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'Barack Osama' Printed on Hundreds of NY Absentee Ballots
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ShareOctober 10, 2008 5:16 PM
ABC News' Julia Hoppock reports: Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's last name was spelled "Osama" on three hundred absentee ballots mailed out this week in Rensselaer County, New York.
First reported in the TimesUnion.com, election officials in Rensselaer County say the misspelling is merely a typo.
The Democratic and Republican County Board of Election chairs, Edward McDonough and Larry Bugbee, said that "the error was not deliberate" in a joint statement issued Friday.
"In preparation of absentee ballots for the November 4th General Election, a typographical error was made in the name of one of the candidates. The error was included on only 300 out of more than 4000 absentee ballots that will be mailed out this month. The Board of Elections acted quickly to correct the typographical error and regrets the error."
Bugbee told the TimesUnion.com that despite having three different staff members look over the ballot, "somehow the typo got by us."
McDonough reiterated that the misspelling was nothing more than a mistake. "No question this is an honest mistake innocently done,'' McDonough told the TimesUnion.com ''We catch almost everything.''
The sensitive misspelling comes at a time when the McCain-Palin campaign has intensified attacks on Obama's character, emphasizing his ties to 1960s radical William Ayres.
"I don't care about two washed-up old terrorists that are unrepentant about trying to destroy America. But I do care, and Americans should care, about his relationship with him and whether he's being truthful and candid about," Sen. John McCain said of Obama and Ayers in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson on Thursday.
Vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin also has questioned Obama's trustworthiness. In several recent campaign rallies the governor accused Obama of "palling around with terrorists."
And as the Republican ticket has ramped up the rhetoric, some of McCain and Palin's supporters have become increasingly hostile towards Obama. At a rally on Monday in Clearwater, one man shouted "Kill him," according to the Washington Post, after Palin mentioned Obama's association to Ayres.
When McCain asked a crowd in Albuquerque, New Mexico this week, "Who is the real Barack Obama?" someone in the crowd yelled "A terrorist."
Election Officials in Rensselaer County—which is split almost evenly among Democrats and Republicans—said in a statement they have acted quickly to correct the error.
The Obama campaign said they were glad county officials were fixing the misspelling. "We're glad officials are working to correct this error and we assume it won't happen again," said Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
ABC News' Lindsey Ellerson and Sunlen Miller contributed to this report.
October 10, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (547)
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For you die-hard supporters for His Nothingness. The market crash is a vivid warning of what you will see under a Zero-bama administration.
Zero-bama pushed hard to pass a so-called economic stimulus program, basically giving some of you up to $700 bucks, to "save" the economy. On the contrary, HRC wanted a targeted economic plan aimed at banking and mortgage crisis - this was 12 months ago! Yet, the Congress, headed by his House Mommy and Senate Daddy wanting to show their support and to pick an Affirmative Action candi, went along, ignoring the real crisis and a viable solution at that time, again 1 freeking year ago.
Now, this $700 did nothing, as characteristic to His Nothingness, to the economy; actually it led to the down-slide of more than 40%!!!! in the market. On top of this, this phony still wants to give you $1000 to (1) buy your vote if you vote for him, and (2) boost and rescue the economy if you elect him.
This is a serious judgment problem. Has he really ever made a good judgment call when he has the responsibility of doing something????
Are you blind supporters really as moronic as this phony is!
Posted by: d0 | Oct 10, 2008 5:21:26 PM
Mccain voted yes to the bailout too! You need to be mad at both candidates!
Posted by: votes count | Oct 10, 2008 5:28:58 PM
And honest mistake obviously!
Posted by: hmn | Oct 10, 2008 5:30:30 PM
THREE staff members looked over the ballots and ALL missed the typo? That's pretty sad. I'm glad at least, they got the B in Ballot correct.
Posted by: arugulaNewYork | Oct 10, 2008 5:31:28 PM
Surely Obama can weather a little storm like a misspelled name. Heck, isn't it this kind of thing that ACORN buffers against? All it takes is a dozen of those people who are registered 25 or 50 times to more or less ofset the spelling error. Problem solved, Obama.
Posted by: Mary S Saphr | Oct 10, 2008 5:31:52 PM
I live in Rensselaer County, NY and it's no surprise this happened. The county government manages to screw up everything time and again!
Posted by: Jackie | Oct 10, 2008 5:33:41 PM
it will take a few weeks for the bailout rescue to start working, right now no checks have been cut, but once they are, the credit markets should slowly start to untangle
Posted by: Bhrandon | Oct 10, 2008 5:34:07 PM
I'm not buying this one as easily as some of you.
Posted by: Susan | Oct 10, 2008 5:34:17 PM
This was not an honest mistake; this was intentional. We are not morons. I'm definitely voting Obama. How crazy do they think we are.
Posted by: Liz | Oct 10, 2008 5:35:48 PM
"Are you blind supporters really as moronic as this phony is!"....Were you looking in the mirror at yourself when you asked this question?
Posted by: Mark | Oct 10, 2008 5:37:39 PM
Freudian slip?
Posted by: samhiguchi | Oct 10, 2008 5:37:44 PM
it is a sign from God ... nobama nosama!
Posted by: Cassandra Washington | Oct 10, 2008 5:37:58 PM
Serious judgement problem? Are you kidding me? Explain Lipstick Palin. If you think Obama is responsible for all the ills in this country, then you are an ignorant tool who has been brainwashed by the dolts at Fox Noise.
How do explain the last 8 years with the majority controlling the house and senate. Republicans! You are the one that is blind. You would rather have a doddering old fool who has done NOTHING for this country in his 26 years in the senate, win the presidency. WOW! He can't even keep his dementia under control anymore. He is a lying sack of crap and so is his genius of a wife, VP choice and her genius of a husband. OBAMA '08
Posted by: John McCain is a liar. | Oct 10, 2008 5:38:16 PM
I wonder what would have happened if things went the way they were the only president that screwed the whole world. what a legacy Bush is leaving for the world to remember him by. Deregulation,shipping jobs to China, a war noone wanted debt up to and past the eye brows. four more years of the republican pundits and we can kiss are butts goodby.
Posted by: Rose Szymanskir | Oct 10, 2008 5:38:18 PM
This is no more an honest error than is the spamming of macroed tripe throughout every blog post on the site. More Rovian dirty tricks. Stay tuned!
Posted by: Yukon Sam | Oct 10, 2008 5:38:24 PM
S and B are far apart on the keyboard.I doubt it was a mistake; more like "vote tampering " a crime under most interpretations of the law, but not under the George Hitler Bush Administration. They stole one election, why not do it again.
Posted by: dcitizen | Oct 10, 2008 5:38:44 PM
Unintentional?
MKKKain.
Posted by: Greg | Oct 10, 2008 5:39:17 PM
Jackie,
It shows your judgment to vote in such a moronic county government, as you do now for Zero-bama.
Posted by: d0 | Oct 10, 2008 5:39:32 PM
dO -I think the "blind fear" of this intelligent, articulate man is incredible. The fact that some people would rather have "Joe (Sarah) six pack" in the White House speaks volumes of their thought level. The trash talk from them and their dangerous stirring up of simple minded people is appalling.
Posted by: disgusted | Oct 10, 2008 5:40:50 PM
the "S" key is nowhere near the "B" key
Posted by: rry | Oct 10, 2008 5:41:00 PM
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