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Obama Launches Anti-Smear Website

June 12, 2008 11:27 AM

The campaign of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois -- still battling rumors about the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee's religion, heritage, wife and even his citizenship -- today launched a Snopes-like myth-busting website in an attempt to correct the record.

The first issue tacked on the website, FighttheSmears.com deals with the rumor that "Michelle Obama Says 'Whitey' On a Tape." The Obama campaign's new website labels as lies: claims by conservative talk radio giant Rush Limbaugh that "a tape exists of Michelle Obama using the word 'whitey' from the pulpit of Trinity United"; blogger Larry Johnson's similar claims; as well as "Proven GOP sleazemeister Roger Stone" saying "he has 'credible that some indelible record exists' of a tape of Michelle Obama using the term 'whitey.'"

"TRUTH," declares the website. "No such tape exists."

Other sections deal with Obama being willing to say the pledge of allegiance, and his being a Christian, not a Muslim. A March poll from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press indicated that one in ten Americans in general, 16% of conservative Republicans, 16% of white evangelical Protestants, 10% of Democrats, 8% of independents and 19% of rural Americans think Obama is Muslim.

Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor says the campaign "isn’t going to let dishonest smears spread across the internet unanswered.  Whenever challenged with these lies we will aggressively push back with the truth and help our supporters debunk the false rumors floating around the internet." He calls the website "an action center that allows supporters to upload their address books and send emails to all of their friends. It’s not enough to just know the truth, we have to be proactive and fight back."

Obama and his campaign haven't been consistent as to how to deal with the rumors. In January 2007, after Fox News Channel passed on the false story reported that Obama had been educated in a Muslim madrassa in Indonesia, painting it as an extremist school where hatred of the U.S. was taught, prompting the senator to go on a campaign to correct the record. 

"It was an ordinary public school," he told ABC News at the time. "The kids ran around in short pants and learned math and science and participated in the Boy Scouts. It was comparable to any school here in the United States," he explained

Towards the end of 2007, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, was forced to fire Linda Olson, an Iowa County volunteer coordinator, and Judy Rose, Jones County coordinator for circulating emails claiming Obama is a Muslim. During that time, the Obama campaign attempted to correct the record by asking supporters and precinct captains to forward response emails of their own. "But that was nowhere near as centralized and coordinated" as the current plan, Vietor says.

Obama has tried humor. Speaking before the pro-Israel lobby the American Israel Public Affairs Committee the day after the primary season ended, Obama acknowledged to the largely Jewish audience, "I know some provocative e-mails have been circulating throughout Jewish communities across the country. A few of you may have gotten them. They're filled with tall tales and dire warnings about a certain candidate for President. And all I want to say is, Let me know if you see this guy named Barack Obama, because he sounds pretty frightening."

But last week Obama expressed indignation after a reporter asked Obama about the apparently non-existence "Whitey" tape, saying there are "dirt and lies that are circulated in email and they pump them out long enough until finally you, a mainstream reporter, asks me about them. And then that gives legs to the story."

"If somebody has evidence that myself or Michelle or anybody has said something inappropriate, let them do it," Obama said. "This is the same kind of nonsense that we started with the madrassas...and frankly my hope is that people don’t play this game. It is a destructive aspect of our politics right now. And simply because something appears in an email that should lend it no more credence then if you heard it on the corner. And you know presumably the job of the press is to not go around and spread scurrilous rumors like this until there's actually anything, one iota of substance or evidence that would substantiate it."

After that exchange, Obama spoke on a call with senior staffers and decided a more aggressive approach was necessary. He came up with the idea of the website.

He hasn't always had the most help from his opponents in clearing up the rumors. Clinton told 60 Minutes in March that Obama wasn't a Muslim "as far as I know." Last week Obama confronted Sen. Joe Lieberman, Ind-Conn, Add-on., a supporter of the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for not defending him sufficiently when Lieberman has been asked about the rumor. Lieberman had been asked about the story and later told the New York Observer his response was, "Obviously one’s religion is a matter of choice. Everything I knew said he was Christian."

-jpt

June 12, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (447)

User Comments

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Why was Obama raising his kids in a racist church?

Posted by: want the truth | Sep 5, 2008 3:21:45 AM

Hey you Obama's people. So far I have NOT received a single e-mail about Obama or with any smear. Apparently, you must be sending those e-mails to yourselves and among yourselves, so you would have something to write about and smear others. Shame on you!

Posted by: peterzap | Sep 3, 2008 11:57:25 AM

obama is a dangerous man... arrogant and all into himself...the recent dnc convention should show you the change he is talking about...SPEND MORE..do everything bigger...what a show of extravagence it was..

Posted by: p sweeney | Aug 29, 2008 10:00:11 AM

Wow... you guys really don't like Obama...

I guess the movement against him is starting. I have a feeling that it will become very effective.

To the point that he will not win in NOV.

There is so much stuff out here that its hard to keep the facts from mixing with fiction. Which is pretty effective.

I like Obama and I will vote for him. But I think my cause to help get him elected will be lost in the mix mash of BS.

That's sad but that's politics I guess!

Reading through the thread it is clear that people are willing to accept any little bit of information that forwards their cause... even if it's untrue.

Some how John McCain is not being held to the same standard.

I am so happy that Obama has not gone after McCain like McCain and his people have gone after him.

If he does not win... he can say he ran a very honorable campaign.


Posted by: PotholesInMyLawn | Aug 19, 2008 1:52:26 PM

Jake, the ONLY thing Mr. Barack Obama has to do is show the reverse side of his birth certificate and the mess of the "false" or "fake" photocopied birth certificate shown on his website will go away. Why in "God's" name hasn't he done this. Is is a simple thing to do to stop the talk.
Janice Okubo is the Dir. Of Communication of the State of Hawaii Dept of Health and she stated only days ago “at this time there are no circumstances in which the State of Hawaii Department of Health would issue a birth certification or certification of live birth only electronically." And, she added, "In the State of Hawaii all certified copies of certificates of live birth have the embossed seal and registrar signature on the back of the document." In addition all copies have a certification number so that the certificate can easily be located and there is NO REASON to have the certification number blacked out. What Mr. Barack Obama is showing the public is invalid, so how does he expect to clear up this issue? He doesn’t care to clear up the issue and the public officials have been bought in our country as they are not coming forward with any evidence to the contrary. So no one cares because no one is asking for the clarity.

Posted by: Ann | Jun 29, 2008 11:19:26 AM

How come nothing on the anti smear website about Larry Sinclair?

Posted by: bartwa | Jun 16, 2008 6:18:10 PM

I could not leave the country for vacation without having a "birth certificate with a stamp seal".

This is not a birth certificate

Where is the birth certificate ??????????

Posted by: john sterzek | Jun 14, 2008 10:25:56 AM

Hmm, is this pre-censorship?

I am all for debunking myths, however, Obama's campaign sure seemed to like the blogs to perpetuate the Clinton myths...

This could backfire... what will people decide about the rumors that are not on his site?

Obama is running for POTUS, it is right and responsibility to ask him questions. If people feel he is not being honest and straightforward, these questions will linger. His anti-smear page will not work if people don't believe him.

Posted by: leisa | Jun 13, 2008 5:32:29 PM

I knew that the moment Obama got enough delegates, all the HATE would come out. Good for the Obamas for standing up to these scurrilous attacks - it is about time the Democrats started playing hardball with the jerkoffs who think they can steal yet ANOTHER election with lies and unfounded allegations. I don't know ANYONE who plans to vote for McCain - even the Republicans are worried about him. Obama's anti-smear website is a great idea. Every time I receive a "smear" or "attack" e-mail about our future President Obama, I forward it to the website & I highly encourage others to do so. The more of these smear e-mails we forward to the site, the more liars will be exposed for all to see. By the way the Snopes.com site and FactCheck.org are both QUITE reputable and above board - they simply seek to provide TRUTH to the American public & let us make our choices. The more lies and myths they annihilate, the better - whether they be about Obama or McCain or any other topic or candidate.

Posted by: HolySmoke | Jun 13, 2008 2:35:36 PM

If it turns out that a tape of Michelle Obama exists more or less as described on the net and it surfaces before election day, whatever little chance Obama has will evaporate.

Posted by: SAM | Jun 13, 2008 9:13:15 AM

Can't help but notice that McCain hasn't had to start up this kind of website. Is anyone surprised which side of the spectrum most of this desperate slime/sleaze is coming from? I give you the "winning is the only thing" people who have kept us in Iraq for all these years. Pathological, I think.

Posted by: Jay Paco | Jun 13, 2008 8:51:00 AM

Sandy, I actually see President Bush as a great visionary.

I thank God for President Bush's long term vision for defeating the Islamic terrorists in their jihad against Western Civilization. The first step is for Iraq and Afghanistan to become thriving democracies, and role models for their neighbors. The second step is the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. With both countries also being thriving democracies, and additional role models for their neighbors, then hopefully their neighbors will demand that their countries turn to democracy. The third step is for the Islamic world to end their hate-filled, anti-Western Civilization curricula throughout their education systems. This three-step process is the only way to defeat the terrorists. It will not be easy and will require great sacrifice and patience. It is going to take decades, or more precisely a couple of generations, for it to come to fruition, if ever.

The Democratic and Liberal answer is to "just bring our troops home," and hand a military victory over to al Qaeda in Iraq regardless of the consequences. Sen. Obama has already said that once we leave, should al Qaeda form a base in Iraq that he would not hesitate to go back into Iraq. Yet, al Qaeda is already there and we have them on the run right now.

We still have troops in Europe and Japan after 63 years, we still have troops in South Korea after 55 years. Should Iraq want us to keep peacekeeping troops in Iraq, why shouldn't we oblige them?

There are many who may deny it, but the truth is al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations are at war with Western Civilization. Their ultimate goal is to turn the entire world into their own Islamic caliphate. They are in this for the long haul. And we should be as well.

Posted by: James Danley | Jun 13, 2008 8:50:25 AM

Hello!!!! People!!!!! We're already off the subject!!!! Remember? Healthcare? Ending the Iraq war? The economy? Jobs? Mortgage crisis? Please - enough with the smears already. Don't let this crap bury us for the next 5 months.

Posted by: Bob | Jun 13, 2008 8:30:03 AM

The coverage on this story was biased. Instead of saying that Obama claims these facts are false, they just say they are. I believe that his previous church had strange ties to islam. His former pastor is being guarded by the nation of islam. Why is that? The other facts should have been presented as Obama claims, not that they are false. I expected more from GMA.

Posted by: novagirl | Jun 13, 2008 8:25:51 AM

Mr. McCain is not so clean. Let's see...dumped his first wife after she became disabled from an accident and while having an affair at the same time. Gets divorced one month, gets married again the next month. Or how about the "getting caught with the hand in the cookie jar" situation involving Keating and his savings and loan scandal. Or how how about downplaying and getting preferential treatment for his wife setting up a foundation so she can steal the drugs from it and use it herself. Yeah, me and you would go to jail, but not them, they are above the law. Yeah, a man who never had a real job, never paid for anything, never lost his job, and living off the fat of the land with the best money can buy. Yeah...he has a lot in common with the average person...that is, the average guy with a rich wife to take care of him too along with the taxpayers who also pay everything for him.

Posted by: Jake | Jun 13, 2008 7:33:12 AM

I think one of the 1st things President Obama has to do when he takes office is prevail on the DNC controlled congress to pass a strong anti-defamation law that will make it criminal (with stiff penalties) to makeup stories and defame others, and also to reign in the free-for-all atmosphere that prevails right now, where biased shock jocks, pundits, right wing media and every bigot of every size and significance can just rally around a lie and make it substance at the expense of the victim. As much as our freedom of speech should be upheld, we should also have freedom from defamation to balance that. Even banana republics have some level of moral sanity and political discourse that doesn't include the below the belt "baby mama" dramas that our mainstream media feeds off on. Enough already!!!!

God bless America!!!

Posted by: Think4America | Jun 13, 2008 5:12:47 AM

Wondering when is McCain going to defeat all the negative comments about him abandoning his first wife and family. Will he have a rebuttal? Will he be able to defend his actions?

Posted by: FrigidWeather | Jun 13, 2008 5:12:41 AM

Posted by: Iam4thiscountry | Jun 13, 2008 2:26:20 AM
what you are forgetting is the nominees must be approved by the senate. this election cycle will give the dems more senators. if they have any backbone, which they have not had in a long time, they will not approve judges that go against their beliefs.

Posted by: rt | Jun 13, 2008 2:57:58 AM

Opps. I ment anything with out real facts. Just because it suites their purpose. That is not real news reporting. They will put a slant on anything.

Posted by: Iam4thiscountry | Jun 13, 2008 2:54:17 AM

Thanks for pointing me to Snopes.com. I have been reading stuff on Obama. I know that there a certain newscast and writers I will not listen to as they will report anything with fact.

Good night

Posted by: Iam4thiscountry | Jun 13, 2008 2:52:47 AM

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