Beat Back The Smears

by Josh Orton, Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 03:40:13 PM EST

Over at Firedoglake, Jane's got the story of how Larry Sinclair - the Obama smear merchant - has actually been booked to speak at the National Press Club:

Larry Sinclair is one of the most outrageous anti-Obama smear merchants. So why is the National Press Club hosting him this coming Wednesday? Apparently Jeff Gannon wasn't available.

Sinclair's story about having used cocaine and having sex with Obama in 1999 is not credible. As Stoller says, it's another "whitey" style rumor and we all know how quickly this stuff makes the leap from the right wing smear machine to Sean Hannity to Fox News and then alley-oops its way into the AP.
...
More than anything else, it was the Swift Boaters being treated like they were legitimate by traditional media that allowed them to wreak such havoc on Kerry's 2004 campaign. Reverend Wright's appearance at the Press Club also dominated the headlines for a month. They should be careful about letting their credibility be used to legitimize Larry Sinclair, no matter how marginally.

Exactly. Too often, news organizations and political institutions play pass-the-buck with political smears, unaware that giving people like Sinclair a platform help legitimize his falsehoods.

Head over and sign the petition and call (politely) to ask the Press Club not to host Sinclair.




Tags: Election 08, Barack Obama (all tags)

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Re: Beat Back The Smears (2.00 / 0)

ugh what they hell is NBC thinking?


-7.33, -3.35 The song that best describes life
by drache on Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 03:45:49 PM EST

Re: Beat Back The Smears (none / 0)

Can anybody book into the National Press Club? If I claim John McCain is really a lizard monster in disguise can I get a speaking gig there too?


by alexmhogan on Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 03:55:22 PM EST

Re: Beat Back The Smears (none / 0)

NPC is pay to play. Sinclair payed, they put him up.


by AIegra on Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 04:12:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Beat Back The Smears (none / 0)

Yeah, he's just rented a room and is having his own function - the Press Club isn't sponsoring him or anything like that.  Commenter over at FDL says the Press Club has allowed people to rent rooms to talk about UFO and alien abduction, so I guess this is in that category.

The real test will be how much play Fox gives this "event".  


by geordie on Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 04:38:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Beat Back The Smears (none / 0)

"....John McCain is really a lizard monster in disguise"

If you want to see craziness incarnate, check out this site. It goes beyond the whole "freemasons and illuminati control everything" and takes it to the nth level. If you guessed that our leaders are secretly reptile people, then you know what kind of crazy I am talking about.

Don't say I didn't warn you though lol

Two riders were approaching......the wind begins to howl!
by John in Chicago on Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 04:49:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Beat Back The Smears (none / 0)

Is anyone really going to take this guy seriously?  I mean, anyone would vote for Obama in the first place?  Also isn't there a way he could be sued for slandering Obama?  I admit I haven't read up on the story so I don't know the details of what has gone on... just that he is making some pretty absurd claims about Obama and drug use/sex.


by JustJennifer on Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 03:59:56 PM EST

he actually flunked a lie detector test (2.00 / 0)


by slinkerwink on Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 04:02:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: he actually flunked a lie detector test (none / 0)

Which doesn't mean a thing because they are so unreliable that courts refuse to use the results as evidence.


by usedmeat on Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 11:24:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Sex with Obama? (none / 0)

What is it with these homophobic Republicans and ilicit gay sex?

He should be so lucky! LOL!!


by activatedbybush on Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 04:02:34 PM EST

I know (2.00 / 1)

Obama could totally score a better looking guy.


You can't stop the signal.

President "That One"

by Dracomicron on Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 04:05:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Beat Back The Smears (none / 0)

I saw McCain have relations with a Dino from the Flintstones, I wanted to keep it quiet but now that he's running for Prez, I need to make sure America knows, can one of you book me on the talk show circuit at once?


by Dog Chains on Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 04:03:42 PM EST

Signed and delivered. (none / 0)

It's sad when random blokes on the internet such as myself know more than the National Press Club.

That is, unless they're just booking him so that they can mock him mercilessly for an hour.


You can't stop the signal.

President "That One"

by Dracomicron on Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 04:04:32 PM EST

Re: Beat Back The Smears (none / 0)

Signed the petition.


Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.
by jsfox on Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 04:10:41 PM EST

Re: Beat Back The Smears (none / 0)

On the petition site you will find the phone number 1-202-662-7500 for the Press Club, give em a call and give them a piece of your mind. Don't let their excuse that they are only renting him a room, throw you. I argued thatby renting him that room he is using their good name to legitimize his lies and smears and at the same time giving them a lousy reputation!


by eddieb on Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 04:22:42 PM EST

Unaware? (none / 0)

I think you give them too much credit. They can't possibly be that unaware of their own power to legitimize complete bs.


by Natasha Chart on Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 04:30:25 PM EST

Will C-SPAN be there too? (none / 0)

If so, that's a real problem. If not, then who cares?


by Hesiod Theogeny on Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 04:39:01 PM EST

Re: Beat Back The Smears (none / 0)

Thanks for the link to FireDogLake's petition. Can journalism get any worse??


by bethmydd on Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 05:09:49 PM EST

Re: Beat Back The Smears (none / 0)

You mean worse than they were to HRC this year?


by usedmeat on Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 11:24:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Beat Back The Smears (none / 0)

I called, and the woman told me that he was not invited by the National Press Club, he had a friend that booked a room, and they don't have any control over that. So he will not be invited, not be included, but they can't guarantee he won't host his own little event.


"Hey, check it out. You just had yourself a glue OD. So you're learning another lesson. Don't do too much glue, or your night sucks."
by vcalzone on Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 07:31:45 PM EST

I've rented rooms there (none / 0)

for a few hundred bucks, no questions asked. Blaming the NPC is stupid. Do you blame the phone company for letting him use their lines to book the room?




Democratic Candidate, US Senate, Wisconsin 2012
by benmasel on Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 07:41:50 PM EST


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