Obama Suggests GOP Will Use Race to Scare Voters
Barack Obama exits a meeting with Democratic governors Friday in Chicago. (AP Photo)
Barack Obama told a group of Florida donors Friday night that Republicans will try to make voters afraid of him, and suggested they would use his race to scare up votes for John McCain.
Apparently girding for a nasty general election fight, the Illinois senator has in recent days predicted that independent GOP groups are waiting in the wings to attack him, and said his presumptive GOP rival is already “fear-mongering” when it comes to foreign policy.
But his comments Friday night in Jacksonville, Fla., seemed to reflect elevated concerns that his campaign to be the first black president would run headlong into political race baiters.
“We know what kind of campaign they’re going to run. They’re going to try to make you afraid,” Obama said at the fundraiser. “They’re going to try to make you afraid of me. He’s young and inexperienced and he’s got a funny name. And did I mention he’s black? He’s got a feisty wife.”
The crowd of supporters cheered, and Obama added: “We know the strategy because they’ve already shown their cards. Ultimately I think the American people recognize that old stuff hasn’t moved us forward. That old stuff just divides us.”
He said Republicans would be unable to run on the economy or foreign policy, so the election would ultimately boil down to a choice between “hope and fear.”
His “feisty wife” comment was probably a reference to a Tennessee GOP ad that criticized Michelle Obama for saying in February that she was proud of her country for the first time.
Obama mentioned the ad Friday afternoon at a press conference, where he defended his announcement the day before that he was backing out of the public financing system for the general election. He expects to raise more money on his own, in part to defend himself against independent GOP attack groups.
While there is no imminent, large-scale threat from so-called “527″ groups — such as the “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” group that attacked John Kerry in 2004 — Obama said they’re waiting for him.
“527’s pop up pretty quickly and have enormous influence and we’ve seen them,” he said. “I don’t think that I am off the wall here to see that … a lot of outside groups that are potentially going to be going after us hard.”
The presumptive Democratic nominee, though, has faced down a viral whisper campaign, carried out through anonymous e-mails and Web site postings, in which race and religion are front and center. Obama launched a new Web site to debunk the false attacks, some of which suggest he secretly is a Muslim, that his wife harbors racial angst against white people and that he is not patriotic.
Some of his detractors also have referred to him by his middle name, “Hussein,” though McCain usually condemns attempts to suggest he is Muslim.
The issue of race was repeatedly invoked during the primary campaign against Hillary Clinton. Bill Clinton was criticized for comparing his win in the South Carolina primary to Jesse Jackson’s victory 20 years ago. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell told an editorial board that some white voters just wouldn’t support Obama because he’s black. Another supporter, Geraldine Ferraro, said Obama was seeing such success because of his race.
FOX News’ Bonney Kapp contributed to this report.
[...] We know this is a bit dated, but we couldn’t help ourselves. Obama used race-baiting to mobilize the black electorate in his favor against Bill and Hillary, he’s doing it again, this time against John McCain. Check this statement out… [...]
Sen. Obama himself is actually admiting that he’s inexperienced!!!!
What a fool to say that, and further proof that he has no clue what he’s doing. A true post turtle.
Obama has declared the Era of Racial Revenge. To suggest that “the GOP” (ie the Republicans) will ‘use race against him” is pure and unadulterated racism in itself. There are many fine people of all colors and creeds that are not for Obama as POTUS!! His wild accusation is nothing less that the diatribes we heard from Wright and Fleger. Beware. He may have left the leftist church, but the ideology is deep in his psyche.
What honesty? What policies? If I remeber right during the debates when asked questions he usually said, “What Senator Clinton said”. He has used race from the get go. He is right about being scared, I am very scared. I am not ready for Communism yet.
Obama is a pure market creation…. he’s counting on people buying into his brand like they’d choose a soft drink or an an MP3 player. But no matter how hard he tells me I really truly need what he’s selling, I know I don’t…. and I’m certain he would never deliver on his lofty advertising promises, either…
As Adlai Stevenson (old school principled politician) said, “I think the American people will be shocked by such contempt for their intelligence. This isn’t Ivory Soap versus Palmolive.”
It is certainly to the detriment of our country that more people aren’t ….
What is Mr. Obama’s race?? I thought he had a black father and a white mother.
Since no one has mentioned race yet, except Obama, it seems that he is trying to create an issue that isn’t there. Hopefully no one in the GOP is stupid enough to go there. However, it seems that every time someone criticizes him, Obama is going to cry “racist” instead of addressing the issue. Everyone else gets fried when they say or promote something stupid, why should the Obama family be exempt. Obama is pulling the victim card when he doesn’t have a good explanation.
Why would I want a president with a wife who is only proud to be an American if her husband is president? I’m always proud to be an American, even when I disagree with those who have been voted into office, and if Obama wins, I’ll still be proud to be an American, although I will be concerned for our future.