Wink, wink. Ya know what I mean?
This mailer is being sent to North Carolina by the RNC, and possibly other states. We'll have to keep our eyes open. The envelope features a photo of Barack Obama, and inside we find this card. The front side of the card portrays the famous Iwo Jima photograph from WWII, with the words, "It used to be easy to recognize patriotism." Flip the card and you'll find what you see above.
There are a number of subtle and not-too-subtle thrusts to this ad. There is the usual GOP canard, "They're gonna raaaaaiisse your taxes!!" We've heard that a million times before, regardless of any reality on the ground (you'd think Bush's $10 trillion debt would factor in somewhere). There's also the "celebrity" tag, which has always puzzled me. This was always a clue that the Republicans were finally out of ideas. Didn't anyone tell them that America loves celebrities? And what about Sarah Palin? Ugh, I'm thinking again.
Those are the minor messages, of course. The big message is the flag pin, and the pair of hands. This is the meat and potatoes of the Republican fear campaign. There are countless examples of the "Southern Strategy" ever since Nixon, and you'll recall your favorites. Seeing the (caucasian) hands reminds me of the infamous Jesse Helms ad, with the wringing hands crumpling up a job resume, as the narrator intones about those, ahem, "quotas" that didn't deserve your jobs. Wink, wink.
I met Harold at the Playboy party! Wink, wink. John McCain has an illigitimate black daughter. Wink, wink. Reverend Wright! Wink, wink. Black man, "patriotism," white hand to the heart, next to the flag pin. Wink, wink.
Pretty absurd and stupid, when you think about it. Didn't the stock market drop another 7% today? Didn't you just lose a chunk of your 401(k)? Are we still stuck in an insane, immoral war in Iraq and Afghanistan? Is our government still torturing innocent people for no good reason? And didn't Republican President Bush add $5 trillion to our nation's debt, more money than all previous Presidents combined?
And the Republican Party thinks they can sucker you with fear. Fear of a Black Planet. Fear of Paying Taxes. Fear of whatever they tell you to fear. This is a miserable excuse of a political party. It's more akin to an organized crime racket, one that's finally been caught and headed out the door. America has nearly collapsed under Republican rule, and this is all they have to show for it.
Tell me again who's ready to lead.
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