Gopher: Did Obama "play" the race card, or did he merely say that the Republicans would?
Of course that's playing the race card.
Accuse someone of a race-related offense, and the label sticks. More beautifully, the accuser walks away scot-free, and moreover, can usually count on thousands of screaming zealots for immediate support.
It's the same basic theory behind accusing someone of hate. Why do you have such a hateful attitude? Why are you being a hater?
It's a smear absolutely free of consequences for the accuser. The bigot, the hater-- these our the modern day witches, and the desire to root them out and destroy them makes us forget that accusing someone of these things is a serious charge that brings responsibility on the part of the accuser.
The economics of mob mentality. House prices, corn prices, oil prices, they change with the seasons, with the trends. Buy low, sell high. Fifty years ago it was communism. It was a cheap smear. Today it's "insensitivity" in any of its forms. Most effective bang for your buck. I am rubber, you are glue.
Sure, it's the low road, but if you believe Obama-- or any valid presidential candidate-- is a different kind of politician who would not take the low road, you probably... well, I don't want to be needlessly insulting to you haters, so I'll leave it at that.