McCain's Campaign: The Good "Hands" People?

Just when you thought the sanity might be coming back to the Republican Party, check out this post on Carpetbagger Report, which highlights one potential strategy for a McCain victory this fall.

The post begins by noting the concerns of Fox News Contributor Fred Barnes that McCain's campaign appears to be rudderless, and offers some suggestions about how to cure the problem - including the tried and true method of segmenting the voting publics and tapping wedge issues. But two things stick out here: one is the fact that the "Rove Team" is now in charge of the McCain campaign, and McCain's hiring of strategist Charlie Black, whom is cited in the report as a former RNC chair and Jesse Helms adviser.

Who is Charlie Black, and why is he interesting? This is the same Charlie Black who, as the post notes, advised Helms when he ran several questionable ads in 1990 against Harvey Gantt, an African American challenger facing Helms in a hotly-contested Senate seat - including the controversial "Hands Ad". Let's get to the post to see what I mean:

"On the television commercial, the camera zones in on a white man’s hands, crumpling what apparently is a job rejection letter. The announcer then intones: ‘You needed that job and you were the best qualified. But they had to give it to a minority because of a racial quota. Is that really fair? Harvey Gantt says it is,’ the message continues. ‘Gantt supports Ted Kennedy’s racial quota law that makes the color of your skin more important than your qualifications.’” Black, an adviser to the campaign and a consultant for the Congressional Club – Helms’s political machine – insisted the race would come down to turnout: “‘What it’s going to come down to is turnout,’ said Charles Black, chairman of the Republican National Committee and a Helms adviser. ‘It’s, no question, the biggest challenge at this point.’” [Newsday, 11/4/90]"

The "Hands Ad" was effective, but roundly criticized for its racist overtones. Now, this guy (along with Karl Rove) is going to be the chief strategist for the Republican Nominee? In 2008? Does this mean that we should expect to see similar ads coming out against Obama? It now appears a near-certainty. Stay tuned...