, sweet and intelligent people. It is also the home of Nathan Bedford Forrest. So look for Barack to do well in West and parts of Middle Tennessee. He’ll be week the northern and southern borders and of the state and a no show in East Tennessee. The Paris/Britney ad will mobilize the O’Reilly/Limbaugh crowd who are always a jittery herd on the verge of stampeding anyway. Let’s hope that the rest of the country can see through the McCain fear mongering.

I am so tired of all the isms. Sexism Racism Ageism…..does anyone know what these things really mean???
McCain add is NOT racist….if you try you can see racism in everything
Can we STOP With the isms and get on with what is really really important Like taxes, the cost of gas ( Which is slowly making it very difficult for me to get to work each day)The price of food. The issues in Iran and Iraq and Afghanistan
What happened to NOT making this about race. Seems to me every time I turn around someone is calling someone a racist. Lets move on from the crap and talk about something important like HOW were are going to fix what is really wrong and WHO will be the best person for that job. And WHO CARES taht McCain is no longer with his first life…she is ok with it so move on Obama is not a Radical Islamist so move on from that too
Ignore the foolishness taht the media is pushing to confuse you READ the candidates records Read the sites Read what they have donbe not just the speeches they give They are speaking hoping to win. LOOK WHAT THEY DO AND HAVE DONE Dont let the media decide for you who you should vote for.

I find it interesting that Obama constantly throws out the race card while pretending to be above that sort of thing. The democrats are the party that judges a person on the color of his skin his religon, etc. rather than the content of his character.
No wonder that Martin Luther King was a republican.

and “Obama Girl” is what?

It’s not just Josh Marshall. James Wolcott of Vanity Fair had an interesting blog quote yesterday on McCain’s celebrity ad (which assumes a racial-sexual subtext to McCain’s ad):
“Regardless of the racial-sexual subtext being purveyed, referencing Britney Spears and Paris Hilton seems a bit tired and dated, the older generation scolding the younger. Picking on Spears in a political ad seems like poor sportsmanship (she’s hardly done the harm to the culture that Ann Coulter has)…”

Wrong. The message is that the Obama is an airhead chased by the papparazi. If the Obama cannot defeat that message, which is of no political value, then the Obama does not deserve to be President. I say the Obama is inevitable. Stop vetting the Obama, it does not good. Accept it. Get your affairs in order so you can pay the Obama.
=======================================
Visualize the Obama!
=======================================

With this in mind, how do we analyze Obama girl?

Obama’s comment that he is the one that the world has been waiting for kind of reminds me of something Britney or Paris would say.

I think Josh Marshall overstepped. I think that the McCain campaign is loving the attention. What does McCain actually believe in?

Juxtaposing photos of Senator Obama with two insane white women with sexual, drug and alcohol issues? The ad speaks for itself and doesn’t require any interpretation.
So much for McSame’s promise of “a civil campaign” that doesn’t stoop to “personal attacks”…just one more flip flop to add to the ever growing list.

Bottom line: however the ad is interpreted, it’s still ridiculous and far below the level one would expect in a presidential campaign.
Team McCain is desperate, grasping at straws, and trying anything and everything, hoping something will work. Which of course has the opposite effect to what they intended.

The ad must of been very effective given the number of kool-aid drinkers whing about it.

This ad has really freaked ‘em out!
Reminds me when the libs ran around all day screeming HALLIBURTON!! HALLIBURTON!!
I love it…

Regardless of their intent, the ad just made Obama look better, “a world celebrity”, and made McCain look like a childish whiner.

What does McCain actually believe in?
Whatever is most expedient in the situation.

The ad is fantastic.
Hits at the heart of why so many of us will never vote for the empty Obama and why we think his followers are idiots.
It hits home and that’s why the Obama idiots are melting down.

You may expect better from the McCain campaign and McCain himself. Unfortunately, McCain’s mind has been taken over by the disciples of Karl Rove [maybe even Rove, himself]. Hopefully, the American people will not fall for the same deceptive tactics that brought us eight years of George W. Bush. So far McCain is demonstrating that he has the same stride, leaves the same footsteps as the Nation’s worst president, ever. Pity. At one time he [McCain] seemed an honorable man.

This is ridiculous. I hope the McCain campaign runs an ad with the rapper lyrics-talk about offensive and RACIST. Where is the DNC outrage about the part about Hillary?

Are you kidding? Republicans running a racist campaign ad? Inconceivable! [Excuse me but I do not thing that word means what you thing it means....]

The people Obama needs to be concerned about when considering the impact of the ad are independent voters like me.
It struck at something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on before about why I am wary of voting for Obama.
Quite simply, I’m a little nauseated by his hardcore fans and the adoration he seems to bestow on himself (a convention speech in a stadium instead of the regular hall).
I’ve tried not to hold it against the candidate, and to see it as a minor annoyance. But this ad made me think about it more deeply and ask exactly what Obama has done or credibly can claim he will do that merits a vote for the presidency.
I haven’t come up with anything. Not one thing. Not one cause he has demonstrated commitment to or success in his few short years in office.
And so, indirectly as a result of this ad and what it caused me to consider, I will likely be holding my nose and voting McCain. I’m nearly positive now that I would not vote for Obama.
He really IS just a celebrity famous for being famous, in the mold of a Paris Hilton.

It is difficult for me to reconcile what this McCain campaign ad says about Barack Obama, and the fact that Barack Obama used to be a senior lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago.
Obama is drawing crowds because people who desire better representation not only think he can represent them, they think there’s a strong chance he’ll be able to get things done. There are a lot of people in the US as well as worldwide who have been disenfranchised for years from the federal government and from decent international relations with the US. What McCain is trying to call mere “celebrity” is an attempt to damn with faint praise what people are actually feeling about the Obama candidacy.

It is the reaction of Obama, his campaign and supporters that is far more damaging to him than the actual ad.
Same with the New Yorker cover.

No. This ad doesn’t play the race card. It is, however, as vapid as the starlets it employs.

Current chief McCain strategist Steve Schmidt has a longstanding working relationship with Terry Nelson.
Mr. Tapper, why did the Rick Davis memo supporting the celebrity ad include a reference to Tom Cruise, as well as Spears and Hilton, but he did not appear on screen? Because he was deemed by the McCain campaign as being too serious (!), or because he is not a twenty something white woman of questionable morals? Even if their intent was not to use images with racist undertones, they put out a frivolous, gratuitously condescending ad with the hope of creating as much buzz as possible, with much to be interpreted and/or misinterpreted by the viewer.
Does Mr. Davis still think this is the most entertaining thing he’s seen in quite a while?

For all his much-vaunted principles, John McCain makes it clearer and clearer by the day that he will do and say anything to become President.
He wants it like people say Hillary wanted it: too much. Nothing out of bounds. Real, real bad.
No thanks, John McCain.

Marshall hits the nail on the head. This the is same old politics from a Rove minion. It’s a shame McCain is cheapening the public discourse (and his own image) with silliness like this. But the press keeps giving him a pass because they’re his base. The media loves McCain.

Well, Lynne, I’m neither a scholar nor a fan of Barack Obama, but if you ask me, his greatest accomplishment is 1) not being George W. Bush and 2) not being John McCain.
Good enough for me—and a whole lot of other voters, I might add.

McCain and Bush were both at the bottom of their college class and make fun of their lack of accomplishment. McCain at least served our country honorably. McCain has an honorable record in the Senate. Obama is at the top of his class and a Senior Lecturer at the U of Chicago. Obama was offered full professor with tenure and turned it down to serve his country. Being smart and able to do the job of President matters and Obama is clearly more qualified on this basis that either Bush or McCain.
But McCain’s campaign spots are not about qualifications or ability or ideas or policies. McCain is pushing sex/race innuendo to make us miss the important points and be uncomfortable with Obama based on stuff that doesn’t really matter.
In my view, McCain is just shooting himself in the foot with his sleaze.

“Sounds like Swift-Boat II…”
Damn, I hope so!

Today we learn that Exxon reported the largest profit in corporate history–$11.66 billion. Just a little reminder that McCain promises to allow Exxon to continue making our energy policy.
As soon as they start drilling, our energy problems will be history and Americans will once again be riding high in Hummers and Cadillac Escalades–
according to McCain.

Josh Marshall has proven himself to be an unbalanced flake during the primaries. He actually played the race card alot sooner than I thought he would.

Ford,
The GOP has been using the “Southern Strategy” for 40 years. Do you actually think they are going to give up on something that has worked for them?
Seriously?

Obama didn’t play the race card. John Marshall didn’t play the race card.
McCain did (Marshall and others called him on it), and looks like he will keep doing so because it works.

I believe the Republicans are very good at running nasty, negative, smear campaigns.

Of course the racist subtext is intentional. McCain’s new political team is comprised entirely of karl Rove alumni, and they’re doing their thing.
And of course the McCain camp calls accusations of racial politics “ridiculous.” It’s just part of the cynical game they’re playing.
This is exactly the “tired old politics” that Obama wants to defeat –the politics of division, fear, ignorance, xenophobia, and sectarian hatred.

I’m a voter who is doing well financially, benefits from the Bush tax cuts and GOP fiscal policy in general. I have problems with both candidates on the Iraq issue.
I am also a professional woman who is pro choice and generally socially liberal.
I am a swing voter for those reasons, and usually a late decider. More often than not I vote Democratic.
In my mind these two candidates are currently tied. I was, however, offended by the sexism against Hillary Clinton during the primary and the determining factor this time around will be whether Obama picks a woman Vice President.
If he does, he gets my vote. If not, it goes to McCain. That is the dealmaker or dealbreaker for a voter like me right now.

Sounds like Swift-Boat II…
Posted by: pt | Jul 31, 2008 7:26:58 AM
———————————
OH IF ONLY!!!

Britney and Paris are famous for being famous right now, even if Britney had a past career. That’s why Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise wouldn’t work, or Lindsay Lohan for that matter.
The Paris and Britney celebrity is particularly ridiculous because they are vapid and narcissistic.
The producers of this ad know Obama has precisely the same problem. Self-glorifying for no real reason.

Obama only leads McCain by one point in today’s Gallup.
This brilliant ad has brought the truth home to people, and it has nothing to do with seeing racial subtexts

Josh Marshall is a partisan ideologue who wouldn’t know the truth if it bit him and has suddenly developed the ability to read minds.

Obama will win this thing in a walk and the dems will pick up 20 House seats and 10 in the Senate, thus allowing them to cut Lieberman loose.

What’s wrong with a political candidate drawing crowds? Isn’t it refreshing that so many people have become interested in finding the right person to run our country? Seems to me that a political candidate being a “celebrity” is a positive thing.

“They didn’t, because Britney and Paris better epitomize vapid and immoral.”
So explain the racist angle. Poptarts are poptarts. The press calls him a rock star so why not use that?
Of course, so many of BHO’s supporters claim racism about ANY criticism no one should be surprised this time.

I love it when people bash Jimmy Carter, the same man who as President made an executive order that from 1980 on the United States could no longer increase their dependance on foreign oil but the order was overturned the moment Reagan came to power, who really had the long term strategic interests in mind? I also love hearing McCain supporters whine about how Obama won’t debate him in a town hall, just keep whinning it’s great, it’s mcCain’s new slogan there nothing I won’t whine about.

Anyone surprised that this is just another typical Republican campaign? The last thing they want to do is talk about the issues effecting the American public.
Will they get away with again? Will we get another 4 years of Republican control of the WH, DoJ, EPA, GAO, FCC,et al? Will they get to nominate their RW activists for the Supreme Court? Those are the real issues and that’s why the Republicans are happy to make Obama the object of their smears. It deflects the conversation from the real issues why we need a Democrat elected as President.

John Sidney McCain is stuck in the past and will do anything he can to deflect attention from his tired and pathetic non-record of legislation.
The Republican base, as always, foams at the mouth and at the corporate trough.
Look at the photo of him grasping George W. Bush like Bush was his savior and Bush’s arms are raised to heaven. You talk about presumptuous.
McCain has no solutions and no dreams, at least not ones that aren’t colored by whatever sedatives they are giving him.

I was a McCain volunteer in 2000. A fact that I currently find embarrassing. Turns out that John McCain is not half the man I thought him to be. This Navy Vet is for Obama.

I’m an air force veteran. I used to respect John McCain.
I no longer do. I’m sick of the bait and switch political ad campaigns, and the snide insinuations.
This veteran is enthusiastically voting for Barack Obama. It is indeed time for a change.

I hear a bit of protestething too much from the Obama fans.
This ad will be the turning point in the campaign. Bye BamBam.

Yeah try to play it off as “backfiring.”
The nervous laughter from the Obritney camp isn’t convincing anyone. The commercial is devastatingly effective.
McCain has pulled within a point of Obritney in national polling. That translates to bad, bad news for The One.

The point of the commercial is that Obama refuses to drill for oil. The only association that should be made with Obama and Spears or Hilton is that they are all no nothing airheads who live in some fantasy world…

“To a racist, however, it’s a flashing red beacon light, reminding them of the very strong, emotional reasons they do not want Obama to be president”
The flaw in your logic is a racist would already be against him. Try some common sense.
So many of the lefties here can’t lay off the ad hominem attacks. I wonder why?

Oh please…he is calling Obama a light weight. It has nothing to do with race.
It has to do with 143 days in the Senate!
Geez…get some perspective!
Obama diminishes true racism every time he tosses the race card out. It is disgusting!

you guys are FUNNY! Ranting and raving about how awful Obama is or will be. Same crap they threw at….lets see, Roosevelt, Kennedy, Carter, Clinton, etc. You kids should study some history. You kids should study some ANYTHING, the stupidity on here is like a virus. Meanwhile, the poster earlier got it right. Obama wins in a walk, as he should, and the dems get 20 more in the house and 10 more in the senate. Finally, maybe the grown-ups will be in charge for a while.

I think the blogger is correct. I thought the same thing the minute I saw the ad. It seems to go with the Rove theme about a month ago. “He’s the one at the country club with a pretty girl, etc….” Story line continued and I promise you more to come. I know Rove was not thinking of Michelle as the girl.

Newsday’s Political Punch blog nails it:
“The problem: Anyone with even a vague sense of pop culture knows that Britney and Paris are yesterday’s news. Here’s a link to Forbes’ Celebrity 100. Paris and Britney don’t even make the list any more.
Instead, the top 10, in order: Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, Angelina Jolie, Beyonce Knowles, David Beckham, Johnny Depp, Jay-Z, The Police, JK Rowling, Brad Pitt.
So, they didn’t pick other big celebrities, who were either men, or black, or married.
What they picked was two sexually available white women.
But it must have been a coincidence, because we know John McCain wants to run an elevated campaign focusing on the serious issues that America faces.”

Up thread Susan says:
“Obama’s comment that he is the one that the world has been waiting for kind of reminds me of something Britney or Paris would say. ”
Actually it is a phrase that Ghandi said! So that we all would take responsibility for “becoming the change we wish to see i the world!”
As for the ad… it is clearly RACIST and intended to link Obama with young available white women so you would be scared of the “uppity” black man.
It links Obama with two vapid celebrities, but Obama is famous for his actions, his words, and vision of hope he offers to us and the world!!
So go suck an egg, you whining neocons! Whine, whine whine … away because McSame is as exciting as cottage cheese and has about as many new ideas as lime green jello!!
Obama responded just right: “McCain has nothing to say about McCain.. all he does is whine about Obama!”
Waaaaaa! Waaaaaaa!

It’s interesting to read the vapid comments that don’t see the subliminal racism in McCain’s ad or they attempt to trollishly negate it as being eclipsed by the vapidity of the initial association.
… but it’s clear to honest people, that the pettiness of trying to associate 2 young white women with a black man is RACIST.
Just like the HArold Ford ad is obviously sleazy and false, so will this ad become obvious down the road.
Obama handled the response just fine. He Nailed the Republicans right between the eyes and let them squirm!
The attempt to associate Obama with 2 vapid celebities won’t work because Obama is not a vapid celebrity!
Obama is a constitutional law professor and his command of history and language and message of hope drew 200,000 Europeans to a speech that Republicans didn’t even recognize restated Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms!!
Memorable. World Shaking. And Flawless!!
And all neocons have to offer is he is an empty suit??!!
LOL!!
McCain is the empty suit, Manchurian/Rove brained candidate who will crumble on stage when the two finally debate!!
Bring. It. ON!!

the ad portrayed Obama as being similar to Brit and Paris, call it mean.low or racist- whatever
at least it’s not portraying him as being similar to Bush and Cheney – that would be scary

the McCain VS McCain debate would be too embarrassing to watch – the O VS McC debates will just be awful to watch – and Repubs will have more proof that O is being disrespectful to his elders!