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Does McCain think Arabs are not decent family people?
From Jake Tapper's report (the emphasis is mine):
Another woman stood and said, "I got to ask you a question. I don't
believe in -- I can't trust Obama. I have read about him. And he's not,
he's not – he's an Arab. He's not."
Shaking his head no, McCain grabbed the microphone away from her.
"No ma'am," McCain said. "No ma'am. No ma'am. He's a, he's a, he's a
decent family man, citizen that I just happen to have disagreements
with on fundamental issues. And that's what this campaign is all about, he is not. Thank you."
The same thing is described in Politico under the header of "McCain: Obama not an Arab, crowd boos".
Now let me get this straight. McCain, as everyone says, tries to tone down the rhetoric. But, wait a minute, how exactly does that exchange tone down anything:
Woman: Obama is an Arab.
McCain: No, he's a decent family man.
My god, that is downright embarrassing to read! That's toning down?! That's more tolerant?! Come on, this is downright racist and disgusting!
I know that, as a matter of fact, Obama is not an Arab and not a Muslim, but even if he were ten times Arab and twenty times Muslim, on all sides, I'd still vote for him over John McCain, the white Christian male for whom toning down rhetoric means being overtly racist!
Are Arabs not decent family men (and women)? Are Muslims not decent family men (and women)? McCain casually offends a whole race of people, and the only thing we notice is that he supposedly defends Obama?!
Shame on us all.
Comments (8)
no, mccain doesn't think that. america does. just ask the seikhs in my neighborhood who were beaten and shot at after 9/11. exactly. they aren't even arab and they are hated arabs. my next post was goign to be about this very issue, so thanks for allowing me to procrastinate via another topic.
gkp
October 12, 2008 6:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
Good post! This was my thought when I first saw the clip. McCain should be goaded to apologize before an Arab-American organization.
October 12, 2008 6:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Mine too. McCain could easily have said, "First of all, there's nothing wrong with being an Arab. There are millions of good, hardworking, patriotic Arab-Americans throughout this country, and there's no reason to be afraid of them. And second, Barack Obama is a Christian, and a decent family man." At least that's the type of response that immediately popped into my head when I first saw this video.
October 12, 2008 10:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
Did she say "Arab," or "Arab Terrorist?" I've heard both reported.
October 12, 2008 9:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
I believe Andrew Sullivan first reported it as "Arab terrorist," and then retracted the "terrorist" part of the quote. I certainly didn't hear her say "terrorist" when I watched the video taken at the rally.
But in an interview with the woman after the rally, she was asked "You called him an Arab terrorist. Is that correct?" She doesn't verbally confirm or deny if the quote is correct, but appears to nod her head in the affirmative, though it's hard to tell from the shaky camera footage, and the fact that she leaned far into the camera shot. In any event, she certainly didn't deny calling him an "Arab terrorist" when specifically asked about it.
The video is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nSdNVFoAMw. The above exchange occurs at about 4:05 into the video.
October 12, 2008 11:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think she just said "Arab," and the guy in the other Minnesota event said "terrorist," and in reporting them some have been mushing the two quotes together mistakenly.
October 12, 2008 12:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
The conversation in the repub campaign is becoming more childish by the day. Very sad.
October 12, 2008 11:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Does anybody else remember the DJ Casey Kasem? With the possible exception of pollster James Zogby, Casem has done more to highlight the numerous contributions that Arab-Americans have made to the fields of science, business, sports and entertainment. Some of the names on his list might surprise you.
In no particular, order, just a few of the hundred or so outstanding Arab Americans he cites are singer-songwriter Paul Anka, pioneering heart surgeon Michael DeBakey, 1990 Nobel Prize Winner Prof. Elias Corey, Heisman Trophy Winner Doug Flutie, founder of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) Candice Lightner, actresses Marlo Thomas, Kristy McNichol, Kathy Najimy and Selma Hayek, actors F. Murray Abraham, James Stacy, Tony Shaloub, Jamie Farr and Vic Tayback, dancer and choreographer Paula Abdul, presidential candidate and consumer activist Ralph Nader, founder of Jacobs Engineering Joseph Jacobs, Alamo Flag Company founder Tony Ismail, "Finian's Rainbow" playwrit Fred Saidy, former US Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, Senator Spencer Abraham, California Congressman Daryl Issa, former US Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, former Miami Dolphins owner Joe Robbie, J.H. Haggar, founder of the Haggar Slacks apparel company, Columbia space shuttle astronaut Christa McAuliffe, author William Peter Blatty, Kinko's founder Paul Orfalea and former CENTCOM commander John Abizaid.
October 12, 2008 4:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
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