We’ll have to see how this affects the campaign in its final days, as it is being heralded as Obama’s “October Surprise.” Though some say that this will only give Obama a minor boost in ratings, it is making quite a splash in the media.

Is it just me or does McCain seem to know that Obama is going to win?

Of course, Obama was hilarious as well:

Best line ever?

Let’s be clear — other than referring to Obama as “That one” and releasing an ad associating Obama with a “terrorist”, I do not believe McCain has said overtly racist statements towards Obama (yet, there is such a thing as coded language).

Most disturbing, however, is the recent McCain and Palin rallies in which people have called Obama a “terrorist” and “Obama Bin Laden” and have even been heard shouting “Treason!” and “Kill him!” Check out the following video for one example:

Not only is it terrifying to hear someone threatening violence to a Presidential candidate, but considering Barack Obama is the first African-American Presidential candidate, you cannot ignore the racial undertones. In this country, you must keep in mind our history of slavery and Jim Crowism. Less than a century ago it was customary for extremist groups and mobs such as the Ku Klux Klan to terrorize and murder black people. That is one of the first things that comes to mind when I hear someone shout “Kill him!” in reference to Obama.

Racism, both overt and aversive, is systematic and pervasive in our society. Racism and hatred towards black people — Obama in particular — is not “out of the ordinary”. Here are two clips from Youtube that show McCain supporters calling Obama a terrorist, among other things. While I do not find these two videos to have journalistic integrity, they give you a glimpse of what some McCain supporters are willing to say publicly, on camera. Most disturbing to me (and the main reason I post these videos) is the part when a child of one supporter says about Obama: “You need gloves to touch him” (This can be seen from around 3:00 to 3:10 in the second video):

There have also been some troubling incidents that have come to my attention:

- An Obama supporter in London was shot by a BB-gun at close range because he was wearing an Obama t-shirt and because he was black.

- A man in Georgia tried to sell t-shirts that depict Barack Obama as Curious George (the monkey starring in beloved children’s books).

- There is talk of the Bradley Effect, which is when people, afraid to seem racist, tell the polls that they are voting for a black candidate but then change their mind in the privacy of the voting booth.

- In a speech given by John Ashcroft, he (deliberately?) referred to Barack Obama as “Osama”. Politically leanings aside, that’s fucked up.

The racism and personal attacks must stop. By calling him a Muslim and a terrorist, people are associating Barack Obama with “otherness” (nevermind that a) he’s not Muslim b) being Muslim isn’t a bad thing). People seriously think: He’s Muslim — don’t trust him. He’s a “pal” of terrorists — don’t trust him. He’s black — don’t trust him. It’s about time people looked at the facts: Obama is a United States Senator with extensive credentials and a strong educational background. He is an upstanding citizen and a loyal father and husband. Quite frankly, I’ve had enough of ignorant people’s bullshit.

What are your thoughts on racism and its effect on this election? Have you heard of any other incidences of racism in the campaign? Please share your thoughts and stories.

However, then I read this article over at CNN’s Political Ticker. In it, they mention that the Vice Presidential debates won’t be the same as usual:

The vice presidential debate will resemble the traditional presidential event. However, the New York Times reported last Sunday that the McCain campaign sought to limit the time for freewheeling discussion in the vice presidential debate.

Advisers to Palin were reportedly worried that format could put the Alaska governor — a relatively inexperienced debater — on the defensive most of the evening.

The agreed-upon format for that debate now includes an abbreviated two-minute discussion period during which the candidates can engage each other.

Is anybody else sick of McCain coddling Palin?? If she is so “ready” for the Vice Presidency as McCain claims, why the reduced debate time? Why is McCain’s campaign hiding Sarah Palin from the press? The article mentions that Biden, “has done nearly 100 interviews since being picked as Obama’s VP on August 23. Palin, on the other hand, did her third interview with a national television network last week.”

If this isn’t a reality check for voters, I don’t know what else is. The woman cannot hold her own in an interview, and her own campaign doesn’t trust her to speak freely for 5 minutes with Biden. Palin seems to be more and more a puppet for the McCain campaign…and a crappy one at that.

Ok McCain, we know Barack Obama had to pick an old white guy to hedge his bets. Apparently you had to hedge yours by choosing a woman – one who is certainly not bad to look at, given her status as a beauty pageant contestant. She looks like a former model dressed up in executive clothes, but much less of a tight-ass than your wife Cindy McCain.

I am frustrated. Frustrated because I would love to hear a woman’s voice in the presidency, but really more frustrated because this is apparently the kind of woman we need to start off with. I admire her tenacity and her success, but then I read about her background and her stance on certain issues and I just want to send her back to Alaska. She may be a financial whiz, but then you look at her opinions on social issues. She was obviously picked because she is a woman who shares many of McCain’s viewpoints. She is a woman who is against abortion, a friend of gay people who is against gay marriage, and a mother of an 18-year-old son in the military who spends her spare time shooting rifles. McCain says she is perfect for the job, but he puts a big hole through his inexperience angle. If Obama is inexperienced, then what the hell would you call Miss Congeniality? She ain’t no Hillary, but sadly she may just have the right genitals to sway a few female voters.

Sure, I have my doubts when I look at her personal life.  While I have to admit that I totally admire Bill Clinton (I think to the point of having a crush on him), let’s just get it out of the way that he is a cheating womanizer.  I would like to say I would respect Hillary more if she dumped the guy, maybe hired a hot younger campaign assistant who became her boyfriend (sort of like Demi and Ashton), or if she aged gracefully without a partner by her side – but who am I to comment?  I, and many women, have stayed with cheating men, and it is not a clear-cut issue.  I don’t advocate adultery, but I also don’t advocate sticking your nose into people’s personal lives.  When she did feel compelled to explain, Hillary stated that she stayed married because of love: “No one understands me better and no one can make me laugh the way Bill does…even after all these years, he is still the most interesting, energizing and fully alive person I have ever met.”  Cliche or not, I don’t care who it is – Clinton, Spitzer, Edwards – the women who have married these men can make their own decisions regardless of society’s opinions of the wrongdoers.

Not only that, but people have been critical of Hillary and Bill’s marriage for long before any cheating came to light.  Opponents claim she is a power-hungry bitch just using marriage to gain a political stronghold.  I am personally impressed by the relationship between these two professional people, especially looking at how their daughter Chelsea turned out (here’s Jenna and others of the Bush clan for comparison).  Never mind that they have dated since college, when Bill gave up his plans to join Hillary when she was interning in California, and Hillary stayed at Yale an extra year so she could graduate with Bill.  She did decline his early proposals – explaining that she “harbored doubts about marriage, concerned that her separate identity would be lost and that her accomplishments would be viewed in the light of someone else’s – and that seems like a responsible move that many young women could learn from.  I mean let’s face it, after the marriage, Hillary ended up supporting her husband through her high-paying job as a lawyer, a job she eventually gave up to work on his political campaigns.  After years of keeping her own last name, which reportedly made her mother cry, she started using the name Clinton in order to appease Arkansas voters (for more about last names in marriage, read this post).

No matter what insults you do have for her, there is no doubt that she is intelligent.  A graduate of Wellesley College and Yale Law School, she has twice been named one of the top 100 lawyers in America.  Her work as First Lady was a lot more work than she got credit for; it wasn’t all about drinking tea and planning parties.  If anything, I agree with Elizabeth Wurtzel‘s commentary in her book “Bitch” that the biggest flaw in Hillary’s career is that she did all this damn work without demanding a cent.  She worked for her husband’s cause – for instance, she developed the idea for a universal health plan that has been both applauded and bashed – and she did it all for free.  Simply because she was the First Lady…his wife.  Even Bill Clinton referred to presidential ticket as a “two for the price of one” deal because of the woman he would be toting with him to the White House.

Because she does have experience.  I think that is what people fear in a woman like Hillary Clinton.  She has been involved in politics since the age of thirteen, when she studied electoral fraud against Richard Nixon in the 1960 presidential election.  When I was thirteen, I was sitting in front of the mirror picking food out of my braces.  She continued to be active in politics, but was also the first First Lady to hold a post-graduate degree and to have her own professional career up to the time of her husband’s election.  It was quite obvious that she was involved in public policy, a fact that many people deemed “inappropriate.”  She is labeled a ballbuster, a feminazi, and a bitch – but one of my close friends likes to point out that in reality she seems like a “dude in a skirt.”  Sure, she criticizes women like Tammy Wynette for staying home and baking cookies.  Because baking cookies isn’t going to get you respect.  But guess what?  Apparently neither is having intelligence, independence, or strong opinions.  I don’t think Hillary Clinton could be a good president, not because of her ideas, but because she just has too much going against her.  The most popularly sold books about the woman have titles like, “Madame Hillary: The Dark Road to the White House”, “Hillary’s Scheme: Inside the Next Clinton’s Ruthless Agenda to Take the White House”, and “Can She Be Stopped? : Hillary Clinton Will Be the Next President of the United States Unless…”.  When she ran for Senate in 2000, organizations with names like “Save Our Senate” and the “Emergency Committee to Stop Hillary Rodham Clinton” were established – does anyone else think these titles and names are akin to something 14-year-old boys would come up with because they are afraid of the girls getting into the clubhouse?  And she got reelected in spite of all this…but then again, so did George Bush (both of them!).

In spite of all her “ball-busting” opinions, Hillary is just a dude with a skirt.  She is trying to conform to the role of a politician so that she can play with the big boys.  I wish it could go another way, but can you picture someone overflowing with Jennifer Lopez-esque femininity running the White House?  Still, as much as she tries, Hillary can’t escape her womanhood.  She has been the subject of many misogynistic comments, and the Internet is rampant with sites that sexually degrade her (just try looking up some groups on Facebook).  It’s sad, but the way our country is today, I can’t see a woman or a black man being elected to office, no matter their qualifications.  As much as I support Joe Biden, sometimes I feel his best asset in this race is his status as a white male.