McCain's black family ties touch on the GOP's racial faultline

[DainBramaged]

(If this is a dupe, please let me know and I'll put pictures of Obama up)


Normally, the story of John McCain's black family -- the ones who are planning to vote for Barack Obama -- might elicit some modest interest in terms of what it says about the complexity of race relations in America.

But what's been even more interesting has been how John McCain has responded to the story ever since it surfaced.

Initially, back when he first was doing the "Maverick" schtick in the 2000 primaries, he actually denied that the aristocratic Southerners from whom he was descended were slaveholders. But it really became impossible for McCain to deny their existence after a 2000 report in Salon in the course of which reporters showed him photographs and birth records in person and he had to concede to their existence.

One account, In the South Florida Times, describes how McCain has handled the connection publicly and privately:

White and black members of the McCain family have met on the plantation several times over the last 15 years, but one invited guest has been conspicuously absent: Sen. John Sidney McCain.

“Why he hasn’t come is anybody’s guess,” said Charles McCain Jr., 60, a distant cousin of John McCain who is black. “I think the best I can come up with, is that he doesn’t have time, or he has just distanced himself, or it doesn’t mean that much to him.”

Other relatives are not as generous.

Lillie McCain, 56, another distant cousin of John McCain who is black, said the Republican presidential nominee is trying to hide his past, and refuses to accept the family’s history.

“After hearing him in 2000 claim his family never owned slaves, I sent him an email,” she recalled. “I told him no matter how much he denies it, it will not make it untrue, and he should accept this and embrace it.”

She said the senator never responded to her email.

http://crooksandliars.com/node/23508

[MadMaddie]

1. And there you go! McCain is ashamed of his mixed family,

anyone surprised?

[monmouth]

2. You know what is striking to me about this? Obama and his guys

(Axlerod, Pflouffe (sp?) had to know about this. I mean his people are so on top of everything, yet, they did not bring this up. Even after all of the horrible vitriolic hatred and bigotry that has been spewing from the right, still, Obama chose not to bring this up. I think I'm right here, I'm thinking (not assuming)this comes from another source. My point being that the Obama campaign choose their battles very carefully. If this is factual, and I have no doubt it is, what is the reaction from the right? Have they heard this, has this hit the MSM? Will it ever? It also points out once again, the character of the campaign.

[babylonsister]

3. You are so right; this is the first time I've read of his 'other' family.

Makes me even prouder of how Obama's campaign has been run. Not sinking into the mud is a good thing.

[DainBramaged]

8. I am simply horrified of this idiot. What a bigot

[quiet.american]

7. But you know, it's in line with Obama's "no personal attacks" rule for the campaign.

Obama is the first Dem presidential candidate I've seen who has been able to take the high road and still succeed!

[redstate_democrat]

4. Lillie, perhaps it's not that he didn't want to respond, but just couldn't.

“After hearing him in 2000 claim his family never owned slaves, I sent him an email,” she recalled. “I told him no matter how much he denies it, it will not make it untrue, and he should accept this and embrace it.”

She said the senator never responded to her email.

He doesn't know how to use email.

[AwakeAtLast]

6. LOL, you are right!

And if someone reads his e-mail for him, like say.....a cold as ice wife for example, he probably wouldn't have seen it.

[genna]

5. Now this is an AMERICAN story if I've ever heard one.

Mac doesn't want to believe his family could have been the land owning gentry who held human beings captive and intermixed (definitely did NOT intermarry) with AAs. Mac doesn't want to believe his success and the success of his family has roots in that peculiar American institution that built the wealth of this nation. AND MAC wants to ignore what this legacy says about him, the McCains in this story, and what kind of bearings this gives him when he thinks about diversity in his service in the armed forces and as a public servant.


Incredible insight.

[DainBramaged]

9. K&R this is an important story

[DainBramaged]

10. .........

[No Elephants]

11. As I've said: McCain is a soul-less man and always has been.

[DainBramaged]

12. No soul, you are right, how sad.