comment #1

j_bonies says ...

If it has a Muslim name...

And it has a Muslim father...

And it spent part of its formative years in a Muslim country...

And it went to a Muslim school...

comment #2

Rob says ...

Tuchman says "he says" because he's a journalist and he has to cite sources.

Hillary said "as far as I know" because she doesn't go to church with him every Sunday.

comment #3

astrophore says ...

There was a similar article in the Washington Post about a month ago concerning the small town of Findlay, Ohio.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/29/AR2008062901871_pf.html

You just have to hope these people get distracted by a shiny piece of foil on their way to the voting booth. Nothing more to be done.

comment #4

Balthazar says ...

Something that actually matters:

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Friday announced an “Emergency Economic Plan” that would give families a stimulus check of $1,000 each, funded in part by what his presidential campaign calls “windfall profits from Big Oil.”

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That sound you just heard was Obama losing the election.

comment #5

Balthazar says ...

ALSO: Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is mobilizing its store managers and department supervisors around the country to warn that if Democrats win power in November, they'll likely change federal law to make it easier for workers to unionize companies -- including Wal-Mart.

In recent weeks, thousands of Wal-Mart store managers and department heads have been summoned to mandatory meetings at which the retailer stresses the downside for workers if stores were to be unionized.

-----------------------

If Obama has both Wal-Mart workers AND Wall Street against him, he can kiss it goodbye.

comment #6

D.Z. says ...

Balthazar: "That sound you just heard was Obama losing the election."

Yes, because no one likes free money, and no one likes sticking it to faceless corporations. Also, no one willingly works at Wal-Mart; so I imagine the grunt-work employees would love to vote Obama, if it means they actually get paid for their effort, and not for their position.

comment #7

gruver1 says ...

Wells to Rob: So Steve Kroft fucked up and crossed an ethical line when he said to those southern-Ohio rubes that it's flat-out not true that Obama is a Muslim? If some hayseed says "I've heard the world is flat and if you sail too far into the Pacific you'll fall off the edge," the proper journalistic response is, "But geography books say that's not true"?

Your statement that "Hillary said 'as far as I know' because she doesn't go to church with him every Sunday" is a load of that brown stuff, pure and simple.

comment #8

Indeed says ...

I would think that the man simply releasing an actual (aka real) copy of his birth certificate would go a ways towards squashing some of the rumors out there about him.

For one reason or another he has refused to do that yet.

comment #9

Indeed says ...

Balthazar: "Something that actually matters:

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Friday announced an “Emergency Economic Plan” that would give families a stimulus check of $1,000 each, funded in part by what his presidential campaign calls “windfall profits from Big Oil.”

-------------

That sound you just heard was Obama losing the election."

When I read that story I couldnt help but laugh seeing as I knew that people with IQs lower than that of a toaster oven would actually think this is a good idea.

D.Z.'s response to you pretty much proves this.

comment #10

gruver1 says ...

Wells to j-bonies: Have you checked out the housing costs in Copperhill? Are there any decent jobs there? Sounds like a plan. The problem with small towns, of course, is that all the pretty women tend not to stay.

comment #11

astrophore says ...

Yes, Balthazar, because politicians always lose when they give people undeserved windfalls.

And as this article shows, big investment banks like Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan are favoring Obama by a 4-to-1 margin. Or perhaps you meant Wall Street, Kansas.

http://www.chiefexecutive.net/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=220ED2CE2C63445EB969C0724469163D

But yes, Obama may lose the Wal-Mart vote in Bentonville. Which is a surprise, because Arkansas hasn't voted for a Republican since 2004.

Now go back to your yacht with Sienna and get working on that Lost Highway sequel.

comment #12

Indeed says ...

astrophere, so wouldnt that do away with the theory that Republicans only serve to make rich white men even richer?

comment #13

JVD says ...

I don't think these people are rubes, Jeff. It's far worse than that. They are the self-righteous majority -- the people that have "done their research." They think they are savvy to Obama because they've been reading e-mails for the last year saying that he took his oath of office on the Koran and that his wife wrote an entire college thesis on why she hates the white race. The fact that they've done no additional research on the man is probably a point of pride. They trust their family and their friends to lead them in the right direction, not some Yankee news organization. Unfortunately, their family and friends have been forwarding and re-hashing scurrilous rumors about the guy that a narrative has formed -- exotic background, Muslim school, extremist associates, etc. And at this point, I fear, there is little to reverse the trend.

And old boss of mine gave me a bit of advice when I was having problems with my first management job that I think applies here.

"Never expect someone to work as hard, nor be as intellectually rigorous, as you. To expect otherwise is to sadly open yourself up to disappointment after disappointment."

it's a sad sentiment, Jeff, but one that I think perfectly defines the electorate in this country. They're not stupid, they just don't care enough to "smarten up" on certain issues. Obama is one of them, and that's why it's possible for him to be both a Muslim and have an extremist Christian pastor in their minds.

comment #14

Mr. Buckles says ...

Astrophore,

Allow me to explain one thing about Balthazar. He operates with his own version of the special theory of relativity.

Didn't you realize Astrophore that people were PISSED OFF - not about the price of gas and inflation and the erosion of thei buying power - BUT for anyone getting in the way of profits of Exxon Mobile and BP. This sort of thing never speaks to the people (I'm not sure I like windfall taxes though)

And as for Walmart hourly employees - no, they have no interest in their pay rates climbing. If they stay stagnant while the upper mgt's climbs by ever higher setting new historical records benched to their rate, so be it. Workers just don't care about this and LOVE being told who to vote for and LOVE being forced to have overtime meetings AFTER they clock out.

Astrophore, I hope this helps in setting the table.

Right or wong

comment #15

appleman says ...

Gosh - Living in L.A - one takes a lot for granted. These posts always bring me back to earth.

Take note. 12% of November's voters will believe and vote accordingly (no matter what truths have been revealed) that Obama is one of those killer Muslims.

But, before we chuckle and hum the guitar part to Deliverance - look around you. If you're a Catholic or an evangelical Christian, you probably believe that all the other world 's faithful are doomed to eternity in hell.

So, where I once felt that Obama was a slam dunk over the Republican, I don't have all of that confidence at the moment.

When the voting booth curtain closes around you, will generations of ignorance creep into your consciousness?

This is my concern.

comment #16

Indeed says ...

JVD, the same logic applies directly to people voting for Obama. To think he is different than almost any of the other politicians who we are unlucky enough to have "leading" us just shows how stupid they are.

This election reminds me of the AvP tagline:

Whoever wins, we lose.

comment #17

JVD says ...

Indeed, you're shifting the argument in a Rovian manner. Instead of making it a question of these people and their off-base, wrong-headed opinions, you've made it a referendum on Obama (or more accurately, his supporters).

Look, a good portion of Obama's fans are not doing him any favors. Yes, the guy is a politician, but there is such a thing as a lesser of two evils. Let's not try and pretend that the differences between McCain and Obama are miniscule. They're not. Are they life or death? I don't know. Depends on whether or not you want to stay bogged down in Iraq, create a global kerfuffle by throwing Russia and China out of the G8, and potentially engage Iran militarily.

comment #18

Indeed says ...

JVD, I see what youre saying, but the point I was getting at was kind of verified by your response. Its funny that you (and almost everybody else in the country) talk about "the lesser of two evils" as if we...as citizens...had no hand in putting them there in the first place and have no say as to whether or not either of them get elected.

"Yeah, but voting for a third party (aka someone who actually makes sense) is just throwing my vote away" is the attitude that has kept this country going down the shitter for the past 30 years. Imagine if everyone who knew that both McCain and Obama were retards but entered November with the attitude that they have to vote for at least one of them actually stuck to something my dad called their principles. It would be kinda cool.

And I still maintain that there are a lot of Obama supporters with off-base, wrong-headed opinions.

I dont know...thats just my opinion.

comment #19

JVD says ...

Indeed, I agree with you on the need for more third-party candidates, though I don't see it happening anytime soon. I thought Ron Paul might have done some damage to the Republicans as an independent, but that doesn't seem to be panning out. For the time being, it seems the money is going to flow in one of two directions, but if anything, the Obama campaign has shown that you can fundraise quite successfully online and upset the natural party order. That's a boost to anyone looking for a third-party run.

I think there are a lot of Obama supporters with off-base, wrong-headed opinions. That said, there's a trend in this country to punish the candidate based off the behavior of their supporters. You can see that happening with Obama. It's like that old bumper sticker from '92 -- "Vote Bush and piss off the media." Obama is surely a media darling, but McCain has been suckling at that teat pretty effectively since 2000. The difference with the Republicans is discipline. They know when to shut up and get in line -- everyone from the candidate down to the lowliest precinct captain and the voter. They know the party line, they can tow it. That will never happen with Democrats. It's a beast they will always wrestle with.

comment #20

Joshua Mooney says ...

Hey, JVD: Well said, including your response to "Indeed Says...", who is beyond Rovian/Bushian and is frankly going back to Nixon. Not R.M.N. himself, but his hit-men, including Pat Buchanan, the original "Mr. Inside." That this kind of obtuse and lying retort could and does still work fills me with great sadness, and active loathing. Guess I have to get out there now and give more than just money. Sigh...

comment #21

j_bonies says ...

Correction, Mr. Wells. Plenty a purty gal still live in places like this here Coopherhill. It's all them homosexuals that pack up outta here and move to places like Los Angeles.

comment #22

televisiontears says ...

That piece brings to mind an unfortunate encounter I had while visiting family and friends back in Michigan. I was at a bar where a friend is a DJ, and was regrettably spotted by someone I went to high school with. She proceeded to to rape my ears with some of the most gloriously stupid tidbits I've ever been privy to.

Verbatim:
"The more I think about it, the more I think Obama is the Antichrist." At this point, my attitude is "Awww yeah. Bring the crazy. Bring it."

"Well first of all, he's black." Yeah, she said that. Apparently a prerequisite of being the fucking Antichrist is African decent.

"Second of all, he's a Muslim." I won't get into the scene in which my friends are telling me to calm the fuck down or I'd get kicked out, but I can say that not all impressions of a better educated coastline are terribly off-base.

comment #23

Indeed says ...

JVD, spot on.

Sorry for the confusion.

comment #24

Indeed says ...

Joshua, Im not sure if you were reading the same post that I (thought I) wrote.

comment #25

D.Z. says ...

Indeed: "When I read that story I couldnt help but laugh seeing as I knew that people with IQs lower than that of a toaster oven would actually think this is a good idea."

Yes, because Bush's $500 stimulus package is so much smarter.

Indeed: "To think he is different than almost any of the other politicians who we are unlucky enough to have "leading" us just shows how stupid they are."

So how many other politicians are against nuking Iran and invading Iraq?

"had no hand in putting them there in the first place and have no say as to whether or not either of them get elected."

Well, considering our system is based off the ideas of rich, white male slave-owners, it's kind of tough not to believe that it's been rigged from the get-go.

"And I still maintain that there are a lot of Obama supporters with off-base, wrong-headed opinions."

At least they're not stupid enough to vote for a candidate on the basis of their sexual behavior or whether or not they endorse gay marriage....

comment #26

Rev. Slappy says ...

The "Obama is Muslim" idiocy is racism pure and simple. Those idiots believe that about him because they want it to be true.

This is a link to an Obama speech where he lays out his Christian beliefs and how he came to them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVKxwECwRLE