April 09, 2007
RNC To Blast Obama As "Fabricator"
Barack Obama will guest on CBS' "The Late Show With David Letterman" tonight. He "shares the star billing" with actress Halle Berry (Sweet, Chicago Sun-Times, 4/9).
The RNC will blast e-mail "Obama's Top Ten Fabrications" to the press later today. (We'll add that these are "alleged" fabrications, and some of them are... a bit of a stretch.)
They include: "#6: Obama's Campaign Only Had 'Very Attenuated' Ties To The 1984 Ad Creator"
#10: Obama Was A Constitutional Law Professor
Even: "#8: Obama Was Fluent In Indonesian As A Child"
The full release, after the jump. This might be the first RNC e-mail the Clinton campaign will applaud and file away.
Responds Obama comm. dir. Bill Burton: "If the Republican Party would like for this race to come down to Obama’s vision versus how fast Obama picked up Indonesian as a child, I like our chances. It’s probably disappointing to their supporters but I myself very much enjoy how they’re spending their time over there."
April 9, 2007
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OBAMA’S TOP TEN FABRICATIONS
Some Suggestions For David Letterman’s Top
Ten List Tonight As Obama Drops By The Late Show
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#10: Obama Was A Constitutional Law Professor:
At A Recent Fundraiser, Obama Claimed He Was A “Constitutional Law Professor.” “‘I was a constitutional law professor, which means unlike the current president I actually respect the Constitution,’ Obama told an audience at a campaign fundraiser.” (Brendan Farrington, “Obama: Bush Fails To Respect The Constitution,” The Associated Press, 3/30/07)
On The University Of Chicago Law School Website, Obama Is Listed As A “Senior Lecturer In Law (On Leave Of Absence).” (University Of Chicago Law School Website, http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama, Accessed 3/30/07)
Obama Made This False Claim In His 2004 Senate Race. “Several direct-mail pieces issued for Obama's primary [Senate] campaign said he was a law professor at the University of Chicago. He is not. He is a senior lecturer (now on leave) at the school. In academia, there is a vast difference between the two titles. Details matter.” (Lynn Sweet, “Obama's Book: What's Real, What's Not” Chicago Sun-Times, 8/8/04)
#9: Obama’s Parents “Got Together” Because Of The 1965 Selma March:
In His Selma Speech, Obama Said His Parents “Got Together” And He Was Born As A Result Of The Selma March. Obama: “Because some folks were willing to march across a bridge. So they got together and Barack Obama, Jr. was born. So don’t tell me I don’t have a claim on Selma, Alabama.” (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks At Brown Chapel AME Church, Selma, AL, 3/4/07)
“Earlier In The Day At A Prayer Breakfast, The Illinois Democrat Said: ‘If It Hadn't Been For Selma, I Wouldn’t Be Here.’” (Anne E. Kornblut and Peter Whoriskey, “Clinton, Obama Link Selma March To Present,” The Washington Post, 3/5/07)
But Obama Was Born In 1961, 4 YEARS BEFORE The 1965 Selma March. “Barack Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4th, 1961.” (Obama For America Website, www.barackobama.com, Accessed 3/6/07; Anne E. Kornblut and Peter Whoriskey, “Clinton, Obama Link Selma March To Present,” The Washington Post, 3/5/07)
#8: Obama Was Fluent In Indonesian As A Child:
Obama’s Claim That He Quickly Became Fluent In Indonesian As A Child Was Disputed By A Former Teacher. “Obama has claimed on numerous occasions to have become fluent in Indonesian in six months. Yet those who knew him disputed that during recent interviews. Israella Pareira Darmawan, Obama's 1st-grade teacher, said she attempted to help him learn the Indonesian language by going over pronunciation and vowel sounds. He struggled greatly with the foreign language, she said, and with his studies as a result.” (Kirsten Scharnberg and Kim Barker, “The Not-So-Simple Story Of Barack Obama's Youth,” Chicago Tribune, 3/25/07)
#7: Obama Mistakenly Received A Letter From A Company In Which He Owned Stock:
“Obama Said At Some Point In Fall 2005 He Got A Stockholder Letter. He Said He Believes It Was From AVI Or Skyterra, But He Couldn't Remember Which Company.” (Nedra Pickler, “Obama Unaware Of Investment Conflicts,” The Associated Press, 3/7/07)
According To SEC Records, SkyTerra Did Not Send Investors Its SEC Proxy Forms In Fall 2005. “The origin of the shareholder update Obama referred to remains unclear. SkyTerra, like many public companies, sends investors copies of its Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proxy forms, also known as 14As, but none were issued during the fall of 2005, according to SEC records.” (Elana Schor, “2008 And Counting: Sen. Obama Pivots After Bad Press,” The Hill, 3/8/07)
AVI Investor-Relations Director: “It Doesn’t Sound Like Anything We Would Have Sent Out.” “AVI generally sends mailings to shareholders or institutional investors that proactively request them or sign up for e-mail lists, said Michael Hubbard, AVI’s investor-relations director. ‘It doesn’t sound like anything we would have sent out,’ Hubbard said.” (Elana Schor, “2008 And Counting: Sen. Obama Pivots After Bad Press,” The Hill, 3/8/07)
#6: Obama’s Campaign Only Had “Very Attenuated” Ties To The “1984” Ad Creator:
Obama Suggested That “1984” Ad Creator Phil De Vellis Was The Equivalent Of A Contract Employee And Therefore Could Not Be Held Responsible For His Conduct. “Thursday, Obama said of de Vellis that his campaign had no way of knowing who this person was.’ ‘If I have a phone contract with Verizon and an employee of a phone company does something that you know … we're not responsible for that,’ Obama said.” (Jake Tapper and Jonathan Greenberger, “Anti-Clinton Ad Maker Lived With Obama Senate Staffer,” ABC News, 3/23/07)
De Vellis Is An Employee Of Blue State Digital, A Computer Firm Consulting For Obama. “Obama's campaign says it had no role in creating or posting the ad. But Wednesday, Democratic operative Philip de Vellis took credit for the ad. It turned out that he worked for Blue State Digital, a computer firm that is among Obama's consultants.” (Dan Morain, “Ad Creator Claimed Role In Obama Campaign,” Los Angeles Times, 3/23/07)
Joe Rospars, A Co-Founder Of Blue State Digital, Is Now Obama’s Director Of New Media. “Blue State helped design Obama's Web site, and one of the firm's founding members, Joe Rospars, took a leave from the company to work as Obama's director of new media.” (Jim Kuhnhenn, “Anti-Clinton Ad Puts Spotlight On Obama,” The Associated Press, 3/23/07)
“On Thursday, An Earlier E-Mail Surfaced In Which De Vellis Boasted To Numerous People About His Role In The Creation Of A Web Page, My.BarackObama. Com, A Site Designed By Blue State Digital.” (Dan Morain, “Ad Creator Claimed Role In Obama Campaign,” Los Angeles Times, 3/23/07)
Obama’s Press Secretary Recently Lived With De Vellis, Undermining Obama’s Previous Statements That His Campaign Had Only “Very Attenuated” Ties. “The press secretary for Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., recently lived with the creator of the scathingly satirical YouTube video ad that attacked Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., a revelation that seems to undermine the senator's claim that he and his campaign had only ‘very attenuated’ ties with the ad's creator.” (Jake Tapper and Jonathan Greenberger, “Anti-Clinton Ad Maker Lived With Obama Senate Staffer,” ABC News, 3/23/07)
#5: Obama’s Campaign Didn’t Have The “Technical Capacity” To Produce The “1984” Ad:
Obama Claims Campaign Didn’t Have The “Technical Capacity” To Create The Ad. Obama: “But it's not something that we had anything to do with or were aware of and that frankly, given what it looks like, we don't have the technical capacity to create something like that.” (CNN’s “Larry King Live,” 3/24/07)
But The Creator Admitted All It Took Was A “Sunday Afternoon” On His Mac. Phillip de Vellis: “I made the ad on a Sunday afternoon in my apartment using my personal equipment (a Mac and some software), uploaded it to YouTube, and sent links around to blogs.” (The Huffington Post, “I Made the "Vote Different" Ad,” Posted By Phil De Vellis, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/phil-de-vellis-aka-parkridge/i-made-the-vote-differen_b_43989.html, Posted 3/21/07 )
#4: Obama’s Campaign Claimed His High School Friend Tried To Extort Money From Them:
“According To The Obama Campaign, [Obama’s Punahou Classmate Keith] Kakugawa Explicitly Raised The Possibility That He Could Make Up False Stories About Obama, Implying He Would Do So If The Campaign Did Not Give Him Money.” (Maurice Possley, Kirsten Scharnberg and Ray Gibson, “An Old Friend's Troublesome Return,” Chicago Tribune, 3/25/07)
Kakugawa Was “Infuriated” By The Charge And Flatly Denied It. “That allegation infuriated Kakugawa, prompting him to speak to the Tribune after repeatedly refusing to do so. ‘You must understand, I am not an extortionist,’ he said in a telephone interview from Los Angeles, where he is living out of a car with an acquaintance after being released from a California prison on March 10. ‘Listen, I'm homeless. ... I ask everyone I know for money.’” (Maurice Possley, et al, “An Old Friend's Troublesome Return,” Chicago Tribune, 3/25/07)
“Kakugawa Wouldn't Discuss His School Days With Obama Other Than To Say He Considered The Senator ‘A Brother’ And ‘Wouldn't Do A Damn Thing To Ever Hurt His Campaign.’” (Maurice Possley, et al, “An Old Friend's Troublesome Return,” Chicago Tribune, 3/25/07)
#3: Obama Places Himself In The Central Role In The Altgeld Gardens Asbestos Campaign:
Obama “Unfairly Omits Others Responsible For The Successes Of The Asbestos Campaign.” “And though most memoirs place their authors at the center of events, critics of Dreams From My Father say the book unfairly omits others responsible for the successes of the asbestos campaign, an event that Obama portrays as central to his maturation as a political leader.” (Peter Wallsten, “Obama Memoir Left Out Credits For Activism, Critics Say,” Los Angeles Times, 2/19/07)
“Obama Did Not Play The Singular Role In The Asbestos Episode.” “They say Obama did not play the singular role in the asbestos episode that he portrays in the best-selling memoir ‘Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.’ Credit for pushing officials to deal with the cancer-causing substance, according to interviews and news accounts from that period, also goes to a well-known preexisting group at Altgeld Gardens and to a local newspaper called the Chicago Reporter. Obama does not mention either one in his book.” (Peter Wallsten, “Obama Memoir Left Out Credits For Activism, Critics Say,” Los Angeles Times, 2/19/07)
#2: Obama Had Heated Discussions With A High School Friend Named “Ray” About Racial Issues:
Although Obama Recounts “Heated Conversations About Racism” With A Character He Calls “Ray,” The Real “Ray” Says It Never Happened. “In his best-selling autobiography, ‘Dreams from My Father,’ Obama describes having heated conversations about racism with another black student, ‘Ray.’ The real Ray, Keith Kakugawa . . . said he does recall long, soulful talks with the young Obama and that his friend confided his longing and loneliness. But those talks, Kakugawa said, were not about race. ‘Not even close’ . . .” (Kirsten Scharnberg and Kim Barker, “The Not-So-Simple Story Of Barack Obama's Youth,” Chicago Tribune, 3/25/07)
Obama Did Not Participate In Discussions On Race With His Fellow Black Classmates In High School. “The handful of black students who attended Punahou School in Hawaii, for instance, say they struggled mightily with issues of race and racism there. But absent from those discussions, they say, was another student then known as Barry Obama.” (Kirsten Scharnberg and Kim Barker, “The Not-So-Simple Story Of Barack Obama's Youth,” Chicago Tribune, 3/25/07)
#1: Seeing A Photograph In Life Or Ebony Magazine Changed Obama’s Life:
The Life Magazine Article And Photograph Obama Discusses “Doesn’t Exist.” “Then there's the copy of Life magazine that Obama presents as his racial awakening at age 9. In it, he wrote, was an article and two accompanying photographs of an African-American man physically and mentally scarred by his efforts to lighten his skin. In fact, the Life article and the photographs don't exist, say the magazine's own historians.” (Kirsten Scharnberg and Kim Barker, “The Not-So-Simple Story Of Barack Obama's Youth,” Chicago Tribune, 3/25/07)
Obama Volunteered It May Have Been Ebony Magazine, But No Such Ebony Article Matched Obama’s Description. “When asked about the discrepancy, Obama said in a recent interview, ‘It might have been an Ebony or it might have been ... who knows what it was?’ (At the request of the Tribune, archivists at Ebony searched their catalogue of past articles, none of which matched what Obama recalled.)” (Kirsten Scharnberg and Kim Barker, “The Not-So-Simple Story Of Barack Obama's Youth,” Chicago Tribune, 3/25/07)
Posted at 11:34 AM
Comments
Kind of funny that the Republicans attack Obama for supposedly making up a story about a classmate bribing Obama so he would not make up attack stories.
james | 04.09.07 12:15 PM
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Hahahaha, you made me spill my coffee.
The RNC talking about fabrication is like an elephant talking about how big an ant is.
Multiple-choice Romney, Kerik-adulterer Giuliani, Baghdad-is like-Bel-air McCain, Serial adulterer and hypocrite GIngrich, my girfriend-is-20 yrs-younger than me Fred Thompson.
Where are the master fabricators Karl Rove and talking doll Ken Mehlman when you need them?
hahahaha.
Steve P. | 04.09.07 12:33 PM
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Oh my:
Hey RNC, when are you going to release your emails to the senate and house judiciary committees? Justice rings at your door.
Spokane_martha | 04.09.07 12:43 PM
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I don't get it? Are they scared of the junior Senator from Illinois. They don't actually think he is going to win the nomination do they. Nah....
Lorraine | 04.09.07 12:43 PM
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Obama spooks the crap out them.
They attack him, and the GOP loses further support among African-Americans, Latinos and other minorities. And these rehashed-to-death faux attacks on Obama are just hillarious.
The GOP is on a slow-bleed death course.
AZDem | 04.09.07 12:51 PM
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I had my suspicions before but its confirmed now. The RNC and GOPers fear Obama the most. Witness this juvenile press piece on Obama. They really are in deep trouble if this is the best they got on Obama. So silly.
Jake | 04.09.07 01:04 PM
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If you are going to attack someone, at least do it with something that has some meat on the bones. If I was at the RNC, none of these things would have made it into a press release. This is high school English class level research and most of these points aren't even logically coherent.
John | 04.09.07 01:09 PM
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One word for this pseudo stupid press piece: ROTFLMAO
topster | 04.09.07 01:14 PM
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methinks the rnc needs a lollipop. kids running the joint over there.
iceman | 04.09.07 01:20 PM
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What a lot of hooey. Does anyone have anything of substance to say that is bad about Obama? I haven't heard anything substantial. This is all a dredging up of old news that's boring, as far as I'm concerned. The man seems like a good candidate to me, all in all, pretty sharp and with a good handle on the issues. Although I'm not in 100% agreement with all of his views, I think he'd make a good president. This "fabrication" stuff is just a lot of noise that distracts from the real issues.
jge | 04.09.07 01:38 PM
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Seriously, I don't think this press release or whatever you want to call it is even worthy of the ink or pixels its carried on. It's so dumb on many levels.
Jennifer Harrison | 04.09.07 01:45 PM
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Guys, beware of RNC, they do have credibility on this issue! This is the same gang led by Bush which pushed our nation into a war that was totally based on lies and fabrications. They lied to put our young sons and daughters in a meat grinder.
Matthew | 04.09.07 01:50 PM
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And Bill Richardson was drafted by the Kansas City As. Whatever. We all exaggerate the stories of our youth. Much like Bill Clinton's ability to tell stories, at least Obama does it to make a more powerful example. People like Obama because of his stories, the way he talks. I don't need to know that he learned Indonesian quickly as a child, or didn't, to know he's an intelligent man. But it makes the point better if he tells it that way.
Dennis | 04.09.07 02:02 PM
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You read this list and you think...that's it? That's the best the RNC can do?
rashomon | 04.09.07 02:14 PM
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Top 10 GOP lies:
1-Bush is smarter than my cat
2-Bush is a "godsend"
3-Baghdad is a great town to live in
4-The Iraq war is being fought for "freedom"
5-The "war on terror" is being won
6-We "need victory in Iraq"
7-The Iraq war has nothing to do with religion
8-Pro-life, but in favor of capital punishmentand child porn
9-Obama is inexperienced
10-Giuliani is a great guy
joseph pierre | 04.09.07 02:30 PM
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I'm a political junkie & I couldn't even make it through that without yawning.
The RNC Research Dept. better step it up if that is the best they can do against Obama.
Chris Harris | 04.09.07 02:41 PM
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This RNC list is weak and totally unnecessary. Hillary's campaign will do far more damage to Obama than the Republicans ever could!
IL Rocks! | 04.09.07 04:14 PM
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i don't see how anyone could call the accusations insignificant in our political climate (though of course they aren't news as its all been published already). Obama's appeal isn't based around anything that he has done as a politician, its based on his personal appeal that began for many people with his book or convention speech, and has continued for his claims that he's above politics as usual. As such, it's pretty harmful if people start to get the idea that the book was a less-than-truthful political ploy, and that obama is just another politician.
dvg | 04.09.07 05:09 PM
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This is hilarious. Obama is by FAR the most honorable candidate in the field from either side right now, even if all these assertions were true. How about the fact that Hillary KNEW full well that Iraq was no threat and voted for this idiotic war so she could appear capable of being "tough - when it matters". Obama is the very personification of the American dream and this garbage won't change anyones mind. It only serves to show just how utterly panicked the RNC is over an Obama candidacy.
Thomas R. Brown | 04.09.07 05:56 PM
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Wow, thats where our politic is going? God help us
Pierre | 04.09.07 06:26 PM
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sniff sniff...I smell desperation
Fulch | 04.09.07 06:38 PM
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If this is the best they can do, the RNC is slipping. They've invented far better lies in the past. Sooner or later we'll hear from the Obama Class Mates For Truth.
As for Lie #1, it appears to be true that the article Obama mentioned did not appear in Life. It turns out that similar features appeared in both Time and Look. I guess everyone will have to decide for themselves if they can vote for a man who would confuse Time and Life magazines. Then they can consider a President who confused Iraq for the people behind the 9/11 attack and went to war against the wrong country.
Ron Chusid | 04.09.07 07:40 PM
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Obama was a professor. The term professor is simply a polite form of address for any teacher, lecturer, or researcher employed by a college or university.
reggie | 04.09.07 11:40 PM
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The RNC know's they would kill Obama in the general so they attack him now so that dems will rally behind him. They've done this before in OH.
mountain man | 04.10.07 01:02 AM
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The inbreeding of a couple generations must have affected the mental capacity of this latest generation of Atwater/ Rovians. I'd judge that the current RNC Research Department has been dumbed down pretty fully to put out this list of meatless innuendos. Is the RNC being staffed with wet-behind-the-ears cronys' kids like were sent to Iraq in the Bremer fiasco days?
Donna | 04.10.07 07:47 AM
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Too funny. Suddenly Republicans are all about the "nuance", at the same time they are unable to recognize metaphor. I think everybody got that Selma represented the kind of energy that allowed Obama's parents to get together, not that they met while walking across the bridge. Two of their items depend on the credibility of a homeless man. That's good! Republicans supporting the homeless, defending their credibility! I never thought I'd live to see that day.... Not that W. ever knew anyone with a chance of becoming homeless, but if he did they'd attack the guy mercilessly, scoffing at the notion of a homeless man with credibility, implying that's he probably on drugs and can't be trusted. Obama can't remember exactly *which* magazine had the photo that moved him so. Maybe as a 9 year old he was more focused on the photo than committing to memory which magazine ran it so that three decades later when he ran for President he could be 100% historically accurate. Oh no wait, he must have made the whole thing up. The RNC is funny, pathetic, and desperate, all at the same time. Keep em coming, RNC. You guys are hiliarious. This is definitely better than Dave's Top Ten... Time to order some more straw men!
Keith | 04.10.07 11:54 AM
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Obama is all about being nothing but false. He is not even in the White House and he is feeding us BULL!
Rich | 04.10.07 02:39 PM
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Good job, RNC. Great use of your time.
It's not like there's a war on or anything.
Joe | 04.10.07 07:25 PM
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DID YOU KNOW:
In 1997 Barack Obama told the Chicago Tribune his favorite breakfast was Special K and toast, but in 2003 he claimed to favor a halved grapefruit.
WHICH IS IT, SENATOR?
Brendan | 04.10.07 08:27 PM
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You should see what the liberal blogers are writing about him. They are accusing him of lying about his voting record and of pulling dirty tricks to disqualify his opponents in elections. Check out http://politicallyingliars.blogspot.com
Anne | 04.11.07 04:38 PM
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Wow I am stunned by so much flippant disregard for honesty in these posts. 1st off it's a logical fallacy to defend Obama's lies by pointing your fingers at Republican liers - a lie is a lie, and because the opposition does it doesn't justify Obama lying. 2ndly, these lies portray him as something he is not - a deep, thoughtful individual. Any actively thinking reader or listener will realize that Obama is full of sweet sounding bullcrap. The only thing that distinguishes him as different from other politicians is his appearance, the substance is the same. Google "obama and lobbyists" and feast your eyes on Obama's most offensive lies. He really takes American voters for idiots, and unfortunately this is the only thing I can agree with based upon how many people have blindly offered their support to him upon his empty promise of change.
shook12 | 01.10.08 09:58 PM
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You can get a good feel for the multi-ethnic school Obama attended by checking out the best-selling novel PUNAHOU BLUES.
Some of the more interesting chapters are "Killahaole Day," (where white students, who are in the minority, get pummeled the last day of school!) "Bad Boys," and "The Drug Club." You also get a good feel for the pressure the kids were under, especially navigating the tricky waters of interracial dating.
Nikki Wilkinson | 02.03.08 04:07 PM
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You can get a good feel for the multi-ethnic school Obama attended by checking out the best-selling novel PUNAHOU BLUES.
Some of the more interesting chapters are "Killahaole Day," (where white students, who are in the minority, get pummeled the last day of school!) "Bad Boys," and "The Drug Club." You also get a good feel for the pressure the kids were under, especially navigating the tricky waters of interracial dating.
Nikki Wilkinson | 02.03.08 04:08 PM
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Seems the Repubs were right.
reality | 02.13.08 01:25 AM
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You are all right.
Barack Obama's father was flown to America form Kenya on Scholarship....
WHAT A LIAR, you are all in denial I hope the RNC ruins your Jesus for the rest of his political life, you people are probably the same wack jobs that voted for bush in 2000.... you probably think Barack was against the war and did not vote.... he had no vote, he was not a senator and had no security clearance... he is a fraud and you all just lost the democratic chance at the white house....
Thank you for your lack of common sense.
donaldstefano | 04.03.08 01:32 AM
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It is extremently scary that so many people don't care when candidate lie over and over. Bill Clinton was the master of it, his wife is not nearly as good at it as he is but does it all the time. If a person can't tell the truth about his childhood, then how can you possibley believe anything he has to say, regardless of what you politacal stances are.
Jerry | 05.07.08 09:48 AM
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The president is an employee of the people. If one of my employees lied to me they would get the boot. Literally.
Scott | 05.15.08 07:25 PM
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Does Obama REALLY think he can win Florida with his proposed 25% capital gains tax?? Most Floridians are retired and living on fixed incomes derived from dividends and investments. We now live off the fruits of our labor - Our invested savings. The majority of Florida retirees are NOT rich and can barely pay for escalating health insurance costs, food, gas, medicines, and housing taxes; and that's with the current 15% tax. We conservative investors just took more than a 50% haircut on our income with the drop in interest rates and market values. Obama will put many of Florida's senior citizens out of their homes and on food stamps, if they can get them. I personally, scrape to get by; cannot afford to go to a doctor; and live at a borderline poverty level. We definitely need change, but at what cost to America's senior citizens. We need a president who represents the MAJORITY of our citizens. Senior citizens do count. Hope does not put a roof over our heads or food in our stomachs. Our vote will confirm that in November. Barack Obama had better revise his tax schedule or he will lose in the State of Florida.
Sonya | 08.03.08 10:02 PM
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