Obama & Right-Wing Conspiracy Theorists

New Republic: Why Anti-Obama Hate Will Be Different Than Anti-Clinton Hate

(The New Republic)  This column was written by Michael Schaffer.

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They don't have political rallies to bring them together anymore, but it's no secret that a lot of people out there don't much like Barack Obama. The president-elect, according to his more fervent campaign-season detractors, has a raft of unforgivable faults: He's a socialist, a Muslim, an actual love-child of Malcolm X. His birth certificate was missing, his book had been ghost-written by William Ayers, and his wife, "Mrs. Grievance," as a National Review cover dubber her, was perennially on the cusp of getting caught ranting against the white man. The only thing keeping the Illinois senator's infamy from going public is the quiescence of the liberal media. Perhaps you remember.

Whatever its effectiveness ahead of Election Day, the right-wing hate campaign made for a nice exercise in nostalgia. For eight years, opposition politics have mainly involved attacking the president for, like, things he's done or wanted to do in office----and not, say, secret religious view he holds or convoluted murders involving his wife. Now, after an administration in the wilderness, they were back--the conspiracy theorists, the paranoiacs, the fringe figures whose dubious relationships with the truth weren't enough to disqualify them from star turns in the right-wing media. The last Democratic president had spent his White House years in perpetual battle against well-funded crackpots peddling far-fetched theories, and now this one would, too. So much for change.

The clean-up crews were probably still sweeping confetti from Grant Park, in fact, when the first wave of paranoiac Obama-reaction hit the press: A run on gun-shops by disaffected red-staters convinced that the 44th president would do to the Second Amendment what Bill Ayers tried to do to New York City Police Headquarters. "He wants to take our guns from us and create a socialist society policed by his own police force," Jim Pruett, a Houston-based radio-personality-turned-gun-dealer, told the New York Times.

Obama's political team may be trying to avoid another eight years of wrestling with presidential haters, but they'd be lucky if kooky, easily disproven charges like Pruett's come to represent his presidency's antagonists. The last Democratic president wasn't so fortunate. It's hard to remember now, after all the trouble Clinton got himself into, but the similarly nutty campaign-trail hyperventilation directed at the Arkansas governor concerned things that didn't go on to become major issues once he took office. Back in 1992, the sharpest of the Republican election-season barbs concerned Clinton's alleged draft-dodging, marijuana-inhaling, and, especially, his participation in anti-Vietnam protests while living in England as a Rhodes Scholar. Rumor spread that the Democrat had at one point sought to renounce his citizenship; a GOP political appointee at the State Department was later disciplined for improperly searching Clinton's passport files in search of evidence.

The meme was also spread by the man at the top of the GOP food chain, Clinton's opponent on that year's ballot. "I say level with the American people on the draft, whether you went to Moscow, how many demonstrations he led against his country from a foreign soil," President George H.W. Bush told Larry King weeks before the election, sounding more than a little like this year's Republican candidate. "Level, tell the truth and then let the American voters decide."

Unfortunately for Clinton, that sort of self-parodic allegation didn't follow him into the Oval Office. This reflects one basic drawback of the attacks: The most sensational charges were baseless. But it also reflects a bigger problem with the whole patriotism-and-cultural-radicalism shtick that is central to Republican campaign strategy: It works well when it comes to disqualifying a Democratic wanna-be from getting elected, but it doesn't work so well against a sitting President of the United States. Once he was living in the White House and flying around on Air Force One, Clinton became a symbol of the country, for better or worse, and attacks on his love for America became a lot less credible. And for all his faults, he also became the rapidly graying man in a suit on TV every night rather than a bearded hippie whose (fake?) marijuana-smoking represented a Main Street worry.

The same thing will happen to President Obama. Once he's the man at the lectern with the presidential seal--the real one--he's pretty hard to dismiss as a frightening outsider. Just last week, Al Qaeda put out a statement attacking the president-elect. Every attack like that further cements his place at the center of mainstream American identity. Dissing his patriotism isn't a winning political recipe. In 1993, Clinton's detractors branched out into investigating the back-country of Arkansas, the bureaucracy of Washington, and especially the places where they intersected. In 2009, Obama's will move elsewhere, too. But where?

The good news for Obama is that it's unlikely that he--or, for that matter, any other human being--could be as much of an ally to his tormentors as Clinton was. Possibly even better news is that any organized anti-Obama efforts may have to make do without a sugar daddy. During the Clinton years, right-wing moneybags like Richard Mellon Scaife spent actual money on the investigative efforts that helped trip up the 42nd president, and that represented a prerequisite for getting the ensuing dirt into the conservative media slipstream. If right-wing 527s barely stepped up during the campaign, who's going to shell over the bucks now?

The bad news for the president-elect is that things that required money back in 1993 now come very cheap. Why pay for duplicating and distributing Vince Foster murder videotapes when you can just post them on YouTube? Of course, some results are easier to find on the cheap than others. Finding alleged sexual-harassment victims takes some shoe-leather. Finding policy screw-ups by the president or his aides, on the other hand, has gotten easier, thanks to the Internet. Which suggests that, in the end, the Obama haters of the next four years may end up being less like Clinton's crazy--if sometimes accurate--wingnut detractors, and more like the folks who dedicated themselves to critiquing George W. Bush. Instead of focusing on, say, rumors of Bush's drug abuse, Bush antagonists mainly set themselves at criticizing bungled wars and drowned cities. For Obama, that happy precedent would mean the only thing he has to do now is govern well.

[danjonglee]

Bush is behind the hate Obama movement. Bush and Cheney need to be tried for war crimes. Bush should be jail for letting Hurricane Katrina happen. Bush should be in jail for letting bridges collaspe. The right causes all the problems in this country...

[zevonfan1]

"For eight years, opposition politics have mainly involved attacking the president for, like, things he''s done or wanted to do in office----and not, say, secret religious view he holds or convoluted murders involving his wife."

I guess the writer forgot about all those stories involving Laura Bush "murdering" her high school sweetheart. And GW Bush being a coke addict. Or all the stories about GW not fulfilling his military obligations. Or the rumors that Bush was just the front for Cheney to rule the country. Or that the WOT was just a way for Bush and Cheney to make money for their friends in "Big Oil''. Or speaking of the WOT, how about all the so called "Truthers" who believe that Bush was behind 9/11.

Michael Schaffer has zero credibility since he fails to mention the extent or intensity of all all the paranoia from the Vast Left Wing Conspiracy. Let me start another VRWC...Michael Schaffer voted for Obama.

[Yvonnek]

danjonglee''s absolute nutcake ideas that Bush was powerful enough to cause Katrina and all the other bizarre drivel from the left goes unnoted by the media now and for the past 8 years.
It would seems reasonable to say there are crazies on both sides and danjonglee is a group leader on his side.

[drjim6]

The natural born citiizen issue is a real and should be looked at by SCOTUS....
What is going on with the media? First no coverage...
Now coverage that obscucate the truth...
A real story is developing... Do some research
Media is going to left with their pants down regarding Obamagate...

[tanarg]

Had Michael Schaffer bothered to look closely at the citizenship issue, he would have discovered that it''s a real issue. But like so many of his prejudiced ilk, he''s smug in his ignorance.

[wombat681]

When will CBS do a story about Obama real birth certificate? Factcheck says they held the original birth ceritifcate but post a "Certification of Live Birth" which is not the same as a birth certificate and can be issued to people born in foreign countries. Plus the original is a 1961 type-written document and what is on factcheck is not that. His sister states two different hospotal where he was born and his grandmother states she was present in Kenya for his birth. Instead of producing a copy of the 1961 type-written birth certificate, Obama spends thousands of dollars on lawyers to fight all these lawsuits. Two of them in the Supreme Court (with maybe a third if the guy refiles). Obama needs to produce the 1961 birth certificate showing where he was born. Until he does alot of people will keep this rumor alive and probably challange every decision he makes in court. A copy of the document only cost $12, I am sure the lawyers are more.

[cwbyht]

You lbtards really think you have gotten away with something don''t you? You think you run this country now don''t you? Tke notice, real Americansd are watching your ***!

[centerfall94]

You lbtards really think you have gotten away with something don''''t you? You think you run this country now don''''t you? Tke notice, real Americansd are watching your ***!

Posted by cwbyht at 04:52 PM

We are the real Americans. You''re the fringe looney evangelistic right. Watch yourself. It''s more interesting.

[ausus-2009]

After conspiracy theorists heaping it on GWB for eight years, I can say to Obama welcome to the kitchen.

[kiwi_chick]

Wombat, your paranoid schizophrenia is showing. Do some factchecking yourself. Factcheck.org. Barack Obama was born in Hawaii. Starting mindless drivel rumors won''t change that. You attribute different birthplaces attested to by Obama''s sister and grandmother. Not true. Where''d you find that information..."justmyimagination.com?" The republicans who consistently blog here about how hard done by they are, how the country is going to be destroyed by a liberal, socialist, Muslim terrorist loving black man have had your 8 years. You''ve just about destroyed the country. Time for some common sense pols to put it back together. As you''ve told us libs many times...if you don''t like it, head for the door...and close it after you please. We don''t want the stink hanging around.

[hinnis]

I wondered how long it would take for the mainstream media to realize that this story has legs. Now that they have, they will do just as CBS is doing; try and make it look like anyone who is interested in Obama''s constitutional eligibility to occupy the Presidency is a "loon." Well, CBS, why don''t you break mold, and start doing some real reporting on this issue. And for those Obama supporters out there, give me one good reason why Obama would rather spend tens of thousands of dollars fighting multiple lawsuits, some all the way to the Supreme Court, when all he would have to do to stop all of this speculation is to submit a certified copy of his complete birth certificate to the court. One good reason why he is fighting so hard to deprive the American public of this information; that''s all I ask.

[pvperson]

There will always be nutjobs, some still think the pyramids were built by Martians, after all, how could a bunch of "Egyptians" build them. The lunatic fringe will always be with us, it''s only when mainstream starts swallowing their swill do you need worry.

[wombat681]

Kiwi-Chick-"In a November 2004 interview with the Rainbow Newsletter, Maya told reporters her half-brother Sen. Barack Obama was born on Aug. 4, 1961, at Queens Medical Center in Honolulu; then in February 2008, Maya told reporters for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin that Obama was at the Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children.", story written by Jerome R. Corsi. That is where I got my info. Where do you get your information from Ibelieveineverything.com? Stop stero-typing everyone that questions this issue as a republican. It is ugly and it shows you would rather insult the message instead of seeing that their might be something to this. Again, it is easier to produce the 1961 type-written document than paying for all these lawyers.

[hinnis]

wombat: Insults and attacks are pretty much all Obama supporters have regarding this issue. Not one of them can give one good reason why Obama is fighting so hard to prevent the disclosure of his complete birth certificate. Hence, the insults and attacks.

[drjim6]

Even if Obama was born in Hawaii, he is NOT a natural born citizen of the United States as per the constitution. His father was born in Kenya. To be a natural born citizen per presidential requirements, both parents must be US citizens....

[drjim6]

Obama''s father was not a US citizen, only his mother... A "natural born citizen " as defined by the constitution consists of having a father and mother who both are US citizens at the time of birth AND being born on US soil. Also you can not have dual citizenship at birth. because of split loyalties..
Obama should have know this... In fact he does know but I think he thinks he can change the rules (the constitution of the US)

[bcotton2]

It takes the Dan Rather Flagship Network to come up with a uninformed biased article as this. How about
the Dan Rather&60 Minutes National Guard documents
that CBS provided the American Voter the week before
the 2004 presidential election. Has CBS and Dan Rather
ever got a court ruling on that debacle?
The facts of this matter are there are two cases in
the SCOTUS and one candidate''s case in California who
does not lack standing. Obama could end this immediately by providing a copy of the Certificate
of Live Birth (long form) into a court of law. Obama
has chosen not to, have one of you asked him why?
McCain is also facing the exact same allegation from
NJ and presently in SCOTUS.
You had better find some objectivity quickly as these
cases are scheduled in the next several days and any
of these cases sticks you will lack any creditability.

[kiwi_chick]

Bullchit. You have to be BORN in the US. Get your chit straight. Go and read the Constitution. Idiots.

[kiwi_chick]

Wombat, you''re a sucker for BS. Do some factchecking. Do any of you know what is contained and not contained in the US Constitution? Or are you all too happy just injecting whatever BS you want that fits your idea of how you want things to be? Read it, then argue something truthful.

[hinnis]

ou have to understand the difference between a %u201CCertification of Live Birth%u201D and a %u201CCertificate of Live Birth%u201D. The link below shows the Obama%u2019s %u201CCertification of Live Birth%u201D on the left and the %u201CCertificate of Live Birth%u201D for a real Hawaiian citizen on the right. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iKcZ3qcCmyo/SSrfxldwhuI/AAAAAAAALMQ/ga339VEByNs/s1600-h/2BObirth.jpg Dr. ****** was very specific to say %u201Coriginal%u201D birth certificate; there was no mention as to the country of origin or any inference that it was Hawaiian. http://hawaii.gov/health/about/pr/2008/08-93.pdf In addition, at that time, Hawaii allowed persons not born in Hawaii to register their birth; much like today. http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/vol06_ch0321-0344/HRS0338/HRS_0338-0017_0008.HTM Finally, Obama has spent much money (estimates of $500,000) for lawyers, websites, and the like to hide something that $12 would release. Can anyone think of one good reason why he goes to such great lengths to keep this information from the American public?

[fairflight]

I think it is interesting and telling that main stream media can write facts off as nothing more than PARANOIA when in fact they have completely failed at revealing the facts! On Dec.5 2008..All 9 Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States will meet in a docketed, closed session to determine whether or not there is indeed a Constitutional crisis in the making! I am sure they were not paranoid when THEY decided that this was important enough for all 9 to decide on...yet the Media has failed in every aspect to alert the public to this historical event! I hope you have developed a flavor for crow because my hunch is you will be eating a lot of it in the very near future! Don''t choke!

[sparks224]

I must confess, I do enjoy watching the wing-nuts heads explode over the Obama election.

[hinnis]

Fairflight: I have a sinking feeling that the reason the Supreme Court is discussing these cases in early December is not to actually consider a ruling on them, but to figure out a way to prevent them from being considered. Up until now, each of these cases has been dismissed before they got off the ground on the basis of "standing," i.e. the court decided that we citizens to not have the right to questions Obama''s eligibility for the Presidency. However, a big problem for the courts is on the horizon, and that is the Alan Keyes case. Because the case is being brought by Alan Keyes (a Presidential candidate in California), and an elector from the electoral college in California, it will be difficult for the court to dismiss their case on the basis of standing. Therefore, I believe they will fashion an opinion which precludes any success on the part of Keyes, et al. I hope I am wrong, but I don''t believe any court has the guts to adjudicate this issue, including the Supreme Court.

[sparks224]

The Conservatives are out of gas.

Now that Reaganomics has been exposed as nothing more than an upward redistribution scheme.

I almost feel sorry for them.

[ausus-2009]

sparks224,

What was the state of the US economy when President Reagan took office? Does the term "stagflation" ring a bell?

The greatest prosperity enjoyed by the post-World War II US was during the Eisenhower administration.

[sparks224]

"The greatest prosperity enjoyed by the post-World War II US was during the Eisenhower administration."
Posted by ausus

That%u2019s actually true,
Eisenhower knew better than to try to dismantle FDR%u2019s policies. We had strong labor unions, a progressive income tax, and banking regulations.

Regan began the tax burden shift under the guise of %u201Ctax cuts%u201D and %u201Cjob creation%u201D.

If Eisenhower were to run for president today he would have been labeled a left wing socialist.

[centerfall94]

What''s this? The loser neocons think that Senator and President-Elect Barack Obama isn''t a United States citizen!??!? LOL

BAHAHAHAA!

Thanks for the fun!

[hinnis]

Americans were FOOLED. Almost everything about Obama is FAKE, including possibly his birth certificate. The Obama image was manufactured by a very expensive campaign, financed with hundreds of millions of dollars, donated largely by U.S. enemies such as George Soros. We can%u2019t trust mainstream media. They hid important facts and presented only the Obama image they wanted Americans to buy. In spite of media effort to hide facts, it%u2019s obvious that, like his parents, mentors, relatives, friends and associates, Obama is a Marxist who hates America. Brainwashed by the media, Americans became as foolish as the most ignorant Venezuelans, Bolivians and Ecuadorians who believed in CHANGE and YES WE CAN and now see that CHANGE means change toward Marxism, loss of freedom and rights, and greater poverty, despair and corruption. And YES WE CAN means Marxists like Castro, Chavez and Obama CAN fool people.

[centerfall94]

Americans were FOOLED.

Posted by hinnis at 11:10 PM

Bitter much? Loser? Try clutching that gun and crucifix more. Not that it will help but it will entertain me. LOL! Loser!

[sparks224]

"...And YES WE CAN means Marxists like Castro, Chavez and Obama CAN fool people."
Posted by hinnis

Don''t forget Eisenhower.

[sparks224]

hinnis,
You voted for George W Bush.
Isn''t that all we really need to know about you?

[hinnis]

No, Sparks, although I know you''d like to think that. I opposed Bush from the beginning. I couldn''t wait until he was out of office. Little did I know that the Democrats (of which I was one) would nominate a fraudulent and deceptive candidate like Obama. By the way, Sparks, please give me one good reason why Obama refuses to disclose his complete birth certificate to the American people. Thank you for your cooperation.

[centerfall94]

LOL! Hinnis wants us to believe he didn''t vote for Bush and was a Democrat and now he questions Senator Obama''s birth certificate!

This is Saturday Night Live material! Not as good as parodies of the Witch of Wasalia using her own words, though. 8-)

[drjim6]

Obama''''s father was not a US citizen, only his mother... A "natural born citizen " as defined by the constitution consists of having a father and mother who both are US citizens at the time of birth AND being born on US soil. Also you can not have dual citizenship at birth. because of split loyalties..
Obama should have know this... In fact he does know but I think he thinks he can change the rules (the constitution of the US)

[ausus-2009]

Centerfall94,

Triumphalism is as bad as being a sore loser.

I have no doubt that Obama won and to disqualify him now on a technicality would be an injustice.

That said, he will be subject to scrutiny over the next four years and I would hope that his supporters would not resort to phrases like racist, Fascist and Nazi when questions are raised about his policies or judgment.

[centerfall94]

Centerfall94,

Triumphalism is as bad as being a sore loser.

I have no doubt that Obama won and to disqualify him now on a technicality would be an injustice.

That said, he will be subject to scrutiny over the next four years and I would hope that his supporters would not resort to phrases like racist, Fascist and Nazi when questions are raised about his policies or judgment.

Posted by ausus at 11:47 PM

Obama isn''t even sworn in yet. After eight years of the torture that was the Bush administration, I figure I''m entitled to a little celebration. ;) That''s my choice.

And regarding racist, fascist, and Nazi, I didn''t say those things. Not sure why you''re applying it to me.

[runningralph]

Hinnis says he doesn''t believe the Supreme Court has the guts to adjudicate Obama''s citizenship status. Joe Biden said, rather cryptically, that there would be a major challenge in the first few months of Obama''s presidency. Could this be it? Could he not be eligible? I am a conservative but I''m afraid that in this case the cure could be worse than the disease. Apparently the Supreme Court is also afraid. I agree with hinnis.

[ausus-2009]

Centerfall94,

While you may not have used those terms, you did say "Bitter much? Loser? Try clutching that gun and crucifix more. Not that it will help but it will entertain me. LOL! Loser!".

Admittedly you did not say these words to me, but to some brainless right-wing twit, but there are a number of representatives of your part of the political spectrum that do use that language.

[centerfall94]

Centerfall94,

While you may not have used those terms, you did say "Bitter much? Loser? Try clutching that gun and crucifix more. Not that it will help but it will entertain me. LOL! Loser!".

Admittedly you did not say these words to me, but to some brainless right-wing twit, but there are a number of representatives of your part of the political spectrum that do use that language.

Posted by ausus at 12:00 AM

Yea, I have no idea what you''re talking about now. You said "racist, nazi, fascist", and I didn''t say those things. Calling someone a loser and bitter is clearly not even close to the same thing, and you can do whatever you want. Enjoy.

[ausus-2009]

Centerfall94,

I am not accusing you of using those terms, but plenty of those who believe as you do have. They include grumpas, sparkes224, brianbwb, jbrown88889, Irmcvet97 and others too numerous to mention.

My point is that name-calling, whether it is the milder form you use or the more aggressive verbiage of the others does not add to the debate.

[m4surveys]

It''s not about "hate", that''s a cop-out.

It''s about right vs left, republicans vs democrats, obeying The Constitution or not?

If Hillary or any other democrat won, "we" would be all over them too, looking for any edge to dampen their power.

With Obama, this citizenship thing popped up and it''s too good to let slide. It MUST be resolved.

[usclimey]

With Obama, this citizenship thing popped up and it''''s too good to let slide. It MUST be resolved.

Posted by m4surveys

It has been resolved to the satisfaction of the entire world except for mouth-breathing retards such as yourself.

[hinnis]

It''s not about being a sore loser, it is about adhering to the Constitution. If Obama qualifies to serve as President, then so be it. However, if Obama has been running a scam on the whole country, and is not a "natural born citizen," then he must step down.

[jsmithcsa]

You''re right about sore losers -- if you''re talking about the gay rights folks in California (and elsewhere) who are disrupting churches, threatening people, and costing people their jobs. Otherwise, just more CBS strawmen.

[johnqadams1]

Obama and his legal team have sealed all of his records. Obama has refused to pay $12.00 and produce a copy of his birth certificate. All Obama has produced is a Certification of Live Birth, which is not sufficient to even get a passport. Obama''s half sister was born in Indonesia and her parents registered her in Hawaii just like Obama. She can produce a Certification of Live Birth just like Obama, does that mean she was born in Hawaii? Here is what the State of Hawaii has to say about the difference between a Certification and Certificate:

http://hawaii.gov/dhhl/applicants/appforms/applyhhl


"In order to process your application, DHHL utilizes information that is found only on the original Certificate of Live Birth, which is either black or green. This is a more complete record of your birth than the Certification of Live Birth (a computer-generated printout). Submitting the original Certificate of Live Birth will save you time and money since the computer-generated Certification requires additional verification by DHHL."

A "natural born citizen " as defined by the constitution consists of having a father and mother who both are US citizens at the time of birth AND being born on US soil.

Posted by DrJim6 at 11:47 PM : Nov 30, 2008

Wrong. It has no such definition.
And if you interpret "natural born citizen" that way, then John McCain isn''t one, either. He was born in Panama.

[mediaspy_nv]

99% of the "facts" and "data" surrounding the birthplace/birth certificate controversy came from Corsi''s despicable book, The Obama Nation. We can thank him for this bull****. I got a used copy of that book, read most of it, then threw it in the woodstove and burned it. It was totally disgusting. Anyone who buys into Corsi''s fairy tale is definitely sick in the head. Sick sick sick.

[hinnis]

I think that CBS is doing their job with this article, which is reporting on events in a manner which puts Obama in the best light. Unfortunately, that has been the job of the mainstream media during this whole election process. Where is the mainstream media on this issue? Why hasn''t the mainstream media paid any attention to the fact that the Obama campaign purposefully disabled the "address verifications system" on his website, which facilitated illegal contributions from overseas, as well as the U.S.? Why hasn''t the mainstream media reported on the true nature of Obama''s so-called "religion," black liberation theology? The mainstream media no longer deserves the moniker of the "Fourth Estate." They have become nothing more than a mouthpiece for Obama and his supporters. The media''s efforts to fix this election are more than merely despicable, they are downright treasonous.

[nursesings]

Shouldn''t we all want to see a birth certificate? When there was talk about trying to change the constitution so Arnold could run for president, I said no way, even though I am a right-winger! If the Constitution is meaningless, then Democrat or Republican, we are all lost.

[hinnis]

fsw3: Please give us one good reason why Obama refuses to disclose his complete birth certificate to the American public, and why he would rather spend tens of thousands of dollars fighting these lawsuits to the Supreme Court, rather than merely $12 for a certified copy. Thank you for your cooperation.