Let’s get this Party started
Get out and vote! If nothing else, do it so we can spend the next 8 months linking our political opponents to small-minded people like whoever made this disturbingly pathetic attempt at an attack ad:
For an explanation of why hateful videos about Sen. Obama are screening on this site, please see this post.
You can view all “Expose the Hate” posts here.
In this spooky loony fringe video, which falsely suggests that Sen. Obama was “raised as a Muslim” and then follows up with the non-sequitor rhetorical question “Can we trust him?,” a close-up on Sen. Obama’s eyes during his exploratory announcement video is apparently an acceptable stand-in for any sort of substance whatsoever.
Bask, friends, in the ignorance of Sen. Obama’s rightwing detractors:
For an explanation of why hateful videos about Sen. Obama are screening on this site, please see this post.
You can view all “Expose the Hate” posts here.
The big campaign news late last week was that Sen. Obama was placed under Secret Service protection, the first presidential candidate ever to be guarded so early in a campaign. The reason has not been made public by the Secret Service or the Obama campaign, but Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff signed off on it “after consultations with House and Senate leaders in both parties,” according to the Post.
There should be no doubt that credible threats to Sen. Obama’s safety prompted this decision.
Should we really be surprised? We’ve documented here the sort of fanatical rage that many on the right feel toward Sen. Obama in our “Expose the Hate” feature. In many cases, his skin color is a major factor in their disparagement — as it was for Rush Limbaugh, whose racist “Barack the Magic Negro” song (posted here last week) is now making headlines.
One journalist tracked the fixation some white supremacist groups have on Sen. Obama, and made an important point about how deeply un-American these attacks on Sen. Obama actually are, especially in the context of the struggle against terrorism:
[T]here is no telling how many potential black candidates–for the presidency, or for lower office–have been dissuaded by white supremacist groups. If we are serious about fighting terrorists who threaten U.S. interests, we should be equally serious about making sure that homegrown terrorists do not get to decide who runs for president.
Today’s installment of Expose the Hate just goes to show that you don’t need to be a drunk old lady to spew offensive nonsensical vitriol — you can also be a famous and adored rightwing talk radio personality:
For an explanation of why negative videos about Sen. Obama are screening on this site, please see this post.
You can view all “Expose the Hate” posts here.
It’s been nearly two weeks since we delved into the dark and possibly inebriated world of Sandy Davis, who railed against “Barack Obama bin Laden” and his stance on the Iraq War.
Fortunately for those of us who believe that nonsensical hateful rightwing rhetoric like this will alienate more people than it will attract, she’s back with a new video — and we’re back with a new installment of Expose the Hate.
So without further ado, watch as Ms. Davis accuses Sen. Obama bin Laden of “not acknowledging your white past” and suggests that he is actually “a Hybrid American.” Does that mean he gets good gas mileage?
For an explanation of why negative videos about Sen. Obama are screening on this site, please see this post.
You can view all “Expose the Hate” posts here.
Today we take yet another foray into the twisted, angry world of some of Sen. Obama’s most vocal critics on the web, in the hope that we may more fully appreciate the fact that they’re not on our team.
In addition to falsely asserting that Sen. Obama opposes all wars, this unfortunate woman apparently has it on good authority that his opposition to the Iraq War stems from the fact that he doesn’t want his cousin, Osama bin Laden, to get hurt.
Fasten your seatbelts — the ride into the world of pure ignorance can get a little bumpy:
For an explanation of why negative videos about Sen. Obama are screening on this site, please see this post.
You can view all “Expose the Hate” posts here.
Between the image of Sen. Obama “protesting for his friends” at Guantanamo bay and the ingenious photoshopping of Osama bin Laden’s face onto Sen. Obama’s body, picking a favorite part of this unpleasant, specious and utterly absurd anti-Obama video is not an easy task. However, I’m going to have to go with the doctored photograph of pro-Obama graffiti on a partially-demolished wall in Pakistan.
I’ll leave discussion of the video’s many factual inaccuracies to anyone who would like to post a comment.
For an explanation of why negative videos about Sen. Obama are screening on this site, please see this post. You can view all “Expose the Hate” posts here.
I wrote here last week about the sort of attacks I expect to see coming from many on the right once Sen. Obama secures the Democratic nomination. Primarily ad hominem in nature, they’ll focus on his name and his race and bring exactly nothing to the table other than the fear and prejudice of those who make them.
It’s no surprise that, in some quarters, those base attacks have already begun. In a new regular segment called “Expose the Hate,” I’m going to share a sampling of them here because I’m confident that many more Americans will be repulsed by this vile, tasteless ignorance than will be seduced by it.
In that spirit, here is the latest example of enlightened political discourse from the anti-Obama right:
This may not seem like the sort of video you’d expect to find on a site dedicated to promoting Sen. Obama’s candidacy, and for good reason: it is a negative spot conflating his name with that of known tyrants and terrorists.
The video’s focus on Sen. Obama’s name is purely superficial, and belies more than anything the creator’s discomfort with the idea of a black man with an unfamiliar name running the country. I opted to post it because I think it’s typical of the attacks we’ll see on Sen. Obama from many on the right once he becomes the Democratic nominee.
Some Democrats are undoubtedly uneasy with what they perceive as a vast swath of this country that simply will not vote for Sen. Obama based on his name and his skin color. I think that logic sells Americans short. I wouldn’t put “Hussein” on the campaign literature exactly, but we should welcome discussion about Sen. Obama’s name — and showcase the small-mindedness of those who will try to use it against him.
The fact is, if that’s the line conservatives choose to take, it means they’re unable to engage on the issues, and Sen. Obama’s supporters shouldn’t miss an opportunity to point that out. I was encouraged when reports came out a few months ago that callers to Sen. Obama’s office inquiring about his middle name were told that “It’s Hussein, like the dictator.” That, my friends, takes balls. And if there is one thing Democrats need…
At the end of the day, I’m confident that those who are persuaded by the sophomoric “Obama rhymes with Osama” line wouldn’t have voted for Sen. Obama anyway — and that many more will be turned off by such ignorance than will be drawn to it.
In an effort to get that ball rolling, here is a video entitled “How To Remember Barack Hussein Obama’s Name” from RepublicanMan10, whose depth of argument is matched only by his camerawork:
