Thursday, June 19, 2008

Obama elitism; Obama rumors

The Nightly Build...

Obama Should Take Up Smoking

Michael Landauer, in The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, refers to an op/ed piece by Tony Horwitz in which Horwitz suggests Obama should take up smoking to win the support the blue-color voters. Landauer asks readers, tongue-in-cheek, what else Obama should do to shed his elitist image.

A reader, "Linda", suggests:

"I've got a wacky, totally off-the-wall idea, but it just might work. Ready? Ok, here it is: the media could start reporting what Obama actually does (like when he showed up in Quincy, IL to fill sandbags) instead of repeating the GOP meme that 'all Democrats are elitist.'"

Another reader, "John R, Sr." asks:

"Isn't it just sick that we are even having this discussion?"
The premise that Obama is elitist goes unquestioned by Michael Landauer. In the coming weeks, maybe we can expect these equally insightful topics-of-the-day from Landauer...

What else should Obama do to shed his racist image?
... his Socialist image?
... his Muslim image?

And, for balance, "John McCain: Straight Talker? Or Straightest Talker?" (that is, if Stephen Colbert doesn't ask it first).


The Truth About Obama

In another The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog item, Michael Landauer reveals that fellow opinion page writer Rodger Jones believes that it's Barack Obama himself who is behind the scurrilous rumors about him. He's planting fake rumors to gain sympathy. Michael Landauer says that's as implausible as the conspiracy theory that the moon landing was faked. For support Rodger Jones cites the decades-old story of Karl Rove planting bugs in his own office, then calling in the press to insinuate they were planted by his political opposition.

Earlier, Michael Landauer suggested Obama should take up smoking. Rodger Jones is already smoking... something. Karl Rove saying he's the victim of bugging by his political opponents is in no way comparable to saying Obama is a secret Muslim terrorist.

My God, I took it as a joke, but now I think it deserves a response. Does Rodger Jones think the moon landing was faked?

I'm reminded of Rodger Jones' reaction to the deaths of Rufus Shaw and Lynn Flint Shaw. Before the bodies were even identified, while all other bloggers were expressing shock and condolences, Rodger Jones was spreading wild speculation that maybe "she [was] going to implicate him in the fraud case that the DA was bringing against her."

Shameful, just like this totally unfounded smear that maybe Obama himself is responsible for the smears about him. If you want to investigate such a hypothesis, fine, but keep it to yourself until you have the least bit of evidence.

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