Why "Obama is a Muslim" is such a powerful accusation.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

When someone says "Obama is a Muslim", there are three possible sane answers:

1) "No he isn't" - this comes across as an implicit admission that it would be a bad thing that if he were.
2) "It wouldn't matter if he were" - this comes across as an implicit admission that he is.
3) "No he wouldn't, and it wouldn't matter if he were" - this comes across as both - if we were confident he weren't, we wouldn't need to add that it wouldn't matter, and vice versa. Plus it doesn't boil down to a soundbite, and so the kind of people who care about these things will switch off.

I'm tempted to suggest "yeah, well, Duncan Hunter rides around on a broomstick and sacrifices babies to Ahrimanes in exchange for campaign contributions, and Sarah Palin dances naked at Stonehenge on Halloween" as the best possible response.

[dkf]

1. The proper response is "you are an idiot"

[Donald Ian Rankin]

2. Usually true, but unlikely to be effective, I think.

Possibly "you are only saying that because he is black" might work better, though.

[dkf]

5. I was laughing about this Obama is a CIA plant theory when the interesting circumstance regarding

Obama's father's third wife popped up. Apparently after Sr left Stanley Ann he went to Harvard, got divorced, married a Jewish woman and took her back to Kenya. He had two sons with her there. It sounds like the whole conspiracy where the step grandma thought the Prez was born in Kenya may have been confused with the birth of his half brothers. That is what started this mess.

[KittyWampus]

10. Oh, that's not bad either. Or how about, "you are sadly misinformed. Someone is lying to you".

[Deep13]

3. "You say that because he can't call him a n****r." nt

[no_hypocrisy]

4. Firm separation of politics and religion and refusal to address the issue

is the best option.

William Howard Taft wouldn't be electable at this time as he was a Unitarian.

[elocs]

6. It is a powerful accusation because for those making it Muslim=terrorist.

It's a code word. Also, the implication is that if Obama will lie about his religion, what else will he lie about?

It shouldn't matter if Obama was a Muslim if he claimed to be a Muslim. To those who irrationally believe he is his denial only strengthens their conviction that he is lying and is in reality a Muslim. There is no way for Obama to win with this bunch and he should just ignore them and not even dignify their accusations.

[WinkyDink]

7. "Muslim" is short-hand for "UN-AMERICAN." THAT is why it is powerful.

[Winterblues]

8. I just laugh heartily.....

:shrug: Don't give the stupid any more power, well because they are stupid...

[KittyWampus]

9. the proper answer is- that's a lie intended to demonize Muslims and Obama