Is McCain provoking racism at his political rallies?

Yes

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by Diane Quinn

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Like a lot of people in our country, I've become uncomfortable with the negativity seeping from the pores of John McCain's campaign in its attempts to provoke racism at his rallies.

I believe that racism resists showing itself openly in daylight, at least in most areas of the country. Instead, it has sought the darker depths of society's underworld to breed and fester.

That is, until a political candidate decides that he need votes, any votes. So, what does this vote seeker do? He opens the door on the chained, hungry dog of racism by throwing bits of stale, inflammatory food to the ignorant beast just enough to entice it out of its box.

There is an important clue to my belief that veiled racism has been a tactic in McCain's campaign. He chose as a consultant, Tucker Eskew from South Carolina, who worked for George W. Bush and participated in the Carl Rove brainstormed racist rumors leveled against John McCain's adopted daughter from Bangladesh. Strange, don't you think, that John McCain would stoop to a similar level after having experienced it himself? McCain's decision to "give-as-good-as-he- got" is another example of his bad judgment.

On the campaign trail, Sarah Palin spews with ease any inflammatory words against Obama that others write for her. Mostly spoken at largely white campaign rallies, her words have become the food of seduction for racists. "This is not a man who sees America like you and I see America," she has said many times. In other words, "he's not like us."

Of course there's nothing "overtly" racist in Palin's remarks. No, her speech writers are far too clever and cowardly to take the heat if that were the case. Being too overtly racist at McCain's rallies might actually turn people away from him and his running mate, so they have to walk a fine line of "acceptability."

McCa in himself continues to ask over and over again, "Who is the real Barak Obama?" Like there is another image of Obama that no one sees except him. He tries to present a false image of Obama, one where truth is beside the point and fear mongering is the star player. McCain is really saying, "America, read between the lines here. He's got an Arab name, his father was African, and he "pals around with terrorists." Another level of subtext even goes deeper, "And we all know who those dark-skinned Arabs really are - Muslims."

So successful have these veiled racist tactics become, that small minded people feel empowered to stand up at McCain rallies and shout: "Treason!" "Terrorist," even, "Kill him!" What we don't hear on the news clips from these rallies are the numerous racial epithets tossed around like confetti.

At last, when under criticism from people within his own party, John McCain finally began to denounce the racist mudslinging. But did his campaign organizers denounce and remove attendees standing around with signs boasting all sorts other racist slander against Obama? Well, no, because as McCain said at the last debate, "They are all good Americans who come to my rallies."And, yes, he needs their votes.

John McCain is certainly no racist. But I do I believe that by provoking racism at his rallies he compromises his integrity as a leader.

As Colin Powell pointed out during his recent endorsement of Barack Obama, "I look at these kinds of approaches to the campaign, and they trouble me. Over the last seven weeks, the approach of the Republican Party has become narrower and narrower."

Our country has for too long swallowed the motto, "All's fair in politics ... the end justifies the means ... the only thing that matters is winning." I believe that there other things much more important than winning.

Condoning or encouraging racism, in any of its ugly forms, is one of those things that should be denounced everywhere: in our homes, where we work, in our children's schools, in our churches, synagogues and mosques, and even during campaign rallies.

Lately the words of Martin Luther King have had special meaning for me and bear repeating: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter." Think about it.

Taking a stand against racism does matter. McCain's campaign tactic to provoke racism at his political rallies will be one of the many reasons why he will lose the election on November 4th.

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