NAACP says Republican NC Obama ad inserts 'racist sentiments' into election
/By MIKE BAKER, Associated Press Writer
The North Carolina branch of the NAACP said Friday a Republican advertisement that includes a clip of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's former pastor is racially divisive.
NAACP leaders blasted the North Carolina GOP for producing an ad that shows footage of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's fiery comments about the U.S. The group said the ad takes Wright's words out of context in an effort to smear the black community and "prophetic ministers." "It's a fundamentally race-baiting ad," said Rev. William Barber, state NAACP President. "And it inserts racist sentiments."
The sound bite shows Wright proclaiming from the pulpit "God damn America" for its racism and treatment of minorities. Obama has denounced the remarks. The ad was posted online Wednesday. State Republican Party officials still plan to begin airing the ad on television Monday despite the objections of high-ranking Republicans, including likely GOP presidential candidate John McCain.
The ad claims to target two Democratic gubernatorial candidates who endorsed Obama, though the ad overwhelmingly focuses on the presidential candidate. Two television stations in Raleigh and Charlotte have vowed not to air the piece, calling it inflammatory.
Barber compared the ad to a media campaign in 1898, when several state newspapers distributed racist political cartoons and published stories focusing on black community crimes. The campaign preceded race riots in Wilmington that resulted in white supremacists overthrowing the local black government in the nation's only recorded coup d'etat. The conflict left dozens of blacks dead and ushered in a new political era in the Jim Crow South.
"This is 2008, not 1898," Barber said. "Race-baiting has long been the last resort of politicians who have racially divided North Carolinians to get elected."
State GOP Chairwoman Linda Daves said the ad is completely factual and accused Democrats of trying to inject the race issue into the discussion.
"This tactic, designed to further drive a wedge between the people of North Carolina, is despicable and wrong," Daves said in a statement. "This ad has absolutely nothing to do with race."
North Carolina GOP spokesman Brent Woodcox said donors have responded by sending money to the party to help air the spot.
"(Donations) have been pouring in so quickly we can't keep up with them," Woodcox said. He said the total was still being tallied.
The ad begins with a photo of Obama and Wright together, followed by a clip of the firebrand pastor's remarks. The spot calls Obama "too extreme for North Carolina" and then criticizes Democratic gubernatorial candidates Richard Moore and Bev Perdue.
Bob Orr, the only Republican candidate for governor to publicly oppose the ad, said the message hurts the party, and he asked officials to withdraw it.
"I do think the Democrats want to try and tar the party with the racism message, so I think they're overreacting in that respect," Orr said. "But it's just the wrong ad, the wrong message, the wrong time."
Because of the ad, campaign officials for Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole won an agreement from Republican party officials at both state and national levels to ban political-party advertisements during her re-election campaign.
Dole called on Democrats to follow suit, but the party said it will air ads focused on issues and criticized Dole for not doing more to stop the Wright spot.
Barber also likened the ad to former North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms' infamous 1990 spot that showed a white man crumpling a rejection letter while a narrator said the job had been given to a minority because of racial quotas. Helms won that election over former Charlotte mayor Harvey Gantt, who is black.
North Carolina holds its presidential primary May 6, with 115 delegates at stake. Polls show Obama leading Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The North Carolina branch of the NAACP said Friday a Republican advertisement that includes a clip of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's former pastor is racially divisive.
NAACP leaders blasted the North Carolina GOP for producing an ad that shows footage of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's fiery comments about the U.S. The group said the ad takes Wright's words out of context in an effort to smear the black community and "prophetic ministers." "It's a fundamentally race-baiting ad," said Rev. William Barber, state NAACP President. "And it inserts racist sentiments."
The sound bite shows Wright proclaiming from the pulpit "God damn America" for its racism and treatment of minorities. Obama has denounced the remarks. The ad was posted online Wednesday. State Republican Party officials still plan to begin airing the ad on television Monday despite the objections of high-ranking Republicans, including likely GOP presidential candidate John McCain.
The ad claims to target two Democratic gubernatorial candidates who endorsed Obama, though the ad overwhelmingly focuses on the presidential candidate. Two television stations in Raleigh and Charlotte have vowed not to air the piece, calling it inflammatory.
Barber compared the ad to a media campaign in 1898, when several state newspapers distributed racist political cartoons and published stories focusing on black community crimes. The campaign preceded race riots in Wilmington that resulted in white supremacists overthrowing the local black government in the nation's only recorded coup d'etat. The conflict left dozens of blacks dead and ushered in a new political era in the Jim Crow South.
"This is 2008, not 1898," Barber said. "Race-baiting has long been the last resort of politicians who have racially divided North Carolinians to get elected."
State GOP Chairwoman Linda Daves said the ad is completely factual and accused Democrats of trying to inject the race issue into the discussion.
"This tactic, designed to further drive a wedge between the people of North Carolina, is despicable and wrong," Daves said in a statement. "This ad has absolutely nothing to do with race."
North Carolina GOP spokesman Brent Woodcox said donors have responded by sending money to the party to help air the spot.
"(Donations) have been pouring in so quickly we can't keep up with them," Woodcox said. He said the total was still being tallied.
The ad begins with a photo of Obama and Wright together, followed by a clip of the firebrand pastor's remarks. The spot calls Obama "too extreme for North Carolina" and then criticizes Democratic gubernatorial candidates Richard Moore and Bev Perdue.
Bob Orr, the only Republican candidate for governor to publicly oppose the ad, said the message hurts the party, and he asked officials to withdraw it.
"I do think the Democrats want to try and tar the party with the racism message, so I think they're overreacting in that respect," Orr said. "But it's just the wrong ad, the wrong message, the wrong time."
Because of the ad, campaign officials for Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole won an agreement from Republican party officials at both state and national levels to ban political-party advertisements during her re-election campaign.
Dole called on Democrats to follow suit, but the party said it will air ads focused on issues and criticized Dole for not doing more to stop the Wright spot.
Barber also likened the ad to former North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms' infamous 1990 spot that showed a white man crumpling a rejection letter while a narrator said the job had been given to a minority because of racial quotas. Helms won that election over former Charlotte mayor Harvey Gantt, who is black.
North Carolina holds its presidential primary May 6, with 115 delegates at stake. Polls show Obama leading Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton.
