...speaking of which... It seems the gOP is worried about being labeled bigots and did polling to gauge how slimy is TOO slimy. Even for them.

It never struck me as especially complicated. Once there was a clear Democratic presidential nominee, the Republican National Committee would label him or her weak on terror, liberal (on everything), and desperate to raise your taxes. Throw in some references to 9/11, a few pictures of menacing-looking Middle Easterners, and a dash of immigrant bashing, and voila!

But it appears the RNC is hesitating, not because they’re unsure how to attack, but rather, because they want to prefer to avoid being labeled bigots.

 Quote:
Top Republican strategists are working on plans to protect the GOP from charges of racism or sexism in the general election, as they prepare for a presidential campaign against the first ever African-American or female Democratic nominee.

The Republican National Committee has commissioned polling and focus groups to determine the boundaries of attacking a minority or female candidate, according to people involved. The secretive effort underscores the enormous risk senior GOP operatives see for a party often criticized for its insensitivity to minorities in campaigns dating back to the 1960s.


Look, RNC officials know the difference between a clean attack and a dirty one. They recognize when an attack is driven by race-based politics, and when one is substantive and above-board. The only reason they would need a focus group to help them out on this is if they planned to walk right up to the decency line, and wanted to know how far they could go without crossing it.

And that's part of the beauty of Obama. Not only is he inspiring the nation but the GOP are unsure how to slime him. They know perfectly well how to slime the Clinton's. Hell, they've been doing it for years! It seems for now all they have to play with is peoples fear and ignorance about Obama's religion and yeah, it's payed divedends for them with their ignorant misinformed base, weaned on a diet of FOX News and Limbaugh.