Op-Ed: The Return of Race in the Presidential Campaign

Over the last 10 days we have watched the McCain-Palin ticket, unleash a torrent of racially coded attacks that has given their followers license to resurrect hate that Americans had hoped was buried with Jim Crow years ago. Apparently the crow flies.

With the active encouragement of both John McCain and Sarah Palin, speakers and supporters at their rallies have been motivated to shout “kill him” and “off with his head,” in reference to Barack Obama. Allthough Senator McCain attempted to calm his bloodthirsty brood this past Friday, apparently that the genie is out of the bottle for good. For almost two years running, the specter of race has hung over this presidential campaign and, up until now, every time it surfaced well meaning individuals in political circles and the media worked to temper the rhetoric. Now, with less than a month to go, the issue of race and racism has come back with a vengeance as a desperate campaign throws one last “Hail Mary” pass hoping to sow seeds of doubt about Senator Obama in the minds of White voters. Georgia Congressman John Lewis is right when he describes what we are witnessing is straight from the George Wallace-Lester Maddox playbook. When all else fails, remind working class white voters of the need for racial solidarity; despite the fact that it could work against their vested interest. Senator McCain’s contemptuous reference to Senator Obama as “that one” was his call to arms to those paranoid White voters whose guilt would have them to believe that a Black president will turn history’s table back on White America. The McCain team’s invocation of “Who is Barack Obama?”, attempts to portray “that one” as a covert, anti-American, Black Muslim Arab sympathizer who is an undercover agent for terrorists abroad. It is conspiracy theory run amok and only capable of taking root when the appeal is made in the context of an anti-intellectual framework. The McCain campaign is hoping that hate filled, sound bite driven vollies as the campaign winds down will give their ticket the boost it needs among those White voters who are still burdened by race. It has been sobering to watch Governor Sarah Palin, the poster girl for cut and paste politics, attack someone far more educated, accomplished and qualified to serve than she could ever hope to be. And it has been revealing to see Senator McCain hide behind his running mate as she makes baseless accusations that are an affront to the American public. If there ever was a time for Senator McCain to demonstrate real courage, it would be now. But he can’t because he has awakened the beast and history teaches us that once the lynch mob gathers, someone has to get lynched. It is a moot point to play the voice of reason now with his angry mob because they have been promised a lynching and will now turn on him if their thirst for blood cannot be satisfied. The historical parallels are clear. There weren’t only ordinary White citizens who filled the air with racial epitaphs at the height of Jim Crow. There were Whites who should have known better, who should have had a more enlightened perspective, such as law enforcement officials, and religious and political leaders. Now who do we see leading the hate parade for candidate McCain? In Iowa it’s a pastor giving an invocation and suggesting that non-Christians around the world are praying for a Barack Obama victory: “There are millions of people around this world praying to their god—whether it’s Hindu, Buddha, Allah—that his opponent wins, for a variety of reasons. And Lord, I pray that you will guard your own reputation, because they’re going to think that their God is bigger than you, if that happens.” - Arnold Conrad, former pastor of Grace Evangelical Free Church in Davenport. It is Florida's Lee County sheriff Mike Scott using Senator Obama’s middle name - Hussein - during a speech to subliminally cast him as an enemy of the state, while wearing his police uniform. Scott later said he didn’t regret that it had caused an uproar in parts of Lee County: “If their support is so shallow as to wane over one word that was legal, accurate, and void of supporting malice beyond dispute, then I will respectfully move on without their political support and without change to my loyalty to them or their constituents.” It’s a New York County printing ballots with Senator Obama listed as “Barack Osama.” Freudian slip, intentional gaffe or a mistake? "Of all the letters to hit by mistake. Unfortunately it is a mistake which negatively impacts our Democratic candidate for president." - County Democratic Chairman Tom Wade

"We have three different staff members who proof these things and somehow the typo got by us. We really apologize." - Republican Commissioner Larry Bugbee I contend, it is no surprise that “kill him” is shouted from a McCain campaign crowd and a Black member of the press corps is verbally abused at a rally in Florida. Earlier this year, John McCain's security detail removed a Black reporter from a campaign event. Nor should we be shocked when John McCain asked a crowd in New Mexico, “Who is the real Barack Obama?” someone from the crowd yelled, “a terrorist” in response. And Senator McCain was silent. All that remains is for Senator McCain to invoke the N-word, a Georgia congressman and supporter has already used the word uppity to describe Obama and his wife. That’s about all his campaign has left to fall back on now. Even David Gergen of CNN has warned that the incendiary tone of the McCain rallies could lead to violence. "There is a free-floating sort of whipping-around anger that could really lead to some violence. And I think we're not far from that. I think it's really imperative the candidates try to calm people down." Gergen is not a bleeding heart liberal, but is someone who has served in both Democratic and Republican campaigns and administrations. This election will either make a long anticipated course correction in our nation’s racial journey or it will resuscitate the vilest element of our national culture that will sadly make race the foremost issue of the 21st century as it was in the 20th century.