The Obama Haters: Behind the Right-Wing Campaign of Lies, Innuendo & Racism

10 Fight the Smears: Obama and His Allies Build an Effective Truth Squad

153 fight the smears: obama and His allies Build an effective truth squad 10 We were very careful to have good factual underpinnings and good documentation for our rebuttals. —Ed Rendell When Barack Obama declared his candidacy for president on February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois, where Abraham Lincoln began his political career, he was a long shot. All of the cognoscenti believed the election was Hillary Clinton’s to lose. At this point, he had completed only two years in the U.S. Senate following eight years as a state legislator in Illinois. Many people, including African Americans, wondered whether the United States was ready to elect a black man as president. The role of underdog is much easier than that of frontrunner, who has to deflect potshots from other candidates in the same party, the opposition party, and freelance mudslingers. Senator Clinton started the race with her husband’s enemies all lined up against her. One might expect that Hillary would have taken all the flak in the early days. There were no organized smear campaigns directed against other Democratic candidates—2004 vice-presidential nominee John Edwards, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, or senators Joe Biden and Christopher Dodd. These were political heavyweights, but no major organizations or big money lined up to smear them. Perhaps it was assumed that, due to his slender résumé, only a handful of racists would bother slurring Obama. 154 — — — — — — tHe oBama HateRs In their infancies, most campaigns hire experts at “opposition research,” who examine past statements and votes by opposing candidates to unearth something embarrassing, hypocritical, or just plain stupid. The Obama campaign , however, was forced to go on the defensive early on. Among the earliest campaign hires were people to deflect nasty e-mails of undetermined origin. The first hit piece to be debunked was the “Who is Barack Obama?” e-mail, which surfaced in early January 2007: Who is Barack Obama? Very interesting and something that should be considered in your choice. If you do not ever forward anything else, please forward this to all your contacts . . . this is very scary to think of what lies ahead of us here in our own United States . . . better heed this and pray about it and share it. We checked this out on ‘snopes.com’. It is factual. Check for yourself. Who is Barack Obama? Probable U.S. presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., a black MUSLIM from Nyangoma-Kogel, Kenya and Ann Dunham, a white ATHEIST from Wichita, Kansas. Obama’s parents met at the University of Hawaii. When Obama was two years old, his parents divorced. His father returned to Kenya. His mother then married Lolo Soetoro, a RADICAL Muslim from Indonesia. When Obama was six years old, the family relocated to Indonesia. Obama attended a MUSLIM school in Jakarta. He also spent two years in a Catholic school. Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that he is a Muslim. He is quick to point out that, ‘He was once a Muslim, but that he also attended Catholic school.’ FighT The smears — — — — — — 155 Obama’s political handlers are attempting to make it appear that he is not a radical. Obama’s introduction to Islam came via his father, and that this influence was temporary at best. In reality, the senior Obama returned to Kenya soon after the divorce, and never again had any direct influence over his son’s education. Lolo Soetoro, the second husband of Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham, introduced his stepson to Islam. Obama was enrolled in a Wahabi school in Jakarta. Wahabism is the RADICAL teaching that is followed by the Muslim terrorists who are now waging Jihad against the western world. Since it is politically expedient to be a CHRISTIAN when seeking major public office in the United States, Barack Hussein Obama has joined the United Church of Christ in an attempt to downplay his Muslim background. ALSO, keep in mind that when he was sworn into office he DID NOT use the Holy Bible, but instead the Koran. Barack Hussein Obama will NOT recite the Pledge of Allegiance nor will he show any reverence for our flag. While others place their hands over their hearts, Obama turns his back to the flag and slouches. Let us all remain alert concerning Obama’s expected presidential candidacy . The Muslims have said they plan...