Watch this ad.  And since you are feeling obedient, send me money.  Thank you. 

The Democrats decry this as racist.

OK so exactly how is this racist?  According to the Democrats, because the girl in the playboy party segment is white and Ford is black.  So apparently the only reason the RNC chose that actress was to play on the racist fears of the voters who cannot tolerate a black man and woman in a relationship.

From the Chicago Trib:

Is the Republican National Committee's playing the race card in a television ad against Rep. Harold Ford Jr., the African-American who hopes to be the first black elected to the Senate from a southern state since Reconstruction?

It certainly looked like it to William Cohen, the former Clinton administration Defense Secretary and one-time Republican U.S. senator from Maine.

COHEN: I think the Republicans have to be careful, also, in terms of not engaging in conduct. And I was watching the -- the Tennessee race, specifically. It reminded me of what happened in North Carolina with Harvey Gantt, a purely overt racist approach.

BLITZER: You are talking about the new RNC ad which has this white woman talking about Playboy and the -- the African-American candidate, Harold Ford Jr., the Democratic candidate.

COHEN: It's -- to me, at least as I watch that, is a very serious appeal to a racist sentiment.
And when the question is always asked, why -- he would be the first African-American since Reconstruction elected to the Senate, you say, well, why is that the case? So, why is the South different? Why would they not elect someone...

BLITZER: So, you're a former Republican senator. Is the RNC playing the racial card against Harold Ford in Tennessee right now?

COHEN: I think they are coming very close to it, if not doing it exactly. And I think they ought to stop it. I think that they have a candidate, and discuss the -- the issues on the merits, and not get into that kind of personal type of an attack.

I watched the ad repeatedly.  It is not racist. 

The issue portrayed by the controversial segment was one of the appearance or possibility of irresponsible behavior, based on the notion that Ford is a skirt chasing bachelor (thank Bill Clinton and Ted Kennedy for that Democratic stereotype).  Why else would he go to a Playboy party?  Get it?  Playboy.  Playboy bunnies.  Get it yet?

The ad made far worse accusations frankly, (coddling terrorist, taking money from porn companies, taking away guns, forcing people to pay higher taxes) and in fact had a more sinister element then racism. 

It was clearly sexist.

Consider that the segment about the Playboy Superbowl party.  The woman is portrayed as a white blondish bimbo, the stereotypical Playboy bunny who would obviously be in attendance at a Playboy function, or even the gold digger (ala former Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith) who would of course be attracted to a handsome powerful politician.

So why is no one making the point that the ad was playing to those stereotypes?

Because the race card trumps the sexism card.

The only racists I can see are the Democrats who see the notion that Ford might be attractive to a young white woman as a racial issue.  After all the opening segment features a black woman noting he looks nice.  That's OK.  But when  white woman likes him they have a fit.  Is that not racist? 

The Democrats are race baiting the issue to avoid dealing with the substance of the accusations.

And by doing so, they are idiots, because the simple truth was that it was an immature tacky unprofessional ad in the first place.

Just say it is tacky and ignore it, because I doubt anyone was taking it seriously.  I know I didn't, I was laughing too hard, because frankly it was so ludicrous it was funny.

Oh by the way, Ford's response?

Regarding party, he answered in purely brilliant Clintonian fashion:

I did not have sexual relations with that...

....oh wait I mean

It depends on what the meaning of the word "is" is...

Oops again...

STEPHANOPOULOS:  Churchgoer by day, playboy at night?

FORD:  I've never been to a Playboy mansion party.

Right, since the party he did attend was the Playboy Super Bowl Party in Jacksonville.  Obi Wan Bill has taught you well, young Jedi.

And in general he said:

I'm just not going to take morality lessons from a party — the National Republican Committee is running it — from a party that took hush money from a child predator.  I mean, I'm just not going to sit back and allow them to try to characterize or make me something I'm not.

Pathetic.

Overall this is shaping up to be one of the ugliest election years in my memory.

Also at:Hot Air, ALF, Sister Toldjah, Pirates Cove, Poltical Pitbull, Right Wing Nation and Ace of Spades