Lou Dobbs bought racist "Obama Waffles" at Values Voters Summit

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT
by Amy Weiss

At the Values Voters Summit in D.C. last weekend, Mark Whitlock and Bob DeMoss were selling boxes of "Obama Waffles" for $10 per box. The box of waffle mix features a caricature of Obama reminiscent of stereotypical racist cartoons. The Family Research Council (FRC), the group that runs the conference, stopped the selling of the waffles and said they didn't realize before that they contained "offensive material."

The AP describes the waffles:

While Obama Waffles takes aim at Obama's politics by poking fun at his public remarks and positions on issues, it also plays off the old image of the pancake-mix icon Aunt Jemima, which has been widely criticized as a demeaning stereotype. Obama is portrayed with popping eyes and big, thick lips as he stares at a plate of waffles and smiles broadly.

Placing Obama in Arab-like headdress recalls the false rumor that he is a follower of Islam, though he is actually a Christian.

On the back of the box, Obama is depicted in stereotypical Mexican dress, including a sombrero, above a recipe for "Open Border Fiesta Waffles" that says it can serve "4 or more illegal aliens." The recipe includes a tip: "While waiting for these zesty treats to invade your home, why not learn a foreign language?"

The novelty item also takes shots at 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry, Obama's wife, Michelle, and Obama's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

While the creators claim their product is satirical and not racist, the FRC felt strongly enough to stop sales. A black pastor and member of the FRC, Harry Jackson, wrote a column on the conservative site Town Hall about the dangers of allowing people such as Whitlock and Moss a voice in this election:

There is one thing that could torpedo McCain's efforts - a sense that McCain is playing the race card against his opponent instead of using a legitimate political strategy. If the race is determined by the content of the candidates' character and a sportsman like contest, Americans will have realized Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream. Therefore, even if Senator Obama is not elected president, the nation will acknowledge this as a watershed moment for the entire country. On the other hand, if racial slurs and prejudice are used by McCain supports it could cause a backlash among undecided voters that will cause the McCain/Palin ticket to lose.

The only negative thing that came out of the Values Voter's Summit was that two men from Franklin Tennessee (Mark Whitlock and Bob DeMoss) sold a product called "Obama Waffles" at the event until the conference leaders shut them down on Saturday. The Family Research Council issued a statement on behalf of all of the sponsors of the summit that we "strongly condemned the tone and content of the materials" of the product's packaging. As far as HILC is concerned, the so-called political "satire" on the boxes of waffles is racist and makes fun of all African Americans - not to mention unfairly demeaning Barak (sic) Obama. Two hundred and six newspaper articles carried the story of the waffles this weekend. Newspapers from Jerusalem to China felt that this story was newsworthy. If this last seven weeks of the campaign becomes a referendum on race, it will hurt race relations and the McCain campaign.

This has become a minor story, getting substantial coverage in the blog world. However, the AP version of the story does not mention that the creators of Obama Waffles had a photo on their Web site of Lou Dobbs, a speaker at the Values Voters Summit, purchasing them and reported that he said "My wife will love this." The photo and story has been removed from the site but bloggers were able to take screen shots before it was taken down.



So far, it appears no major media outlet has mentioned Dobbs' endorsement of the product. Dobbs does not appear to have been sufficiently pressured to respond, clarify, or issue an apology.

While the McCain campaign throws charges of sexism at the media and the Democrats -- a few legitimate, most preposterous -- the Obama campaign has been largely quiet on the issue of race. That may be a tactical decision, but regardless of how Obama takes on the story (the campaign has declined to comment in several reports), the mainstream media should at least get this out there. CNN at least owes its viewers an explanation as to why they have no problem with Dobbs' behavior as a representative of the network.

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT