http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2008/06/the_makers_of_a_racist_obama_t.html

It figures it was made up by someone in Utah.

And they've closed up shop before DJ could order his...

If only they would've come up with the Mitt Romney or Larry Craig dolls first?

"The following is a statement released by TheSockObama Co. reprinted exactly as received by the Deseret News:"

We at TheSockObama Co. have some questions to pose. What's really going on in America? In the good ol' fashion spirit of entrepreneurialism ; free enterprise has been censored, and TheSockObama politically plush toy has been discriminated against in the marketplace of the United States of America.

Double standards appear to be a common thread here. It's okay for there to be hundreds of thousands of Google sites containing references to our current president's resemblance to a chimpanzee. However, it's not okay to make that same association regarding our possible next president. Isn't this the very definition of hypocrisy? We find this to be both obvious and curious in the same breath.

After seven days as an e-commerce merchant, we had to close our doors today at www.thesockobama.com. Sadly, we are currently issuing refunds to all of our wonderful new Customers around the globe. TheSockObama is no longer scheduled to go into mass production...

(the letter goes on and on...)

It is a disgusting slur. Howard Cosell was almost fired by ABC and eventually lost his football job for saying "look at that little monkey run" almost 25 years ago. It was a turn of phrase he had used for all small quick players and was not meant to hurt anyone. It still hastened his separation from the network. Cosell is looked at in retrospect as a man who showed great respect and love for black athletes, but at the time, it did him great damage. There is no excuse for it in 2008.

Vitalogy and Mrs. Merkin, I believe that a few other dolls are popular in Utah.

Look, black people don't like being associated with monkeys because THEY feel like it's a slur. It's a perfectly reasonable request ( and please, don't trot out " politically correct " here - there is a line and it has been crossed ) to honor that.

TheSockObama knew EXACTLY what the response would be. And if they didn't, they should have. But they did. Now they feign that they want to open a dialogue. Great. It's being done.

I say let them invest every resource they have. Pour money and time into this. And hey, if this will be the catalyst to get BLACK PEOPLE TO STOP BEING BOTHERED BY BEING CALLED MONKEYS, then go for it. If it doesn't work, then they'll be told exactly why. And fine, if it all boils down to being too politically incorrect, then so be it. Those assholes should have had a better finger on the pulse. Maybe one day it won't be an issue. But for now, it is. You want to be an entrepreneur? Go for it. It's your right. And it's the potential clients right to object to it.

Deal with it.

But stop pretending that something like this ObamaSockMonkey is somehow an effective tool to bring about a social change. Sure, it was the last thing they could possibly say to save face - it didn't work.

THAT'S entrepreneurialism. Find one that will. They failed because it was a crappy product that nobody wants for perfectly valid reasons.

So go make your TheSockBush then if you feel that it's such an demanding market. Go ahead. I do not care. Find a way to be successful that doesn't offend millions of white people.

That's not good business on any level.

Here, this will make you feel better, it even has a cute baby chicken

What's with Vitalogy's fascination with racism?

The better question might be: What does the GOP stand to gain by throwing away the legacy of Lincoln? The latest from Texas.

Or maybe we could get on to a question with much greater ramifications, such as why do we want to let MoveOn.Org destroy the America that has served us well for over 200 years and remake it into what George Soros wants? This might be far more relevant than worrying about a few stupid dolls and pins.

It is interesting that you would bring up traditions that have lasted "200 years" as a talking point. 201 years ago, in 1807, the British Parliament outlawed the slave trade:

"On Sunday 28 October 1787, William Wilberforce wrote in his diary: "God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the slave trade and the Reformation of society." For the rest of his life, William Wilberforce dedicated his life as a Member of Parliament to opposing the slave trade and working for the abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire.

On 22 February 1807, twenty years after he first began his crusade, and in the middle of Britain's war with France, Wilberforce and his team's labors were rewarded with victory. By an overwhelming 283 votes for to 16 against, the motion to abolish the slave trade was carried in the House of Commons"

Just over two hundred years ago the United States also banned the importation of slaves:

"The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage was the first American abolition society, formed April 14, 1775, in Philadelphia, primarily by Quakers who had strong religious objections to slavery. Rhode Island Quakers, associated with Moses Brown, co-founder of Brown University, were among the first in America to free slaves. The society ceased to operate during the Revolution and the British occupation of Philadelphia.

After the Revolution, it was reorganized in 1784, with Benjamin Franklin as its first president. Benjamin Rush was another leader, as were many Quakers. John Woolman gave up most of his business in 1756 to devote himself to campaigning against slavery along with other Quakers. The first article published in what later became the United States advocating the emancipation of slaves and the abolition of slavery was written by Thomas Paine. Titled "African Slavery in America", it appeared on March 8, 1775 in the Postscript to the Pennsylvania Journal and Weekly Advertiser, more popularly known as The Pennsylvania Magazine, or American Museum.

At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, agreement was reached that allowed the Federal government to abolish the international slave trade. By that time, all the states had passed individual laws abolishing or severely limiting the trade, all but Georgia by 1798.

The importation of slaves into the United States was officially banned on January 1, 1808."

Wiki

When entrepreneurs who are bankrupt of ideas pursue the sort of profiteering that has more in common with a pre-abolitionist economy and mindset than the America or world of today, every one of us has the right to holler foul.

Slavery was probably the worst thing ever to happen in the United States. I can't think of a single thing more despicable.

On points like slavery, you and I solidly agree. I think we ought to concentrate on those ideals that bring us together as Americans, not the things that create division or open old wounds. No matter how snarky things get around here, we are all in the same boat. It is important that we recognize that being offended and outraged at things like blatant racism is as American as apple pie.

"What's with Vitalogy's fascination with racism?"

It's more a fascination of how the right wing will use all sorts of racist tactics against a black person to win. I think it shows a certain level of insensitivity and quite a bit of ignorance to come out with a monkey doll of Obama.

It's more a fascination of how the right wing will use all sorts of racist tactics against a black person to win. I think it shows a certain level of insensitivity and quite a bit of ignorance to come out with a monkey doll of Obama.

I see. So some idiots in Utah come out with an inappropriate doll and immediatley they are branded "right wing" by you.

No bias there, huh.

Edit add: I think it shows a certain level of insensitivity and quite a bit of ignorance to come out with a monkey doll of Obama.

I do agree with this part of your post though.

Deane, what does George Soros want, and how do you know this? An honest question.

" Or maybe we could get on to a question with much greater ramifications, such as why do we want to let MoveOn.Org destroy the America that has served us well for over 200 years and remake it into what George Soros wants? This might be far more relevant than worrying about a few stupid dolls and pins."

Great. Start a thread about it then if it bothers you so much instead of trying a jedi mind trick to deflect attention away form this issue.

I take it that you are saying that expressing anything negative about THIS topic ( which, to bring your focus back, is about the kind of people that don't see anything wrong with comparing Obama to a monkey and pretending to be surprised that anyone would spend time expressing themselves about it ) is petty and, what, ridiculously unimportant?

By the way Deane, what is your opinion about the doll? Do you think anyone has any reason to be offended by it? What about the button? Do you see any reason why someone would be offended by that?

Let's see where you really stand on it and if you can answer without a trite comment that tries to be clever and never actually says anything.

Your usual response to a question in which you feel the need to indirectly defend others of questionable tactics is to say something slippery and unfunny - all without actually declaring any position you may hold - mostly because you kind of like the tactics but never say so.

So I hope you can do it this time.

#1.What is your opinion about the doll?

#2.Do you think anyone has any reason to be offended by it?

#3.What about the button?

#4.Do you see any reason why someone would be offended by that?

I haven't made up my mind about you. So you can't dodge it by saying " Well, you've already made up your mind about me. So why bother answering?" Which is another thing you do to avoid saying how you really feel.

Simple questions. Can I get a witness?

Well, it's not a stretch to figure that someone in Utah that's putting out an Obama monkey doll is a right winger. No need for bias, just a few brain cells...

And it's not only the monkey doll itself that has a familiar right-wing-ring to it, it's the pretending that it somehow serves a greater purpose that makes me a little trigger happy.

Really, the next step will probably be for anyone involved with the project to now pretend that they are Democrats - just to help their stereotype save face. Although they were likely actually planning to vote for McCain before this blew up in their face.

Running for cover - that's got a familiar Republican ring to it too.

#1.What is your opinion about the doll?

I really don't have one. If someone wants to waste their time on such nonsense, that's up to them.

#2.Do you think anyone has any reason to be offended by it?

Again, being offended is a waste of time.

#3.What about the button?

I could care less. Again, a waste of time for everyone concerned. It's best ignored. Not worth giving thought to.

#4.Do you see any reason why someone would be offended by that?

There are people who are offended by every thing. I'm certainly not one of them. If they're offended, tough crap. I find it better to ignore stuff and not give it the credibility of me being offended. If Obama finds this stuff offensive, that's his privilage. I suggest he might have more important things to concern himself with.

We've turned into a culture of everyone being offended by everything. How stupid.

By ignoring it, you endorse it. I'm sure you'd feel differently if you were black. But as is typical with folks like you, there is a lack empathy.

By the way, what does the button say?

It's not Obama's "privilage" to find this offensive, it's his right.



"There are people who are offended by every thing. I'm certainly not one of them."

Me too!

Edit add:

Let me clarify that I am disgusted by the item above, and the button as well. This fits right in with Alfredo's thread regarding "The last 50 years; have we evolved"?

If this is how far we've come, the answer is a resounding and disappointing "NO".

"By the way, what does the button say?"

Something like "If Obama is elected will it still be called The White House?"

Silly and not worth responding to.

But you don't argue that it is a blatant appeal to the WORST of those among us?

I really don't expect this to sway anybody.
Those who are NOT offended by this wouldn't be voting for Obama anyway.

Still doesn't hurt to point out that "the WORST among us" tend toward the GOP.

First, I will try and answer the questions posed by Vitalogy and Skybill. The dolls were created by David and Elizabeth Lawson of Park City, Utah. In Park City, there lives a David J. Lawson who donated $2,300 to Mitt Romney's campaign. He is Realtor and part-time Prudential insurance salesman. He is also a Republican. So, one would say "gotcha" right? Wrong.

"I think it is offensive, there is no question about it," Lawson said.

An e-mail Lawson received Friday was reportedly penned by the owner of TheSockObama.

"We at TheSockObama Co. are saddened that some individuals have chosen to misinterpret our plush toy," the e-mail obtained by The Park Record states. "It is not, nor has it ever been our objective to hurt, dismay or anger anyone."

The doll was the product of "a casual and affectionate observation one night, and a charming association between a candidate and a toy we had when we were little," the e-mail states.

"This is only our introductory plush toy. If we choose to move forward with a Republican candidate, we'll begin with an elongated and slightly lumpy, fuzzy Idaho potato," the e-mail from TheSockObama Co. states. "Had a different Democratic candidate won the nomination, we were prepared to move forward with the cutest, fluffiest chestnut and golden-haired squirrel, with a short Farrah-like do in a brown pantsuit and call her Squirellary."

The David Lawson in Park City said most of the people who criticized him sent apologies."

Park Record

So, we really do not know for sure whether this idea was born out of politics, racism or blatant opportunism. The two folks who created this mess have been too cowardly to face the music, and instead let a local businessman take the heat for them. The last word about the creators of the doll is not in yet, but the facts may be found with the manufacturer they contracted to make the design. We do know for sure that it was among the most bassackwards, regressive and racially charged ideas for a product in this election cycle.

Second, I hope this will clarify the story from Texas. Selling the offensive button to the pols, pudnits and constituents gathered at the GOP convention was clearly partisan. It was also clearly racist. Nobody would be laughing if there was a button circulating at a state wide Democratic convention that asked if the "White House" would change to "White Home" with an elderly resident. While everyone gets old, few people who are not black understand what it is like to be black. The vendor at the convention did great damage to the standing of his party and the Texas GOP has reacted strongly against the button:

"The Republican Party of Texas will donate proceeds from a vendor who sold a racist campaign button at the state convention last weekend to Midwestern flood victims, a party spokesman said Wednesday.

A vendor called Republicanmarket.com sold a button that said "If Obama is president ... will we still call it The White House?" The button was sold in a pavilion adjoining the convention hall in Houston.

In addition to donating the $1,500 rent the party collected from the vendor, the state GOP also will bar it from booth space at future events and "encourage him to clean up his act," state GOP spokesman Hans Klingler said.

"This vendor need not apply to another Texas GOP state convention," Klingler said. "We will neither tolerate nor profit from bigotry."

Klingler said the party does not vet the merchandise being sold, but officials plan to discuss doing so in the future."

Dallas Morning News

Finally, the bar has been low for profiteers all season long. This campaign has brought the ugly out. Misogyny is still big bucks for the makers of the $22 Hillary Nutcracker. I wonder what a little girl thinks of that sort of product when she sees it? Does it make her want to run for President?

All of these stories seem like solid reasons to get hate money out of politics.

"Still doesn't hurt to point out that "the WORST among us" tend toward the GOP."

The opinion of a liberal, of course.

You guys may live in liberalsville, the land of oz, but there are many folks in this country who don't. A lot of people. There are people mentally still fighting the civil war.

So far as the doll and button are concerned, has it occurred to you it might just be people wanting to make money and that couldn't care less about politics? All of the crap about it being a GOP things is nothing but liberal BS not based on any known facts.

" We've turned into a culture of everyone being offended by everything."

While that's an over-statement, your point isn't lost on me.

So nobody should be offended by anything, ever? Because being offended is a waste of time?

So what should someone do if someone else is doing something that bothers them? Say nothing and just take it? But most importantly, say nothing?

Being offended by something can lead to real change sometimes. But you'd wish that everyone would just sit back and take it all the time? That would be better somehow?

( and thanks for answering, Deane )

"So what should someone do if someone else is doing something that bothers them? Say nothing and just take it? But most importantly, say nothing?"

I find it the best way to get through the world. Getting offended isn't going to change anything, just upset one's focus.

If someone is offensive, I just stay away from them, but I don't recall running into anything like that, so I am not bothered.

Minorities who become offended by things that are said don't gain any ground. Concentrating on being successful does gain them ground and respect on every front, same as it does for anyone else.

The only way America moves forward is by changing our words, our actions and our attitudes. It is not about being overly sensitive, it is about acknowledging that our past must not dictate our future. My young Grandfather came to a country that clearly did not want him here and let him know often. Like other Italians who immigrated to America, he took his lumps and saw the nation slowly change over his lifetime. Those things would never have changed in silence.

"In the United States, Italian immigrants were subject to extreme prejudice, racism, and, in many cases, violence. During the 1800s and early 20th Century, Italian Americans, being seen as non-Anglo and non-white, were the second most likely ethnic group to be lynched.

The largest mass lynching in American history involved the lynching of eleven Italians in the city of New Orleans. The Italians, who were thought to have assassinated police chief David Hennessey, were arrested and placed in a jail cell before being brutally murdered by a lynch mob that stormed the jailhouse, with witnesses claiming that the cheers "were nearly deafening." Cries of "hang the dagos" were heard throughout the riot. Reporting on the incident, one newspaper reported "The little jail was crowded with Sicilians, whose low, receding foreheads, dark skin, repulsive countenances and slovenly attire proclaimed their brutal nature."

Wiki

When I hear the argument made that silent hard work is the secret to gaining ground as a minority in America, I think of my Grandfather. He worked hard his whole life, but that never made him any less Italian to folks with prejudice.

Bootstraps rhetoric is often bandied about without any acknowledgment of the very real barriers to advancement in our history. We have a candidate for President who was born without the right to vote. Please mull that over before you spiel further about change occurring in a passive vacuum. It always takes dissent, debate and dialog. Finding a way to relate to one another without bigotry is vital to our democracy.

I see Deane's point to a degree. Taking offense is a form of victimization, and no real personal progress is made when one consistently casts himself in the role of victim. If one is going to gain ground, and respect, and begin to become a leader, then that person has to stop saying "poor me".

At the same time, taking offense is usually one of the strongest change agents. If you just "take it" all the time, then the smear merchants end up controlling the dialogue and the agenda, which is unacceptable.

Edselehr, I agree with you and I see his point too. It is important to remember that the American experience is different for everyone. I do not like the idea of a "victim" mentality any more than I like the idea of a "ruling class" arbitrarily appointed for racial, gender or religious reasons. We have to pull for everyone to succeed or our national success is an illusion. When the playing field is truly level in our country, I am pretty sure we will not be worried about semantics.

Deane is wrong and is lying. But at least he said what he believes. And that's what I asked for.

This story leaves me wondering, did the Lawsons ever really intend to produce this doll? Or, was closing up shop amidst controversy part of the plan all along? There are some folks out there who because of ego, narcissism, or whatever, want their 15 minutes of fame, no matter what circumstances are needed to get it. If that's the case, then the Lawsons have been quite successful. They got us all to argue over their stupid doll, didn't they?

"Deane is wrong and is lying."

Why do you say that?

Alfredo, it sounds cynical on their part, but you might be right. The Lawsons certainly got the country talking about racial caricature. They also potentially hurt the business of a local Realtor, who is a Republican. The fact that the doll was largely viewed as a partisan attack is not good news for the party. One candidate who was in the GOP Presidential field spoke out yesterday about making it a race about race:

"Mike Huckabee called Barack Obama's candidacy "a landmark achievement" Tuesday, and warned fellow Republicans not to demonize Obama.

"Republicans will make a fundamental if not fatal mistake if they seek to win the election by demonizing Barack Obama," Huckabee told reporters in Tokyo, according to a report by Agence France-Presse.

Huckabee praised the country for getting "to a point where we did not see his color, but we truly saw his charisma, his message and what he brought to the campaign trail."

"When people are really hurting — and they are right now — they're not looking at a person's race," he added.

Huckabee said he hopes John McCain beats Obama, but that Republicans should focus on policy differences, not race."

CNN

I need to partly correct myself in that in my post above, I meant to say "the creators of the Barack Obama doll" and not "the Lawsons." In trying to get caught up on this long thread, I missed the fact that the true identity of the doll's creators has not yet been established.

Deane says: So far as the doll and button are concerned, has it occurred to you it might just be people wanting to make money and that couldn't care less about politics? All of the crap about it being a GOP things is nothing but liberal BS not based on any known facts.

Those buttons, if we are taking about the buttons sold in Texas, we're on sale at the Texas Republican Convention. Who was the target audience? Texas Republicans active in Republican Party politics.

As for the dolls, they look like something you could buy in at a Cracker Barrel Store. Completely inappropriate.

As for making money, I can think of plenty of other ways to make a legitimate buck. Peddling racial insensitive trinkets should not be deemed appropriate, especially at a political convention. I mean really, isn't the Republican Party the party of Lincoln?

Talpdx, were the buttons officially on sale under the auspices of the GOP, or had someone just set up a table in the area on their own. I'm sure libs find it humorous to spin things to look like a GOP action, but you don't really know that.

Besides, if libs are finding this the most pressing issue that occurred at the Texas GOP convention, I'd say things are in pretty good shape.

I'd be very careful walking on that glass ceiling Deane.

Take it from an independent, it wasn't the most "pressing issue" in Texas. The cowflop is hip deep these days. However, the button controversy fits a general theme. Here is another developing story about fundraising, intolerance and bigotry:

McCain Cancels Fundraiser with Oilman Who Joked About Rape

By Juliet Eilperin

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) Friday suddenly cancelled an upcoming fundraiser at the home of a Texas Republican after media outlets began asking the campaign about comments the host made while running for governor in 1990.

Clayton Williams, who ran unsuccessfully against the late Texas Gov. Ann Richards (D), sparked controversy nearly two decades ago when he joked women should give in while being raped. "As long as it's inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it," the oilman remarked at the time.

Williams -- who was planning to hold a reception for McCain at his home Monday -- also suggested at the time that he would campaign against Richards the way he treated the cattle he owned, vowing to "head her and hoof her and drag her through the dirt" like a cow on his ranch.

Both ABC News and The Washington Post contacted the McCain campaign Friday about Williams' past remarks: initially the presumptive GOP nominee's aides questioned whether the story was newsworthy, but by the end of the day they announced the reception was cancelled.

"These were obviously incredibly offensive remarks that the campaign was unaware of at the time it was scheduled," wrote McCain spokesman Brian Rogers in an e-mail, adding that Williams apologized for both comments after saying them. "It's positive that he did apologize at the time, but the comments are nonetheless offensive."

Cecile Richards, is the daughter of the late Texas governor. "It's shocking that John McCain would choose to fundraise with Clayton Williams, who made his political career saying completely inappropriate and disrespectful remarks about women," Richards wrote in an e-mail. "This is a real misstep for the McCain campaign, who is having a hard time getting support from women."

Washington Post

McCain Texas Fundraiser Back On, Sans Oilman

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz) has decided to hold a fundraiser initially sponsored by a controversial Texas oilman later in the summer at a different venue, according to an aide who asked not to be identified.

This morning, a McCain aide confirmed in an e-mail that the contributors who had already made a combined donation of at least $300,000 to the event would have another chance to meet McCain.

"The event at Williams' home on Monday has been cancelled and there will be another Midland event for supporters at a public venue later this summer," the staffer wrote.

According to the McCain aide, "Mr. Williams will not be attending the Midland event later this summer."

Washington Post

Here is a flashback to the 1990 Texas gubernatorial race.

If the Republicans want to look like they have a clue or a prayer, it would help them greatly to vet the people that are involved in the McCain campaign. All that stands between the GOP and yet another embarrassment is an eensy weensy bit of research and fact finding. I wonder how Clayton Williams is playing with the Hillary Clinton supporters who were threatening to vote for Senator McCain?

Deane, you're a riot. To excuse the conduct of a vendor who is peddling racist buttons at a GOP convention doesn't speak well of either the GOP in Texas, its convention or those who would seek to excuse it. The GOP staff responsible for managing the event should have forced the vendor selling this tripe to vacate the premises -- or at a minimum stop selling the items. I mean really, would it be appropriate for me to rent the Columbine High School gym for a weekend gun show? Where is your common sense?

It’s ironic, Senator Obama wants to make this campaign about the issues but some elements of the GOP seem hell bent on making his race an issue. So you need to ask your GOP brethren to look long and hard on how they want to fight the 2008 campaign. Will it be on the issues – or will we be forced to endure months of race baiting the likes we haven’t seen since Nixon’s southern strategy?

As for the GOP and race -- one only needs to look at how racial minorities vote in election after election. If the best the GOP can garner is 10 percent of the African American vote in presidential elections, then there must be real issues with the way the GOP approaches race. Your excusing the Texas GOP for its recent conduct speaks to that loudly and clearly.

"Your excusing the Texas GOP for its recent conduct speaks to that loudly and clearly."

Now you're hearing voices. What next?

If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, it must be a duck.

"Will it be on the issues – or will we be forced to endure months of race baiting the likes we haven’t seen since Nixon’s southern strategy?"

The latter. And as Huckabee warned, it won't work.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – The Texas Republican Party is telling a vendor who sold campaign buttons it considers racist at a state convention over the weekend that he's no longer welcome.

The head of the Texas GOP says they will "neither tolerate nor profit from bigotry."

The buttons asked, "If Obama is president … will we still call it The White House?" Jonathan Alcox says he was trying to be funny, and based the button on a political cartoon. He describes
himself as an independent who may vote for Obama.

But the Texas Republican Party doesn't see the joke. Besides banning Alcox from its future conventions, it's alerting the Republican National Convention about him. And officials say the $1,500 vendor's fee he paid to sell at the state convention is being donated to Midwest flood victims.