Perhaps Mr. Riley’s allegation in Newsday that the McCain “Celeb” ad exposed some sort of crypto-racist subterfuge, is more widely shared among Obama’s media advocates than one might have assumed. For the queen of that kingdom evidently shares the sentiment:
The ad gave us an uneasy feeling that the McCain campaign was starting up the same sort of racially tinged attack on Mr. Obama that Republican operatives, some of whom work for Mr. McCain now, ran against Harold Ford, a black candidate for Senate in Tennessee in 2006. That assault, too, began with videos juxtaposing Mr. Ford with young, white women.
(The New York Times via Sister Toldjah)
Everything I wrote about Mr. Riley’s views earlier can naturally be reapplied here to the New York Times. However, there are three additional thoughts which occur to me:
1. The New York Times, at least in its editorial capacity, may be becoming the surrogate response and marketing team for the Obama campaign. As noted earlier today, to the point that it appears the Times is even developing the campaign’s slogans and advertising approach.
2. If that is so, would it not be better for Mr. McCain to merely recast his entire campaign as a contest between himself and the editorial board of the Times, bypassing Mr. Obama altogether. After all, if victory consists largely of picking the right enemies, that’s a contest that Mr. McCain might actually be able to win. It’s no secret that lately the national paper of record isn’t held in the highest esteem by the nation it records. Furthermore, it seems that the Times as a leading agent for Obama, tends to be ahead of the campaign it supports by about a day. Alacrity might demand a more direct approach by McCain against his “real” opponent.
3. Finally –and this is purely suspicion on my part– does anyone else get the feeling in reading the editorials of the New York Times and others, that there are elements of the press that actually resent the fact that race is not a more significant feature of this campaign? Elements who will actually try to inject it as factor, even without the slightest cause. Also, is there perhaps a more wicked remorse that the opportunities to label Mr. McCain a racist are so disappointingly few?