Not that there’s anything wrong with that

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In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past week or so, you will have heard about the ways in which it is being implied that Obama is either an Arab, or a terrorist, or both (because, what’s the difference really?).

To the right is a billboard from the swing state of Missouri. It appears to be a spontaneous emission of racism by somebody local, rather than a calculated political gesture associated with a campaign, but in many ways that makes it scarier to me.

The tenor of the race has changed, and gotten nastier. Back in February, McCain clearly dissassociated himself from a speaker at a rally who kept referring to Obama as “Barack Hussein Obama” and the campaign followed suit. However, in the last month Obama’s middle name has cropped up more and more often at rallies, including one where ” a Florida sheriff ranted about “Barack Hussein Obama” at a Palin rally while in full uniform.” [NYT]

This even arose recently at a McCain rally where McCain’s response was quite revealing:

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can’t trust Obama. I have read about him, and he’s not — he’s an Arab. He is not…No?

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: No, ma’am. No, ma’am. He’s a decent family man, citizen, that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues. And that’s what this campaign is all about. He’s not. Thank you. [HuffPo]

Ideally, I would have liked McCain to have said three things in his answer:

  1. Obama is a decent man with whom I have major policy disagreements
  2. He is an American who is not of Arabic origin or a muslim
  3. Not that there would be anything wrong with him being either Arab or Muslim

Neither campaign has managed to make that last point, and it’s a very important one.

McCain did not say that Arabs are decent people, instead we are left to infer that “Arabs” and “decent, family man” are somehow antonyms. Barack Obama should not be let off the hook either as he is just as complicit. Earlier when his Democrat primary opponents were trying to smear him, he distanced himself from being Arab and Muslim (which of course he is not!), but did not stop that conversation and say Arabs and Muslims are just as American as anyone else. [Link]

This is the same point that came up after 9/11 for Sikhs. We wanted to clarify who we were, but we wanted to do so without demonizing anybody else:

There were many that immediately tried to disassociate themselves from Muslims and screamed, “We are not the enemy.” Of course, implicit in this was the argument that “Muslims are the enemy.” Then later as cooler minds prevailed, in an amazing moment which I still take great pride, Sikhs left behind such divisive discourse and changed their call to “We are all Americans.” [Link]

I am not a Muslim. I am not an Arab. Barack Obama is also neither of these things. But you know, if either of us was that should be OK too. That’s what it means to me to be American.

Related links: Two links about the woman at the McCain rally, a close up video of her remark, and an interview with her later where she explains her world view. From the lHuffPo: Is Muslim The New Queer? And Cambell Brown makes a similar argument.

p.s. You might be interested to know that one of the terrorist plots foiled by the FBI after 9/11 involved a plot to bomb the office of a (GOP) Arab-American Congressman and a large mosque. In this case the plot was quite advanced, it had been planned for some time and “federal agents waited until the last component of the bomb — explosive powder — had been delivered to make the arrests.” [Link] If it had gone through, close to 1,000 people might have died.

87 thoughts on “Not that there’s anything wrong with that”

  1. 46 · Malibu Stacy said

    I wonder how the mobs would react if a Hindu or Sikh was on the ticket. Imagine the dirt they could find on Jindal! The church scandal was the best thing to happen to B.O, it made it impossible for the fundies to say he is an Arab who has a crazy black pastor. How can any minority consider the GOP? It took them 20+ yrs to find a worthy woman to put on their ticket and the best they could do was Palin? I am ashamed of that party as a Hindu and as a woman.

    The media would go turn into goldminers with shovels, if they were looking for dirt on Jindal, if he was on the ticket. I have to agree with you on that. They would be worse than Bush Jr.’s campaign in 2000, when they tried to make McCain’s adopted Bangladeshi daughter, Bridget, as a “‘black’ love child.”

  3. Dr,

    The ‘unified message’ strategy has been employed by both campaigns. So, if you wish to dispute the ‘unified message,’ you feel the campaign is sending, then Axelrod is a good person to ask.

  4. Dr,

    The ‘unified message’ strategy has been employed by both campaigns. So, if you wish to dispute the ‘unified message,’ you feel the campaign is sending, then Axelrod is a good person to ask.

    You need to deploy a better argument than the Walt/Mearsheimer one if you wish to undermine the power of AIPAC in electoral and governing politics. Because, in that ‘better world,’ you speak of, freedom of speech (as expressed in political advocacy) is thrown into the dustbin. I guess it’s hard to feel this way now, as you may live in a place where you can be criminally prosecuted for hurting someone’s feelings, but I’m mostly okay with the current arrangement.

  6. Secret Service says “Kill him” allegation at rally is BS. Only person who heard is reporter.

    They didn’t say it was a lie, they just said they can’t confirm it. All of the blog reports pointed out that the only source on that incident was Millbanks.

    However, there was a new incident reported in Scranton:

    Chris Hackett addressed the increasingly feisty crowd as they await the arrival of Gov. Palin. Each time the Republican candidate for the seat in the 10th Congressional District mentioned Barack Obama the crowd booed loudly. One man screamed “kill him!” [Link]

    We’ll see if that report is founded once it is investigated.

  7. And if it is a real person, we’ll see if it was a liberal troll, Moby or astroturfer or whatever you want to call him. They’ve been doing it like mad in the blogs, don’t see why it wouldn’t extend to the real world.

  8. However, there was a new incident reported in Scranton:
    Chris Hackett addressed the increasingly feisty crowd as they await the arrival of Gov. Palin. Each time the Republican candidate for the seat in the 10th Congressional District mentioned Barack Obama the crowd booed loudly. One man screamed “kill him!” [Link]
    We’ll see if that report is founded once it is investigated.

    This sounds like the same bogus incident the SS investigated (from the story linked in #55

    The first story, written by reporter David Singleton, appeared with allegations that while congressional candidate Chris Hackett was addressing the crowd and mentioned Obama’s name a man in the audience shouted “kill him.”

  9. This is not the first such death threat story being circulated that has turned out to be bogus:

    A Lufkin woman received a surprise visit from the Secret Service last week because of a “death threat” comment she reportedly made about Sen. Barack Obama to a campaign volunteer asking for her support of the presidential candidate. Hughes said her words were deliberately twisted by a volunteer who was apparently unhappy Hughes was rude during a phone conversation the two had. Link
  13. Hopefully most reports of death threats against presidential candidates turn out to be bogus.

    If you are a Nobel Laureate you can make a death threat against a president with impunity. I wonder if any filmmaker would make an assassination film like Death of a President on Obama, and win awards. I think not. That you know would be in poor taste.

  14. 63 · Vikram said

    If you are a Nobel Laureate you can make a death threat against a president with impunity

    Here’s the quote:

    “Right now, I could kill George Bush,” she said. “No, I don’t mean that. How could you nonviolently kill somebody? I would love to be able to do that.”

    And with impunity? Huh?

    I wonder if any filmmaker would make an assassination film like Death of a President on Obama, and win awards.

    Would be a bit hard to make a film about a black president that is anywhere close to reality, dontcha think? Not to mention that the movie you mention was made by a Britisher, and was shut out of the US market both by theatrical companies, and TV channels.

    (And way to ignore the point that this rhetoric is being said in the presence of, and thanks to the incitement of Sarah Palin and other GOPers, and there isn’t even a rebuke of the people who yell the things they do.)

  15. How could you nonviolently kill somebody?

    Maybe she just was just planning to tickle him to death. Or use one of those Dr. Kevorkian machines.

    And with impunity? Huh?

    You really should read the entire article if you have the attention span:

    It wasn’t the first time Ms. Williams has spoken critically of Mr. Bush. Last July, she made an almost identical comment about wanting to “kill George Bush” to a group of schoolchildren in Brisbane, Australia.

    No apologies or consequences for that earlier remark. Only apologized after first denying she made the Dallas comment after people didn’t give her a pass for her lie. That was the only reason she apologized. Repeated death threats and no action taken. Either by her government or the US. And she won a Nobel Peace prize. Ironic.

    Questioned about her speech Thursday morning, Ms. Williams initially denied making the comment but reversed course after organizers confirmed the quote.
    Would be a bit hard to make a film about a black president that is anywhere close to reality, dontcha think? Not to mention that the movie you mention was made by a Britisher, and was shut out of the US market both by theatrical companies, and TV channels.

    Um.. isn’t that what the point of a fictional documentary… to imagine what it may be like ? They can imagine what life on Mars is like, so this should be relatively easier.Or atleast that’s what the makers of that faux Bush documentary claimed their intention was. And the film did get both a theatrical & dvd release in the US. Far more than some major theatrical films that have been shelved or dumped directly on video in recent years without ever seeing the screen of a US theater.

    And way to ignore the point that this rhetoric is being said in the presence of, and thanks to the incitement of Sarah Palin and other GOPers, and there isn’t even a rebuke of the people who yell the things they do.

    Two supposed death threats turned out to be deliberate fabrications to spread disinformation. What incident are you talking about ?

  17. 65 · Vikram said

    Two supposed death threats turned out to be deliberate fabrications to spread disinformation.

    Huh?

    Um.. isn’t that what the point of a fictional documentary… to imagine what it may be like ?
    Or atleast that’s what the makers of that faux Bush documentary claimed their intention was.

    They claimed their intent was to examine the impact of the suspension of civil rights, racial profiling etc. I don’t understand what your point is, though. What has Obama done to inspire such vitriol other than being a black Arab Muslim?

  22. but the complaint wasn’t about general loonies, was it? were these people yelling at biden rallies in response to biden’s incitement, and did biden let them go on frothing at the mouth? i remember some tender fretting by one of the defenders on this thread when hrc made her ill advised comment about rfk back in the summer.

  23. 72 · kleagle said

    but the complaint wasn’t about general loonies, was it

    its both, kleagle. notice post 61 is about general loonies at palin rallies. this is how nuance becomes the last defense of the indefensible. you get eliminationist rhetoric, assassination fantasies, and misogyny (aimed at palin) but it doesn’t count because of some technicality. it should still be called out. after all, the sign ennis posted wasn’t a repsonse to palin’s rhetoric either.

  25. 74 · Nayagan said

    what happened Machiavellian Manju? All feelings and healing now?

    well, machiavellian manju would say obama’s played it right. McCain’s made the mistake of getting to close to the rhetoric and hatred, and thus being associated with it. one must keep a distance, like bush did with willie horton or W did with the swift boats. mccain undermined himself while Obama “let” the loonies in his own party do their own thng, choosing not to go there.

  26. 73 · Manju said

    this is how nuance becomes the last defense of the indefensible.

    for a systematic applier of ridiculous pomo crap, you’ve suddenly become quite a crusader against nuance.

    but it doesn’t count because of some technicality.

    i don’t know what “count” means. the problem with the mccain-palin situation is that these mobs were provoked, and they instantaneously responded. this is what has got people particularly aghast. even reagan, that noted racist, had the good sense to use code words to give himself plausible deniability.

  27. 76 · kleagle said

    i don’t know what “count” means. the problem with the mccain-palin situation is that these mobs were provoked, and they instantaneously responded. this is what has got people particularly aghast.

    sure, but people being aghast is not limited to that scenario, is it? Ennis’ very post cites a billboard which would not meet your narrow criteria of what should be allowed to be discussed here. You yourself in 61 link to a video in which the crowd was not provoked, as far as we know.

    so i answered in the same vain, giving you some hate speech–advocating violance and using gendered slurs–coming from dems and you suddenly switch form a moralist to a technocrat: but but but, you protest, it doesn’t fit my criteria. nuance is the last vestige of the scoundrel.

  28. 77 · Manju said

    uance is the last vestige of the scoundrel.

    refuge. if you’re going to insult, do it correctly. if it’s a vestige, i wouldn’t need it.

    yes, i am an elitist.

    you yourself in 61

    i am not 61.

  29. sorry, enlightenment just dawned on me. i realized there was a fundamental disconnect because i was arguing with republicans, who, of course, don’t believe in the fundamental concept of hate crime.

    i apologize for wasting both our times.

  30. 54 · Nayagan said

    Dr, You need to deploy a better argument than the Walt/Mearsheimer one if you wish to undermine the power of AIPAC in electoral and governing politics. Because, in that ‘better world,’ you speak of, freedom of speech (as expressed in political advocacy) is thrown into the dustbin. I guess it’s hard to feel this way now, as you may live in a place where you can be criminally prosecuted for hurting someone’s feelings, but I’m mostly okay with the current arrangement.

    Huh? I’m not trying to undermine their power here except to the extent that I’m pointing out that they’re zionist (which they are)- It’s f@#ked up, not to mention stupid, to go to AIPAC and say profoundly undiplomatic things about Israel / Palestine that are sensitive negotiating points. But I’m still voting for him (if I get a ballot).

  33. I’m happy to say that someone has FINALLY made point number 3 on your list of things you wish Senator McCain had said. Today Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama on Meet the Press!! He brings up that he has issue with a. people calling Barack Obama a Muslim when he is not and b. those who call him a Muslim saying it as if it is a bad thing. You can watch his great, great, great endorsement here: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/powell-endorses-obama/?hp

  34. 83 · SM said

    http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/powell-endorses-obama/?hp

    I agree. It’s not just a strong endorsement, it’s a great speech in itself. I was disappointed, however, that Powell did not even more forcefully distance himself from McCain. But he really hit the ‘Muslim’ accusation out of the ballpark.

    For his part, Obama would do well to more aggressively ‘reach-out’ to other moderate Republicans who are like Powell in their thinking. It’s too bad Powell has been National Security Adviser and Secretary of State already. It would be great if some suitable role could be found for Powell in a future Obama Administration.