FoxTV Smears Senator Obama Again....

It is incredible to read the "Muslim" smear is still doing rounds and the rightwing media is still giving it legs. I never thought this would be such an issue in an advanced industrialized society! The lowest point in HRC's campaign IMHO was her faltering rationale on "Obama Muslim or Christian" smear. Even as a HRC supporter I was upset at her non-explanation explanation...Yesterday to find Brit Hume shamefacedly bolstering the lie was beyond pale. What part of the following Brit Hume doesn't understand?

Barack Obama considers himself to be a Christian. That's it..End of Story..Quod Erat Demonstrandum...

For more read the PDonaldson's diary in DailyKos and checkout the clip if you want to get nauseated...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/17/ 154558/071/561/537426

Update [2008-6-17 17:17:47 by louisprandtl]: Dracmicron puts HRC's comments in proper perspective. I was tad harsh on HRC above.

http://www.mydd.com/comments/2008/6/17/16164/3739/10#10



Display:


Re: FoxTV Smears Senator Obama Again.... (1.66 / 3)

That is just pathetic. Murdoch is a d-bag and Faux is a joke.

I'm sure some will go after you in the comments secion for the Hillary quip though. They are predictable like that.

Again, my money is on concern troll extraordinaire kosnomore.


Mooseburgers? Careful Sarah. Moose bite back!
by spacemanspiff on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:18:52 PM EST

Re: FoxTV Smears Senator Obama Again.... (2.00 / 2)

Yes, Obama is a christian, but are news organizations not allowed to report that many of his close relatives come from the muslim tradition?  Or is that racist to say.  Obama should be proud of that and not try and hide it.


by karajan72 on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:19:01 PM EST

Re: FoxTV Smears Senator Obama Again.... (1.71 / 7)

You would say that.


Mooseburgers? Careful Sarah. Moose bite back!
by spacemanspiff on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:20:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: FoxTV Smears Senator Obama Again.... (2.00 / 2)

We have got to come to a point where we stop treating the word Muslim as a smear.  To continue to do so makes us no better than a Republican bigot.


by JustJennifer on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:33:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Agreed the word Muslim cannot be a smear.. (2.00 / 2)

otherwise we are no better..


by louisprandtl on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:35:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: FoxTV Smears Senator Obama Again.... (1.66 / 3)

I understand your concern.


Mooseburgers? Careful Sarah. Moose bite back!
by spacemanspiff on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:36:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: FoxTV Smears Senator Obama Again.... (2.00 / 1)

I don't know if you meant that to be sarcastic but yes I am concerned that we are treating the religion and beliefs of millions of Americans like it's an insult.  


by JustJennifer on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 05:02:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: FoxTV Smears Senator Obama Again.... (2.00 / 3)

You're right, he should be proud of his heritage.  I wonder why the people trying to derail his candidacy are are so focused on proving he's a muslim?

It's a total mystery to me.  Anyway, shame on you, Barack Obama.  Stop punching Fox news on the fists with your face.


I have that readiness.
by Jess81 on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 05:02:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: FoxTV Smears Senator Obama Again.... (2.00 / 2)

They don't care about proving it is true, they just like to say it over and over and over again with the hope that the "uncertainty" of Barack's Christianity/Muslimness (is that a word?)will stick in our less "sophisticated" voters minds creating a fear that will manifest itself at the voting booth.


by KLRinLA on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 05:11:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: FoxTV Smears Senator Obama Again.... (2.00 / 2)

I know.  My snark was clumsy.

I'm just tired of the "why is he ashamed of his heritage/what is he hiding?" posture.  It's beneath contempt.  When the Bush campaign pushed the rumor that McCain had fathered a mixed-race child, can you imagine Ari Fleischer or whoever saying "we weren't linked with the rumors at all, but what does John McCain have against mixed-race children?"


I have that readiness.
by Jess81 on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 05:28:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: FoxTV Smears Senator Obama Again.... (none / 0)

It is peculiar and from an obejctive POV very interesting on a psychological level, but since it is used by the GOP to instill meanspirited lies it really pisses me off to no end(as opposed to soothing voices saying "everyone is nice to each other and we should all dance").

The Daily Show did a piece last night on how all the MSM is picking up rumors on the internet (muslim, whitey, etc.), calling them rumors, and then going on to discuss the merit of an anonymous blogger's rumor, which in the end, gives the rumor a modicum of legitimacy solely by analyzing it with out actually providing any foundation.  Pretty powerful this MSM


by KLRinLA on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 10:19:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Tell a lie a thousand times.. (2.00 / 2)

it may start sounding true...


by louisprandtl on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:19:58 PM EST

Brit Hume looks like a basset hound, (2.00 / 4)

and lies and makes nasty insinuations on a daily basis. He frequently tries to hide his Republican agenda under a mask of... well, frankly, being boring as hell. Does anyone even watch him?


Even John McCain lusts after teh engels.
by sricki on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:23:50 PM EST

I love his primary coverage (2.00 / 4)

His coverage of the Democratic primaries is hilarious.  He could not care less about them, and yet he has to go through the motions.

I suppose even that is calculated; if FOX viewers don't get energized by the exciting Democratic primary, maybe they'll remain complacent and vote Republican.


In this avalanche, the pebbles get to vote.
by Dracomicron on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:25:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I was visiting (2.00 / 4)

my parents on the night of the MI primary, and they had Fox on. Hume was obviously bored out of his mind, but my dad thought he made a funny remark at one point -- something about "Ms. Clinton fighting a hard battle against 'uncommitted'." Wasn't funny to me, of course, for multiple reasons.


Even John McCain lusts after teh engels.
by sricki on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:42:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

There is an ancient saying... (2.00 / 1)

Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer..one needs to keep an eye on what the rightwing is upto....However even I, a News junkie cannot watch FoxTV..they are beyond pale..


by louisprandtl on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:31:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I read RedState occasionally, (2.00 / 2)

to see what they're up to. Can't handle FreeRepublic. I did read one thread over there, though -- the one about the photo they sent to Drudge, which was blamed on Hillary's campaign. Pure nastiness.


Even John McCain lusts after teh engels.
by sricki on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:37:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]

You have to watch how Murdoch/rightwing (2.00 / 2)

smear merchants work. When Kerry was smeared with an affair with Alex Polier, first the incident was reported in London tabloid (as far I remember it was the tabloid Sun) ran by Murdoch. Drudge then picked it up and it was allover the news..I expect similar smears breaking in..


by louisprandtl on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 05:07:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Brit Hume looks like a basset hound, (2.00 / 2)

That is not fair to bassett hounds!!!


I like baked beans.
by SpideyDem on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 05:00:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

You're right, it was cruel. (2.00 / 2)

And I love dogs. But I can't help thinking that Hume looks like a bassett hound, and Lou Dobbs looks like a bulldog.


Even John McCain lusts after teh engels.
by sricki on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 05:03:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Eh, bad Clinton analogy (2.00 / 5)

That was nowhere near a bad moment for her.  The reporter was dogging her on the issue after she said categorically that it wasn't true.  I'm as big a Clinton critic as they come around here, but that's a silly point to nail her on.

Anyway, FOX remains a disgrace.


In this avalanche, the pebbles get to vote.
by Dracomicron on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:23:54 PM EST

Agreed on both points! n/t (2.00 / 2)


Even John McCain lusts after teh engels.
by sricki on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:24:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Eh, bad Clinton analogy (none / 0)

I'm glad you said it..but I found her statement to be convoluted instead of an straight unqualified statement that BO is a Christian..now it maybe she was tired et al...but personally I felt she could have been more forthright about it.


by louisprandtl on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:28:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

There's only so many ways you can say it (2.00 / 4)

Q: "Is he a communist?"
A: "No."
Q: "Is he a member of the communist party?"
A: "No... I told you."
Q: "Has he ever been a member of the communist party?"
A: "Cripes, not as far as I know."
Q: "AHA!  So are you admitting that you don't know if he could have been a communist?"

...and so on.  Listening to that exchange, that was the impression I got.


In this avalanche, the pebbles get to vote.
by Dracomicron on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:41:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: There's only so many ways you can say it (2.00 / 2)

Thanks..agreed..this makes sense in proper perspective...unfortunately only the last part gets played over and over a newsclip and one is left thinking..why on Earth....


by louisprandtl on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:43:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Let us fight the smear unitedly.... (2.00 / 2)

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/f ightthesmearshome/


by louisprandtl on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:24:39 PM EST

Re: FoxTV Smears Senator Obama Again.... (2.00 / 2)

Why the hell would anyone still believe he is a Muslim.

You would think the whole Rev. Wright thin would have cleared it up.

Wasn't it fox that was leading the charge on that story.

Sooner or later the viewers have to question whats going on.

or maybe never


Educated in a small town Taught to fear Jesus in a small town Used to daydream in that small town Another born romantic that's me.
by lori on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:36:11 PM EST

Re: FoxTV Smears Senator Obama Again.... (2.00 / 2)

Explain this then at the 32 mark:

If this woman is not racist, I don't know what she is.


by DemsLandslide2008 on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:41:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Sorry..beg to differ..you better chance (2.00 / 1)

of making his national security stance stronger by working with him and not against him...


by louisprandtl on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:46:21 PM EST

Lieberman lost me in '04 election cycle (2.00 / 2)

when he came in fifth in a primary and yelled how Joe-momentum is taking off..he sounded like Bagdad Bob. Obama has mainstream Dem. foreign advisors.


by louisprandtl on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:56:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Sorry..beg to differ..you better chance (2.00 / 2)

So you aren't a Democrat, why are you here?

Also you do realize this site has a No-McCain policy and you will be banned for advocating him.

Just because you claim to be a "clintonista" doesn't mean anyone believes you.


by DemsLandslide2008 on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:57:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Sorry..beg to differ..you better chance (2.00 / 1)

How do you like them apples, admin kicked off a mccain troll,  well he made it pretty easy.

[if you are wondering about these comments to nowhere there was a troll named clintonistaformcccain posting, admin kicked em out]


by DemsLandslide2008 on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 05:15:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]

hah..and I was wondering what happened.. (none / 0)

the Admins were fast and swift...rightfully so..


by louisprandtl on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 05:20:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Did you lose your way on Internet (2.00 / 1)

highway and arrive at MyDD? You might need a GPS....


by louisprandtl on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 04:49:40 PM EST

Re: FoxTV Smears Senator Obama Again.... (none / 0)

There is apparently an article going around that according to Barack Obama's half-brother Malik Obama, Barack Obama was raised as a Muslim.

See the link:
http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Po litics/12918.htm

However, one thing that the article does not mention is that Malik Obama did NOT grow up with Barack Obama. In fact, according to the attached article, Malik Obama met Barack for the first time in 1985, when Barack Obama would be 24.

See the link:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6333496

Thus, even if Malik Obama actually said what is attributed to him, he is not speaking from personal knowledge.


by bushsucks on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 05:03:21 PM EST

Re: FoxTV Smears Senator Obama Again.... (none / 0)

Oops - the caption on the photo acknowledges that they first met in 1985. That makes the story self-contradicting on its face. Also, can someone please comment on the garb - is it necessarily Islamic?


by bushsucks on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 05:11:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: FoxTV Smears Senator Obama Again.... (none / 0)

Those are great points.

I also wonder ---

What the hell is israelinsider? Is it a reputable news source or is it another noquarter?  Anyone can create a web site and put things on it. I know nothing about the site and reputation.


We care about politics because we know politics matters for people's lives and opportunities.
by politicsmatters on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 05:13:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: FoxTV Smears Senator Obama Again.... (2.00 / 2)

Another Obama idiot. Clinton NEVER faltered in denying he was muslim. I watched it. She dismissed it instantly as some sort of bad joke. This comparing of her with Fox is all part of the continuing attempts to smear her. If the Obama partisans think this is helping to unify democrats to fight this sort of crap they need to get their heads in order.


by ottovbvs on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 05:21:46 PM EST

Obama idiot??? That's a first for me (none / 0)

at least....I guess I've higher/better expectations from the candidate I support..


by louisprandtl on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 05:36:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Less than one second (2.00 / 2)

Media Matters:

Less than one second. That's how long it took Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to answer, "Of course not," to Steve Kroft's question on 60 Minutes about whether she thought Sen. Barack Obama was a Muslim. You can time it yourself by watching the clip at YouTube.

Still, that didn't stop MSNBC's Chris Matthews from complaining on-air last week that it took Clinton "the longest time" to answer Kroft's question.

Lots of eager, tsk-tsking pundits and reporters agreed. They said Clinton was guilty of "hemming and hawing" in response to Kroft's peculiar, repeated insistence that she make some sort of declarative statement about her opponents religious beliefs. And then when she did, Kroft asked that she do it again. That's when Clinton, looking befuddled by the multiple requests, added some qualifiers to her response, including "as far as I know." What stood out in the exchange was not Clinton's responses, but Kroft's weird persistence in asking a question that Clinton addressed unequivocally the first time, as though he was trying to draw out something she was not saying. Even more peculiar was Kroft's obsession with the Muslim question amid a 60 Minutes report that was about Ohio's shrinking working class and what Clinton and Obama were going to do to try stop of the overseas flow of U.S. manufacturing jobs. (Note to Kroft and the rest of the media: Obama is not a Muslim; Clinton knows Obama is not a Muslim; Clinton does not believe Obama is a Muslim. Clinton made this very clear.)

After parsing Clinton's answer and then conveniently setting aside key sections of it, journalists at NBC, MSNBC, The New York Times, Chicago Sun-Times, Time, The New Yorker, and The Washington Post, among others, declared her response had been wholly deficient. Worse, Clinton's answer simply confirmed that she was running a "slimy," "nasty" contest. It was a "galling" comment; "the sleaziest moment of the campaign."


by catfish2 on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 05:53:20 PM EST

Re: Less than one second (2.00 / 1)

Why are we still talking about the campaign,

its over,  funny how catfish could care less about Fox smearing Obama.

Suprising since they made the whole PUMA "movement" look like the less than 50 people joke it is.

You would think PUMA would be attacking Fox now.


by DemsLandslide2008 on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 05:55:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]

This and the outrage over the RFK comment (2.00 / 1)

Were what made me see CLEAR AS DAY what was actually going on.

This was not Clinton-smearing-Obama... this was the media-smearing-Clinton to demonise her and elevate Obama.

And this pattern was replicated over.and.over.and.over.and.over again.

I hear friends parroting the lies and twisted truth which the media sold as "news" this year and it makes me absolutely crazy. We've all been sold a fantasy where Clinton has horns and a red tail and Obama is the righteous hero. Neither is even remotely accurate. Makes a better story than reality though.

Ugh.


"Life is too short, time is too precious, and the stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been." Hillary Rodham Clinton - June 7, 2008
by twinmom on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 09:36:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Fox smears a Dem! And the sky is blue! (1.00 / 0)

So informative!!!


by catfish2 on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 05:55:51 PM EST

Re: Fox smears a Dem! And the sky is blue! (2.00 / 1)

Did you watch Neil cavuto send those two PUMA "representatives" back to homeschool?

That was great right?


by DemsLandslide2008 on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 05:56:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

They were very good on his show (1.00 / 0)

yes I agree.


by catfish2 on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 06:02:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: They were very good on his show (none / 0)

Thank you catfish, good to know you are a PUMA supporter.

Your mother must be so proud.


by DemsLandslide2008 on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 06:11:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The REST of the Clinton quote (2.00 / 3)

CLEARLY Hillary Clinton was saying that the rumors of Obama being a Muslim are "ridiculous", "rumors", "smears".

In my opinion, she was absolutely unfairly targeted for this "as far as I know" statement. It was taken COMPLETELY out of context. Steve Kroft would NOT drop this line of questioning and Clinton kept trying to say that she did NOT think that Obama was a Muslim in different ways. Her demeanor suggests that she thinks the question itself is absurd. How could she be MORE clear?

The part of the interview BEFORE the clip above had this dialogue between Kroft and Clinton:

Kroft:
You don't believe that Senator Obama's a Muslim?

Clinton:
Of course not. I mean that's, you know, there is no basis for that. I take him on the basis of what he says and there isn't any reason to doubt that.

Kroft:
You said that you take Senator Obama at his word that he's not a Muslim.

Clinton:
Right. Right.

Kroft:
You don't believe that he's a Muslim.

Clinton:
No. No. Why would I? There is no. NO. There is nothing to base that on. As far as I know.


"Life is too short, time is too precious, and the stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been." Hillary Rodham Clinton - June 7, 2008
by twinmom on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 05:56:26 PM EST

Re: The REST of the Clinton quote (2.00 / 1)

I've to say that "as far as I know" qualifier threw me off. However to put in perspective Kroft did go after her and that last part of the dialog was shown as newsclip over and over..thus giving folks an bad impression of her.


by louisprandtl on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 06:02:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: FoxTV Smears Senator Obama Again.... (2.00 / 1)

i don't read dkos and i do watch FOX now (no MSNBC or CNN allowed in my house anymore).
and I suggest you to read about childhood of Obama, about his stepfather and his school in Indonesia.
He also claimed that his mom is the most influencial person in his life and he followed her school of thoughts.
and she was an atheist.
by the way: I agreed with his mom: god does not exist.
Welcome to a Landslide without white Working class, Latinos, Women, Seniors and holding-on sweeties
by engels on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 08:43:51 PM EST

Thanks for the suggestions... (none / 0)

Although I'm low information person I still have read about his childhood et al. Yes during his formative young years, Obama was influenced by his atheist mother. He was not religious before he embraced Christianity influenced by Rev. Wright.


by louisprandtl on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 09:23:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: FoxTV Smears Senator Obama Again.... (none / 0)

This is the funniest thing about the Obama bashers who are bigots. This particular brand of Obama bashers not only use Wright to bash him fo his intolerant CHRISTIAN CHURCH, but then use Muslim smears to bash him as a muslim(really, they mean Talibanish crazy Muslim when they say muslim). How can people be so dumb as to  believe both? I can see one or the other.


by Pravin on Wed Jun 18, 2008 at 07:16:36 AM EST


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