As the Clinton campaign has suffered one defeat after another, the advice of Hillary’s chief strategist, Mark Penn, has been consistent: go negative. So yesterday, according to Drudge, a Clinton staffer leaked a photo of Obama in a turban to the press. The photo was taken in Kenya, and seemed obviously designed to raise fears that Obama was a “Manchurian candidate” a sleeper muslim trying to sneakily infiltrate his way into the White House:
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Will voters find this turban disturbin? |
With a week to go until the Texas and Ohio primaries, stressed Clinton staffers circulated a photo over the weekend of a “dressed” Barack Obama. [Link]
Clinton’s campaign did not deny its staffers distributed the photo, and Obama’s top advisers were quick to blast what it called an underhanded campaign tactic. [Link]
OMG – he’s wearing a turban! He’s a mooo-salim! Oooooga Booooga! Oooooga Booooga!
The campaign’s desperation comes as it finds itself strapped for cash, having tapped out its major donors. The irony is that HRC might have a few more paisas in her pocket if she had not suddenly decided her long time Sikh friends had the cooties and were too uncool to be seen with any more:
Mrs. Clinton also scuttled a fund-raising breakfast at a nearby fairgrounds where Sikh leaders had hoped to raise $1 million for her presidential campaign. [Link]
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Given that she’s spent only $11 million this month on ads, that extra $1 mil would have come in handy, even if only for her donut tab.
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How about this one? |
However, instead of spewing irate invective, I’d rather spoil her game. The best way to deal with “scary” images is to normalize them. Below the fold are a series of photos of politicians either wearing turbans or next to somebody who is wearing a turban. Let me know if you’ve got more!
[UPDATED – ptr_vivek pointed us at a great photo of Bill looking quite dashing in a Rajasthani turban. Thanks!]
The only other turban wearing politician I could find was the mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa. I want to give him huge props for wearing a turban given that he did so to promote civil rights, and did so without any money being donated to his campaign (the photo op was for a donation to a soup kitchen). The other three are Hillary (clearly), Bill Richardson and President Bush. Not so scary now are we?
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If she indeed did it, it is disgusting and she should fess up. But so far, all we have is Drudge’s eagerly making his statement, with no evidence to back it up (despite the fact that he ostensibly has an email which he could publicize), Obama and his guys immediately being shocked, SHOCKED that Clinton would stoop to pettiness with somebody as noble as them, and the Clinton campaign officially denying it. Guess which one Drudge didn’t report?
If you look at the picture of the post before this one, by Anna. There is a picture of man in turban in the background behind the premier of Ontario.
In Canada you can find pictures of many polictians wearing turbans at sikh events.
I thought the campaign declined to deny that they were involved.
The later statement you quoted reads like a non-denial:
OMG – he’s wearing a turban! He’s a mooo-salim! Oooooga Booooga! Oooooga Booooga!
I think you’ve accurately summed up the thought process of the majority of white americans. But the clintons know this, they know of the power of images. If Obama blasts past this, HRC might as well say, C5, you’ve sunk my battleship.
From earlier today:
Agree with Rahul here. Clinton campaign has denied it and if Obama’s team thinks that there is nothing wrong with the pic ( at least I don’t see anything wrong) then why are they so SHOCKED ?
But the Clinton campaign hasn’t denied it. They’ve hedged the issue.
And you honestly don’t see the intent of the shot?
On the one hand, it seems like a very underhanded tactic. Neither candidate has really openly addressed the issue of race/gender, allowing their followers free to interpret vague slogans of ‘change’ and ‘making history’. Maybe the Clinton camp hoped this photo would ignite the inherent xenophobia of American voters (much like early jokes about his name). On the other hand, Obama himself has downplayed the significance of race and nationality, his outrage over this photo seems a bit overblown. He’s just a man in a turban, people. Relax.
Ennis, I’m with you 100% on this one.
Following up on Ennis’s comment in #5, video of Tubbs-Jones’s comment here. Pretty hard to give the Clinton campaign the benefit of doubt after this (and after the repeated incidents leading up to South Carolina).
Like AR said – He is just a man in a turban. That’s exactly how I look at it. I do not see anything wrong with that pic. I do think that Obama’s campaign is overreacting and making the issue even worse. If they treat this as “just another pic with the locals” and not react like “how could they release this photo? ” then people won’t look at it in the wrong way.
Sometimes the way you react can worsen the issue at hand. Don’t you thin?
I meant – think and not thin 🙂
If running a campaign is a predictor of presidential performance, I am glad HRC is losing. What a mess!
In response, Wonkette posted a list of images of the Clintons dressed in scary “race clothing” (Wonkette’s term, not mine).
The captions are hilarious.
I see what you mean, and it’s correct in an objective sense, but I think it’s a bit naive of an analysis if applied across the entire US population, where, ummmm–not everyone is objective–I’m more with HMF (!) here in comment #4–I think HRC knows exactly what she’s doing (unfortunately).
But the Clinton campaign hasn’t denied it. They’ve hedged the issue.
Exactly, in a way it’s a no-win situation for Obama, because if he sits idly by and doesn’t respond at all, it simply allows the subtext of a dark skinned man wearing a turban being threatening to persist, but if he calls Clinton out for it, the clinton campaign simply shrugs their shoulders and says, “What? why would this be a problem? You don’t trust Americans to differentiate between you in a turban and a bad brown person in a turban? You want to lead this country but think it’s full of racists?”
Yes, the Clinton campaign did not categorically deny this. They just said that it was not directed by the campaign and that they have too many people on the campaign to control each and every such thing. Plus, they have even insinuated that Obama is playing the victim card by making a big issue of this to get votes.
Plus Clinton’s ‘Shame on you Obama, outburst day before also seemed to reek of desperation.
The Clintons did try to use race before in SC but it backfired there. I think Obama is doing the right thing from a strategic POV by not getting into racial aspects, there is too much of a danger of going the Jesse Jackson way there.
First try to paint Obama as the “black candidate” (before South Carolina primaries) now as the “foreign candidate” weird name, weird ethnic clothes, allusions about his name, religion.(week before Texas and Ohio primaries) I see a pattern here.
How low will Hillary’s campaign stoop before she concedes?
While we’re at it, let’s not forget the Mccain-black child whisper/rumor as well…
He is saying that the campaign was completely uninvolved: “If you have any original reporting to suggest that this campaign was circulating this e-mail, please let me know.” “We’ve been very clear that we’re not aware of it,” he added. “Obviously the campaign didn’t sanction it, and don’t know anything about it.”
At this point, Drudge should out whomever sent it to him, if it is indeed a Hillary guy. The image was clearly sent out with malicious intent by whomever did it, but so far, Drudge is the only one saying it is HRC’s guys. That said, I will make two points:
Clinton in a turban. I was looking around, downloaded that image, and then couldn’t figure out where I’d found it. Sorry.
In that case, I guess that dismisses ‘almost gone bankrupt at one point’ John McCain too.
Rahul, let’s leave aside for now the question of where the picture came from. Let’s assume for the sake of argument it did not come from anyone associated with the Clinton campaign. Now watch Rep. Tubbs-Jones’s comment, which I linked to above and which Ennis quoted above. Even if you assume the Clinton campaign had nothing to do with the picture getting out there, do you really think what she said is an appropriate way to discuss the picture?
There was nothing wrong with that specific “outburst”, she was taking him on about his misrepresentation of her positions in flyers, but of course, Obama is an honorable man.
I think you’ve accurately summed up the thought process of the majority of white americans.
So most white americans all think alike?
No, it absolutely is not. But why is that HRC’s fault? Sounds similar to this article on Drudge 🙂
Drudge is not a right-wing opinionmaker like malkin or limbaugh. he’s also not unhinged and doesn’t have some extreme right wing agenda. he prints many favorable things abouts dems, including HRC with whom he has a close relationship as new york mag reported. in fact, a ucla study concluded that drudge actually leans left.
what he really does is print rumors that the msm withholds, suing his many contacts in the media. he does dirty news like bill clintons black baby but always reports if the rumor turns out to be false.
Suki, I usually favor you over HMF, but all HMF did here was surmise that “a majority” of white Americans are a trifle indisposed towards people with turbans. That seems kind of true to me, and I’m not coming from some sort of left-wing agenda–it just seems, well, true.
I don’t know about that, what is clear is that he is a better politician than she is, that’s for sure. Better ground game, better speeches, fundraising, he is beating the inevitable one at her own game.
If Obama’s “Hope” and “Change” message is strong then no need to get SHOCKED by a simple photo. Right? Why be so afraid?
Yesterday I was on a plane flight and the white guy in the seat adjacent was reading a flight manual for a commercial pilot’s license.
How’s this – you and I get on a plane together, and I’ll hand you a flight manual for a commercial jet somewhere along the line and let’s see which of us gets to liveblog gitmo.
17 · Yogi said
yogi: the msm didn’t report this but this line of argument started in iowa. 3 clinton staffers spread the madrasa rumor, clintons co-chair in NH called obama a drug dealer, and bob kerrey followed thru with by calling obama a stealth islamic candidate while referring to him as barrack hussein obama.
Rahul sez:
Are you asking that for real? Because she is one of HRC’s campaign’s national co-chairs, and prominent national surrogate.
Oh, for pete’s sake! So, if Hilary gets elected. she won’t cover (not hijab, just a scarf) when she goes to Pakistan or Afghanistan? Does this mean tartans are out? No cheom songs? God help us if she should take flamenco lessons. or gasp! Cuban salsa lessons. My god, have we no self-imposed cultural boundaries? Excuse me, the chai b’nana is boiling over, the pasta is not ascuita enough, and who knows when the kima will be done. Well, doesn’t matter that much, as an Amercun, I should be slurping beer and watching Oprah, not eating my roots.
interestingly, obama continues to surge in the face of these assaults. from iowa, to SC, to Ohio, he’s handled this brilliantly…threading the thin line between countering immediately (in great contrast to john kerry) but not hysterically a la jesse jackson.
its an open secret that bubba was trying to turn obaama into a tawana brawley case in SC, calling him a kid, not boy just kid, knowing it would go over the head of most whites but hoping obama would react hysterically. he reacted calmly but forcefully, winning praise from the likes of Michelle malkin and rush Limbaugh, which i found amusing as many liberal blogggers hid under the table.
He is an amazing politician, there’s no doubt about that.
Obama’s clearly not a Muslim from a post-Enlightenment “freedom of religion” perspective, but from a traditional Islamic perspective, isn’t he in fact a Muslim (or an apostate) b/c his father’s a Muslim??
25 · Rahul said
well, in a way its not. bush the 1st knew nothing of willie horton and bush II had nothing to do with the swift boats. that the way things work. there’s always plausible denial and at the end of the day the only thing the candidate can do is condemn it and try to create a culture where it’ll happen less. clinton fails on both points. repeatedly.
36 · rob said
well, rob, i guess here in america we go post-enlightenment. history is not destiny, unless you’re stephanie tubbs jones.
I’m down with the Enlightenment, just thought that that’s an interesting point about what some people around the globe may be thinking.
Bush and the Arabs bhai bhai
More pictures of world leaders in “foreign” garb. Yes, a few turbans are featured.
The US Ambassador to Kenya quietly let it be known that he occasionally dons locally worn traditional clothing similar to what Obama is seen wearing when he visits tribal areas. The ambassador pointed out that the gesture has no religious significance but is only meant to show respect and solidarity with the hosts.
But count on at least some American voters squirming at the image of a swarthy man in a strange outfit. Perhaps not quite Dukakis in tank, but close. And many of them would be the same ones who swooned over G.W. Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” flight suit.
The alternative title of this post is “Shame On You Hillary,” Clinton’s battle cry over the weekend. But then although the Obama supporters are supposed to have drunk the Kool Aid, it is the Clintonites who are going nuts!
dude Ruch! the only squirming i see here are from Sen Obama’s supporters. it’s a little hard to understand the fears at work here – that the ‘other’ is likely to be not as magnanimous or as worldly wise as the self. but by expressing that very thought, you’ve just demonstrated that obama is ‘swarthy’ and wearing a ‘strange outfit’. if one was herself colorblind this thought would never have arisen.
pray tell me if i am misreading the discussion here.
Personally I don’t think this is going to affect voters to “swing” his way. I think this will make an impact on ignorant people who have already made up their mind about him.
More precisely all white american democrats. We are in the primary season aren’t we?
I think your interpretation is off–reading into the photo that it will hurt Obama politically says nothing about the views of the “reader”–instead, the reader is making a prediction about how voters as a group are likely to (in some measure) react–it’s like Keynes’ beauty-contest description of equity prices..
Y’know, you’d think a black man with a name that reminds Americans simultaneously of Saddam and Bin Laden would be a little susceptible to some xenophobia or racism. But so far, nada. In fact, scratch nada. Pictures come out meant to look like he’s going to the sucide bombers ball, and what happens, he opens a freakin’ double digit lead. WTF?
Personally I don’t think this is going to affect voters to “swing” his way. I think this will make an impact on ignorant people who have already made up their mind about him.
I read this as directed at Latino voters. He’s still largely an unknown to them, and they can be pretty xenophobic and Islamophobic.
” — that the ‘other’ is likely to be not as magnanimous or as worldly wise as the self.”
Do you live in the real world Khoofia? At least three of my middle class, well traveled Republican neighbors (lovely ladies, all) have asked me if Obama is “really” a Muslim. My husband has been asked the same question in his work place. They probably ask us because of our “swarthy” complexion and the “strange” outfit we (at least, I) put on occasionally.
But I do agree with you in a way. Had I been an Obama adviser, I would have advised him to come out and say, “So bloody what?”
Well, you can’t say that Spanish-culture affiliated people are entirely without grounds for holding a bit of concern about (certain strands of) Islam now, can you?? (Think El Cid then or Madrid bombings now!)
When Prince Philip returned to jolly old ingLAnd from a trip to Papua New Guinea, he showed up at breakfast the next day sporting a giant koteka, a gift from his hosts. The queen was not amused.