# Obama's getting shot at! Ha-ha-ha! WTF?!?! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 16, 2008, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605 "2008-05-16T21:26:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2008, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605/61 "2008-05-17T23:50:44Z")
[QUOTE=Sam Stone] Can you list some racially motivated assassinations other than Dr. King’s, which were carried out by right wing racists? [/quote] [Alan Berg](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Berg) springs to mind. And, c’mon, Saddam? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605/62 "2008-05-18T00:27:02Z")
[QUOTE=Sam Stone] Not true. I know of two major black figures who have been murdered in the last forty years - Malcom X, and Martin Luther King. Malcom X was murdered by other members of the Nation of Islam, after Louis Farrakhan said that he ‘deserved death’ for fathering children of his teenage secretaries. Almost every other racial assassination I can think of in recent times was against people of Jewish extraction, typically murdered by Muslim extremists. [/QUOTE] Muslim extremists aren’t exactly what I’d call a liberal group of folks. > [@](#): > > Maybe there are some others I can’t remember. Can you list some racially motivated assassinations other than Dr. King’s, which were carried out by right wing racists? Medgar Evars. Harry and Harriette Moore. Vernon Dahmer. And that’s just people who were in leadership positions in the Civil Rights movement. If we include people who were killed as a result of racial/political violence who were not in leadership positions, we can throw in James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, and Viola Luizza, who were NAACP volunteers, but not leaders, and Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Addie Mae Collins, who were not (AFAIK) members of the NAACP, but had the misfortune to be in the 16th Street Baptist Church when it was bombed by Klansmen trying to scare off anti-segregationist protestors in Birmingham. > [@](#): > > But frankly, these days it’s probably far more dangerous to be George Bush or John McCain - because there’s a large organized group who would like to kill them - extremist muslims. And Muslim extremists, as we all know, specifically want to only kill Republican Americans. They’re very careful about not killing Democratic Americans, on account of how we’re all buddy-buddy with them. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605/63 "2008-05-18T00:47:21Z")
There was the Greensboro Massacre in 1979 when members of the Klan attacked a labor rally, composed mostly of blacks. They killed 5 and wounded 11 more. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605/64 "2008-05-18T01:10:03Z")
Hang on… I know there have been lots of racially motivated killings - especially during the civil rights movement in the 60’s and 70’s. I’m talking about major politicians - governors, presidents, senators, etc. I just wonder how realistic it is to say that Obama has a special risk of being assassinated by crazed right-wing racists. I just don’t thnk it’s any more likely than John McCain being assassinated by a crazed anti-war zealot. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605/65 "2008-05-18T01:35:19Z")
[QUOTE=Sam Stone] Hang on… I know there have been lots of racially motivated killings - especially during the civil rights movement in the 60’s and 70’s. I’m talking about major politicians - governors, presidents, senators, etc. I just wonder how realistic it is to say that Obama has a special risk of being assassinated by crazed right-wing racists. I just don’t thnk it’s any more likely than John McCain being assassinated by a crazed anti-war zealot. [/QUOTE] You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. “Crazed anti-war zealots?” ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605/66 "2008-05-18T01:53:02Z")
[QUOTE=Sam Stone] I’m talking about major politicians - governors, presidents, senators, etc. [/QUOTE] Who was the last black president? The one crazy person in America who’d actually kill a black politician may well not live in a state where there’s any black people in prominent offices. Once a black man takes the presidency, he may well decide that it’s time to act. I’m not saying this is the case, but it’s a potential. In any case, nobody cares quite as much about senators and governors as they do a president of the by-God United States. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605/67 "2008-05-18T02:01:14Z")
Read [this article](http://www.beaconcast.com/articles/20080514). Is there any equivalent anti-war subculture out there advocating assasination of McCain? I don’t think so. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605/68 "2008-05-18T02:46:57Z")
[QUOTE=Sam Stone] Hang on… I know there have been lots of racially motivated killings - especially during the civil rights movement in the 60’s and 70’s. I’m talking about major politicians - governors, presidents, senators, etc. [/quote] Oh, is that who you’re talking about? Well, when I talk about people murdered by left wing lunatics, I’m only talking about assistant file clerks working in Dayton, Ohio. And I don’t believe there are any such assassinations on record. Therefore, I win. > [@](#): > > I just wonder how realistic it is to say that Obama has a special risk of being assassinated by crazed right-wing racists. I just don’t thnk it’s any more likely than John McCain being assassinated by a crazed anti-war zealot. Are you claiming that the history of violence within anti-war movements in this country is at all comparable to the history of violence within racist movements? Because that’s a patently stupid thing to claim, by almost any measure imaginable. ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605/69 "2008-05-18T03:21:02Z")
**Sam Stone** , if the left wing is as prone to political violence as you claim, why hasn’t anyone tried to assassinate Bush yet? After all, the crazed anti-war zealots like myself hate him more than anyone. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605/70 "2008-05-18T03:25:59Z")
[QUOTE=Zoe] Maybe he knows some noose jokes too. That way he can appeal to the lunatic fringe. Not funny to me. I hope that ruins any chances he had of being Veep. [/QUOTE] 😕 How would this do that? Was Obama even _considering_ him for a running mate? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605/71 "2008-05-18T03:28:03Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] 😕 How would this do that? Was Obama even _considering_ him for a running mate? :eek: [/QUOTE] No, but McCain might be. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605/72 "2008-05-18T03:35:12Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] No, but McCain might be. [/QUOTE] Now, Universe…I know I haven’t been a very good pantheist, but… ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605/73 "2008-05-18T04:33:04Z")
[QUOTE=vibrotronica] **Sam Stone** , if the left wing is as prone to political violence as you claim, why hasn’t anyone tried to assassinate Bush yet? After all, the crazed anti-war zealots like myself hate him more than anyone. [/QUOTE] I’m not trying to say the left wing is ‘prone to violence’. I was disputing the assertion that the right wing is prone to violence. There’s no pattern of right wing racists murdering black public officials. There have been a number of such officials. I just pointed out that if you wanted to draw a pattern, more assassinations have been associated with people from the left. Now, if you want my real opinion on this, here you go: Given that the number of assassinations is so small, and none of them can be attributed to any kind of political organization, you’d have to say that the the fact that more have come from the left than the right is just chance. I’m guessing there are, at any time, hundreds of crazies in the United States who, under the right circumstances, might take a shot at a president. These crazies no doubt exist on the right and on the left, and since they’re crazy, I don’t think you can blame ideology for any of it. I just don’t think Obama is at any more risk of assassination than is Bush or McCain, unless you include militant Islam in the mix, at which point I’d have to say Bush and McCain are currently at greater risk, if for no other reason than that they are more responsible for the Iraq war, and they are the ones who want to continue it. Since Obama wants to withdraw from Iraq, I’d say that makes him less of a target from al-Qaida. That will change if he becomes president, because I have no doubt he’ll contiue the fight against al-Qaida, at least in Afghanistan. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605/74 "2008-05-18T04:45:18Z")
[QUOTE=Sam Stone] I’m not trying to say the left wing is ‘prone to violence’. I was disputing the assertion that the right wing is prone to violence. There’s no pattern of right wing racists murdering black public officials. There have been a number of such officials. I just pointed out that if you wanted to draw a pattern, more assassinations have been associated with people from the left. [/QUOTE] Except that the only person in this thread trying to limit the discussion to “public officials” is yourself. The contention in this thread that Obama is at particular risk is because he’s a high-profile, influential black man. Not that he’s a high profile, influential politician. And there is a long history in this country of politically-motivated violence by far-right racist extremists. ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605/75 "2008-05-18T05:41:54Z")
[QUOTE=Sam Stone] I just don’t think Obama is at any more risk of assassination than is Bush or McCain, unless you include militant Islam in the mix, at which point I’d have to say Bush and McCain are currently at greater risk, if for no other reason than that they are more responsible for the Iraq war, and they are the ones who want to continue it. [/QUOTE] **Sam,** I’d be interested to hear your take on the links I referenced previously. Here they are again for your convenience. [Nobel Prize winner predicts Obama Assassination](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=513512&in_page_id=1770&in_page_id=1770&expand=true) [“Assasinate,” “Obama” makes the top 100 list of Google searches.](http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/thebigblog/archives/129063.asp) [Hushed worry about Obama.](http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/25/us/politics/25memo.html?ex=1361595600&en=e701919f886a8f3c&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all) [Confronting assassination fears.](http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/foreign/tobyharnden/april08/confrontingthebarackobamaassassinationfears.htm) [KKK Warns of Obama Assassination(NSFW)](http://www.muchosucko.com/show/43181) [Assassination Factor](http://rightwingnuthouse.com/archives/2007/02/12/obama-and-the-assassination-factor/) [Journalist plays out assassination factor](http://www.nowpublic.com/world/journalist-plays-out-president-obama-assassination-scenario) [Obama must be wary.](http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/phillipadams/index.php/theaustralian/comments/obama_must_be_wary_of_the_assassins_gun/P25/) ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605/76 "2008-05-18T17:45:46Z")
> [@Sam Stone](#): > > I just don’t think Obama is at any more risk of assassination than is Bush or McCain… You need to come down south for a little while then. i was at a party last night with a bunch of other politically aware folks of all stripes, and everybody I asked about it was worried about somebody taking a shot at Obama. In April we had the 40th anniversary commemoration of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. here in Memphis. All of the presidential candidates came except Obama. There was a minor outcry at the time, but most Memphians knew why he didn’t show and didn’t blame him one bit. ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605/77 "2008-05-18T18:57:10Z")
[QUOTE=Sam Stone] I just don’t think Obama is at any more risk of assassination than is Bush or McCain, unless you include militant Islam in the mix, at which point I’d have to say Bush and McCain are currently at greater risk, if for no other reason than that they are more responsible for the Iraq war, and they are the ones who want to continue it. [/QUOTE] Really? Maybe, living in Appalachia, I’m just more conscious of crazy, white supremacist wingnuts. Not that there’s a ton of them around here, but there are definitely some. If I were Obama, I’d be a hell of a lot more worried about them than militant Islamic extremists. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605/78 "2008-05-18T21:54:46Z")
[QUOTE=burundi] Really? Maybe, living in Appalachia, I’m just more conscious of crazy, white supremacist wingnuts. Not that there’s a ton of them around here, but there are definitely some. If I were Obama, I’d be a hell of a lot more worried about them than militant Islamic extremists. [/QUOTE] Right. Because everyone knows those Appalachian rednecks have been running around the world murdering blacks right and left, while those extremist Muslims have been leaving the world’s political figures alone. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605/79 "2008-05-18T22:16:49Z")
Maybe I’m not as up on my current events as I should, but what politicians have been assassinated by extremist Muslims lately? ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605/80 "2008-05-18T23:09:57Z")
[QUOTE=monstro] Maybe I’m not as up on my current events as I should, but what politicians have been assassinated by extremist Muslims lately? [/QUOTE] Benazir Bhutto? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-getting-shot-at-ha-ha-ha-wtf/449605.md?page=5)