The AP As The Republican Party’s Racial Arsonist

The AP knows, like the Republican Party, McCain, George Bush, and Karl Rove, that the only way McCain can secure the White House is by diverting the nation’s focus away from discussing the disastrous state of the economy and the $10 billion a month debacle in Iraq.
What better way to do that than with the ever-reliable time-tested race bogeyman.

[Publisher’s Commentary: Election 2008]

The AP’s so-called “poll” published Friday finding that at least a third of Democrats and independents harbored some racist animus towards Blacks and could thus cost Senator Barack Obama the White House is a bogus “story.” It’s nothing but a malicious hit-job against Senator Obama.

By re-introducing race as a national topic of debate –when in fact it has been the underlying factor throughout the campaign– the AP is trying to throw a lifeline for Senator John McCain.

The AP knows, like the Republican Party, McCain, George Bush, and Karl Rove, that the only way McCain can secure the White House is by diverting the nation’s focus away from discussing the disastrous state of the economy and the $10 billion a month debacle in Iraq.

What better way to do that than with the ever-reliable time-tested race bogeyman.

The timing of the AP story is not accidental. It comes at the very moment that Obama has reversed the gains in the national polls that McCain temporarily gained after he selected Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate–a gimmick selection. In a 10-point swing, Obama erased the temporary McCain lead and scored a five-points lead in most major polls.

It is the kind of abuse of media power we’ve witnessed several times in this election cycle. Recall that when Obama enjoyed a lead in the polls a few weeks ago The New Yorker magazine published its malicious cover image depicting Obama and his wife as, respectively, a Muslim terrorist and a Black radical.

After Obama again surged in the polls after his return from the European tour, The New York Times published that idiotic frontpage story based on Senator McCain’s reckless and false allegation that Obama was “playing the race card.”

At least The New York Times soon recognized its error and published an editorial denouncing McCain for falsely claiming
Obama was playing the race card.

Now comes the AP’s malicious hit-job.

Moreover, the methodoly of the “polling” was idiotic and insulting to the intelligence of Americans and reflects poorly on the AP.

Rather than have respondents offer their own negative views and prejudices they harbor towards Blacks, the AP came up with its own list of negative adjectives, ascribed to Blacks, from which respondents were to select, including: “violent,” “lazy,” and “boastful.”
 
People were also offered the opportunity to declare that Blacks would be better off if they worked harder.

Show me a more leading and malicious methodology for a purported “study.”

Further compromising the “poll” and story’s legitimacy, according to Media Matters, one of the article’s writers
Ron Fournier, once signed off in an e-mail to Karl Rove “keep up the fight” and he even sought a job with
the John McCain campaign.

Anyone who does not know that race has been an underlying consideration throughout this election season is brain dead. 

This does no mean that those who harbor some racist views against Black people will not vote for Senator Obama; in fact, many probably voted for him in the primaries and that’s how he secured the nomination. Moreover, it does not follow that such people will vote for McCain.

At the end of the day, the difference in the outcome of the November 4 vote may be determined on race consideration. Voters will make that determination. It is not the AP’s job to push Americans in that direction; it’s, purportedly, a news wire service, not an  extension of the Republican party.

The objective of the AP’s alleged “poll” is very clear. To try and divert attention from the economy and the costly misguided wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Intelligent voters must reject this ruse –and there will be more attempts to raise racial fears between now and Nov. 4– and focus on the candidate who can help arrest and reverse the economic decline and responsibly end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

That candidate is Senator Obama.

  

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