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The Obama Anti-Smear Website
June 13, 2008 8:51 AM
Some commentators have noted that on Sen. Barack Obama's new website he set up to combat untrue internet rumors the "TRUTH" Obama proclaims on the homepage about the innuendo that somewhere there's a tape of Michelle Obama using the word "whitey" is merely that "No such tape exists."
But actually if you read the whole entry the pushback is stronger than that. "Truth: No such tape exists. Michelle Obama has not spoken from the pulpit at Trinity and has not used that word," it says.
The campaign has even posted a copy of Obama's birth certificate to disprove a whole host of rumors that some apparently feel no compunction about sharing.
(This fits in with a theory we've discussed on this blog before -- that some Republicans seem to feel that the only way they can win this election is by sliming Obama with unfounded innuendo and personal attacks, instead of the ideas, experience, and proposals put forward by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. I do not share that view. In a relatively clean campaign, I think either candidate could win.)
**
For Good Morning America this morning we interviewed Drew Westen, author of "The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation" and a professor of psychology and psychiatry at Emory University.
Watch it HERE.
Westen thinks Obama's website is a "great idea" -- but he thinks it's coming a bit late in the game.
"I would have gone after them (the rumors) the day they first showed up on the internet," Westen told us.
Initially Obama didn't want to deign to respond to the rumors, thinking he would only be giving them credibility and a wider platform.
"That is one of the biggest fallacies in politics that people have had for many years," Westen said, "that if you respond to an attack is somehow your dignifying it. The reality is that if you don't respond to an attack just from the point of view of how our brains work. What you're allowing the other side to do is to shape the associations people have to your candidates in their mind, shape the ideas they gradually form. If you don't offer any counter association, they come to believe those things. And those things will stick."
Westen's study is of the neuropsychology of the brain, and he says the way we're wired, initial impressions mean a great deal -- even if those impressions are false.
"We consciously process information all the time and so when people first hear this information if they don't hear something counter to it, they might think it is credible," Westen said. "They might not they will at least nod along and listen. It does however start to make those impressions subconsciously, people start to form what is called network association interconnected thoughts, images or ideas and feelings about the candidates. Even though three months later you might come back and learn that it's not true, those associations have been well formed. We process information both consciously and unconsciously in fact different parts of the brain are involved."
"Ideally what you don’t want to happen is you don't want to have even a day between the time the other side makes a charge about you, the pundits discuss it, and then you respond. You want to make sure you telescope that process into no more than an hour or two hours max…James Carville once said that 'it's hard for the other guy to talk trash about you when you've got your fist in their mouth.'... I think that is probably a good way of saying the same thing."
You may recall McCain combated some ugly and untrue rumors during his South Carolina primary campaign eight years ago. I wonder how he would have fared if he'd dealt with them differently?
- jpt
June 13, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (237)
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I am not American. I think what Obama has succeeded in doing so far is to prompt America to show its true colours- underneath the "free counntry" disguise is a country full of white people who still think like they live in the 1600s. Some of us are just watching- will white people vote objectively or will they act uneducated and unrefined and vote on the basis of race. We are yet to see....
Posted by: Dominica | Jun 16, 2008 9:07:38 AM
Having read a slew of comments on this and other blogs, in my humble opinion, this country still has more than its share of prejudice. My daughter has been working on the Civil War, some of the things going on now, smell, like some things that were happening then. Just an observation.
Posted by: flgrdma | Jun 16, 2008 12:47:12 AM
Get a clue: McCain won't BE the Republican nominee.
Posted by: Edgar Cayce | Jun 15, 2008 10:10:14 PM
Sadly, it is not unexpected to see the poliferation of lies, smears and racist ignorance cluttering the internet. Racism is sadly alive and well in the "land of the free". There are also forces that greatly fear the empowerment of We The People they are playing racist fears like a fiddle. This time around we won't be counting "Jesus states" but "Bigot States".
Though opponents of Senator Obama claim there is a wave of anti-Obama sentiment, I suggest you do not know about the tidal wave of pro-Obama support that is quickly growing across the country. There is a general acknowledgement that if McCain is elected this country is doomed economically and politically.
What a tragedy it would be if our future as a country was destroyed by a cadre of fearful bigots and immoral corporate avarice.
Obama 2008
Posted by: MAC | Jun 15, 2008 12:27:56 PM
I can't believe anyone, especially a democrat would even consider voting for McCain, the first presidential candidate that is dumber than Bush, meaner than Cheney and more hateful towards women than the Taliban. That's what they call cutting off your nose to spite your face.
The media really needs to get it's act together and start serving the public interest instead of being the cheerleaders of hatred and destruction.
Posted by: Sean | Jun 15, 2008 4:18:48 AM
jeanne from michigan...I wouldn't sell out the country to lighten the mood. That is a careless attitude.
Posted by: carolyn | Jun 14, 2008 7:31:00 PM
I saw Obama's 'certification' of birth in their website, and noticed whitey was trying to damage Barack since birth, why did they have to put 'Hussein' there? Those people have no shame.
Posted by: Wade | Jun 14, 2008 9:24:14 AM
Chicago,
"You can see the circle, what goes around comes around. Go through this blogs or other blogs, you will see how much hatred Obamites have received after Hillary suspended her campaign!"
Actually, the reason it appears that Obama has less support is because abc deletes many of the posts of Obama supporters. ABC presents a one-sided picture that equates to bias.
You are right, though. This does happen everywhere. What does that tell you about the credibility of the information controllers?
Obama 08!
Posted by: Hope For Change | Jun 14, 2008 7:15:46 AM
Danielle Clarke 50+ white woman,
I thank you for that summarization of Obama's proposal. YES WE CAN!!!
Obama 08!
(Hope For Change under 50+ black woman)
Posted by: Hope For Change | Jun 14, 2008 6:49:26 AM
I now question Obama’s credibility of being a Magna Cum Laude from Harvard… HOW IN FACT DID HE EARN IT?... he can hardly debate sensibly on the spot without a prepared speech written by a paid speechwriter… he’s typically slow at impromptu speaking and most of the time he stutters and at the loss for words and he hardly uses or knows the right terminology like the difference between denounce and reject … evaded crunch-time debates with Hillary and now evading McCain’s a number of requested debates… evading public view of McCain-Obama debate by Obama himself selecting only one debate on the date that falls on a holiday which is July 4th when everyone is out vacationing… things like these do not make up an intellectual that has achieved higher if not the highest honor in the academe… not to mention the fact that as an adult he still practiced classroom-type of cheating like he plagiarized his speeches, bribed DNC delegates/superdelegates to seal his nomination, lied to the highest degrees... plus the fact that he as well as his wife had more black professors than whiteys and so on and so forth…And Besides, Obama & his wife were afforded the luxury of 230 points added to their SATs in order for an african-american to get into an Ivy League school. It pretty much points out that they must be too dumb that they need to be given the extra 230 points before they can even take the SAT!!
Posted by: neil1785 | Jun 14, 2008 3:52:01 AM
this election has given upportunity to people whose level of hate has passed a boiling point. i fear what we're becoming.Obama's sucess to some is such a challenge that its bringing out the beast in many.
most of these loosers just find it very difficult that a black man with a humble background can become so sucessful with very little upportunities.i think most of these hate mongerers are more from self pity then anger and finally develop to such hate to a frightening level. it just personal and has little to do with Obama or politics
Posted by: ED | Jun 14, 2008 3:22:01 AM
I could not leave the country with out a official hospital birth Certificate.
Obama is running for the president.
where is his original hospital birth
certificate ????
Posted by: mary jane | Jun 14, 2008 12:33:28 AM
mary jane writes:
"6. Was this a single birth or multiple birth."
Maybe there's a whole litter of them.
Posted by: N. Vitro | Jun 14, 2008 12:22:11 AM
Barack’s campaign is offering up a “CERTIFICATION.” That’s different. A normal Certificate also includes:
1. No attending physician signature or license number
2. No address for the attending physician or hospital
3. No parent signature
4. No parent DOB or age of parent or parent place of birth.
5. Father’s race would not be “African”, that is country of origin. Race would be black or Negro (1960’s)
6. Was this a single birth or multiple birth.
7. No Registrars name or signature.
Posted by: mary jane | Jun 13, 2008 11:55:05 PM
a certificate of birth is not a
birth certificate.
Where is the birth certificate ??
Posted by: james popielarz | Jun 13, 2008 11:13:29 PM
COUNTRY BEFORE PARTY!!!!!
YEAH,
DON'T VOTE REPUBLICAN!!!!!!!!
NO MORE REPUBLICAN LIES.
Posted by: Mis Andryst | Jun 13, 2008 8:51:56 PM
Carolyn, I as an American and lover of freedom of religion both reject and denounce your vitriolic and outright contemptable lies concerning so called black theology. You absolutely and without question DO NOT have a clue about that which you speak. You are sorely mistaken but I do not think so I believe you are of your father the devil. Im not voting for Mr. Obama and if the things that you say were true which they are verifiably not, then no American should vote for any President as they all have been apart of some suspicious organization. Skull and bones, Masons anyone? Please for the sake of the rest of us intelligent minded Americans STOP TYPING, SHUT UP, become ACCURATELY informed and please please if you can avoid it STOP LYING!!!
Posted by: oasis | Jun 13, 2008 8:48:39 PM
"Baracks talk to the nation after he is elected"...................
Baracks Bills -
1. 2006 Transparency bill = expose corrupt lobby $ that lobbyist give to politicians so we the people can either impeach them or not re-elect them.............
2. TECH PLAN = 2007 = http://www.USAspending.gov = expose all government spending so the citzens can see where their tax money goes .................
3. 2008 = SUNSHINE bill = SUNLIGHT FOUNDATION = http://www.sunlightfoundation.com/ = http://www.sunshineweek.org/sunshineweek/candidates = EXPOSE future spending. This is acomplished as Barack and his newly elected cabinet point out to WE THE PEOPLE , negative porkbarrel spending so we the people can rally against a certain senator or congress person or committee to stop it before it goes up for vote or support it if it is good for we the people = honest government finally controlled by WE THE PEOPLE. ..................Who knows maybe one day in the future we won't need politicians as we the people stay involved in what is going on in all 3 branches of government and we use the computer to approve the direction of our country / government. .........................
Barack will be holding weekly / monthly speeches, to WE THE PEOPLE, guiding them as to which negative earmark / porkbarrel spending should be stopped (removed from a future bill) by the people rallying together online before a bill with that earmark goes up for vote!
..................................
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL).............
Obama has outlined an ambitious transparency plan that incorporates technology to "help connect government to its citizens and engage citizens in a democracy."..................
Among the proposals in Obama's plan to open government are: putting government data online in accessible formats; airing live webcasts of agency meetings; restoring scientific integrity; allowing people to track federal grants, contracts, earmarks and lobbyist contacts online; and allowing five days for public to review and comment on legislation online before its signed....................
In an October 2007 speech, Obama pledged to "turn the page on a growing empire of classified information, and restore the balance we've lost between the necessarily secret and the necessity of openness in a democratic society by creating a new National Declassification Center."................
Past is Prologue............
One of Obama's most visible Senate actions on the open government front was his co-sponsorship of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2008 with the launch of USAspending.gov, a Web site that gives people access to information on government contracts, grants and other awards...................
As an Illinois state senator, Obama co-sponsored the Verbatim Record Bill, requiring public agencies to video or audio record closed door meetings, The First Amendment Center reported, noting the law was the first of its kind enacted by any state................
Obama is the only remaining candidate to have signed the Reason Foundation's Oath of Presidential Transparency, and, according to The Washington Post he is the only leading candidate to have released his income tax returns.............
Posted by: Danielle Clarke 50+ white woman | Jun 13, 2008 8:11:22 PM
The libs are destroying our Constitution
They are destroying our rights
Taking away our liberty
Marxism 101
Posted by: spock | Jun 13, 2008 7:59:53 PM
"Out of darkness came the light - Obama 08&12
posted by: My Guidance | Jun 13, 2008 3:17:33 PM
>>>>>>>
Obama IS the darkness!
COUNTRY BEFORE PARTY!!!!
Posted by: EYES WIDE OPEN!!!! | Jun 13, 2008 7:04:36 PM
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