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Racist truck codes

MSNBC “Countdown” host Keith Olbermann is known for his over-the-top, invective rants against the Republican Party, so it wasn’t that shocking when he called Senator-elect Scott Brown a “homophobic, racist, teabagging” Republican.

What was surprising, however, is that Howard Fineman, senior editor of Newsweek, was so sympathetic to Mr. Olbermann’s accusations of racism.

The reason was even stranger. Mr. Fineman, a frequent MSNBC political analyst, said Mr. Brown’s truck could have been part of a racist code to Massachusetts voters.

Mr. Olbermann proposed Mr. Brown’s win was part of racist backlash against the black President Obama on his Tuesday evening program. Gamely, Mr. Fineman offered some supporting evidence.

“In some places, there are codes, there are images,” he told Mr. Olbermann. “You know, there are pickup trucks, you could say there was a racial aspect to it one way or another.”

Mr. Brown’s truck has particularly bothered Democrats, ranging from Mr. Brown’s opponent, Attorney General Martha Coakley, to Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry to Mr. Obama.

All three of them belittled it in separate, consecutive remarks at a Sunday rally organized to increase Democratic turnout for Tuesday’s special election, although none of them indicated it was racist like Mr. Fineman.

Talking Tark

Republican Danny Tarkanian is quick to label opponent Sue Lowden as the “establishment candidate” and “party cheerleader” in the GOP primary for Nevada’s 2010 Senate election against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat.

Polls show Mr. Tarkanian and Mrs. Lowden would have a good shot at knocking off the powerful Democrat in November and Mr. Tarkanian considers himself to be more of an insurgent, conservative candidate because of his opposition to bailouts and earmarks.

“We need to eliminate all pork,” he told a handful of writers at a meeting in downtown Washington on Tuesday afternoon. “I will not take earmarks, you have to lead by example.”

Mr. Tarkanian has jumped on an interview Mrs. Lowden granted to the Nevada Appeal in which she said it would be “easy” to say she would have voted against bank bailouts “but I can’t do that.”

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