Fake Michelle Obama Interview Fascinates Blogosphere

Over at The Corner, Byron York has had to post an item officially alerting the right wing of the blogosphere that an article purporting to be a genuine interview with Michelle Obama, is in fact a fake. The article, from an organization calling itself "African Press International," claims to have gotten a phone call from an irate Michelle Obama, in which she railed at the outlet for "spread[ing] rumours created by American bloggers and other racist media outlets in their efforts to damage a black man's name," and "evil people who are out to stop her husband from getting the presidency." The fake Michelle Obama insists that her husband "loves his country" and promises the organization favorable treatment if they "write a good story about her husband."

Naturally, a mere contemplation of the obvious should have short-circuited the belief that this interview was real, thus sparing York from having to point it out. The Obama campaign has been, throughout the season, notoriously disciplined and highly aloof from the press, so it's unlikely that Michelle Obama would have the green light to be calling up random bloggers to yell at them. If she did, she'd be doing that all the damned time! But Michelle is clearly working hard to avoid courting controversy. For crying out loud -- her appearance on "Paula Deen's Party" could be aptly described as "rigorously on-message," and all she was doing was frying some shrimp with one of the most ridiculously lovable hosts of the Food Network.

Beyond that, there were obvious signs that the interview, and the organization, is fakety-fake McFake. For example: there are two "r's" in "Farrakhan." "Inauguration" is not spelled "innoguration." And you'd think that a writer for "African Press International" would be clear on the concept of capitalizing one's own publication's name. Nevertheless, these obvious signs proved too elusive for some people, hence Byron York's involvement.

Comments

[JadisOne]

Well, if you consider that the IQ of the typical Republican is lower than that of their Democratic opposite, then this story should come as no surprise.

http://www.eyje.com/pictures/amazing/Results_of_US_Election_2004_listed_by_average_population_IQ_PIC_

[whitewaterwillie]

This reminds me of the robophone calls that people were receiving at 3 AM supporting Barack. You'd have to be an idiot to think that these calls were legit. Wait.... considering that a good percentage of McCain supporters, at least those at his rallies, are idiots, it could work.

[StandUpAmerica08]

Looks like the Klan never take vacation

[mathme]

Klantel 6-- We'll leave the cross lit for ya.

[StillIRise]

Looks like half of them are at work right now in Washington, most of them working with the McCain/Palin campaign.

[donberry]

you can bet here in Tennessee on "supertalk" 99.7 the talking point for the next 2 weeks will include Michelle Obama's interview with this blog.
You would not believe the stuff this station spews all day long. Example, today was Corsi day, plus, had some guy on talking about how , after reading Obama's book, it was too well written for Obama to have written it. About a month goes by and he "happens" to read a book by Ayers.....­...he now has it figured out. Ayers wrote Obama's book! Obama is a plant by the weather undergorund to take control of our country.
And of course all day long it is about his muslim ties, even about being the anti-christ.

Makes me proud to be an American. And this is the hosts, you should hear what the callers say when they call in.
Most amazing stuff you ever heard - they talk about a liberal media, yea right. Talk radio is nothing but right wing KOOK jobs who do nothing more then preach hatred.
It is like listening to a routine by the Daily Show only these people are serious.
Of course, every day they wrap it in religion, insuring that everyone who listens understand if you do not think like they do you will burn in hell.

[Kkak]

The sad part is these right wingers just aren't very smart to begin with. Have you heard the ingnorance spewing from their mouths lately?

When you are as intellectutally defunct as these people it doesn't take much to fool these people.
Not to mention they all seem to be morally bankrupt.

[liseworks]

Both assessments are right on target : Duumb as doornails & morally bankrupt.

[BlueKansas]

My brother has a term for these people: Booger Eaters. Fits, doesn't it? There are a lot more of them than I'm comfortable with.

[IanC]

That's a good one. I like 'mouth breathers' too.

[Pennsylvanianne]

It's the natural result of a steady diet of all Faux News, all the time.

[meme13]

i think "fool" is the operative word here...

[musicisourhigh]

This is what happens when people get so stuck in the attack and smear mode that they use no discernment.

It also shows the willingness of so many self called "moral" people to throw rumors around without even the slightest bit of factchecking and research. Why are so many so quick to believe the worst and share the worst without any checking?

[davenav]

Good question. Unfortunately, I don't have an answer. My whole family is Republican, and you cannot talk to any of them about any of this without hearing all the right-wing talking points spew as dictated by Hannity and his ilk.

It's mystifying because anyone with even half a brain should be able to see through the shite the so-called Right is so energetically embracing. But I guess I could enlarge that to include all of Bush's two terms and the Reaganomics that it all is based on.

It's all delusional, ammoral, without merit, baseless, short-sighted, dim-witted, and gives them all the unmistakeable creepy demeanor of clueless, and unfeasibly gullible.

[graywolf765]

pure laziness..­...I've had friends and family that (unfortunately) support W, and will probably support McCain, that claim to "not have the time" to do a little research, yet have plenty of time to punch in their entire address book to forward the erroneous info. I guess Right-wingers haven't yet heard of Google....­.

[FaceYourFears]

Absolutely!

[liseworks]

Let's cut to the chase :

ALL DUMB PEOPLE : PLEASE ! ....GO VOTE McCain.
ALL SMART PEOPLE : Ignore this stoopid shiit & vote Obama.

[Fingerbo]

There are an awful lot of dumb people out there. I'd prefer the advice: ALL DUMB PEOPLE: PLEASE ! ... STAY HOME ON ELECTION DAY. DON'T VOTE. WATCH 'THE PRICE IS RIGHT' OR WHATEVER.

[liseworks]

LOL - !!!
You're right !! What was I thinking ? : ))

[DenveRockwell]

Or Two and a Half Men! Preferably something with a laugh track so you know when to chuckle.

[Dystopic]

Fooling right wingers is like making teenagers depressed .. fish in a barrel

[IhaveaDREAMwhitegirl]

LOL!

[maxfax]

Byron York, couldn't happen to a better guy. cough

[krayonz]

From the API site:
ADDED HERE BELOW DUE TO HUGE INTEREST ON THE ABOVE STORY. (TIME 16:08 Scandinavian time)

Verification of the story:
We have found it necessary to publish a telephone number that can be used to reach us should anyone doubt the story. We are doing this because of many requests by many people who want to know more abouth the story.

We are able to receive calls tomorrow the 16th of October through to the 18th October. We find it important that our readers get the truth and not be misled in any way. This is a true story and we stand by everyone written.

NB: For verification, we can be reached on 004793299739

Out of my sheer preciousness, I plan on calling, should be at best entertaining

[begabug]

Well, of course they believed it. They bought into a fake presidency 8 years ago.

[joseph debba]

You're speak in the past tense. The McCainites will continue to believe the fake story regardless of facts and exposed as a hoax.

[FaceYourFears]

So sad and so true!!!!

[soylentgreenleftovers]

LOL the wingers are such a bunch of rubes...th­at goes double for PUMAs

[ukpaul]

I joined especially to post this so it'd better be worth it!

I did a quick bit of investigation earlier on this story, it turns out that this is someone called Sammy Korir based in Norway of all places (as is the African Press International) propagating this 'story'.

Here's a rough translation from the Norwegian Newspaper the Dagbladet about his activities. I post on a UK site politicalbetting.com and a Norwegian colleague (who is actually a McCain supporter) confirms that this guy is "a one hundred percent fraud".

“Sammy Korir is identical to the man that the Supreme Court - with the current Supreme Court Justice Tore Schei as one of the judges - in a verdict in 1992 described as a “charlatan” and “unreliabl­e.”

“Korir has in recent years - from 1996 - led the organization’s Rainbow Foundation which has been paid out large amounts from the state to AIDS-prevention efforts among African youth in Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim and Tromsoe. Last year, the Rainbow Foundation was paid 408.000 kroner in state funds. According to NRK ustlandssendingen they do not have any evidence that the events of the Rainbow Foundation have been held as scheduled.

Sammy Korir, as that organization’s president, has taken out most of the state funds to pay and - according to NRK - spent the rest of the funds in visiting restaurant­s.”

http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2008/06/02/536925.html

Anyone believing this or raising it as a possibility has shot their credibility to pieces.

[dadw5boys]

BUSH/ MC CAIN ----
THIS IS A PLANNED BANK TAKE OVER AND THE SUBPRIME LOAN MESS WAS PLANNED !!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/13/AR2008021302783.html

[MilwaukeeMike]

This article should be read by all.

[UnknownSoldier]

OMG everyone should read that article. It doesn't say anything about it being planned, but one could argue effectively that it shows more Republican Incompetence.

It is almost as if a Democrat says turn right to avoid going off the road, the Republicans feel they must turn left. IMMATURE to say the least.