How should Obama respond to Swiftboating of him as Muslim and Terrorist?

[RamboLiberal]

I damn well think he better get angry and get out in front of this IMHO.

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/01/19/fox-obama-madrassa/

Fox & Friends Smarmy Crew: Obama Smeared As Former ‘Madrassa’ Student, Possible Covert Muslim Extremist

This morning, Fox News featured a segment highlighting a right-wing report that Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) attended an Islamic “madrassa” school as a 6-year-old child.

Fox & Friends host Steve Doocy pointed out that madrassas are “financed by Saudis” and “teach this Wahhabism which pretty much hates us,” then declared, “The big question is: was that on the curriculum back then?” Later, a caller to the show questioned whether Obama’s schooling means that “maybe he doesn’t consider terrorists the enemy.” Fox anchor Brian Kilmeade responded, “Well, we’ll see about that.”

The Fox hosts failed to correct the false claim that Obama is Muslim. One caller, referring to Obama, said, “I think a Muslim would be fine in the presidency, better than Hillary. At least you know what the Muslims are up to.” Anchor Gretchen Carlson responded, “We want to be clear, too, that this isn’t all Muslims, of course, we would only be concerned about the kind that want to blow us up.” Obama is Christian, a member of Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ since 1988.

<snip>

DOOCY: Why didn’t anybody ever mention that that man right there was raised — spent the first decade of his life, raised by his Muslim father — as a Muslim and was educated in a madrassa?

DOOCY: We should also point out that Barack Obama’s father is the one who gave him the middle name of Hussein. And the thing about the madrassa, and you know, let’s just be honest about this, in the last number of years, madrassas have been, we’ve learned a lot about them, financed by Saudis, they teach this Wahhabism which pretty much hates us. The big question is was that on the curriculum back then? Probably not, but it was a madrassa and the big question is whether or not any of these revelations about the fact that he was a Muslim — right now I understand he does go to the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, although not a regular parishioner — but raised as a Muslim, went to a madrassa.

[Bucky]

1. Interesting point. This will show if he can play with the big boys.

It's a natural smear against him. He'd be a rank amateur not to see this swiftness coming a mile away. He needs to have a war room type of response machine ready to rip. If he doesn't have this machine up and going yet, he's not ready to play in the big leagues.

[blm]

2. This is small potatos right now - just FOX. I doubt entire media will jump on

this, ESPECIALLY after the way they know they helped the Swifts. It would be too obvious. Swifts was a coordinated effort with a book, a slew of spokespeople willing to lie about it, and most broadcast media willing to spread the lies.

The coordinated effort will come down the road if he becomes the nominee. It will entail a whole group of people who would have to be willing to perpetuate a lie for the entire general campaign. I doubt they can do it over this.

[RamboLiberal]

4. Hah - don't bet on it

Suddenly they will decide they have to report on it - bring the liars in for interviews - and thereby spread it far and wide. That's how they did it to Kerry.

Already the RW are sending the emails to all their family and friends.

Bet coming next is the book and the documentary.

[blm]

7. Swifts had the book ready to go - I think it's lucky for Obama that he has this forewarning

of the type of thing they will try to pull.

I am no fan of Hillary at all, but, I don't believe for a second that she did this. This is too RW, even for her camp.

[karynnj]

19. Either of you could be right

The question is if they would even wnat to take him down now. Or as in Kerry's case, they came out at least once (I thin twice) in spring, and Kerry knocked them down. In that case, they attacked and demanded Kerry put out his records - which they were (per Kerry's people) already preparing to put on their web site. At the time, I thought it was just to prevent Kerry from having an event with veterans where he would state that his records - which were very good - were on his web site. As it was, it was like he put them up to answer a charge - very different feel.

But as BLM said when they attacked in August, it was with a book. Think of it as a clusterbomb. Hundreds of charges - even contradicting each other - were all released together, The Kerry people disproved then by the dozens as well as having a global defense that the Navy records showed he was a war hero.

But you are right the email have been ging on for a week and now it's on Fox and in teh Washington Times (per another thread). I would not bet on it going away.

[regnaD kciN]

6. Actually, it would be better if they reported on it right now...

...instead of in the middle of a presidential campaign, when it would naturally come up if it hadn't already.

[zann725]

22. Agreed. Powers-that-Be have been pushing "O" so hard,one HAS to wonder what about "O" they like?

The "hidden" quality of "O"...even after by being pushed so hard for over a year now...JUST on appearances and minimal personal info...IS suspicious. And with a middle name, "Hussein," IS signicant...in light of current world dangers.

[MrRobotsHolyOrders]

3. With a baseball bat

Fox and Friends= Good Morning America for white supremacists and gas huffers.

[jefferson_dem]

12. Gas huffers! Dude! LOL! You got a funny way of setting things straight.

Must be .... the appreciation for krautrock that i see in your profile. That's a taste we share.

Can't beat Neu!, Faust, and the Kings of Krautrock (in my view) --- CAN

[MrRobotsHolyOrders]

13. Oddly enough

I just had Tago Mago on.



How do you feel about Ash Ra Temple?

[jefferson_dem]

16. I don't know much about Ash Ra. I'll have to seek some out.

No doubt. The Tago Mago, Ege Bamyasi, Future Days trifecta is as good as it gets. I've "loaned" those three to many friends and every one of them has came back totally floored.

Damo's such an enigma. He just drops out and disappears (joined some sort of "cult" i hear) in '73 and then comes back three decades later, the same as before. Funny, i got into a discussion with someone else here at DU who mentioned he was a musician and actually plays for Cul-de-Sac who put out an album with Damo.

Cheers!

[MrRobotsHolyOrders]

14. Damnit

The image didn't work.

Damo related/awesome beyond belief:

http://www.pix8.net/pro/pic.php?u=2103trD8L&i=1002023

[beaconess]

5. First - he shouldn't fall into the trap of treating being called a Muslim as "swiftboating"

since there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a Muslim. He just doesn't happen to be one.

Being called a terrorist is a different thing, however.

[Imagevision]

8. Obama needs only to allow all the smear allegations come forward now and

address them if and whenever the proper time calls for a response. Why lower one's self answering anything FOXnews deems as fact?!!

[karynnj]

20. I think a party elder should respond and call the

stations and papers doing this out. In retrospect, this would have been the best way to handle it in 2004. As Kerry himself showed, defending Murtha and Murphy at different times, outrage is far more effective when it comes from some one other than the victim. You also get to pick the charge and time

Imagine in 2004 if when the Republicans had the purple bandaids, people from Jimmy Carter to every Democratic spokesman anywhere - tv, radio, print had all called on Bush to expel anyone diminishing a solemn medal awarded when a soldier/sailor/airman is wounded from their convention unless they take off their band aids and ask him as CIC to apologize to the military that reports to him for his party's insensitivity to the suffering of the troops. The Democrats would be sticking up for veterans, while the Republicans were playing ugly political games.

They then could have said the military awards these medals, that they were driven by doctor's reports - not applied for by soldiers. Then speak of the two more impressive awards. Kerry could and should not have to have lead this. If he were the only one who complained it would potentially make him look weak because he didn't have the power to stop it. The silence likely fostered the belief that somehow Kerry deserved this lack of defense.

They had the Navy records and a tape where they could hear that Nixon investigated him 2 years later (when events were recent) - and found he was a war hero. Those two things alone should have been more than enough.

[Kber]

26. I'll bet Edwards or Hillary could go a long way to cementing a lead

by strongly defending Obama. They's look statesman like and come across well.

[karynnj]

27. Might be tricky from them

because it could be twisted that they are calling more attention to it. That's why I specifically did not suggest Gore or Kerry, who did an excellent job on that with people going after Murtha, Murphy, Sestak et al. (Not to mention it somehow fits Kerry more - with his history of speaking truth to power, his history of fighting clean races, and his solid integrity.) If he had announced he was not running - he would have been the obvious choice. (The Clintons had pretty sharp elbows and Edwards -to me- doesn't have the same standing.) My number one choice - Jimmy Carter.

[illinoisprogressive]

9. On the open phones segment on Washington Journal this morning

a guy called and asked if anyone knew when he stopped being a muslim and became a christan.
I tried to get thru to disabuse the person and tell him the facts. Could not get thru.
This is going to be the smear line they are going to use to get at him.
However, outside of the right, the mainstream people dont' seem to be listening.

[Imagevision]

10. Personally If I was Obama I would laugh at swiftboaters & FOXnews their actions

clearly speak for themselves. scuse me but, fuck these people, that don't deserve the time of day!!

[lligrd]

24. My Thoughts Exactly

Just say you won't dignify anything Faux News reports with an answer. How about feigning ignorance about Faux? Like "Faux News" is that a French news agency?

[Berry Cool]

11. The next thing the "Fox and FIENDS" crew will do is say

"But why does he feel it's insulting to be called a Muslim?" :grr:

[cyberpj]

15. Did you already get this same email?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3064647&mesg_id=3064647

[RamboLiberal]

17. No - I had seen the thread you referenced on DU

Be interesting in coming weeks when I'm checking my companies email logs to see how many of the wingnuts I work with are getting or spreading this. So far I didn't see any with that subject in the logs.

[CJCRANE]

18. Bush is “financed by Saudis”

and "pretty much hates us”.

[salin]

21. With ridicule and humour

makes those pushing this stuff look very small and ridiculous.

[election_2004]

23. Take the high road

Point out how it's unfortunate that his critics focus on condemning religions different from their own, rather than focusing on showing goodwill toward their fellow humans.

[Alhena]

25. Obama's response should be "read my autobiography"

First of all, it is unbelieveable to me that we are discussing what kind of school a 6-10 year old little boy attended. I mean, c'mon people (I know those here aren't the ones spreading this talk).

But for those who care about that sort of thing, Obama should respond that he wrote a very candid autobiography "Dreams From My Father" before he was a politician that discussed who he is and where he came from. He mentioned going to a Muslim school but that his mother was non-religious and just wanted him to get an education. Obama admitted cocaine use in that autobiography, so I think the existence of that book will be very helpful to him in answering any Americans who are legitimately concerned about this issue. Of course, this won't matter to racists like Limbaugh who will be saying the words "Barack Hussein Obama" for the next 2 years, but those kinds of people wouldn't vote for him anyway.

Btw, is it just me or does the fact that those on the right resort to the base appeals to racism make Obama's campaign seem more and more like a struggle between good and outright evil? I mean, he comes out in his announcement appealing to an end to the "smallness of our politics" and this is the freaking response we get.