An Obama-nation on immigration
First, Barack Obama insulted rural Pennsylvanians, among others, by calling them bitter, clinging to their guns and religion. He said it at a private fund-raiser in San Francisco wine and cheese country, where the sky is as blue as the voters, and apparently thought the rubes would remain blissfully ignorant of his disdain.
But the guy is big on bilingualism. And now he's trying the same thing again - this time in Spanish.
The Obama campaign has just come out with new TV and radio ads trying to link John McCain with racism. And he's given this smear a "muy caliente" multicultural twist. The TV ad features derogatory comments about Latinos presumably made by Rush Limbaugh on his radio show. Limbaugh, of course, is unhappy. He says that his comments were taken out of context. (In an election year, imagine that!)
But I don't care about Limbaugh. For one thing, he and I are borders apart on immigration reform. For another, he's perfectly capable of defending himself against the junior senator of Illinois and his crew.
What I do care about is the false impression Obama is trying to create by encouraging Latinos to believe that John McCain and George Bush are not only racist but anti-immigrant as well.
Flashing pictures of the GOP candidate and the president in the same frame, a disembodied voice implies that "they" derailed immigration reform.
It goes on: "John McCain and his Republican friends have two faces. One that lies just to get our vote and another, even worse, that continues the failed policies of George Bush that put special interests ahead of working families."
Neither Bush nor McCain were successful in their efforts because of congressional gridlock brought on by fierce public opposition.
That battle will continue well beyond this election cycle. And I continue to hope that the misleading labels are erased, and we can finally talk some sense about immigration.
But the time is obviously not now, and the person to do it is definitely not Obama.
What the Democratic nominee is trying to do is appeal to a demographic he desperately needs in November.
The senator from Illinois is trying to convince Latino voters that he's on their side and that the other guy is aiming to deport their families. This is what his Spanish-speaking surrogate says on the radio: "Don't forget that John McCain abandoned us rather than confront the leaders of the Republican Party."
Obama seems to think if he just keeps beating that drum long enough, voters will fall in line. They won't need to know if the lyrics are true - they'll just fall for the seductive rhythms.
In pandering to Latinos who voted overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton during the primaries, Obama has shown that, contrary to his campaign's accusations, he's the one playing the race card in this election. Only this time it's brown, not black.
excerpted from Obamanation On Immigration
by C.M. Flowers
published Sept. 19, 2007
Philadelphia Daily News
counterview plus link to ads:
Artblog:
Practically family--Obama ads in Spanish
This in from my friend Molly Layton:
Here's an example of the ads for Obama that [Molly's son] David's production company, Picture Box, is producing out of Austin, TX. Picture Box is composed of my son David and two other guys, and they are producing all the Spanish language commercials for Obama. David just returned from Las Vegas where he shot footage of Obama for more ads. Viva la Vida!
I loved the ad even without understanding much of the language! After watching McCain attack ads so misleading they are tantamount to outright lies, I'm glad to see Obama sticking to the facts while skewering back.
Posted by Libby Rosof
Thursday, September 18, 2008
note:
in addition to viewing the Obama ad, read the comments section from the link provided by Artblog. interesting stuff...
footnote:
(*) Immigration Deception
"It [the immigration reform bill] was killed by a firestorm of talk-radio rage and a Republican-led filibuster. The very bill that [Senator John] McCain now mourns is the one he sidled away from as his own party weakened and killed it. It’s the one he says he would now vote against.
"For Mr. McCain to suggest that [Senator Barack] Obama opposes the “path to citizenship” and “guest worker program” compounds his dishonesty. Mr. Obama supports the three pillars of comprehensive reform — tougher enforcement, expanded legal immigration and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already here.
"Mr. McCain is also leading a party whose members rabidly oppose the path to citizenship. So, in deference to them, Mr. McCain now emphasizes border security as the utmost priority. Except when he’s pandering in Spanish."
The New York Times
Editorial (excerpt)
published Friday, Sept. 19, 2008
page A18