TY - JOUR

T1 - Mitt Romney's Racist Appeals

T2 - How Race Was Played in the 2012 Presidential Election

AU - McIlwain, Charlton D.

AU - Caliendo, Stephen M.

PY - 2014/8

Y1 - 2014/8

N2 - This article identifies a marked difference in the type of race-based appeals that dominated Barack Obama's presidential reelection contest in 2012 from his inaugural campaign in 2008. Racist appeals by Mitt Romney and the right in 2012 supplanted the racial appeals by Obama and the left in 2008. We focus our attention on a particularly salient form of racist appeal, one based on the long-standing stereotypes of black laziness and taking advantage. Specifically, we outline the historical underpinnings of these stereotypes. We then demonstrate how Romney and the right wove these underlying stereotypes into a seamless racist narrative-through political advertisements, online messaging, political speeches and debate statements-beginning with the Republican primary and continuing through the general election.

AB - This article identifies a marked difference in the type of race-based appeals that dominated Barack Obama's presidential reelection contest in 2012 from his inaugural campaign in 2008. Racist appeals by Mitt Romney and the right in 2012 supplanted the racial appeals by Obama and the left in 2008. We focus our attention on a particularly salient form of racist appeal, one based on the long-standing stereotypes of black laziness and taking advantage. Specifically, we outline the historical underpinnings of these stereotypes. We then demonstrate how Romney and the right wove these underlying stereotypes into a seamless racist narrative-through political advertisements, online messaging, political speeches and debate statements-beginning with the Republican primary and continuing through the general election.

KW - Barack Obama

KW - Black stereotypes

KW - Mitt Romney

KW - implicit bias

KW - laziness

KW - taking advantage

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84904247287&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84904247287&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1177/0002764213506212

DO - 10.1177/0002764213506212

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84904247287

VL - 58

SP - 1157

EP - 1168

JO - American Behavioral Scientist

JF - American Behavioral Scientist

SN - 0002-7642

IS - 9

ER -