"Dog whistle" politics

I think I'm being sucked into the vortex.

Despite the tragedy that is the US Presidential campaign, I can't help but watch the train wreck that's slowly unfolding. I think it's sort of why maybe some people read my blog; there's something terrible about a train wreck but you just can't help watching it. A morbid fascination with the spectacular catastrophe.

I bumped into the Michelle Obama speech mid-way through yesterday afternoon. It was on the PBS Newshour on our SBS channel. There's no doubt it was a brilliant speech. Our pollies are so boring at giving speeches here, nothing like that. She looked truly inspiring and plugged right into the emotions of what she was saying. And yet to me (I'm a jaded thing darlings) it's the same old thing as 4 years ago. Obama is gonna change the world. Um, sorta fizzled didn't it. I mean FFS he hasn't even closed Gitmo. WTF? Yeah sure he's heaps better that that lunatic Mad Mitt, but if his second term is anything like his first it's just going to be more of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, a little bit at a time.

Mad Mitt on the other hand, Mr plastic, has gone total loony tunes. A combination of religious conservatism from a generation ago mixed with patriotic ferver over making lots and lots of money. Money money money! It's a wonder that's not his catch cry. Oh, it's not really though is it. Today I learnt it was "Keep America America", which has been pointed out in the media over there that's it's nearly the same as "Keep America American" from none other than the Ku Klux Klan. Now of course they're saying it's not the same. Which brings me to the dog whistle. 

One thing politicians here are good at is the dog whistle. John Howard got it down to a fine art. Here is the definition:

A type of political speech using code words that appear to mean one thing to the general population but have a different meaning for a targeted part of the audience.
Link

So, what do you reckon people sympathetic to the KKK are thinking when they hear "Keep America American"? Especially when the current president is black? 

Dog whistle anyone?