David Axelrod, Obama’s chief strategist, on Good Morning America:
Obama’s chief strategist, David Axelrod, acknowledged on “Good Morning America” Friday that the candidate was referring, at least in part, to his ethnic background.
When pressed to explain the comment, Axelrod told “GMA” it meant, “He’s not from central casting when it comes to candidates for president of the United States. He’s new to Washington. Yes, he’s African-American.”
David Axelrod, on NBC’s Today:
Barack Obama’s top strategist said Friday that John McCain’s campaign manufactured a racial debate when it accused Obama of “playing the race card” the day before. . .
Axelrod said in his interview Friday that Obama “in no way” intended his comments in Missouri to be interpreted as racial.
“He does this in a self-mocking way: ‘Look, I know I’m not from central casting when it comes to presidents of the United States. I am new. I am relatively young, I haven’t spent my life in Washington. And yes, I am African American, and that will be some fodder,’” he said.
But Obama was talking about Republican scare tactics at the time. And he has made the claim before.
At a June fundraiser in Florida, he said: “We know what kind of campaign they’re going to run. … They’re going to try to make you afraid of me. He’s young and inexperienced and he’s got a funny name. And did I mention he’s black? He’s got a feisty wife.”
I’m confused. It’s not racial for Obama to refer to his race in the context of “Republican scare tactics,” but it is racial for McCain’s campaign to respond to that? How’s that work?
I think Obama is making a mistake to pick a fight on this terrain, where the facts are so favorable to McCain. They don’t want to blow this up, they want to make it go away.
UPDATE: Obama himself admits it:
“I don’t think it’s accurate to say that my comments have nothing to do with race,” Obama said.
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