Sununu Applauds Powell for Keeping it Black

Everyone’s having kittens today about John Sununu’s comment on CNN about Colin Powell’s endorsement of President Obama. Sununu reckons it’s all just a race thing. He told Piers Morgan, “When you have somebody of your own race that you’re proud of being president, I applaud Colin for standing with him.” Presumably this is the kind of applause that only uses the back of the hand.

This comment comes at a critical point in the election. We’re only 11 days away, and according to the polls the race is as tight as a duck’s arse (to use a technical term). The Romney campaign took a knock for its support of Senate Candidate Richard “Rape is God’s Intention” Mourdock from Indiana, but it was helped by the endorsement of Meat Loaf, who did the candidate the favor of slaughtering “America The Beautiful” almost as badly as Mitt did.

But at this sensitive stage, these pronouncements from the campaigns can be taken as clear messaging opportunities. What Sununu was doing was supporting the worldview of his party that races ought to stick together, and it’s how dark people make their decisions anyway. He was making a dog-whistle comment, if the dogs happen to be old Archie Bunker types who can’t figure out why they went and called it the White House if they didn’t mean it.

When approached for comment, Romney wore his usual smile, like he was taking a painful shit but didn’t want anyone to know. Only 11 more days to go now.