The first major motion picture blockbuster was a silent movie directed by D.W. Griffith called "Birth of A Nation." The movie was released in 1915 and has long been touted on the pureness of its cinematics as an innovative film, which gave rise to directional technology that laid the path for all other films to come.
But deep within it was a brutally hateful message of fear of newly freed slaves -- particularly violently sex crazed black men who placed their lustful sights on the fair innocent white women of the South. In the movie this was illustrated through the controversial relationship between a freed slave named Gus and the death of a woman named Flora who rather than be raped by Gus leaps to her death.
In the movie, the patriotic band of Brothers known as the Klan lynch Gus in defense of Flora's innocence and in the name of putting the safety of their country first above the new protections Reconstruction had given to such a renegade race.
When the film was shown in major cities like Boston and Philadelphia it sparked riots and caused such an outrage against Blacks that the NAACP launched boycotts and protests -- St. Louis theaters refused to even show it. The fears ignited in that film still haunt the residue of the American psyche and small subtle hints still resonate with many voters.
In 2006, the so-called "Call Me Harold" political ad which showed a flirtatious blond woman winking to then Senatorial candidate, Harold Ford, Jr. sparked outrage but some analysts suggest it also costs him votes in a very close election in Tennessee.
While, nothing as blatant has been used against Barack Obama -- at least nothing that has risen to the public pulse -- there have been images which makes one wonder whether Senator Obama is the new Gus.
In this campaign, Senator John McCain has used his military experience as a plus and embedded the idea that he is the one that will place the "Country First" at the forefront of his bid for the White House. That framing logically leads one to conclude that Senator Obama does not put his country first and therefore is less patriotic and therefore less American -- a renegade of the American political landscape.
With that stage clearly set we must evaluate a few other things:
(1) The skipping of Obama's 12 years as an Illinois State Senator to identify him not as a small time legislator; but, a small time "community organizer."
(2) The images of Barack Obama onlooking a class of young white boys and girls in an ad that suggests he wants to teach young children about SEX.
(3) The fact that the McCain campaign had an ad connecting him to former Fannie Mae CEO Jim Johnson already cut and ready to roll but decided its first critical connection ad would link him to former Fannie CEO Franklin Raines. The difference between the two CEOs -- one is white and the black CEO actually wasn't an adviser to Obama.
So in the final point -- they put an ad on the shelf, which does show a solid connection to Obama to instead air one that connects two black men together who have no other concrete connection outside of skin tone.
One would like to believe that McCain campaign, and particularly the candidate when he said in April of this year that he would run an honorable campaign -- particularly when just eight years ago members of his own party used the dark skin town of his adopted Indonesian daughter to suggest he had birthed a black baby during the South Carolina primary.
In that case analyst suggest that type of attacked helped George W. Bush recover from his New Hampshire loss and go on and win the Republican nomination in 2000. So if such vile attacks work against a white candidate, is it not possible to assume even the most subtle hints to bad ole' Gus will derail an African-American candidate?
With polls continually showing that somewhere between 10 - 20 percent of voters outwardly saying that they would not vote for a black candidate or at the very least have reservations about the prospect, it would be politically prudent for the non-black candidate to try and take any advantage he can in what is bound to be another 50-49 Presidential election.
But just because "Birth of a Nation" was a masterful piece of film work and its innovation and forward moving story board and use of technology has been highly praised doesn't mean that it didn't serve to not only stall the progress of race relations in this country nor should it be forgiven for giving rise to thousands of citizens who felt justified in taking justice into their own hands or rather own ropes in the hanging of hundreds of black citizens.
You'd like to give Griffith the benefit of the doubt -- that wasn't the intended consequence of his film -- But history seems to not be that kind -- we will have to wait to see whether history will judge Senator McCain's actions in the same vain.
Kapitol Hill publishes a new commentary every week. Please feel free to leave a comment and check back next week: Coming Up: "Broyard to Barack"
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