The Ultimate Campaign Insult

I wrote on October 5th in my post, Palin Called “Fluffy Bunny” Her Comments, “Racially Tinged” that the final month of the election was going to get ugly.  October is usually the month that the campaigning gets heated.

I had no idea what I was in for.

This election has had some extreme ugliness in it.  Much of it is unprecedented.  There has been racism and sexism by both sides of supporters.  I was appalled at some of the things that have surfaced.

There was the woman at McCain’s campaign stop who addressed McCain about Obama’s “otherness.”  “I don’t trust Obama,” she said. “I have read about him. He’s an Arab.”

Let’s just say for one moment that he [Obama] is an Arab which he isn’t, but let’s just say he is.  I had a couple of friends from the country of Jordan; Achmed and Kasim.  I worked with these two, and they were genuinely decent people.  We talked, we joked, we learned from each other.  From these two, I learned more about what real Muslims believe.  I can tell you that it is not the extremist fundamentalist rhetoric that is spewed but rather, a deep abiding respect for all people.  While I explained a few things about western culture to them, I learned the significance of Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Mecca.  There are more Arabs out there who are moderate in their beliefs than those who are extreme.  Why don’t people hear about this?  Simple.  It’s just not sensational enough to make the news.  If Obama was indeed Muslim like Mohammed Ali and the late Benezir Bhutto, he would be in good company.  The woman addressing McCain was implying that all Arabs are extreme and not to be trusted.  There was quite a twinge of racism in that comment whether she knew it or not.  The “Arab” comment made me sad for all decent Americans who are Islamic, as well as good Arabs all over the world who are trying to break the stereotype.

A little over a month ago, I came upon this disturbing piece from “Think Progress:”

Obama Waffles: Tasty treat, or racist rhetoric?

At the Values Voter Summit this weekend, vendors sold an item called “Obama Waffles” featuring a racist cartoon of Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) on the box front — with “popping eyes and big, thick lips” — and another image of him wearing an Arab-like headdress on its top flap. Its creators, Mark Whitlock and Bob DeMoss, said it was meant as “political satire,” and sold the box for $10 from a booth at the Family Research Council event. CNN’s Lou Dobbs stopped by the booth and exclaimed, “My wife will love this!” A photo shows Dobbs with a box of the mix in his hand.

While Obama Waffles takes aim at Obama’s politics by poking fun at his public remarks and positions on issues, it also plays off the old image of the pancake-mix icon Aunt Jemima, which has been widely criticized as a demeaning stereotype. Obama is portrayed with popping eyes and big, thick lips as he stares at a plate of waffles and smiles broadly.

Placing Obama in Arab-like headdress recalls the false rumor that he is a follower of Islam, though he is actually a Christian.

On the back of the box, Obama is depicted in stereotypical Mexican dress, including a sombrero, above a recipe for ”Open Border Fiesta Waffles” that says it can serve ”4 or more illegal aliens.” The recipe includes a tip: ”While waiting for these zesty treats to invade your home, why not learn a foreign language?”

Not only does this capitalize on black stereotypes, it does so with Muslim stereotypes, reducing them to a vulgar caricature.

Sarah Palin has not come out unscathed.  Late in September, Larry Flynt-notorious owner of “Hustler” magazine, sent out an ad on Craigslist for a porn actress who looks like Sarah Palin:

Production has now begun on an adult movie titled, “Nailin’ Paylin.”  I’m not a big fan of the Vice-Presidential nominee, but this is way over the top.  To be certain, Larry Flint is acting within his First Amendment right, but I also believe that that he is displaying his usual poor taste.  My heart goes out to Sarah Palin on this one.

The most notorious of these insults came from a local California GOP women’s organization.  Its newsletter claimed that if Obama was elected, his face would appear on food stamps, rather than dollar bills like other presidents. The group then included a picture of “Obama Bucks” — a phony $10 food stamp with Obama surrounded by racist imagery:

The president of the organization, Diane Fedele, didn’t understand the charges of racism: “I didn’t see it the way that it’s being taken. I never connected. It was just food to me.” One African-American member of the club said that upon seeing the newsletter, she “cried for 45 minutes.” “This is what keeps African-Americans from joining the Republican Party,” she added.

First of all, it wasn’t “just food” to Ms Fedele.  Of all of the food out there, she just happened to use food from the four most racially-charged food groups?  No Ms. Fedele, you knew exactly what you were doing, and most likely had a good chuckle from it.  I mean, if you’re going to be flat-out racist, at least have the guts to admit it.  Indeed, items like this are what keep African-Americans from joining the Republican Party.  What a great way to show sensitivity to the Black members of your group.

Don’t think that I’m getting high and mighty on everyone.  I’m guilty too.  In recent heated exchanges with my brother who happens to support McCain, I blurted out some pretty sexist comments to him in a fit of anger.  I promptly apologized to him, and felt like a jerk.  It can be easy to go down that path, but contrition is needed, and certain amount of decorum should be followed.  Do I like politically incorrect humor?  You betcha!  There are Obama, McCain, Biden, and Palin jokes on the web that are funny as hell, and made me laugh.  I love edgy humor, but there is a really fine line though, between funny and plain insulting.  Let us please take this election back to the issues at hand, and who is best qualified to deal with them.

Only then can we move forward as a nation.

Confidential to my brother:  I apologize for my heated remarks on Palin.  I know you’re voting for who you believe is the best person to lead us in these challenging times.