symbols resonate deeply with his Black supporters, even as the references
largely sail over the heads of white audiences.”
In a similar way, George W. Bush used certain phrases that were meant
to be understood by conservative Christians. This targeting of one
audience is sometimes referred to as “dog-whistle rhetoric,” a reference to
the way that it is possible to get a dog’s attention by blowing a whistle that
humans cannot hear. The use of code words permits public mention of
otherwise taboo topics. Terms such as “equal opportunity” or “quota” are
clear signals that can be read as follows: “I can’t say this aloud because it
will get me in trouble, but I don’t like affirmative action, and I think
quotas reward those who don’t deserve it.”
Public comments about Senator Obama during the campaign and after
ranged from highly charged to subtle code words. The comments in Table
8.1 all come from politicians, government officials and media
representatives.
Table 8.1 Public comments made during the 2008 presidential election cycle
Quote Origin Citation
“That boy’s finger does not need
to be on the [nuclear war] button.”Representative Geoff
Davis, Republican of
Kentucky- “Barack Obama,
John McCain and the
Language of Race.” The
New York Times.
September 22
“Just from what little I’ve seen of
her and Mister Obama, Senator
Obama, they’re a member of an
elitist class individual that thinks
that they’re uppity.”
Representative Lynn
Westmoreland,
Republican of Georgia- Georgia GOP
Congressman Calls
Obama “Uppity.” The
Washington Post.
September 4
“On the one side you have the
concern of being viewed as the
angry Black man, then on the
other side you run the risk of
looking like someone who’s uppity.
And I think the concern I have for
Senator Obama is that he’s
bumping up against that uppity line
... [he is] unbelievably
presumptuous, egomaniacal.”
Jonathan Capehart of
The Washington PostCommentary on The
Morning Joe. MSNBC.
July 30, 2008