In an otherwise interesting article about the debilitating effect Republican-led vote suppression tactics have had on the black vote, the NY Times states a whopper.
In Maryland, where blacks make up about 30 percent of the electorate, the Democratic candidate for governor, Martin O’Malley, who is white, is trailing the Republican incumbent, Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., by several points.
There are no polls in Maryland showing Robert Ehrlich with a lead over Mayor Martin O’Malley. The last time Ehrlich has led in the polls was in January. Since then, O’Malley has led in every single poll.
In addition to the polling whopper, the statement you quote seems to me written in a way to imply Ehrlich is black.
Breaking it down.
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Notice that it begins with the black electorate, follows with pointing out O’Malley is white, and finishes with GOP incumbent Ehrlich’s lead without pointing out he is also white which leads a reader to link him back to the black electorate point at the beginning.
Unless, of course, they assume their readers all know that Erhlich is white and would immediately associate someone with the surname O’Malley as black.
Perhaps I’m reading too much into it, but the paragraph in the article devoted to Claire McCaskill here in Missouri contains a whopper, also.
McCaskill has been running ads about stem cell research in general and her support of Amendment 2: Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, while attacking Talent’s opposition to the amendment.
Jim Talent is the one that has been running sickle cell anemia ads touting the Sickle Cell Disease Treatment law he co-sponsored with Chuck Shumer while attempting to skirt his party affiliation. Check out the “African Americans for Talent” page of his campaign web site if you can stomach the pandering.