I’ve gone beyond disgusted by the whole campaign process do downright nauseated. This is stupidity at it highest.
Not Obama in a turban! Ohs Noes!
FWIW, I don’t like Sen. Obama’s politics, and wouldn’t vote for him anyway. But even if I were a left-leaning fence-sitter that couldn’t make up my mind between Sens. Clinton or Obama, this photo would sway me not one whit.
What’s really sad is that there are Americans for whom it will.
So the guy dressed up in some native garb; HEL-LO! He’s African-American!
Do worry about the occasional Irish-American in a kilt? No!
A German-American in Lederhosen? No!
A Japanese-American in a kimono? No!
An Indian (feather, not dot) in Native garb? No!
An Indian (dot, not feather) in a Sari? No!
So what’s the big freakin’ deal about Obama in native Somali garb?
Not a single goddamned thing.
That’s it; I’m stocking the bunker. This country isn’t going to Hell-In-A-Handbasket; it’s gleefully stormin’ the fucking gates in an M-1 Abrams.
Dirty politics has always been a part of American politics, especially when there’s something as big and important as POTUS at stake. Read up on Thomas Eagleton (1972) sometime.
I think most people are bright enough to laugh this off. It’s not a blatantly Islamic costume- it looks like a traditional dress of some kind. Besides, if this is an intentional leak from the Clinton or McCain camp, it’s poorly timed- they might have done better to release it on March 1 or so. It’ll be old news by election day.
I would wait to see if anyone even cares before I get outraged over this. It’s sleazy that HRC has stooped to this level, but more than sleazy I think it’s desperate, and therefore in a way kind of sad.
It’s interesting how some on the conservative side are trying to turn this into a negative without stepping into overt racism (or at least TOO overt). Some are focusing more on the event he was wearing this stuff for, and saying that it shows that he’s soft on dictators (since the photo was apparently taken during a stop in Kenya to support a cousin for president - said cousin is apparently suspected of stirring up violence after he lost - or something like that).
Of course, others ARE going the overt racism route (“he’s wearing a turban! Why would he go to that bother if he didn’t sympathize with Muslim radicals???”).
There’s absolutely no evidence that it came from the Clinton camp besides the word of Matt Drudge, who has offered no method of verifying that it did indeed come from Clinton’s people. Furthermore, HRC delivered a major foreign policy speech today. The campaign would want no news but that leading the nightly news.
Seeing as their candidate is leading in Ohio and depending where you look, ahead, tied, or slightly behind in Texas, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to drop this turd of a picture today of all days.
I’m not having a go at you, but people seem all too willing to accept Drudge and Obama’s word that it was from Clinton without evidence. Maggie Williams did a pretty shitty job of not making that clear, but I’m sure they wanted to verify that none of the paid staffers lost their minds and actually did this. It was pretty low politics for David Plouffe to run with the Drudge evidence, and they did end up saying that they didn’t know for sure if the picture came from the Clintons.
Well, I’m offended by this picture of George Bush in a kimono! Clearly Bush is actually an undergound agent for the Japanese! And so is Vladimir Putin! OMG! Who knew?
Oh, that tactic will work for some. One lady I know will only call Obama “B Hussein”. I think she hears that on some radio show.
And this is the email I got this morning:
"If Hillary Clinton wins in 2008 And Bill Clinton is ‘appointed’ to fill her Senate Seat And Either live to retire ‘they’ (together or alone) Would get…Two US Presidential retirement checks, Two US Senate retirement Checks, And A retirement check from the State of Arkansas. About the only thing they MIGHT NOT get is…A Social Security Check…But I wouldn’t bet on it…I understand ole Bill has earned $40,000,000 in the past six years. What a guy! AND THE REST OF THE STORY…Hilarious Rotten Clinton, As a New York State Senator, Now comes under the ‘Congressional Rirement and Staffing Plan,’ Which means that even if she never gets re-elected, She STILL receives her Congressional salary until she dies. (Would it not be nice if all Americans Were pension eligible after only 4 years?) If Bill outlives her, He then inherits HER salary until HE dies. He is already getting his Presidential salary until he dies. If Hillary outlives Bill, She also gets HIS salary until she dies. Guess who pays for that? It’s common knowledge that in order for her To establish NY residency, They purchased a million dollar-plus house In upscale Chappaqua, New York Makes sense! They are entitled to Secret Service protection for life. Still makes sense. Here is where it becomes interesting. Their mortgage payments hover at around $10,000 per month. BUT, an extra residence ‘had’ to be built Within the acreage to house The Secret Service agents. The Clinton’s charge The Federal government $10,000 monthly rent For the use of that extra residence, Which is about equal to their mortgage payment. This means that we, The taxpayers, Are paying the Clinton’s Salary,
Mortgage, Transportation, Safety and security, As well as the salaries For their 12 man staff
– and, This is all perfectly legal! How many people Can YOU send this to? "
Oh, for crying out loud! Tactics like this are the reason I get fed up with both parties. There are a lot of substantive issues out there, most of which don’t have easy solutions, and people try to sway my vote with this?! May I please vote for someone whose campaign is run by grownups?
All this did is make me disgusted with the people who’d use it as a campaign tactic.
I was watching CNN this morning and Pat Buchanan was taking this tact. He kept asserting that the American people had a right to see such pics. He also stressed that Obama voluntarily dressed himself in this garb.
Really, Pat? You mean to tell me that Obama wasn’t kidnapped by Somalis, forced to put on that outfit, and made to pose in front of a camera? Even though I don’t know what that has to do with the price of beef in Calcutta, I’m outraged!
This is of course a BS “scandal” that most people will see through. Unfortunately though, I’m privy to some information about a scandal that will likely come out soon, and my sources confirm it to be true. Apparently he’s fathered two black children.
Whoever decided to trot out the picture ought to be ashamed of themselves. If it was someone in the Clinton Camp they should be shitcanned along with the a-hole from her group who was spreading the Obama=Muslim e-mails .
Who cares if he wore that outfit as part of the photo op on his tour through Africa? Does this video mean that Dubya is going to join a Liberian dance troop after he leaves office?
