Top 10 Craziest Rumors about the 2008 Candidates

Here are the craziest rumors people are spreading about the 2008 Presidential Candidates. It is amazing what you can find on the Internet!

1. Dennis Kucinich sees UFO
Dennis Kucinich had an "extremely moving" encounter with a UFO at the home of a close friend, actress Shirley MacLaine. The Cleveland Plain Dealer published the following passage from MacLaine's upcoming book, Sage-ing While Age-ing: "[Kucinich] had a close sighting over my home in Graham, Washington, when I lived there. The smell of roses drew him out to my balcony where, when he looked up, he saw a gigantic triangular craft, silent, and observing him. It hovered, soundless, for ten minutes or so, and sped away with a speed he couldn't comprehend. He said he felt a connection in his heart and heard directions in his mind." The Dealer said representatives from Kucinich's presidential campaign did not respond to various requests for comment on the alien incident. (Possibly True)
Crazy Rumor Source

2. Mitt Romney is a Mexican
Christian Right Beware: Mitt Romney not only comes from a long line of Mormon polygamists, he also is the "son of a Mexican" - or so claimed a July column in the Salt Lake Tribune. Rather than go to prison, in 1884 Mitt's great-grandfather, Mile Park Romney, packed his five wives off to the Mexican colony of Chihuahua, the Mormon equivalent of "Plymouth Plantation" in the 19th century. Mitt's father and former Michigan governor George Romney was born in Colonia Dublan in 1907, five years before the Mexican Revolution flared up and forced the family back North for good. In the 1968 Michigan gubernatorial race Romney Sr. was criticized for not being a "natural-born citizen." (Possibly True)

3. Mitt Romney has a gay, albino son
The illegitimate, gay, albino son Mitt Romney allegedly conceived during a Mormon mission to France literally came out of the closet last September, with a public plea for his father's acceptance. According to the Blackdog Press blog, the Mormon presidential candidate's supposed son Raphael Romney, pledged to help the Republican millionaire shore up support among albino homosexuals if his father publicly acknowledged his existence. (Almost Certainly False)
Crazy Rumor Source

4. Hillary Clinton is a Lesbian
Despite Hillary Clinton's staunch anti-gay marriage stance, which she prefers to label "pro-civil union," and her new taste for décolletage, rumors about the former first lady's sexuality are once again circulating in the lead-up to the 2008 race. In his 2005 unauthorized biography, The Truth About Hillary, former New York Times editor Edward Klein repeats allegations of a relationship she had with fellow undergrad Nancy Pietrafesa when the two women were students at Wellesley. Clinton attempted to squash the rumor once and for all in a September interview with the Advocate magazine, where she assured voters, "I am not gay." (Almost Certainly False)

5. John McCain has an illegitimate African-American child
During the 2000 Republican primaries in South Carolina pollsters allegedly linked to opponent George W. Bush mounted a whisper campaign charging then front-runner John McCain with having conceived his adopted Bangladeshi daughter, Bridget, out of wedlock. Bob Jones University professor Richard Hand capped off the rumors with a mass e-mail to "fellow South Carolinians" lambasting the Vietnam veteran for choosing "to sire children without marriage." Despite the McCains' efforts to rally popular condemnation against perpetrators of the smear campaign, Bush won South Carolina by a wide margin. (False)

6. John McCain, a.k.a the Manchurian Candidate, is secretly a communist
Most Americans see John McCain as a war hero who withstood six years of torture in captivity after his plane was shot down in North Vietnam in 1969. But certain POW/MIA fringe groups, like Vietnam Veterans Against John McCain, accuse the former Naval pilot of collaborating not only with his captors but also with Communists in Cuba and the Soviet Union. Some detractors have gone as far as dubbing McCain the "Manchurian Candidate," claiming he was brainwashed by the Reds when held hostage, then sent back to America to do their bidding--hence his support for a normalization of relations with Vietnam. McCain's camp has ignored the rumors. (Almost Certainly False)

7. Dick Cheney and Barack Obama are related
Dick Cheney and Kenyan-born Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama are eighth cousins, Lynne Cheney told MSNBC this month. Cheney stumbled across a common relative while doing genealogical research for her autobiography. "Every family has a black sheep," a representative for Obama said in response to the news. (Possibly True)

8. Barack Obama is secretly a radical Muslim Jihadist
In January, Insight magazine reported that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Hussein Obama had concealed his Muslim heritage. A background check on the Illinois senator conducted by his opponents within the Democratic party revealed that Obama not only was raised as a Muslim while living in Jakarta, Indonesia, with his stepfather, Lolo Soetoro, but also was educated at "a so-called Madrassa, or Muslim seminary" for at least four years. Insight was careful not to cry "jihadist," pointing out that the background check carried out by researchers "connected to Hillary Clinton" did not specify whether the "Madrassa" Obama attended espoused the militant ideology of Wahabism, but rumors that he was secretly a "radical, ideological Muslim" (snopes.com) hell-bent on winning the presidency to destroy the United States immediately began circulating in the blogosphere and right-wing media. CNN even sent a reporter to the Basuki school to debunk the"Madrassa" buzz. (The word means, simply, "place of study" or "school" in Arabic.) Clinton aides denied responsibility for the report, calling it "an obvious right wing-job", while Obama's camp labeled the Fox News Coverage of the story "appallingly irresponsible." (Probably False)

Crazy Rumor Source

9. John Edwards had an affair with a campaign staffer
"Which political candidate enjoys visiting New York because he has a girlfriend who lives downtown? The pol tells her he'll marry her when his current wife is out of the picture," read a September "Just Asking" column on Page Six of the New York Post. The answer would appear to be John Edwards, who allegedly had an affair with campaign staffer Rielle Hunter while his wife continued to battle breast cancer. The National Enquirer claims to have e-mail and phone records of Hunter discussing her relationship with the coiffed candidate. Meanwhile Huffington Post's Sam Stein questioned the nature of payments the Edwards campaign made to Hunter's video-production company. Edwards dismissed the allegations as "completely false." (Possibly True)

10. Rudy Giuliani married his cousin
Yet another secret from Rudy Giuliani's personal life is circulating that may further handicap his 2008 presidential bid: He married his second cousin, Regina Perrugi. Giuliani's first marriage to Perrugi was officially annulled by the Catholic Church after four years, according to realchange.org, clearing the way for him to marry Donna Hanover, whom he later divorced for Judith Nathan, who just admitted that Giuliani was her third, not second husband. (Possibly True)
Crazy Rumor Source

Comments

[metropolitan]

why is "Barack Obama is secretly a radical Muslim Jihadist" only considered probably false, when it's obviously totally false?

[angryoldman]

Krazzee Rumor #666
Contrary to popular opinion, DEMOCRATS are not spineless,indecisive, butt kissing weasels. They are hard working ,dedicated , independant thinkers who will "MAKE EVERTHING BETTER " once they are elected !

[noamjunior]

just cuz Rush says it doesn't mean its a popular opinion

[mgloraine]

(Almost Certainly False)

[MissFortunate]

I can't believe you put the Edwards rumor in here as if it's not something damaging, it is. Page six? The National Enquirer?

The nature of payments? You mean, he actually paid for the services of someone who helped his campaign?

[Lon]

Why would you give a story about Edwards having an affair based on claimed but unreleased documents of the National Enquirer the same standing as a marraige of Guliani that is a matter of public record?

[ihavenobias]

Excellent question.

theyoungturks.com

[Prousa]

Rumor: Ann Coulter was hatched.
Probably true.

[Purple Girl]

I don't think McCain was retooled by foreign infiltrators- but by DICK & FIENDS. How fast can they perform a lobotomy- they seem to be kicking another Retooled Politician every day!!!There positions either radically change or slowly move towards the agenda. Their eyes are deadpan. Frankly Stepford wives has come to mind far too many times when watching or listening to them. All but three presidential candidates give me the creeps now- even Obama!
Something wicked this way cometh.

[Thorn]

So McCain spends five and a half years in a POW camp -- tortured routinely. Now, he cannot even raise his hands over his shoulders; he cannot comb his own hair. But you label the rumor that he's a Communist "Almost Certainly False"? Whereas the thing about him having an illegitimate child -- you find -- certainly "False"?

[factanonverba]

Here's another rumour: Hillary is a Democrat.

[unitron]

"Here's another rumour: Hillary is a Democrat."

Come on, you'll have to come up with something more believable than that.

[rektruax]

Zap!!! That was good...

[Chocolate2008]

Ha!

[Desiderata]

Crazy Rumor #302:

When asked his views of Putin's recent remark that, after Russian elections, he will continue in power, President Bush responded,"That's what I plan to do, too."
(probably true)

[Pdubya]

crazy rumors #303, 304, 305, 306, and 307

Ron Paul is a fringe candidate.
Ron Paul is a racist
Ron Paul wants to abolish medicare and social security
Ron Paul is a neocon
Ron Paul can't win

Black Male,
blue dog dem for ron paul

[ihavenobias]

Do you think there are any government programs or agencies (EPA, FDA, etc) that Paul *will* abolish, or dramatically defund?

[just4all]

"Kenyan-born Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama"

Looks like you are starting a rumor of your own, Barack Obama was not born in Kenya he was born in Hawaii.

[desertdweller]

Wow - for a minute there I thought you were going to say thathe was born in Texas, which is definitely a foreign country.

[davidly]

Since it's not sourced, not part of a quote or reported assertion, I have to come to the conclusion that our poster is looking to paint an impression with that 'Kenyan-born' bit. How could an intelligent person overlook something that clear.

10) This post is about having fun with crazy rumors.
(definitely not maybe probably not unlikely)

[Chocolate2008]

Yeah, I noticed that too. Also the "probably false"?

No, It's total BS and we all know it. There's nothing "probably" about it.

But Hillary being a Lesbian warrants an (Almost Certainly False)?

sigh

[JoshD]

I noticed this too. THe funny thing is you can't even run for president unless you are Born in the United States.

[ihavenobias]

It's not a rumor that Hillary has received more money from the healthcare industry than any other candidate, including the republican candidates.

I *wish* the fact that she has such an insane lead in the polls was just a rumor.

Also, I read something (that may or may not be rumor) that suggested Hillary has switched from "primary mode" to "general election mode", which explains her vote for the Kyl-Lieberman amendment. *If* that's true, it kills off any enthusiasm I had for her potential nomination (not that I really had any to begin with).

PS---Do people really think the candidate that raises the most money is the *best* candidate?

While a certain degree of money raising is important and may be *partially* reflective of quality, it's clear to me that often times the biggest money raisers are clearly the candidates least likely to enact positive change once in office, because they're too busy paying back (directly or indirectly) the special interest/big business groups that paid to get them elected.

I'm not saying the answer is to be a pure idealist and vote for someone who has NO CHANCE of winning, but it seems like there's a reasonable middle ground between the two (all else being equal).

theyoungturks.com/story/2007/10/23/9241/3733

[davidly]

11) Voting for anyone other than Obama or Edwards in the primaries allows Clinton the Democratic nomination, and then not voting for her gives evil a victory over good.
(yes - no - undecided)

[ihavenobias]

Assuming Gore doesn't enter the race, I'll vote for Edwards.

He's not perfect, but I like Obama less and less and Edwards seems the be the only major (aka, candidate that stands a chance, right or wrong) candidate with a strong populist message, which is the partial remedy to reverse some of the brutal economic policies put into place by Reagan and built upon since.

But yes, *if* Hillary gets the nomination I'm pretty much forced to vote for her within the current context of too much being at stake for any republican to win.

If nothing else, the potential of the next president to nominate one or two supreme court justices might convince enough idealists to vote for her.

PS---Progressives need to take off the rose colored glasses with regard to the Bill Clinton era if they assume there would be strong similarities in policy. Clinton wasn't especially progressive economically and generally with regard to regulation and consolidation.

NAFTA, GATT and the Telecom Act of 1996 were all horrible (people sometimes mention NAFTA but what about the other two?) and based on Hillary's campaign funding I can only expect to see more along those lines if she gets in.

But yeah, lesser of two evils until we have public funding of elections.

theyoungturks.com/story/2007/10/23/9241/3733

[OckhamsElectricRazor]

11. Ron Paul is the illegitimate son of Dr. Seuss from liason made in Whoville.

[unitron]

"11. Ron Paul is the illegitimate son of Dr. Seuss from liason made in Whoville."

I don't know about that, but have you ever seen him and Henry Gibson (from Laugh-In) in the same place at the same time? I'm just sayin'.

[Pdubya]

I love that book.


black male
blue dog dem for ron paul

[crackpot]

Crazy Rumor: Some candidates may actually mean what they say. When John Edwards says he cares about those less fortunate than himself, he means it. When John McCain sings "bomb bomb Iran", he probably will. When Rudy says certain things should not be allowed to be said, he means it. etc...
Probably true

[Independent voter]

Here's another unfounded rumor:

Hillary cares about the American people.

[gevan]

Goldwater in '64, McGovern in '72--where was she in '68?

[trope]

And which candidate has been married to the same woman for some fifty years now and champions our more-endangered-than-you-think Constitution? Ron Paul! (Most certainly true)

[Misanthrope2]

Ron Paul says:

"In Congress, I have authored legislation that seeks to define life as beginning at conception, HR 1094.

I am also the prime sponsor of HR 300, which would negate the effect of Roe v Wade by removing the ability of federal courts to interfere with state legislation to protect life. This is a practical, direct approach to ending federal court tyranny which threatens our constitutional republic and has caused the deaths of 45 million of the unborn.

I have also authored HR 1095, which prevents federal funds to be used for so-called "population control."

[anon004]

Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Misanthrope2. You obiviously care about women, if not "mankind."

BTW, I thought Libertarians (like Paul self-identifies) didn't believe in the State interfering in people's private lives (say what you will about Barry Goldwater, he was consistently pro-choice). I guess he's just another ring-wing-mut job, as I suspected.

[Pdubya]

since he is a medical doctor i'm sure he has some good science (as i did with a b.s. in biology) that life does indeed begin at conception. its science, not a religious belief (see blastosphere and zygote for starters). using your logic, does life then begin at birth? No wait, sometime while in the womb? does it matter? yes, you will always have a large disenfranchised group with any federal mandate. he is also against a federal mandate banning abortion. get with the program. are you too lazy to legislate your views or even run for office?

he has also voted against using federal funds for abstinence programs.

if your looping logic gets any tighter, it will turn into a dot.

[beny2]

Absolutely True.