Is Obama Playing The race Card?

The Associated Press today is reporting that John McCain's campaign has accused Barack Obama of playing racial politics a day after the Democratic candidate predicted Republicans would try to scare voters by pointing out "he doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills."

Obama "played the race card, and he played it from the bottom of the deck," McCain campaign manager Rick Davis said in a statement. He called Obama's remarks "divisive, negative, shameful and wrong."

Stumping in Missouri, Obama, the first black candidate with a shot at winning the White House, argued Wednesday that President Bush and McCain will resort to scare tactics to maintain their hold on the White House because they have little else to offer voters.

"Nobody thinks that Bush and McCain have a real answer to the challenges we face. So what they're going to try to do is make you scared of me," Obama said. "You know, `he's not patriotic enough, he's got a funny name,' you know, `he doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills.'"

Comment: What is "playing the race card"?

It is an attempt to gain advantage in an election by pandering to the electorate's racism. Also, more recently, to attempt (by a black person) to gain advantage by accusing another (usually a white person) of racism or attempting to gain advantage by drawing attention to one's race.

Obama's statement that Republicans would try to scare voters by pointing out "he doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills" is clearly playing the race card.

Hi GS,

I am certainly not a 'Bama supporter but it seems as though the media continues to wag the dog.
If you listened to Obama's actual speech he lists "don't look like a normal president" along with "has a funny name", and other comments basically indicating the GOP is going to try to scare voters by targeting those things that make Obama different. It's my opinion that he's probably correct. Each side target's perceived or real weaknesses to the detriment of the important truth.
The fact that McCain responded to these statements bothers me more than the fact the statements were ever made (along with the fact that the media has to inflate the importance of McCain's response). I am almost certain that some media type stuck a mic in John's face asking "and how do you respond to Obama's statement" and once again McCain decides to respond. Why? Is every sylable uttered by either candidiate something for the other to respond to? How do never ending responses help the voters other than to continue the ever increasing hype / circus atmosphere of this election.
I am losing respect for McCain because he's spending more time responding to Obama than he is convincing me he has the right answers. I am not going to vote for the candidate who has "proven" the other to be more wrong. I am voting for the one who will improve our country the most.
Sorry to disagree but our race card sensitivity meter was pegged months ago and I think it's a tired out tool to get attention.
Regards, BH