McCain in 'hatred' war of words

From the BBC International website:

Republican presidential candidate John McCain has become embroiled in a war of words with racial undertones after clashing with a civil rights icon.

John Lewis (pictured at right) accused Mr McCain's campaign of "sowing hatred" against opponent Barack Obama and said he was reminded of 1960s segregationist George Wallace.

Mr McCain, who recently said Mr Lewis was one of his most admired Americans, called the reference "beyond the pale". Mr McCain has also tried to cool his supporters' resentment of Mr Obama.

In Minnesota on Friday, Mr McCain defended Mr Obama after some at the town hall meeting labelled him a "terrorist", "an Arab", a "traitor" and a candidate who inspired fear.

The Republican's campaign has also suffered from a legislative probe in Alaska that found his vice-presidential running mate and state governor, Sarah Palin, had abused her power.

With just over three weeks to go to the election, she has again denied any wrongdoing in the affair.

— Full Story & Video

McCain finally lets it slip ... he is White and racist

First he would even look at Barack the first debate. Now he will not even speak to an African-American who asked the question ... topping it off with referring to Obama as "that one."   I've been just hoping that it would not happen, but being a realist, have really been waiting for the "N" word to raise it's ugly head and it came close tonight. And here I thought it would be Palin who would hammer that Republican Coffin nail in.

From Joan Walsh at Salon.com:

This town hall didn't help John McCain

Barack Obama dominated this debate from the very first question. John McCain fielded directly, when he condescended to the African-American questioner, a young man named Oliver, who asked how the $700 billion rescue plan passed last week would help the average American. McCain first implied that Oliver and other regular voters wouldn't know that much about Fannie Mae and and Freddie Mac, then went into the misleading Fannie/Freddie claims Andrew Leonard broke down here. Then McCain told Oliver that his plans would "help Americans like Allen ... stay in their home." Allen? Allen was the nice older white man who asked the first question. So what about Oliver? Did he not matter? Was McCain confused?

John McCain's gaffe just now wasn't so awful or inhuman, but it was equally tin-eared. He called Obama "that one." Really. Asking if the audience knew who voted for the Bush-Cheney energy bill (an Obama mistake, by the way), he pointed at Obama: "That one."

My first reaction was that it was a little racist – depersonalizing African Americans has a long rhetorical history. But I think it was more like something a cranky babysitter would say, Angry Uncle Joe, or, yes, Mr. Wilson: "You know who broke the coffee table? That one."

Awful. He can't hide his contempt for Obama.

— Full Salon.com Article

Racism in New Mexico

A Republican official in the US has resigned over comments he made to the BBC that "Hispanics consider themselves above blacks".

Fernando de Baca, the chairman of the Republican Party in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, also said Hispanics "won't vote for a black president."

Mr de Baca spoke last week but resisted calls from his own party to resign, saying he was quoted out of context.

He said he decided to step down because of the "media circus" that developed.

Mr de Baca had been approached by the BBC's Jon Kelly for comments on the presidential election campaign at the New Mexico State Fair in Albuquerque, part of Bernalillo County.

He was explaining why he thought John McCain would do well in the state, which has large population of Hispanics.

"The truth is that Hispanics came here as conquerors. African-Americans came here as slaves."

He said the Latino emphasis on hard work and family values and the Catholic Church's opposition to abortion made the community naturally conservative.

— Full Story