Mark Halperin: Go Racial

In preparation for a general election he calls ‘tribal,’ Mark Halperin of Time proposes 16 points that Sen John McCain should adhere to in a likely match-up with Sen Barack Obama. One of those points has riled the blogosphere:

6. Allow some supporters to risk being accused of using the race card when criticizing Obama.

How low can you go, Mark? While this may be a step up from the infamous Willie Horton ad, Halperin is still calling for the injection of race into the debate. It seems likely that shenanigans on this level would blow up in McCain’s face.

In fact, the Politico just wrote a story yesterday about how the GOP should proceed with caution on the issue of race in a general election contest with Obama:

“You can’t run against Barack Obama the way you could run against Bill Clinton, Al Gore or John Kerry,” said Jack Kemp, the 1996 GOP vice presidential nominee, who expressed concern that the party could be reduced to an “all white country club party” if it does not tread cautiously.

“Being an African American at the top of the ticket, if he makes it, is such a great statement about the country,” he added, “Obviously you have to be sensitive to issues that affect urban America. …You have to be careful.”

Spin it however you like, but as the Clintons learned in South Carolina, race is a loser against Barack Obama next November.

[Hat tip to Brain's Brain]