Yesterday, I was canvassing for Barack Obama in Wausau, Wisconsin when an elderly man brought this flyer into the office. He said it was taped to mailboxes all over his neighborhood. At the bottom, in fine print, is written: Approved and Sponsored by: Barack Hussein Obama II for President, Wausau Chapter. Is this another whisper campaign? It reminded me of eight years ago during the presidential primaries, when dozens of South Carolina radio stations received phone calls from people claiming John McCain had fathered a black child. The story was false, but many believe it helped tank McCain’s candidacy.
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Rachel is a photographer and writer who recently left her blogging post at Photoshelter's Shoot! The Blog. Previous to that she worked as a photo editor at Nerve.com, Rolling Stone online, and Radar, among others. Her work can be seen at rachelhulin.com.
Rachel is a photographer and writer who recently left her blogging post at Photoshelter's Shoot! The Blog. Previous to that she worked as a photo editor at Nerve.com, Rolling Stone online, and Radar, among others. Her work can be seen at rachelhulin.com.
by Rachel Hulin
Rachel is a photographer and writer who recently left her blogging post at Photoshelter's Shoot! The Blog. Previous to that she worked as a photo editor at Nerve.com, Rolling Stone online, and Radar, among others. Her work can be seen at rachelhulin.com.
Is it just me or is there no link to the impossible-to-read-on-this-page picture of the flyer? I've been accused of being stupid before, so don't hold back.
The 'next' Black President? The first one must have slipped past me while I've been busy monitoring how the deployment of home computer technology has improved our lives. Was it Jesse Jackson?
Is there any actual evidence that this kind of thing works? I mean according to wikipedia the population of wausau is .54% black and 85.xx% white. If I was a white person getting one of these I'd look around and think "what black people?"
what's up with the five point ellipsis? and the weirdly indented second paragraph? and 'the NEXT black president?' generally, when pulling a sleazy political move, you shouldn't have a third grader as your copywriter.
No address or chairperson listed for the organization, I notice. They didn't want anyone tracking this back to its source. It makes me wonder whether the poor copywriting was intentional, to play on racial stereotypes, or just a sign of the creators intellect.
These sorts of things are very sad. Its really unfortunate that there are still people who are afraid of others just because of how they look. If people want to vote for John McCain because they honestly believe his policies are better than Obama's that's their choice; I would tend to disagree with them, but I can respect their point of view. To vote for McCain because they are afraid of Obama just because he is black and has a non-European name is childish, racists, ignorant and unconscionable.
A few words come to mind: Disgraceful; Ignorant, Racist; Horrid; Disgusting; Despicable.
Pathetic and misguided supporters for McCain believe people are more afraid of a black President than white supremacists. People are not afraid of race. People are afraid they are going to lose
1. their job
2. the roof over their head
3. medical expenses or loss to medical access.
Of course there are people who do not want to work. But I strongly believe that most people want to work in order to sustain themselves. Barak's election convention included everyone. He is about everyone. There are people in this country who appear to deny that some people do not exist. This has to stop. We are all here and in this together whether some do not like it. Black people would be more prosperous if they came out of the starting gate as those others who want to deny their existance. Regardless of this, we are not looking for someone to give us something for nothing. We simply want to be treated like everyone in these United States.
And in the end...? John McCain is either unable or unwilling to educate the ignorant in his base. This is what his grandchildren will read about him in the history books. May God help us if it works.
Both sides if my family can be traced back to before the revolutionary war. Both sides fought in it. There is no evidence of anyone owning slaves or dealing in the slave trade. Both sides had menbers who were injured or killed fighting for the north. I have nothing to be ashamed of. I am voting for Obama not because of color but because if we go into a depression I want someone who gives a care about people, not rather socialism is going to stop him from seeing the people are taking care. not somone thats sees us as communists monsters out to get him,
WOW, that's my home town. The 2000 Census shows the city has a .5% black poplation. I revel in the thought that Wausau is where I am FROM, but is not home anymore.
Black folks? in Wausau? Haw Haw Haw!! At least the peckerwoods are honest about where THEY might be from.
Unbelievable... whoever started this is despicable.
It seems to me, and I have been around for a few elections, that this particular election is the most divisive and nasty that I have ever seen. In the past, and I mean the long past, candidates expressed their differences in terms of policy. In the last eight years, however, and I attribute this to Mr. Karl Rove, the expressions have become particularly divisive and personal. This year, in my opinion, has been exceptionally acute. People have been accused of "palling around with terrorists", have been accused of running for presidency without being a citizen, have carved their faces in hopes changing the election tides. I hope that the election of Barack Obama, whom I view will inspire a sea change in modern American politics, will inspire CHANGE in more ways that we can imagine. I hope we can experience change beyond Rovism and beyond Reagonomics, I hope we can expect a new level of humanism and a new generation of Democrats.
Anyone giving credence to this note is just as ignorant as the people who wrote it.
Remember the scene in The Chronicles of Narnia when the white witch is preparing for the big final battle and she gathers together all the monsters, freaks, creeps, and thugs? The last days of the campaign seem to bringing out the monster in some people.
First there was the wacko in Pittsburgh who claimed someone beat her up and carved a backwards B on her face because she was a McCain supporter and now this!
As the election draws nearer I predict the crazies will get crazier.
This is the funnest election ever! haha!!!
I will be so happy when this ugliness is over and our country can be drug kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Here just over the border in Oklahoma the KKK have been attaching fliers to newspapers so when people walk out to get the paper they get a little hate and fear mongering with it. I hope these kind of people are indeed a dieing breed because I am ashamed to live among them.
A further commentary on this report: "Bigots, Racists and People Afraid of the Dark" at http://fuelafire.blogspot.com/
Nothing surprises me anymore! I had dinner with a middle school teacher in Dallas, Texas, you know the kind that educate our children, who told me that Mr. Obama was a Muslim! I nearly fell of my chair and my food tasted not quite as good as before her extraordinary statement.
If this is the intellectual level and ability to think laterally of the American educators, God help us all!
ostracize the racists
I heard Obama will make all white people slaves to black people.
I going to vote for him anyway. He's that good.
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IT IS DEMOCRACY
not capitalism
It is By the People, for the People
NOT by Business for the Business
It is WE the People, not we the leaders
It is WE who fought the wars, we who struggled through the depression, we as in a teacher who boarded the space shuttle, not a president, not a nominnee. not a govenor.
It needs to be WE who put away the self interest puts away the hate mongering, we who rebuilds as it always has been as it always will be for UNITED WE STAND DIVIDED WE FALL
vankuyk, no, that is NOT representative of the state of America's educators. I am one such teacher, and I was equally as horrified as you when asked by someone, "You're not going to vote for that black muslim, are you? You know, he has many characteristics of the antichrist, don't you?" She also somehow assumed that my being a Democrat meant I had given up on Christianity (since when is it not Christian to care about equal rights, worker's rights, the environment, social programs, etc? Since when is being a Republican the equivalent of being a good Christian?) My thought is, if this is the intellectual level and ability to think laterally of the American "Christians," God help us all!
Thank you.
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