Steer clear of race in the 2012 presidential campaign

To some conservatives, Mr. Obama鈥檚 past association with Rev. Mr. Wright 鈥� who was his spiritual adviser, officiated at his wedding, and baptized his children 鈥� merits more scrutiny than it received in 2008. Video clips of the minister denouncing America raised, in some conservatives鈥� minds, questions about Obama鈥檚 loyalty to the United States.

But John McCain, the GOP鈥檚 2008 presidential nominee, refused to use Wright against Obama. Some advisers were frustrated, including, the New York Times reported, ad man Fred Davis, whom the article says had produced an ad using Wright that never aired.

Fast-forward to 2012. It was Mr. Davis鈥檚 firm, Strategic Perception, that presented a proposal to the 鈥渟uper PAC鈥� Ending Spending Action Fund 鈥� founded by Chicago billionaire Joe Ricketts 鈥� to launch a $10 million ad campaign using Wright to attack Obama.

鈥淥ur plan is to do exactly what John McCain would not let us do: Show the world how Barack Obama鈥檚 opinions of America and the world were formed,鈥� the proposal said, according to the Times, which was given a copy.

Now Davis says the proposal was just that 鈥� a proposal 鈥� and nothing was ever implemented.

鈥淭he document referred to in [Thursday's] New York Times story was one proposal prepared and submitted by Strategic Perception Inc.,鈥� Davis said in a statement e-mailed Thursday to Talking Points Memo. 鈥淭he Ricketts family never approved it, and nothing has happened on it since the presentation. The vendors listed were as proposed, and had nothing to do with this proposal.鈥�

Presumptive 2012 nominee Mitt Romney has disavowed the idea, as has Mr. Ricketts. And as a matter of politics, analysts say, it was a bad idea from the start: Obama is personally popular, and the only people to whom it might appeal weren鈥檛 going to vote for Obama anyway. A racially tinged attack could easily backfire and help the president 鈥� not only in building sympathy for him among swing voters, but also in driving up turnout among his base, including African-Americans.

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Steer clear of race in the 2012 presidential campaign

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