by Christi Parsons
Will race be a factor in the election to come, now that Barack Obama appears destined for the Democratic nomination for the White House?
The official answer from Republican leaders is that they don't plan to raise it.
"All we can say is, we hope and we expect it will have no impact at all," Republican National Committee deputy chairman Frank Donatelli said this afternoon. "That's not an issue we're going to raise, ever. We believe the future of the country is too important."
Republicans hope to focus on what presumptive Republican nominee John McCain calls "the big issues," he said, and to prevent Obama from dwelling on "lofty platitudes."
But they don't plan to play the race game, he said.
"As far as we're concerned," said Donatelli, "I can only give you my pledge that that's going to be how our party is going to try to focus."
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Comments
The race baiting was started in the primaries by the Obama camp.
I'm confident they'll keep it up in the general election.
Posted by: MJ | June 3, 2008 5:13 PM
Is this another comic routine, you are working on!! Of course, they are going to deny the race card, or racial politics !! The Ridiculous Republicans can't win unless they hide behind hatchet men, who work their voodoo in the shadows. That is what is likely to happen. It's the same old Cheney/Bush, Saxby Chambliss magic, that is, if honest, real Americans, turn a blind eye to such despicable practices. Our destiny is in our hands, vote with your intelligence, not ideology !! If it sounds like a lie, than it usually is !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | June 3, 2008 5:46 PM
Of course they don't. They did it during those special elections in heavily Republican areas and they lost badly.
They DID play it when they thought it benefited them. They just know that they'll suffer blowback if they try it now. That's the ONLY reason they won't. They'd be happy to race bait us if they thought for one second that it'd work.
Posted by: Joe | June 3, 2008 5:46 PM
Republicans don't need to raise the issue of race. It's there for everyone to see. It's an issue for the primaries. Hillary was able to use it to her advantage in the primary by implying that an African American couldn't win in the general election. All the Republicans need to do now is hope she was right - hope that America really is that rascist.
Posted by: Pat | June 3, 2008 5:56 PM
GOP has a reputation. Rove, Cheney
and Lott are still alive. Praying America
can heal it self soon.
Posted by: Annonnnymous | June 3, 2008 5:57 PM
My comment is for the author. The media repeatedly tries to create the news and demean the electorate by publishing their own OPINIONS questioning whether race will or will not be a factor, as though the voters don't actually care about the issues such as their finances, the war, etc etc. If states such as Washington and Montana (that have a miniscule number of black residents) had gone wildly against Obama, it would be one thing, but Washington went 2:1 FOR Obama. Don't try to create the news. This country has real issues and we need to seriously think about what directions we want our leaders to take to solve them.
Posted by: Anonymous | June 3, 2008 5:58 PM
Why does everyone think that Obama is black? He is not black. Race should not even come up regarding this guy. Why do they say that he will be the first black president? He had a white mother and a black father, that doesn't make him black. You don't call someone who is half indian an indian.
Posted by: Jared | June 3, 2008 6:07 PM
B.S. The Republican Party will launch race-based attacks through back channels and then officially denounce those attacks after the damage is done. They'll also exploit divisive issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. Laughably, they'll even try the fear card again. But hopefully this time enough people have figured out that an established track record of crippling national security doesn't make the Republicans any more qualified to lead than Obama (who clearly has better judgment than President Bush or the Senator McCain).
Posted by: Former Republican and retired military | June 3, 2008 6:17 PM
Don't forget that the Obama camp was the first to inject race into the primary campaign. Obama surrogate Al Sharpton accused HC of racism for stating the obvious fact that Lyndon johnson was responsible for getting the '64 Voting Rights Act passed.
Then of course we can't forget the charmers the Reverends Wright and Pfleger and their vitriol.
So I'm sure that Obama's supporters will keep racial tension front and center.
Posted by: MJ | June 3, 2008 6:48 PM
Didnt help Clinton who WOMEN love, and there is No way in HADES its going to help a rich old man and his evil cronies. Stick a fork in him...he's done.
Posted by: Keith Lifetime Chicagoan and Southsider | June 3, 2008 11:19 PM
Obama surrogate Al Sharpton accused HC of racism
Nope--wasn't Al Sharpton. It was Jesse Jackson Jr, and he wasn't heard from again, was he? Obama himself has tried to minimize the issue of race, and has consistently said that he does not think the Clintons have been racist. Many of his followers have cried racism, though, sometimes inappropriately, but sometimes appropriately. Racial tension is fact in our society, and pretending that it's not an issue doesn't solve anything. It's not "race baiting" to point that out. But Obama is right that it's time to try to get beyond that, to come together and deal with our problems as one people. I hope the Republicans will follow suit.
Posted by: Jess | June 4, 2008 1:15 AM