# What tactics will Republicans use against Obama? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 21, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604 "2008-02-21T19:33:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2008, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/101 "2008-02-24T18:44:50Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] Cite that Clinton was behind the madrassa thing? [/QUOTE] That is also from Fox News. Well, actually, **they** pulled it from Insight magazine, but any news organization that pulls anything from Insight magazine, without quadruple checking the sources themselves deserves to be ridiculed. My guess is they thought their viewers wouldn’t know anything about Insight, and would therefore swallow it all up. It also allowed Fox News to continue to use the “Madrasah” reference without actually backing it up. ---
**Author:** ![JohnnieEnigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@JohnnieEnigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnnieEnigma)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/102 "2008-02-24T19:11:47Z")
[QUOTE=DMC] My description? No, Fox New’s description. Irrelevant stereotypes? Absolutely. No one takes seriously? **Every single one of those** came from someone on or with Fox News.Indeed it was, and again, from Fox News. [/QUOTE] uh, do you have a cite for this? Or did you hear about this second-hand? Just wondering… I just don’t like to hear anything negative about Obama. I know there was an email going around about this, I even got a copy from someone I know stating this stuff… so I think it’s all coming from this urban legand type mentality to scare people away from Obama… I yelled at the guy who forwarded the email to me. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2008, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/103 "2008-02-24T22:52:02Z")
[QUOTE=JohnnieEnigma] uh, do you have a cite for this? Or did you hear about this second-hand? Just wondering… [/QUOTE] It’s not too difficult to find with a little google-fu. I’m not sure about your view of the political leanings of some of these cites, but (in chronological order except for the timeline): The original [article](http://www.insightmag.com/Media/MediaManager/Obama_2.htm) from Insight magazine, who claim the info originated with the Clinton camp (unsubstantiated, anonymous source). [ThinkProgress](http://thinkprogress.org/2007/01/19/fox-obama-madrassa/), about the Fox smear (their term), with a transcript. A [CNN debunking](http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/22/obama.madrassa/) of the Insight article. The [John Gibson segment](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,245582,00.html), 6 days after the Insight article. A [timeline](http://mediamatters.org/items/200701300007), of the smear (again, their term) from MediaMatters (covering Jan. 17-29). ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2008, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/104 "2008-02-24T23:08:51Z")
[QUOTE=JohnnieEnigma] uh, do you have a cite for this? Or did you hear about this second-hand? Just wondering… I just don’t like to hear anything negative about Obama. I know there was an email going around about this, I even got a copy from someone I know stating this stuff… so I think it’s all coming from this urban legand type mentality to scare people away from Obama… I yelled at the guy who forwarded the email to me. [/QUOTE] [Then](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouKJixL--ms) [start](http://mediamatters.org/items/200802130014) [yelling](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,245079,00.html) [at](http://mediamatters.org/items/200802130016) [Fox](http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/10/debate.canceled/index.html) [News](http://thinkprogress.org/2007/01/24/gibson-obama/). (FYI, the “Then” link is to a video on YouTube, for those who are at work). Need more? Also, as to “their source”, feel free to look up Insight magazine, if you want to know why no news organization (except for Fox, if you consider them an actual news organization) will just jump onto anything they say as gospel. While the father of the person behind the magazine might be infallible, his son, the “Messiah”, isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2008, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/105 "2008-02-24T23:52:48Z")
In the past, I’ve noticed that Fox Gnaws doesn’t even bother with a bogus cite when they want to spread some shit, they preface thier slander with a line like “People are saying…” and then go straight into the crapola. Which is true, of course, people are saying. Do I watch? Sure, I want to know what people are saying! ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2008, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/106 "2008-02-24T23:57:02Z")
[QUOTE=elucidator] In the past, I’ve noticed that Fox Gnaws doesn’t even bother with a bogus cite when they want to spread some shit, they preface thier slander with a line like “People are saying…” and then go straight into the crapola. [/QUOTE] Hell, NBC was doing that tonight. Y’know, _some people are saying_ that Obama’s supporters are _cult-like_. ---
**Author:** ![JohnnieEnigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@JohnnieEnigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnnieEnigma)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2008, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/107 "2008-02-25T00:01:16Z")
[QUOTE=DMC] [Then](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouKJixL--ms) [start](http://mediamatters.org/items/200802130014) [yelling](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,245079,00.html) [at](http://mediamatters.org/items/200802130016) [Fox](http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/10/debate.canceled/index.html) [News](http://thinkprogress.org/2007/01/24/gibson-obama/). (FYI, the “Then” link is to a video on YouTube, for those who are at work). Need more? Also, as to “their source”, feel free to look up Insight magazine, if you want to know why no news organization (except for Fox, if you consider them an actual news organization) will just jump onto anything they say as gospel. While the father of the person behind the magazine might be infallible, his son, the “Messiah”, isn’t. [/QUOTE] holy crap. Alright give me a chance to view this stuff… If these are just videos of other sites bashing Fox news, I’m not going to take them seriously, I’ll tell you right now. If it’s directly from Fox news, and they’re acting inappropriately, I will acknowledge it. I’m not covering for anyone’s bad behavior. As far as Gibson goes, he’s a political talking head who happens to work for Fox, but it does not mean Fox News agrees with his opinions… When fox news delivers news, they usually cover stuff that cnn or ny times will avoid… that’s why you people aren’t used to hearing about this same stuff from other media. If Fox is wrong about their reporting, they should own up to it… no doubt about that. Like, you’d never see Fox News report a story about McCain and a lobbyist’s supposed inappropriate behavior unless they had real evidence. But those whores at the NY Times have no conscience. You want to talk about unethical reporting… lets talk about the NY times. I’ve seen Fox News interview Obama a few times, and they were very fair to him; almost treating him with a special admiration that all the media seems to have for him. Lets face it, Obama is the most charismatic, exciting candidate to come along in a very long time. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2008, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/108 "2008-02-25T00:01:48Z")
[QUOTE=DMC] That is also from Fox News. Well, actually, **they** pulled it from Insight magazine [/quote] Which is a Moonie rag. [Fuller details for anyone interested](http://mediamatters.org/items/200701200003). An unusual lie only in that it targeted both Obama \*and \* Clinton (something that should make a few heads explode in confusion on this board). ---
**Author:** ![JohnnieEnigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@JohnnieEnigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnnieEnigma)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2008, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/109 "2008-02-25T00:02:59Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] Hell, NBC was doing that tonight. Y’know, _some people are saying_ that Obama’s supporters are _cult-like_. [/QUOTE] you know, I’ve heard that suggested too… they’re not cult-like… they’re just really exicted about Obama. There’s a big difference here. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2008, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/110 "2008-02-25T00:03:16Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] Hell, NBC was doing that tonight. Y’know, _some people are saying_ that Obama’s supporters are _cult-like_. [/QUOTE] I saw that too - they were referring to “people outside the US”, but specifically mentioned only the Torygraph - which is quite a bit like citing Insight. ---
**Author:** ![Ocean\_Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8797f3/32.png) [@Ocean\_Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ocean_Annie)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2008, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/111 "2008-02-25T08:09:20Z")
[QUOTE=JohnnieEnigma] But those whores at the NY Times have no conscience. You want to talk about unethical reporting… lets talk about the NY times. [/QUOTE] There is an interesting article in _The Nation_ about the NYT story. The article doesn’t need much commentary, but I will add that the Republican indignation towards the NYT is disingenuous and hypocritical considering the smear campaigns notoriously launched by the right wing that are strategically leaked to the press. Bill Clinton spent the bulk of his administration fighting scandals fueled by the right. Hell, Bill Clinton had an entire committee dedicated to investigating his every move. The NYT also printed these scandalous stories about Bill Clinton. Since McCain voted to convict Clinton, I hope he applies the same standards to himself, or he will fall hard. > [@](#): > > The McCain campaign threatened and intimidated them as the Bush team has done on countless occasions and they gave in until someone else was about to release the story. The only thing worse than being bullied by Republicans is getting scooped by your competitors. The story here isn’t that the NYT is trying to hurt conservatives, it’s the exact opposite – they’re afraid of them. On every occasion that they have had a major story like this, they have held it after being badgered by Republicans. They only print the stories when there are no other options left and the story is about to get printed elsewhere anyway. [Link](http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?pid=288473) ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2008, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/112 "2008-02-25T16:26:02Z")
Clearly the “patriotism” bullshit going around is the first salvo in what is to come from the dipshit Republicans. Here’s a nice piece from [Glenn Greenwald](http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/02/25/obama/index.html) about how Obama is responding. It gives me incredible hope, because it suggests that Obama is choosing a different tack than most Democrats. He’s refuting the charge as ridiculous on its face, and is clearly ready to kick some ass in return. A Democrat with a spine? One who also elicits hope? Jesus H. It could be a thing of beauty. > [@Glenn Greenwald](#): > > Far more notable is Barack Obama’s response to these depressingly familiar attacks. In response, he’s not scurrying around slapping flags all over himself or belting out the National Anthem, nor is he apologizing for not wearing lapels, nor is he defensively trying to prove that – just like his Republican accusers – he, too, is a patriot, honestly. He’s not on the defensive at all. Instead, he’s swatting away these slurs with the dismissive contempt they deserve, and then eagerly and aggressively engaging the debate on offense because he’s confident, rather than insecure, about his position: > [@Barack Obama](#): > > "A party that presided over a war in which our troops did not get the body armor they needed, or were sending troops over who were untrained because of poor planning, or are not fulfilling the veterans’ benefits that these troops need when they come home, or are undermining our Constitution with warrantless wiretaps that are unnecessary? > > “That is a debate I am very happy to have. We’ll see what the American people think is the true definition of patriotism.” Color me audaciously optimistic. As we (Democrats, or Americans in general?) stand up, these chickenshit, fear-mongering, Constitution-shredding, country-running-into-the-scorched-earth, numbnuts will stand down. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2008, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/113 "2008-02-25T16:40:26Z")
Sounds like a “Have you no sense of decency?” moment. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2008, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/114 "2008-02-25T17:07:51Z")
Clinton’s running up everything he’s going to see. Inexperience? Check. Cultish followers? Check. Terrorist innuendo? Check. You ask for miracles Theo? I give you the F. B. I. ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2008, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/115 "2008-02-25T17:45:25Z")
[QUOTE=Hentor the Barbarian] Clearly the “patriotism” bullshit going around is the first salvo in what is to come from the dipshit Republicans. [/QUOTE] We’ll wrap that one up with the shit the hypocritical Dems are trying to fling at McCain. Hopefully neither will stick. ---
**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:** [February 25, 2008, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/116 "2008-02-25T18:04:02Z")
[QUOTE=ArizonaTeach] We’ll wrap that one up with the shit the hypocritical Dems are trying to fling at McCain. Hopefully neither will stick. [/QUOTE] What are Dems flinging at McCain? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/117 "2008-02-25T18:53:18Z")
The swiftboating will start in August, same as with Kerry. Because of the Olympics, there is a long gap between the Democratic and Republican conventions. The Dems will meet, Obama will get the coverage and then August sets in. August is a slow news time. August is the time of Gary Condit and Cindy Sheehan headlines. That is the month to watch out for swiftboating. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2008, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/118 "2008-02-25T19:10:21Z")
[QUOTE=dalej42] The swiftboating will start in August, same as with Kerry. Because of the Olympics, there is a long gap between the Democratic and Republican conventions. The Dems will meet, Obama will get the coverage and then August sets in. August is a slow news time. August is the time of Gary Condit and Cindy Sheehan headlines. That is the month to watch out for swiftboating. [/QUOTE] They’ll try, but Obama won’t bend over and take it like Kerry did. If he can handle the Clinton machine, he’ll handle McCain. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2008, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/119 "2008-02-25T20:47:09Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] What are Dems flinging at McCain? [/QUOTE] I’m also very curious to learn about what the Dems are flinging, and how it might be hypocritical. Anything, **ArizonaTeach**? ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2008, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/120 "2008-02-25T20:50:44Z")
[QUOTE=Hentor the Barbarian] I’m also very curious to learn about what the Dems are flinging, and how it might be hypocritical. Anything, **ArizonaTeach**? [/QUOTE] Hillary’s too busy flinging her own ilk at Obama - when he cinches the nomination he’ll turn his attention to wards McCain. I doubt it will be terribly ugly, but we’ll see. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604.md?page=7)