Maureen Dowd Becomes Fictional Actor In Obama Smear

A comically absurd Barack Obama smear email is making the rounds right now involving a fabricated column by famed New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd. The email, presented as a June 29 op-ed (replete with The Times' font, layout, and Dowd byline) presents the "shocking" revelation that Obama's prodigious Internet fundraising apparatus is really driven by wealthy financiers from -- you guessed it -- "Saudi Arabia, Iran, and other Middle Eastern countries."

Taking her cues from anonymous Obama campaign "Internet geeks," the fictional Dowd column reads:

"What I learned from this insider was shocking but I guess we shouldn't be surprised that when it comes to fund raising there simply are no rules that can't be broken and no ethics that prevail. [...]

"I guess we should have been somewhat suspicious when the numbers started to come out. We were told (no proof offered) that the Obama internet contributions were from $10.00 to $25.00 or so.

"If the $200,000,000 is right, and the average contribution was $15.00, that would mean over 13 million individuals made contributions? That would also be 13 million contributions would need to be processed. How did all that happen?"

Where to begin? For starters, the average Obama contribution has been around $100, not $15. The campaign, by law, must disclose all donors who have given over $200. And, most obviously, a review of the paper of record shows that Dowd's column on June 29 was not on Obama fundraising but rather Hillary Clinton supporters.

Dowd herself found the email an exercise in absurdity, not to mention -- quite possibly -- the first time she's been indirectly involved in a smear campaign.

"The line about it being the 'most shocking revelation,' I don't think I've ever said those words, except in a satire. Also, it is about money, which I never write about," she told the Huffington Post. "Sometime you try and protest things you hear about, but sometimes it's just not worth it... It is hard to track down and control these things, and anyone who reads my column knows that this wasn't me. I got to the second line and I knew it wasn't me."

The Obama campaign, as is now its practice, addressed the fake Dowd column in a post today on its website, Fight the Smears. But sometimes it's worth noting just how outrageous and offensive -- both to Obama and the public's intelligence -- these attacks can be.

Comments

[nyboomer]

The only weapon in the right wing arsenal is mud. Since no one in the right wing has the intellect necessary to to produce a cogent explanation of the gross failures and abject incompetence of their wonder boys, Bush and Cheney, they are only left with their ever popular and fondest tool, mud slinging.

[watchingthings]

This definately didn't come from the Democratic side. I doubt that any Independent would be that Stupid....­so who does this leave.....­.? Shame on you whomever you are......t­hat is not even close to politics. It takes a very miniscule mind to come up with trash like that.

[LegalCat]

Ok, I went to fightthesmears.com, and I don't see this one written up there. What's up with that?

[Techboy308]

Look on the left side of the page. There's a series of links and it's the bottom link.

[SonnyBono]

It's there on the left hand side under "Updates" - very brief note.

[Tommygun264]

The vast majority of people who I know pass along these emails are friends of my mother raging in age from 67 to 83. Since when did people who still have VCR's ith clocks flashing "00:00" become so proficient at sending out mass emails? Of course they all swear these emails are factual, no matter how ridiculous their claims, because the messages come from trusted friends and relatives who say they know someone who knows someone in a position of authority who can verify the story is true. It's really quite sad how the 'pubs play on the fears of the elderly.

[thisoldbroad]

There is nothing comical about this hoax. It's spreading through the chain email world at incredible speed. There's quite a few dim bulbs that believe everything on the internet is true & dutifully keep forwarding it around.

[TamysDMilo]

It's surprising how much the Dowd Hoax resembles real life David Brooks and Charles Krauthammer
columns.

[yoyo1959]

Maureen Dowd IS a smear.

[Bettysdad]

Putting Dowd's name on the piece is an acknowledgment that it is somewhat plausible that she might have written it. Based on her past writings, this would be possible.

The hoaxster didn't put Paul Krugman, or Robert Reich, or even Sam Stein on it, because that would be an immediate tip off to all sentient beings that it's phony.

But people will believe that Maureen Dowd could possibly have written this, and that should keep her up at night.

[evekendall]

My thinking is that anyone who would believe this phony email probably never even heard of Maureen Dowd.

[nyc4obama123]

Feel free to email Maureen Dowd and comment on her stupidity http://topics.nytimes.com/top/opinion/editorialsandoped/oped/columnists/maureendowd/index.html

[emncaity]

Her stupidity regarding what?

[4wehttam]

How people can be THAT STU-pid to believe this kind of crap is unbelievable. Actually I don't know whether it's stupidity or hatemongering or BOTH. You reap what you sow, evil doers.

[RealityBaseCamp]

Holy sh*t!! This explains that time when that oil sheik walked up to me and said, "Here's $50., donate ten to Obama."

Wonderful, another email I can look forward to...

I'll say it again, there's a fleet of kitchen sinks just starting to show up on the radar screen.

[PrinceHal]

Hard to believe Maureen Dowd actually said this:

"I got to the second line and I knew it wasn't me."

Whew! The woman actually remembers some of what she's written, though apparently not until she gets to the second line.

I'm sure Barack Obama, and the rest of us out here praying to be spared the curse of a John McCain presidency, will find this comforting.

[kellygrrrl]

I'm not asking for miracles here

but it would be nice if Good could triumph even Half the time over Evil

is that just a pipedream or is this still America?

[macbabe]

I am with you, and hope this still is America and it comes though loud and clear in Nov.

[evekendall]

My sentiments exactly, kellygrrrl. These people are evil through and through.

[lennix]

the msm still say nothing and the american people will say nothing please what jerks we are and the gop just laugh at us

[Ariadne]

I guarantee that anyone who would believe that stuff would definitely not be a reader of Maureen's column.
They would easily believe she wrote it because they wouldn't recognize her voice.

[wmbear]

I BELIEVE THE RIGHT TERM FOR THIS IS...

"Republican dirty tricks." They've been up to this kind of thing since, well, er, the days of Tricky Dick (who really kind of got the ball rolling back in the fifties...­.

[CrzyRussell]

Really?? To be honest both sides are very good at it. Somehow it is different when the Republicans do it.

[Bettysdad]

Please list some of the Democratic dirty tricks.

Take your time.

We'll wait.