Question about racism and previous Democratic nominees

[Plaid Adder]

This is not a rhetorical question. I really am curious to know the answer, though it will have no bearing on which candidate I support.

This evening, I said to my partner, after reading a Washington Post story about the racism Obama campaigners are running into when they phone bank and such, "Is it possible that there are too many racists in the US for Obama to win the general election?"

She said, "They always use racism against the Democratic presidential candidate. Remember those Willie Horton ads."

The Willie Horton ads were used against Dukakis during the race against Bush the First. Scary black man let out of prison by milquetoast liberal governor is coming to kill your children, and so forth. We remember it because it was the first presidential election we got to vote in, and because it was the first time we'd seen a political ad stoop that low. We were young, we were innocent.

Were there similar ads run in 1992 and 1996 against Clinton? I can't remember now. Also I don't think I remember anything that blatant from 2000; and in 2004 it was all TERRA TERRA TERRA. Of course racism is always part of the GOP strategy in the form of attempts to suppress the African-American vote, but that's a different question.

What about it? People with better memories than me, can you recall race-baiting being used against white Democratic presidential candidates *after* Dukakis?

C ya,

The Plaid Adder