Developing: McCain Aide Suspended After Circulating Wright Video

Jonathan Martin at Politico reports a strategist on the John McCain campaign has been "suspended" for email blast that included links to the now-ubiquitous Rev. Jeremiah Wright video.

Soren Dayton, who works in McCain's political department, sent out the YouTube link of "Is Obama Wright?" on twitter at 12:31 today with the tag, "Good video on Obama and Wright." It has since been taken down. ...

Previously an independent blogger, Dayton drew the attention and favor of McCain's campaign with his frequent attacks on Mitt Romney. He was brought onto the campaign earlier this year to help in the political department. An aide said he was doing "low-level political work for [deputy political director] John Yob."

The video Dayton sent, which includes images of Malcolm X, the black Olympians raising their hands in the black power salute and the rap song "Fight the Power," has been rapidly spreading in political circles this week.

McCain spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker says Dayton has been suspended and "reprimanded by campaign leadership." Suspension. Not fired. No word yet how long this slap on the wrist will last, probably the weekend, but we're sure the Obama campaign will "accept" their "apology" ...

McCain has repeatedly promised an "honorable" campaign, but, its been reported on Rod 2.0 for months that his strategists have repeatedly used anti-gay and anti-Mormon "push polls" and "robocalls" in the primaries, and, hired the producer of those race-baiting ads that targeted Harold Ford. Last week, Media Matters reported several top McCain advisors circulated a Wall Street Journal op-ed critical of Wright and Obama. It's ridiculously naive to pretend Jeremiah Wright is not a gift to John McCain and the RNC.

McCain Aide Circulates Wright Video [Politico]
McCain Campaign's Reported Distribution of Kessler Op-Ed [Media Matters]

Some Background ...
NH Voters Targeted by Anti-Mormon "Push Polls" [R20]
Romney, McCain Offer More Anti-Gay Rhetoric [R20]
McCain Flip-Flops on Gay Rights [R20]
McCain Promotes Abstinence [R20]
McCain Hires Producer of Racist Ads [R20]
McCain Flip-Flops on Gay Rights [R20]
Rove on Obama: "Lazy" and "Basketball Playing" [R20]
McCain Camp Enlists Racist Shock Jock [R20]

Comments

[Andy Niable]

(As noted in an editorial in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:)

"On his campaign bus recently, Sen. John McCain told reporters, 'I hated the gooks. I will hate them as long as I live.'"

I won't be looking to the McCain campaign for any speeches or workshops on racial sensitivity any time soon...

[ATL Kid]

Rod, you just don't understand. This is the internet. This is a blog. This is a blog oriented toward black gay men. We don't want to see evidence and proof of the Republican attack machine against Barack Obama or what will may happen if he is the nominee. We also don't want to be continually reminded how behind the ball his campaign or supporters are in pushing back. We would much rather go ballistic on rumors and innuendo about "the Clintons" and their "dirty tricks."

Please get with the program! :)

[Timothy R]

Yes, more unsubstantiated rumors please!

[Ralphie]

Umm, it is very interesting that people are not more outraged. If you substituted "Clinton" for McCain there would be 10,000 comments by now.

[Andy Niable]

Actually, if I may--Yes, Rod, we DO want to know what the GOP and the Christofascists and the McCainanites are up to.

Obama supporters (such as myself) need to know what we're up against, might need a reality-check, or heaven-forbid, might actually need to know how Hillary-leaners think or how they look at polls or campaign tactics, so we can sharpen our own Pro-bama arguments and support our candidate with a variety of opinions. Being open to that is the Obama way, and knowing the dirt that's being thrown--and putting it out there in the open--is also the Obama way.

Going ballistic isn't the Obama way. Have we ever seen Barack screaming to the cameras "Shame on you John McCain!" or "Shame on you, Hillary Clinton!"? Uh, no. He's the photo they should put on Wikipedia for the definition of "calm, cool, collected."

When I encounter the occasional overheated Obamatons online, I remind them about what my mama used to tell me if I wondered if I was doing something wrong--think about Jesus being in the room. Sometimes Obama supporters need to be reminded before they speak, to consider if Barack were listening, if he'd "approve of this message."

Keep up the great work, Rod, and put it all out there. We can take it. If not, we don't deserve to win. :)

[Greg G]

"We don't want to see evidence and proof of the Republican attack machine against Barack Obama or what will may happen if he is the nominee."

What "Republican attack machine"? There is no such thing. We're all "post-partisan" now, lol. The "Republican attack machine" was only a figment of "the Clintons" imagination ...

[Taylor Siluwé]

Did John ol' McCain really say "I hate the gooks"?

LOL!!

I gotta google that. This is priceless.

[Andy Niable]

(Correction to my original post--the "gooks" remark was not made recently by McCain, but back in the 2000 campaign. Still there was resistance from him to apologize, though he reportedly finally did.)

[greg g]

>>>Have we ever seen Barack screaming to the cameras "Shame on you John McCain!" or "Shame on you, Hillary Clinton!"?

No, Barack doesn't do that, he just tells his campaign and surrogates to blame racism or Bill and Hillary Clinton for everything, from crazy Drudge stories to Jeremiah Wright.

It seems that on many blogs the Obamatons are looking at the polls, Fox News and CNN and are coming to the realization that Obama is mortally wounded. BUT they still think he can recover because it's soooo important to nominate poor Barack. I'm totally with Rod on this one. Barack will probably get the nomination but this Wright hate speech will unleash an army of GOP attack dogs on Obama because he spent so much time FOCUSING ON HILLARY and NOT HIS OWN BAGGAGE. There is no way the GOP and many conservative to moderate Democrats will allow that pastor to preach "God Damn America" at the White House.