Justice Kennedy rejects 2 more challenges to Obama

Cue the crazy talk. Honestly, this is one of those situations when you wonder what sort of change these loons could make if they used their energy for good, not stupid.

WASHINGTON – Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has rejected two more efforts to get the court to consider whether President-elect Barack Obama is eligible to take office.

Kennedy on Wednesday denied without comment an appeal by Philip J. Berg, a Pennsylvania attorney, that claims Obama is either a citizen of Kenya or Indonesia and is ineligible to be president because he is not a "natural-born citizen" of the U.S. as required by the Constitution. Another appeal from California, based on Berg's claims, also was denied.

Individual justices and the entire court have turned down emergency appeals over Obama's eligibility at least seven times in the past six weeks.

Obama birth certificate lawsuit dismissed

May I just point out that Republican Governor Lingle was an enthusiastic supporter of John McCain?

A Circuit Court judge has dismissed Internet author Andy Martin's lawsuit seeking to obtain a copy of President-elect Barack Obama's Hawai'i birth certificate.

Judge Bert Ayabe upheld arguments from Gov. Linda Lingle's administration that Martin — a political opponent of Obama — had no standing under state law to obtain a copy of the document.

The decision, issued late Wednesday, first denied Martin's "emergency motion" for production of the birth certificate.

Andy Martin is a lying scumbag.

Morris and Hannity Promote Discredited Smear That Obama Won't Get Security Clearance

What will they talk about tomorrow? Via Newshounds.

On last night's Hannity & Colmes (11/3/08) Dick Morris and Sean Hannity put forth as fact the smears found in a recent chain email that alleges Barack Obama would not be eligible to be hired by the FBI because his “association” with William Ayers would make him ineligible for security clearance. Politifact.com, which fact checks many of the claims and attacks being made in the 2008 campaign, has ruled that charge completely false. In fact, one of the three national security experts Politifact interviewed said that Obama's background would make him an excellent candidate.

Whatever You Do, Do NOT Miss This

Holy jeebus on a cracker with whipped crundymudgeon sprinkles.

Good lord, one quick google shows they aren't even trying. The GANDY BAUGH they mention was on the supposed Clinton "Death List" back in '98.

Barack-Iraq-Gate: Anatomy of a Media Smear

By Paddy



It's getting to the point where my day can't get started unless I have a Jed Report video.

Black Conservative Group Rips Obama

By Paddy


Oooookay. Wow, these guys are nutsy kookoo. Makes you wonder where they get their cash. I popped by the site to see what's what, and it's pretty much a lame link site. The majority of the links go to the usual anti-Obama suspects. The pic is from the website. Always good to start out your campaign with a lie.

Radio Ads Call Democratic Candidate A Racist And An Elitist

From the black conservatives who brought you radio ads two years ago claiming that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Republican come the new summer blockbusters: ads calling Sen. Barack Obama a racist and an elitist.

King, of course, was an independent, not a Republican -- but that didn't stop the National Black Republican Association (NBRA) from airing their claim on urban radio. Now spots entitled "Arrogant Obama" and "Bitter Obama" are coming to radio stations serving black America, where more than 90 percent of voters supported Obama in Democratic primaries. The NBRA ads will begin airing July 7 in battleground states, according to the group's chair.

(snip)

Here's a sample of what you might hear on your radio: "Bitter is what Obama called blacks and whites who love God. Racist is what Obama called his white grandmother who raised him and made sacrifices so Obama could get a good education and become a millionaire," says the narrator one of the spots.

"Obama's mentor for 20-years was Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who said innocent Americans deserved to die on September 11th," says the voiceover in another.

(snip)

The NBRA is led by Frances Rice of Sarasota, Fla., a former Army officer and avowed conservative. Her tactics have led other black Republicans to quit the organization. Christopher Arps, a former spokesman, left the group after disagreeing with Rice about strategy.

GOP To Launch TV Ad Blitz Against Obama

By Paddy



Go ahead, spend your money RNC, Obama will just outspend you.

Beginning this weekend, the Republican National Committee will launch a $3 million advertising blitz against Obama in the battleground states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

This first ad will be on the topic on energy security, and it will contrast McCain's and Obama's positions on the issue. The actual content of the ad, however, has yet to be released.

The vendor of this new ad against Obama -- GOP ad-maker Brad Todd -- has issued this statement: "Following Barack Obama's decision to become the only major party presidential candidate in history to not adhere to campaign spending caps, the Republican National Committee has begun an independent expenditure campaign in accordance with FEC regulations. The RNC will first advertise this weekend in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, highlighting the issue of energy security, which is emerging as a defining difference in the race for president."

(snip)

An important (yet inside-baseball) note: While the RNC is paying for this advertising blitz, it is coming from its independent expenditure unit. What that means is that the RNC has nothing to do with the ad's message or content; a vendor -- in this case, Brad Todd -- is responsible for that.

This, in fact, was an issue in that infamous RNC "Call me" TV ad against Harold Ford Jr. in Tennessee in 2006. It was an ad paid for by the RNC, but they were able to deny --legitimately -- that they had anything to do with the message. Both political parties utilize independent expenditure TV ads.

So expect it to get very dirty.

False Obama Rumors Fly In Flag City USA

By Paddy


I got nothing so go read this. Keep in mind that Findlay is about 2 hours east of me.

...On the television in his living room, Peterman has watched enough news and campaign advertisements to hear the truth: Sen. Barack Obama, born in Hawaii, is a Christian family man with a track record of public service. But on the Internet, in his grocery store, at his neighbor's house, at his son's auto shop, Peterman has also absorbed another version of the Democratic candidate's background, one that is entirely false: Barack Obama, born in Africa, is a possibly gay Muslim racist who refuses to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

"It's like you're hearing about two different men with nothing in common," Peterman said. "It makes it impossible to figure out what's true, or what you can believe."

Here in Findlay, a Rust Belt town of 40,000, false rumors about Obama have built enough word-of-mouth credibility to harden into an alternative biography. Born on the Internet, the rumors now meander freely across the flatlands of northwest Ohio -- through bars and baseball fields, retirement homes and restaurants.

Lack of funds hobbling the 'Republican attack machine'

By Paddy


Devastated I tell ya!!! My guess would be they'll find the money in well enough time. The whole thing is good (go read) but this is my favorite part-

"The nervousness they're feeling is about what they can say and do," Ritsch said. "The FEC found the Swift Boat activity to be illegal, saying you cannot be so specific about supporting or opposing candidates if you're taking unlimited money. It has to be about issues. The question now is to what extent can they mention candidates?"

Another reason is fear of a backlash. Some contributors — or nonpolitical clients of a firm that manages a 527 group — might not want to be associated with attacks that could backfire.

Finally, many contributors are wary about bankrolling a high-profile campaign to help McCain, who's long criticized unregulated money in politics.

"Why stick your neck out for him?" said one Republican operative, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely criticize his party's presumptive nominee.

Where Did The Obama Smear Emails Come From?

By Paddy


A certified genius scholar looks into it, and there is a website involved. And no, it's not Daily Kos. Go read the whole thing (it's fascinating), but here's a taste.

An Attack That Came Out of the Ether
Scholar Looks for First Link in E-Mail Chain About Obama

The e-mail landed in Danielle Allen's queue one winter morning as she was studying in her office at the Institute for Advanced Study, the renowned haven for some of the nation's most brilliant minds. The missive began: "THIS DEFINITELY WARRANTS LOOKING INTO."

Laid out before Allen, a razor-sharp, 36-year-old political theorist, was what purported to be a biographical sketch of Barack Obama that has become one of the most effective -- and baseless -- Internet attacks of the 2008 presidential season. The anonymous chain e-mail makes the false claim that Obama is concealing a radical Islamic background. By the time it reached Allen on Jan. 11, 2008, it had spread with viral efficiency for more than a year.

Barack Obama fights the smears

By GottaLaff

As Cliff pointed out a couple of days ago, the Obama campaign means what they say and is wasting no time:

Barack Obama's campaign has launched a Web site designed to directly confront internet rumors about the Illinois senator, Time Magazine's Karen Tumulty first reported.

“The Obama campaign isn’t going to let dishonest smears spread across the internet unanswered," Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor said. "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. This website is 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."

It's such a pleasure to see an organized, tough, nimble Democratic campaign. I'm impressed.

You can find the site right here. And here's a sample of what you'll find there:

Barack Obama is a Muslim

LIE: Barack Obama is a Muslim

LIE: Barack Obama attended a radical madrassa

LIE: Senator Obama was sworn into the US Senate using the Koran

Continue Reading

GObama!

Obama Recruits Team To Fight Web Smears

by Cliff Schecter

They are leaving no stone unturned it would seem. Sadly, this is some of the blowback of our brave new world. But it is smart for the Obama team to not take this stuff sitting down:

Barack Obama is recruiting senior staff to a new unit which will combat virulent rumour campaigns on the internet that threaten to cost him votes in the presidential election against John McCain.

The unit is part of a huge expansion of Obama's campaign team as he shifts from the Democratic nomination race to the campaign for November's election.

These kinds of rumors helped play a role both in the demise of John McCain's Campaign in 2000 and John Kerry's campaign in 2004--so this is a very wise strategic decision, in my ever so humble opinion.