Richard Wolffe: Rove op-ed on Obama "uncomfortably close to the edge of being plain-out racist"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

MSNBC analyst: Rove Obama attack close to 'outright racist'
David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Published: Friday January 11, 2008

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/MSNBC_Analyst_Rove_Obama_attack_almost_0111.html

"No official endorsements for Senator Clinton today," Olbermann stated, "but it sure appeared as if Karl Rove was back to backing the candidate he'd love to see beaten ... writing an op-ed in the now Murdoch-owned Murdoch Street Journal, in which he explains why Mrs. Clinton won in New Hampshire and otherwise eviscerates Senator Obama, saying of the Illinois Democrat's performance at the debate Saturday, 'His trash talking was an unattractive carryover from his days playing pickup basketball at Harvard, and capped a mediocre night.'"

Of the Rove editorial, Wolffe stated, "Talking to some of Obama's aides, I think they detected a pretty ugly undertone in Rove's op-ed there. The 'trash-talking.' The 'basketball.' The 'lazy' thing. Is he suggesting that there's some sort of color aspect to Barack Obama's behavior that he's getting at? It was uncomfortably close to the edge of being plain-out racist."

"That's Karl," said Olbermann.

The racist slant of Rove's op-ed has already been widely noted among bloggers, with one of the more vehement writing, "When you take into consideration the malevolent genius of Karl Rove - The god damned Johnny Appleseed of fear harvesting - and understand that the higher echelon of the Republican base is being spoon-fed a concoction that consists of a feminist-socialist lesbian wife of a shill president or a lazy, jive-talking, b-ball playing huckster boy politician from Chicago ... Rove's ability to triangulate issues and interweave them with subtle strereotypical imagery would be fun to read if it was fiction. Unfortunately in real life, the fat master has stirred and is testing the waters to see if his style of politics still plays."

[2rth2pwr]

1. Everything is racist if it is negative to wittle old Obama. nt

[wndycty]

2. SO now you are defending Rove?

:kick:

[2rth2pwr]

6. This is another awkward attempt to link Rove with the Clintons. nt

[sandnsea]

14. Do you know Donna Brazille and Karl are friends?

I haven't listened to Donna so I don't know who she's backing. But don't underestimate the games played in political circles. Regardless, this is still racist on its own, so why the hell would you say otherwise?

[2rth2pwr]

15. I didn't

the point is what does it matter what Karl said days ago? This is just an attempt to lump it in with the
talking points of the day- that the Clintons' are racist.

[sandnsea]

18. The Clintons said what they said

It's undeniable. That Rove is popping off with this shit at the same time is interesting. Make of it what you will.

But the MLK slams and the "part time" Senator slam, and now she's using guacamole and ships metaphors, good lord. How much does it take for people to get a clue?

[2rth2pwr]

20. "Make of it what you will."

That's exactly my point.

[sandnsea]

21. No it was not your point at all

Nobody could possibly be making racist remarks, nah, couldn't happen.

[2rth2pwr]

22. When the NYT does it it's ok?

On the court, Mr. Obama is confident, even a bit boastful.

“If he would hit a couple buckets, he would let you know about it,” said Alexi Giannoulias, who played in the late 1990s with Mr. Obama at the East Bank Club, a luxurious spot in downtown Chicago. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/01/us/politics/01hoops.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

If one were somehow to play a highlight reel of Mr. Obama’s on-court exploits, it would start in Hawaii, with a pudgy junior high school student in short shorts and high socks who had a Julius Erving poster plastered on his bedroom wall.

It might include the time he and several Harvard Law School classmates played inmates at a Massachusetts prison; the students were terrified to win or lose, because the convicts lining the court had bet on both outcomes. (“I got two packs on you!” they called out.)


Wher were you in June?

[sandnsea]

23. Huh???

Obama plays basketball?

Do you really not get the difference between reporting facts and political innuendo and slander??

[2rth2pwr]

24. I feel like I've got a little puppy on my pantleg

barking "racist!" "racist!"

cute, but annoying.

[sandnsea]

25. Can't make your case so resort to slander

Maybe that's why you can't recognize it when you see it.

[2rth2pwr]

26. ruf!

"His trash talking was an unattractive carryover from his days playing pickup basketball at Harvard, and capped a mediocre night."

There is the sentence, break it down for me.

[EFerrari]

4. Is this DU?

[Adelante]

5. Where am I?

:cry:

[madrchsod]

12. red neck hell or kindergarten?

i`m not sure which

[AJ Franklin]

7. Agreed

The more Obama's team and teammates play the race card the more he will exclude himself from serious consideration. He's running for G-D POTUS! He better be able to take a look in the mirror and be prepared to handle some "insensitive" comments now or he will be a complete wuss when the going really gets rough.

[madrchsod]

10. obama is playing the race card......

so tell me what race is he?

[debatepro]

17. Obama isn't saying anything about this...

What is this blame the victim week. So when someone questions Rove and Cuomo's blatantly racist statements and undertones THEY are playing the RACE CARD.

You have to be kidding me. Seriously... this is the best you can do... Please don't ever complain about something someone else says... every... you will have no credibility.

[madrchsod]

8. ah you are so cute....

why no wittle old 2rth2pwr everything isn`t racist, but sometimes it just sticks out that onr just can`t ignore it

[Little Star]

3. Rove is a sick pup. He's fanning the flames. n/t

[Cant trust em]

9. That's the first time I've heard "trash talk" be used

It's usually termed as going negative, attacking. I've never heard trash talk before. Don't forget that this is from the same party that used the ads against Harold Ford, Jr. in 2006 that featured a white woman asking Mr. Ford to call her with jungle drums playing in the background.

These bastards will stop at nothing.

[madrchsod]

11. well ford was being to sensitive

he should have just laughed..you know "jungle bunny love"..... :sarcasm:

this is one way to stop them...

i the guy i grew up with gave people three chances when they called him a "nigger" after the third time he`d grab their tongue and pulled it they cried...

someone should do that to karly

[Cant trust em]

13. I've inured myself to nasty attack ads, but...

that one was way below the belt. If you're going to be racist these days, you should at least have be subtle about it. I've never seen an ad that was so geared to people's most negative subconcious instincts.

[madrchsod]

16. yes it was really bad on a lot of levels

worse it brings back all the shit i`ve heard since i was a kid 50 years ago..i`ve tried not to associate with people that use this shit but i guess it`s hard to avoid even here

[debatepro]

19. Maybe Obama belongs to the Larry Bird School of Trash-talking!!!!!!!!!!!!

It ain't trash talking if you can back it up!