You can sure tell the election is coming up and the GOOPERs are in trouble. A key Senate race is in Tennessee where Harold Ford (D), who is black, is challenging Bob Corker (R). First there was the bimbo ad which had a subliminal message of black men coming to have sex with all the white women, now this:

Okay, so Election Central has just obtained a radio ad which you've got to hear: It actually has what sounds like tom-tom drums playing in the background every time the ad talks about Dem Harold Ford, Jr. The ad -- which says it was paid for by the campaign of GOP Senate candidate Bob Corker -- can be heard right here. When the ad mentions Corker, the music soars and no tom-toms are audible. Throughout the entire minute-long ad, you hear the rumble of tom-toms every time Ford is mentioned. This ad, keep in mind, quotes Bob Corker himself as having "approved" the message -- meaning it wasn't the work of the Republican National Committee, as in the case of the recent "bimbo" TV ad which drew charges of racism.

Oh NO! The jungle bugga bugga's are a comin'!!!

Is this not the most ridiculous thing. And you'd think it's so ridiculous that it wouldn't work. But let me tell you a little story.

I live in the 100th most liberal county in the country. Democrats outnumber Republicans about 2 to 1. Two years ago, there was a race for the city council that featured a black man, who was backed by our very own local "Karl Rove" type consultant, and who was supported very strongly by local development interests. This black man was doing very poorly in the polls despite having run a very conventional campaign with all the usual endorsements, appearances and mailers. Several weeks prior to the election, the campaign consultant began a major advertising campaign utilizing the newspaper and mailers. NONE of these included a picture of the candidate, which is highly unusual in a local race. It was obvious that they had gone out of their way to hide the "blackness" of the candidate.

You guessed it, the guy won.

If those dynamics are at work here in liberal northern California, what do you think is going on in Memphis Tennessee?