Obama anti-rumor fight spreads

My theory is the the Obama Campaign wants to focus on the "he's a Muslim -- no he's a Christian" noise because it diverts attention from the real dirt about Obama... you know, the stuff they can't refute:
- Like the fact that he's a creature of the Chicago Machine, with all of the unsavory baggage that entails. (Can you say "Tony Rezko? I knew that you could.)
- Like the fact that he claims not to accept lobbyists money when in fact he always has.
- Like the fact that now says he'll vote in favor of the new Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act bill that gives the telecom companies blanket immunity for post-Sept. 11, 2001, eavesdropping.

- Like the fact that once again he thinks NAFTA is a pretty cool idea. (He was for it... He was against it... Now he's for it)

- Like the fact that he has been sprinting away from just about every position he once had that might be called Progressive.

Why waste time on rumors,who said what? There are so many other issues more important. I am ashame of the fact, Obama is taking gossip so serious. people are going to talk, its a natural given, whether good or bad. Obama move on to better wages, equality in America.

When you disparage responding to rumors, you certainly must have forgotten the Republican "Swiftboating" that zapped John Kerry. Since the time of Nixon and his plumbers in the basement of the White House - see Donald Segretti and "Creep", Lee Atwater and Karl Rove - the Republican Party has nurtured slime balls who specialized in destructive rumors and campaigns of lies. An anti-rumor patrol is absolutely necessary.patrol is absolutely necessary.

I still believe in what my parents used to say to me and my siblings: the only reason to put someone else down is because you have nothing good to say about yourself. In other words, criticism is simply an attempt to mask your own faults and insecurities (or your candidate's, as the case may be)

Sounds like bribery from his camp to me.......Like a pyramid system..This is insane. Who wants to talk to him or who wants a plane trip??Our Country is in dire straights. Let Obama do his own convincing the voters that he is not a Muslim and all of the othr rumors that around. The question is in reality are they really rumors??Only he can convince us of the truth..Hasn't done well so far..

But McCain is equally in the hip pocket of the lobbiests. So they're even as far as that goes. And the Chicago machine ain't what it used to be. Little Ricky Daley used to beat up anyone near his girlfriend. Now he is the mayor. See what I mean?

Who doesn't have mixed feelings about:
- the war in Iraq
- the Patriot Act
- FISA (once you find out what t's all about)
- Campaign finance laws
- Right to life/choose
- You name it

Flip flopping is the norm. And both candidates are guilty of it. But only retards like Bush/Cheney and the Far Right think it's a moral issue - but they have flushed themselves down the toilet with their fanatical consistency.

Well, they beat me to it. Was going to say:

Watch for rightwiners claiming that there isn't really any effort to smear Barack with false rumors, that by going on the offensive he's really "playing the race card."

Obviously not. He's doing what Kerry would have done when swiftbloater appeared on the scene.

Points for a little variation on the theme:

The claim he's attacking the smear/slime machine in order to "change the subject."

It's going to be a very long 4 months.
If he wins, I hope Barack doesn't fall for the other side's "forgive & forget" routine.

why? 3 words:

SWIFT BOAT. KERRY.

It IS a shame that childish gossip robs us of intelligent debate over serious issues but history proves that this stuff wins and loses elections.

Just a note to MJ: Regarding the Obama Chicago political background, Rezko, Wright, and his so-called terrorist connections-NO ONE CARES!-except the extreme right wing and their looney radio listeners, Fox news and a few other racists who would hate Obama for any reason. This is all old and largely meaningless news to mainstream voters. Either get some new gossip on Obama or attack him on the issues. Either way, he's now favored by 72% to 28% to beat McCain in the general by the offshore betting services. After Obama's world trip, VP selection and acceptance speech in Denver, this will probably go up to 90%-10%.
This thing is going to be a landslide, so keep sending worthless postings if you want to-but you'd be better off spending your time and effort on something where your comments might make a difference.

10% of the uninformed in this nation think Obama is a Muslim. We need to speak truth to lies although people will often believe what they want to believe. Too bad so many predjudiced, bigoted people still reside in this country!!

I don't like uppity black men.

As a former chicagoian, I can honestly say Barak Obama is a hack of the Democratic machine controlled by R.Daley and I guarantee He is as corupt as any politician coming out of Chicago politics. Any one believing otherwise is as corrupt as He is, and should wise up. If you really wan t to know how corrupt He is, give him a lie detector test ( i doubt he would take one) and see the results for yourself.

John McCain has to constantly fight rumors too, but I don't see the Tribune writes about it. Where is the fairness? The Chicago Tribune, and the Swamp in particular, will lose its credibility if it continues to act like a branch of the Obama's campaign.

Like the fact that he claims not to accept lobbyists money when in fact he always has.

Posted by: MJ | July 5, 2008 12:49 PM

Individuals, who are also lobbyists can donate to any campaign that they want to and like most Americans they are supporting Barack.
Obama.
McCain on the other hand has lobbyists running his campaign from top to bottom. John McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, and yet he said "I'm the only one the special interests don't give any money to."
-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gEROVh8zK4

The rumors and smears appearing against Obama are a distraction from the real issues in the Presidential Campaign. It is not the Obama campaign's focus that is the distraction. The smears and rumors are such blatant lies that they need to be addressed. For that reason, Obama's campaign set up the website.

I am one of the million and a significant contributor. There are some aspects of Mr. Obama's campaign that I wanted to comment on but all e-mails are returned with a form reply. NO phone calls have ever been returned. You cannot contact the organization nor are they interested in suggestive feedback (criticism) or advice. Not that advice was given...I haven't got that far and don't expect to. You can contribute but they aren't interested in your opinions.

kaye c,
Get over it already, would ya?
Hillary lost because she ran a terrible campaign, that's not Obama'a fault, that's her own.
If you want to vote for McCain go right ahead and do so, McCain is going to lose in a landslide anyway.

He's not really looking to fight rumors and smears, he's looking to refute any anti-Obama remark that comes about. I am willing to bet huge money that he has been doing this all along (but is now trying for a much bigger scale) -- if you read enough web sites you'll see extremely similar responses to various questions. Obviously, people have their talking points and are told to get them into print. And just in the past day or so, I'm noticing more links to video (one earlier today said something like, "here's a link that explains his position on ... whatever).

It's been apparent to me all along that these weren't regular people, so to speak, but those hired to make comments.

Ryan,
Nobody has wrongly called McCain a Muslim or a terrorist. No one has spread viral smear emails about McCain's character.
.

Now is not the time for a Muslim President.

Instead of an Obama web site to fight rumors, how about one to tell the truth. Such as: (1) What did he actually do for Farrakhan's Nation of Islam million man march? (2) What other relations does he have with Farrakhan and the Islam nation? (3) What activities is his brother, Abongo “Roy” Obama, a Muslim activist, involved in in Africa or elsewhere? (4) What about a detailed accounting of Obama's life from age 20 to age 40, his friends, associates and outside activities? (5) What influence do all of his other half brothers and sisters in Africa or elsewhere have on his life? (6) Who are they and what do they do?
Why so many rumors about Obama? Because so much of his life is hidden behind a cloud and because so many in the media are willing to take his word without any fact checking. This is no time for media reps to put their own personal politics above the good of the nation.

Instead of an Obama web site to fight rumors, how about one to tell the truth. Such as: (1) What did he actually do for Farrakhan's Nation of Islam million man march? (2) What other relations does he have with Farrakhan and the Islam nation? (3) What activities is his brother, Abongo “Roy” Obama, a Muslim activist, involved in in Africa or elsewhere? (4) What about a detailed accounting of Obama's life from age 20 to age 40, his friends, associates and outside activities? (5) What influence do all of his other half brothers and sisters in Africa or elsewhere have on his life? (6) Who are they and what do they do?
Why so many rumors about Obama? Because so much of his life is hidden behind a cloud and because so many in the media are willing to take his word without any fact checking. This is no time for media reps to put their own personal politics above the good of the nation.

I don't like uppity black men.
Posted by: MJ | July 5, 2008 3:07 PM

That was not me, obviously. So we're going to do fake posts using each others' postnames again? OK.


Just a note to MJ: Regarding the Obama Chicago political background, Rezko, Wright... NO ONE CARES!
Posted by: John | July 5, 2008 2:50 PM

You couldn't be more wrong. This resonates in rural America, where people "cling to their religion and guns"

But even if that wasn't the case, your suggestion that there is just nothing to it, that it's irrelevant bespeaks your own lack of a moral compass, as well as Obama's. It is a verifiable fact that poor, disenfranchised people suffered because Obama was on the take. You're telling us you don't care.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/06/27/grim_proving_ground_for_obamas_housing_policy/

What influence do all of his other half brothers and sisters in Africa or elsewhere have on his life? (6) Who are they and what do they do?
Why so many rumors about Obama? Because so much of his life is hidden behind a cloud and because so many in the media are willing to take his word without any fact checking. This is no time for media reps to put their own personal politics above the good of the nation.

Posted by: Soraya | July 5, 2008 4:59 PM

We've already done our fact checking on McCain and he's disgusting, unfortunately the Swamp, just like the rest of the corporate media, is in the tank for the GOP and they won't post most of what we've got on him.

McCain is the very definition of a corrupt Washington insider/flip-flopper
http://s144.photobucket.com/albums/r163/InsultComicDog/?action=view¤t=likeWonlyOlder.jpg

On tax cuts...

In 2001, McCain voted against Bush's tax cuts, saying "I cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us, at the expense of middle-class Americans who most need tax relief." He also voted against additional tax cuts in 2003, later saying that "I just thought it was too tilted to the wealthy, and I still do."
Today, McCain wants to make those tax cuts permanent.

On immigration...

In 2005, McCain supported comprehensive immigration reform, which included a pathway to citizenship.
Now, he claims that "if his original proposal came to a vote on the Senate floor, he would not vote for it."

On abortion and Roe v. Wade...

In 1999, McCain said that he would not support overturning Roe v. Wade "in the short term, or even the long term," because that would "force X number of women in America" to undergo "illegal and dangerous operations."
Today, McCain has campaigned on overturning Roe v. Wade.

On his revisionist history regarding Donald Rumsfeld...

In 2004, McCain refused to call for Rumsfeld's resignation, saying that Bush "can have the team around him that he wants around him." In 2006, retired generals called for Rumseld's resignation, but McCain did not.
Now, while running for president, McCain has claimed that "I’m the only one that said that Rumsfeld had to go."

On torture...

McCain has traditionally been against torture, citing his experience as a POW for his decision.
Now, McCain voted last month "against a bill that would require the Central Intelligence Agency to abide by the restrictions on interrogating prisoners outlined in the Army Field Manual."

When McCain started running for President he also started lockstep voting with Bush in the Senate.
2005: 81%
2006: 86%
2007: 95%
2008: 100%

The problem is, so many
uninformed people believe these stupid rumors. They do not bother to check the authencity, they just repeat.
And, of course, there are those
who want to believe the rumors regardless.
I have decided not to bother to even respond to the radical, biased people as is a waste of time. Perhaps if we bloggers just ignore them they will go away. At least we can hope.

Ogden
There are several sites you can e mail Obama.
Go to Barack Obama.com
Also info barack obama
I e mail all the time. Don't expect answers as am sure they get thousands a day but there are sites out there.

They are already running the 2004 campaign all over again..accusing Obama of being a flip flopper, attacking his strengths while doing the same things themselves (i.e. flip flopping)...

Remember, they think that Obama is "John Kerry with a tan"... If they run a 2004 campaign against Obama, they will surely lose. Look at Hillary! She ran a Rovian campaign against Obama and she lost, too...

I think that the GOP overestimates the effectiveness of Hillary's kitchen sink. Obama didn't even compete for the last month, so she got some good numbers in late. She still lost.

Karl Rove's strategy didn't work in 2006, nor will it work in 2008. Why? Well, for one thing, the country is onto their game... politics has changed. The other thing is that we all know what the strategy is and how to counter it. It's hard for the GOP to win the game when we know exactly the plays they are going to run.

....and having "blinky" as the GOP torch bearer this year isn't helping their cause either:
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http://s144.photobucket.com/albums/r163/InsultComicDog/?action=view¤t=McCainBlink.gif

The 24/7 infomercial that is The Swamp is in full swing here. Why not report on how the Obama "anti-smear" site has already smeared Republicans?

Reporter Dorning should be aware that there are so many of his media buddies acting as Obama shills that his efforts get lost in the crowd.

Gee Philbee the right wing sleezeballs. Good job. It really bothers liberal satanists like you when the truth is forced down your throat doesn't it. The first amendment is a wonderful thing. But of course it is only reserved for people like you right. Since you love socialism so much there are a lot of wonderful places for you to move to. Do your country a great service and go and live in one of them.

I agree with Bruce, why is the Swamp spending so much time smearing Obama when the guy (McCain) who's whole campaign is run by crooked lobbyists gets a free pass?

Despite John McCain's carefully cultivated image as a maverick who puts principle over politics, his top campaign adviser is a Washington lobbyist who has been the consummate Republican political insider for decades, known for sometimes representing unsavory clients.

full story here:
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http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jul/02/na-top-mccain-adviser-is-ultimate-insider/

There's unfortunate misspelling in the article:

"recruiting groups of 7 to 10 friends and associates to troll the Internet"

I presume you mean "trawl," as "troll" is the practice of posting time wasting messages on forums.

Obama's fightthesmears website is a censorship machine right out of the Chicago corrupt machine. If you haven't noticed since Obama took the nomination from Hillary he has moved the DNC to guess where: Chicago.So, he and Dickie Durbin and Emil Jones can keep an eye out for subterfuge and to take the Party clearly away from Bill and Hillary.
Obamas plan is to make so much about smears liberal code for rascist. That everyone will forget he sat in United Church of Christ listening to Jeremiah Wright, Father Pfleger who are white rascists. He did first fundraiser at terrorist William Ayers home with Bernadine Dohrn which Obama says is his neighbors.He was fed money by convicted Tony Rezko got preferential loan from Northern Trust with garden supplied by Rezko in Kenwood. He wants us to forget ACORN his grass roots efforts financed by the federal government through our tax dollars. He wants us to forget Minister anti-semite Louis Farakhan, Ali Ata, Nadmi Auchi Iraqi billionaire. He wants us to forget he gave highrises to Rezko via Dick Daley. I'd have a fightthe smears website too if I had that much to hide. But here's the catcher now fightthesmears volunteers are some of the posters on the Swamp. I love the Dmocrat line Swift Boating--no lies have been proven against Swift Boat Veterans for Truth but that doesn't matter to liberal Democrats they'll just say Swift boating Obama as if it were true. We are censored from telling the truth about Obama. We can't say his middle name,Jeremiah Wright, Father Pfleger, William Ayers , Tony Rezko and on and on Obama calls this a distraction from what knowing the truth about Obama. Perish the thought! Jerry White, Springfield, IL

The Maoist-like "blogforce" does a lot more than "provide links to the truth." The information they provide leads to anti-obama blogs being falsely reported as "spammers," threats and harassment made to those who dare to reveal the truth, and potentially damaging stories and information about Obama being "magically" scrubbed from sites! WAKE UP AMERICA! PLEASE WAKE UP to the manipulation and intimidation being exercised by the BO campaign!

Yea, Mao and Mao BS from the Republicans. Obama starts a website to correct false rumors and naturally us Swifties get our knickers in a bunch. How dare he and his staff try to fight our lies and innuendo? How can we win if our swiftboating stories don't stick?

I mean, we've screwed up the war, made a mess of the economy, and our energy and environmental policies of doing nothing aren't working out. We've managed to do quite a bit of war profiteering, but unfortunately that kind of success rarely translates into votes. So what do we have to run on besides lies and slander? Refuting our lies amounts to manipulation, intimidation, and censorship because we've got nothing else!

Rumors always exist because many of them are true. obama has lied many times. there is nothing wrong if he was raised as a muslim, what is wrong is that he denies it. How can a man that lies so much about who he is can become the president of this great nation. Very, very scary.