Obama Fights Muslim Rumor On Google

Politico:

Carrie and I wrote today about the technical aspects of fighting a viral e-mail smear, and Tim Tagaris writes approvingly of an Obama campaign move we didn't mention: The campaign has bought Google ads on the searches "Obama muslim" "Obama Islam" and "Obama madrassa."

They link to this page, which debunks the smear.

It's an example of how effectively Internet ads can narrowcast a message, and not dissimilar to a strategy companies use to beat back bad news without inadvertently giving a rumor more energy.

Read the whole story: Politico

Comments

[Philamom]

09:45 AM on 01/28/2008

Now, Christian is as Christian does. A Christian treats others as they would want to be treated, and doesn't intentionally spread falsehood. A Christian lives for something greater, doesn't grasp for power at any cost. A Christian looks within and learns from God, doesn't change with fashion. A Christian sees that of God in everyone no matter what outward condition.

Moreover, Christian has a new heart and has a new spirit within; A Christian doesn't have a heart of stone.

Sounds like Barack Obama to me!

[illinoisan]

09:43 PM on 01/27/2008

I watch Washington Journal on C-Span every morning and hardly a day goes by without someone calling in repeating or inquiring about the rumor. The host always corrects the caller.

You can't really do much better than to have a C-Span moderator setting the record straight.

[nellie]

08:57 PM on 01/27/2008

Smart use of the Google.

http://www.barackobama.com/factcheck/2007/11/12/obama_has_never_been_a_muslim_1.php

[TuffPosh]

04:06 PM on 01/27/2008

Here's some background on the rumor:

http://lonewacko.com/blog/archives/007424.html

[GhiaccioPronto]

02:14 PM on 01/27/2008

Why is this happening? I thought he changed his name to Barack Martin Luther Fitzgerald Reagan Obama.

[Ginzaman]

01:39 PM on 01/27/2008

Impeach Bush and Cheney:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I7nz5rcBmI

[drkazmd65]

01:32 PM on 01/27/2008

I (almost anyway) can't believe that the voters in America are dumb enough to believe this sort of crap.

But then again,... the televangelists always seem to find money, a lot of working class red-staters though that Bush was 'a good old boy', and a sizable chunk of us still believe that Saddam had a direct link the to terrorists that flew planes into building in Sept, 2001.

No one has ever really lost money or a political race by underestimating the intellegence of Americans.

[realitytrumpsbull]

01:04 PM on 01/27/2008

I don't care if he's muslim, reformed muslim, part-time muslim, or what, because I've met some muslim people, and they seemed more or less OK. Part I'd be concerned about is his view on atheism in america, whether he'd be a hard-charging evangelizer or whether his philosophy is more in line with the concept of respecting others' beliefs. YOU can go ahead and believe what YOU want, and I believe I'll have the chef's salad. I just don't want to end up in a position where I'm essentially forced to provide some type of financial support to your religious institution or something that prohibits worship of other religions, say, I wanted to try out for Great Pumpkinism, or something, re-education camps etc., because that's not really Democracy(R) brand religious freedom. Freedom OF it also implies freedom FROM it, so no mandatory worship services, either. Half the problem in the middle east is the governments trying to use organized religion as a political broadcast vehicle, and goshdarnit, wouldn't you know we seem to have the same thing going in the good old USA, different religion, but it's still agenda-based stuff coming across the wires IN THE NAME OF JAY-SUS, AY-MIN! etc. God, save me from your fan club(s)