Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Lee Atwater, Willie Horton and John McCain

John McCain's fans - rich people who know that McCain's tax plan (but not Obama's) will raise middle-class taxes to pay for the rich - are hiding their real interests behind a race-baiting ad by the Swiftboaters who brought you Willie Horton.

I hope they know what they are doing. Lee Atwater was punished for this wickedness with a brain tumor.
A dying Atwater said: "It is very important to me that I let you know that out of everything that has happened in my career, one of the low points remains the so-called 'jumper cable' episode," adding, "my illness has taught me something about the nature of humanity, love, brotherhood and relationships that I never understood, and probably never would have. So, from that standpoint, there is some truth and good in everything."[11]

1 comment:

Beltway Progressive said...

WaPo just did a review of a movie on Atwater:

The [Willie Horton] ad pretty much became the touchstone for demonizing black men in political campaigning. In archival footage, we see Atwater denying that he or the Bush campaign had anything to do with the ad, insisting he'd never even seen it.

Then Forbes cuts to one of Atwater's friends describing how, before the ad was ever aired, Atwater called him into his office, showed him the ad, said he was going to set it up as the work of an independent committee (and thus, with no fingerprints) and asked what he thought. The friend says that he told Atwater it was appalling, racist and that it was going to "follow you to your grave."