McCain Plans to Whip Obama

Seriously? 

In an effort to energize supporters at his campaign headquarters in Arlington, Va., John McCain on Sunday may have also whipped up a little controversy with a remark that he’d “whip” Barack Obama’s “you know what” at the next debate.

The presidential candidates are meeting Wednesday in their final televised debate before the Nov. 4 election.

But McCain’s pledge—coming after two days of racial grievances aired by McCain’s camp over a comparison made by Rep. John Lewis of McCain to the late Gov. George Wallace—has sent shivers down the spines of some Republicans who find the racially charged verb may be used against the candidate.

The phrase “whip your butt” or “I’m going to whip your butt” has been a part of the lexicon for what.... two centuries?  And now it’s suddenly racist when talking about DEBATING a biracial presidential candidate?

Please.  The Obama outrage machine is officially in overdrive. 

1. Please.  The Obama outrage machine is officially in overdrive

   If it weren’t for the fact that this was a Fox News story and the story says Republicans were concerned about the comment you’d have a point here Owen.

   Posted by on October 12, 2008 at 2141 hrs




2. That’s right.  Given our country’s ugly racial history, you don’t say you are going to “whip” a black guy.  And, if you are a black guy, you don’t “beg” the white guy to “go after” the black guy, as J.T. Harris pathetically did the other day.

   It’s called history, Owen.  If you need some citations, let me know.

   Posted by Mike Plaisted on October 12, 2008 at 2154 hrs




3. Get over it. You can be offended by any phrase if you try hard enough.

   Posted by on October 12, 2008 at 2211 hrs




4. This is ridiculous. Of course McCain didn’t mean anything racist by it. BUT, it is a poor choice of words. This is equivalent to the Obama “lipstick” comment or a Biden-style gaffe.

   If Obama slipped up and used the word torture for some reason, would McCain supporters be up in arms because McCain was actually tortured? Of course they would. This is the nature of the beast at this point.

   Posted by on October 12, 2008 at 2218 hrs




5. If Obama slipped up and used the word torture for some reason, would McCain supporters be up in arms because McCain was actually tortured? Of course they would. This is the nature of the beast at this point.

   Again, this is a Fox News article.  The article says “Republicans” are worried.  No mention of Obama, Democrats, Obama supporters.  This isn’t an MSM article.  How is this spun this as an Obama or MSM issue?

   Posted by on October 12, 2008 at 2231 hrs




6. The article says “Republicans” are worried.

   Because experience tells them that someone will feign outrage and call them racist.  Rowen? Plaisted?  Care to chime in?

   They aren’t racist, of course, but Plaisted hopes that by repeating it often enough people will actually believe it.

   Posted by on October 12, 2008 at 2256 hrs




7. It was a stupid comment, not racist.

   Posted by on October 13, 2008 at 0707 hrs




8. There is a difference between being historically and racially tone-deaf and being racist.  Although he no longer deserves it, I’ll give McCain the benefit of the doubt that he was just clueless and not intentionally racist.  I don’t know which is worse for him at this point—for weeks, he has been flopping around like a fish on the dock.  At least if he was intending the racial allusions, it would at least look like he had a sense of direction, even if it was the wrong one.

   Posted by Mike Plaisted on October 13, 2008 at 0800 hrs




9. The sad part is we have this straightjacket in this country, and it has been fashioned around us by a minority that is afflicted with the luxury of racism and most of them happen to be Republicans.

   This straightjacket has hampered free speech in that surely McCain meant nothing racist, but unfortunately this group gets fired up by this tone and therefore people have to be a choosey about the choice of words and how they string ‘em.

   Maybe McCain could have gotten a pass, but he has done nothing to discourage these thoughts.

   Someday we’ll get pass this. But thanks to a lot organized groups such as the Alaskan Independence Party, it’ll take a while.

   Posted by on October 13, 2008 at 0905 hrs




10. It was a stupid comment, not racist.

    And childish also…

    “I’ll whip his ass” please… I’d expect to hear that on an elementary school playground, (or coming out of an NBA players mouth in an interview)

    Very presidential John… Well done…

    Posted by on October 13, 2008 at 0945 hrs




11. But thanks to a lot organized groups such as the Alaskan Independence Party, it’ll take a while.

    Surely you meant to include the church of Jeremiah Wright and the Trinity United Church of Christ?

    Posted by on October 13, 2008 at 0947 hrs




12. Given our country’s ugly racial history, you don’t say you are going to “whip” a black guy.  And, if you are a black guy, you don’t “beg” the white guy to “go after” the black guy, as J.T. Harris pathetically did the other day.

    Wouldn’t you agree that as a country, we will have come a long way when you can say “whip” a black guy and the connotation is no different than whipping a white guy?

    Won’t race mean a lot less when words mean the same for everyone, not the double standards and ‘special’ words that are ‘oh so offensive’ only when used by a person of one race but not another.

    How do we progress as a nation to a point where race isn’t ‘sugh a big deal’ when we have people always willing to be offended and make an outrage over anything that ‘could’ be taken as racist?

    As generations change and children grown into adults, wouldn’t it be better to let them grow up without poisioning their minds with the prejudices of the past.

    And doesn’t holding on to these ‘outrages’ and declaring that you don’t use “certain words” regarding black guys perpetuate racism to future generations?

    I’m sorry, but I just don’t think you’re moving towards equality when you make every attempt to propogate these double standards and endoctrinate fresh minds with “the ugliness of the past”.  It makes me question what your real motives are?  Do you really want equality?  I don’t think so.

    Posted by on October 13, 2008 at 0958 hrs




13. I guess you have to know a little bit—or, better, a lot—about the history of the African-American experience to realize how emotionally loaded the word “whip” is for African-Americans.  Considering the sad history, I’m sorry if people are too sensitive for you.  The wounds suffered by their ancestors still hurt.  Would McCain say he was going to “gas” a Jewish candidate?  I doubt it, and if he did, he should get the same kind of questions.

    And, there is always my favorite game: What If A Democrat Did It?  What if I somehow smoked out J.T. Harris for a debate and said I was going to “whip” him.  Are you kidding me?  You’d hear the squealing from here to Timbuktu.  And rightly so.

    Posted by Mike Plaisted on October 13, 2008 at 1045 hrs




14. I guess you have to know a little bit—or, better, a lot—about the history of the African-American experience to realize how emotionally loaded the word “whip” is for African-Americans.

    Yeah, thats my point… have you ever been whipped?  I’m sure not.  So why is the word so ‘emotionally loaded’ for you?  Cause someone taught you to be upset about it.

    And I don’t know if you have kids, but what do you do?  Teach your kids to be upset about a word? 

    Hey, I recognize this seems to be the norm.  I recognize that everyone wants to cling to all the hurt and have all the leverage they can to be offended.  I just don’t think thats a healthy way to move forward in life.  I just don’t think that anyone who was really interested in equality would be teaching and propogating such beliefs.

    If you want your son or daughter to be offended by “whip” but you don’t think a white person should be offended by “whip” then do you really want equality for your children?  And if there is going to be all these different ‘rules’ and different acceptable verbage for one race vs. another, where is the equality? 

    I’ll say again… What are the real motives here?  Teaching hurt?  Teaching anger?  Teaching how to be a victim?

    Posted by on October 13, 2008 at 1103 hrs




15. More faux outrage from the tolerant left = part of their strategy to shift the conversation from actual issues to straw men.  Just shout “racist” whenever they don’t like a criticism of The One.

    Posted by on October 13, 2008 at 1107 hrs




16. Again, there is no outrage from the left. This is a Fox News story, citing Repub concerns. Man, at least let Olberman run his very special comment meltdown on the topic before you assign blame to lefties for this story.

    Posted by on October 13, 2008 at 1135 hrs




17. Lefty, do you even read the comments?  There was plenty of faux outrage expressed in the first 14 of them!

    Posted by on October 13, 2008 at 1259 hrs




18. cynical, No there wasn’t.  There was discussion of points.  Nobody here has expressed outrage, real or fake, at McCain’s comments.  Everybody has said they’re a little stupid at best.

    Plaisted comes the closest (#2). But he says, in #8, that McC was probably just racially tone-deaf, and NOT racist. 

    Again I don’t see outrage, real or fake, from the left, in comments or the media on this event.

    Given Lefty’s accurate comments re: Fox news and Republican discomfort with McC’s statement.  It seems the right is playing both sides in this little drama. 

    Go at it! Get offended and then get offended that someone would get offended.  Or you could try getting your candidate elected.

    Posted by Mike on October 13, 2008 at 1316 hrs




19. That’s funny. I haven’t read one post from someone who is “outraged”. Everyone basically said that it was just a poor choice of words due to the connotations it represents with some older generations. I predict in 30-40 years, a phrase like this won’t draw nearly the ire that it COULD (and hopefully won’t) right now.

    What I want to hear at the next debate is this:
    Obama, “If John McCain gets elected, there will be 4 of the most torturous years that anyone can imagine!”
    followed up by:
    McCain, “If Barack is elected his policies will cause lynch mobs in the republican party!”

    Now, THAT will give the 24 hour news media and blogs something to talk about for the next 3 weeks! But, I don’t think we will see or hear that.

    Posted by on October 13, 2008 at 1321 hrs




20. Plaisted, you f...ing idiot, it’s an idiom.  To say a Jew should be offended by the use of the word “gas,” used as part of an idom, such as “what a gas,” referring to a good time or a hearty laugh, is beyond rediculous.  Trying to appeal to your own deluded false authority that somehow people who would use the word “whip” in the presence of a black person are not “familiar enough with the African-American experience” is pathetic.  Take your game somewhere else, race-baiting prick.  (Can I say “prick,” I mean, I don’t know if one of your ancestors was stabbed or didn’t like knitting or something...?)

    Posted by Mike Gallo on October 13, 2008 at 1901 hrs