Obama site confronts rumors

WASHINGTON — Democrat Barack Obama's campaign said Thursday that Michelle Obama never used the word "whitey" in a speech.

The campaign has created a new Web site to debunk rumors about the Obamas, . http://www.fightthesmears.com

The rumor that Michelle Obama used the word "whitey" in a diatribe at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, and that a videotape exists, has circulated on conservative Republican blogs for weeks and was repeated by radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh.

The church, from which the Obamas recently resigned, had been home to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who came under fire for sermons in which he cursed America and accused the government of conspiring against blacks.

Other false rumors confronted on the site are that Obama is a Muslim, that his books contain racially incendiary remarks and that he won't say the Pledge of Allegiance or place his hand over his heart. The site repeats the innuendo, in some cases explaining where it comes from, debunks it and encourages people to give the campaign their e-mail addresses to "spread the truth."

Comments

[mzha]

I just saw a picture of Obama with his half brother Malik - Anyone else know any more about Malik?
They are both in the picture, Obama was 24 yrs. old at the time. They were wearing some type of gown outfit. Let me know if that was Obama's half brother

[tktvr]

Someone ought to make up a little clip for utube, based on the Memorex ad.
Announcer: Is it true or is it a lie that Barack Obama is a Muslim.?
Glass shatters like the memorex ad.
Announcer: It is a lie. He is a Christian. So, ask your pastor, ask your priest, ask your rabbi, ask your elder, ask your deacon, who is spreading these ugly rumors?
Announcer: Is it true or is it a lie that Barack Obama will not recite the pledge of alliegance to the flag?
Glass shatters like memorex ad.
Announcer: It is a lie. Here is a video of Barack Obama leading the pledge in the U.S. Senate.
Play video.
Announcer: So, ask your pastor, ask your priest, ask your rabbi, ask your elder, ask your deacon, who is spreading these ugly rumors?

[fredsc]

The best was the fightthesmear.org parody site of fightthesmears.com, but it has since been redirected. I did, however, locate a cache of the original parody site on Yahoo. The campaign must have deliberately not registered the various permutations of the site's name to create a buzz ... pure genius. This is the link but you'll need to copy and paste into your browser's address bar:
72.30.186.56/search/cache?ei=UTF-8&p=fightthesmears.org&fr=yfp-t-web&u=www.reddit.com/goto%3Frss%3Dtrue%26id%3Dt3_6n5ef&w=fightthesmears+.org&d=Q2tdfJzfQ86U&icp=1&.intl=sg

[fredsc]

Actually the link may work without having to copy and paste - it's worth a look and in an odd sort of way is effective in showing just how shallow the smears are:

http://72.30.186.56/search/cache?ei=UTF-8&p=fightthesmears.org&fr=yfp-t-web&u=www.reddit.com/goto%3Frss%3Dtrue%26id%3Dt3_6n5ef&w=fightthesmears+.org&d=Q2tdfJzfQ86U&icp=1&.intl=sg

[booksnmore4you]

If you have a blog or website, link to http://www.fightthesmears.com so it rises in Google ranking.

[Anonani]

The most pathetic thing is that the readers probably not only want to believe it, but in fact do believe it. I am just not sure what THAT says about our nation. Being able to read and write does not necessarily signify anything.

[pupbayer]

It signifies you have some education. How you use that education is your choice.

[YenNguyen]

I support the campaign's initiative regarding this website, and was saddened to see Jim Johnson's departure though I can understand his desire to limit distractions.

That said, it seems that Republicans lack any credibility given the false statements on WMDs, promise of a quick war, promise of cheaper gas, and their poor handling of the economy.

Bottom Line: The current brand of Republicans cannot be trusted.

[Knowledgeseeker]

Now we can see how Evil is Fox News....
They are determine to take down Obama , and we need to stop them....

[Knowledgeseeker]

I'm supporting Obama 100% with fightthesmears.com

[aquarius2001]

Bravo Senator Obama!!!! I love it!! He should put this website on a commercial so that people know to go this website to validate the TRUTH of the rumors they hear or read about.

I, for one, will spread this website to all the jerks at my job who I constantly have to clarify all of the rumors they discuss about Senator Obama.

[JaseAllen]

The Obama team needs to call this rumor out on television. They need challenge the rumor mongers to show the alleged video. Either they show it, or shut it.

[aquarius2001]

I agree!

[robXdion]

He needs to realize it's OK to show some nuts now. No one is gonna call him sexist for attacking McCain or Fox News.

[PoliJunkie]

I just came back from the grocery store, as I was entering the grocery store this old white lady said to me: "Go back to your country, you n*****r, you and O are ruining this country." I had to call security to escort her off the property. Just goes to show you how heated this SOB's are!

[Jules1]

I'm really sorry that happened to you, some old people are just crazy as hell, I really am sorry.Just remember not all people feel that way, just a small percentage, one day they will be sorry...........

Calling all Barack and Michelle Obama Supporters, We must unite, the McCain bloggers, the 527's and Fox are going to attack .
One way we can fight back and this must be sent to every Obama suppoter and we cannot fail doing this as WE HAVE TO UNITE TO DO IT.
If it is a blogger "Leave your rebuttal " If it's a bloggers website, tell everyone and we can visit it so much it will crash, same with the 527's, if ads on TV,turn off, boycott the station or network until they take the ad off.Trust me if we all do it their ratings will drop, be sure and start with FOX right now as Sean Insanity said he was a surrogate for McCain. Now we are over 2.5 million strong, maybe even more, we can do this, please forward to all supporters Thank you, good Luck, stick together, we can report smears here.

[pupbayer]

Now you know how some of us feel being called racist all the time and told we are irrelevant and we are going to ruin the country!

[walk0nwalls]

Discriminating the discriminators solves the problem.

[Clevelanded]

Yea, clearly being called a racist based on speech or action is clearly the same as being insulted because of race...

[robXdion]

WOW! You are a piece of work.

[heal57]

She sounds nutty and spiteful; I'm sorry somebody spoke to you like that. We will prevail in November and will happily change this country and make it great again.

Independent for Obama '08

[booksnmore4you]

Wow, sorry that happened to you.

Today, one of Obama's white supporters had he car egged while she was in it. She had numerous stickers indicating her support for Obama.

Moral of the story: expect people's racism to surface, where it exists. Major so.

[Kalima]

It has come to this and I'm disgusted that it was even necessary. Pond scum flourishes
on the airwaves as BO is preparing for November. Open the door and let's sweep them
out with the rest of the dreck.

[ChicagoBlackRainbowWomen]

Well I guess its time for Mcbush to get a lesson in Chicago politics so he can compare notes with billary while they trade stories aboutn their defeats.

[nibblybits]

"They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. *That's* the *Chicago* way!"

Now we know that McCain, despite previous claims, will be working these rumors to his benefit. There is only one response to this 'swiftboating'.

1) Find the source of these rumors and respond with extreme prejudice. That means going after the employers of these sleaze peddlers. Don't respond on their blogs in the comment section; find out where they work and attack the employer. And do this in large numbers.

2) When they attack, attack in kind, swiftly and accurately. If they wanna go after Michelle Obama, then Cindy McCain is open season. They wanna talk about Jim Johnson, then we dig up the goods on McCain's top advisors.

Repubs count on Dems sitting by passively, but they don't know what they are dealing with. We're smarter, younger, faster, savvier. And we have the numbers on our side.

[heal57]

nibblybits; good post. You can count on Independents being assertive with rumors against Senator Obama, and financial support too.

Independent for Obama '08

[booksnmore4you]

Hear hear!

[pie8ter]

This is brilliant !

But the problem is that Joe Sixpack on the street won't know how to use the computer let alone type that site URL on the web browser and click "Go". He should put the senate pledge scene and birth certificate in a nation wide ad. That's where he will get more exposure. Even then it doesn't matter to close minded bigots in WV and KY. They will refuse to believe anything this man says because he is black.

[PAposter]

I wish they would stop referring to these people as "ordinary Americans", most white people do not identify with these people, even if they are family members.

[djelimon]

TV is still the key

[joeyp404]

Exactly. Does everyone here think that the majority of the people who will vote in November read the Huffington Post? It's time for Obama to show some substance.

[aquarius2001]

Definitely! He should put this on a TV Ad!! Most people may not know this exists. Especially if they're not politcal junkies like us. =)

[NJBOOMER]

Obama has to respond but from strength not on the defensive.

[pupbayer]

And their vote counts as much as yours! Ain't democracy a bit sometimes?

[Clevelanded]

Read "their" in the above comment as "my"...

[joeyp404]

Good for Barack. He is distracting us by telling us what he is not. Now if he would tell us what he plans to do about the economy, how he is going to resolve global hunger and tyranny and when he will once again walk on water, I may just give him a second look.

[IslandGyal]

whatever

[joeyp404]

You're the only poster who made any sense. Whatever. Indeed.

[PAposter]

"joey" you can't handle the truth!

[joeyp404]

Is that your truth?

[sherbug]

I think he's planing the water walk on July 4.

[joeyp404]

Damn. And I was planning to see Hitchcok that day.

[NetWeasel]

I think he's planing the water walk on July 4.
-------------------------------------------------------------
FOX NEWS, July 5: Obama Can't Swim

[JBryan]

Great as this site is, it will really only work if we are vigilant. All of us must take it upon ourselves to confront the smears, innuendos and outright lies as they arise. Become a source for the truth with your co-workers, your friends, and your family. Don"t let the rumors and the falsehoods go unchallenged. This is fight for our freedoms. Yes this site is a good weapon in that fight, but it requires us to become solders in the cause and wield that weapon.

[joeyp404]

Maybe it's time we all stepped back and looked at something unbiased. This site does not offer that. It used to seem my speed when I supported John Kerry, but look where that got us.

[Hopefor08]

All you have to do is do a little research and you will have the answers you want. Obama will bring back hope, but no one can make everything perfect. Senator Obama will work for the people, not for the corporations and lobbyists that employ Bush, Cheney and the republican party.

[joeyp404]

Bring back hope? Wow. He's bringing back hope. So substantial.

All the people? Tell me how he is going after the Joshua Generation (attracting evangelical and Catholic youth) and how that covers the separation of Church and State and how ALL the people are covered under that little welcome mat.