Obama Campaign Out to Fight the Smears
Dot com.
Looking to douse Internet smear campaigns against him before they begin, or at least quell them early, the Democratic White House hopeful has launched a new website devoted to debunking the mud slinging of critics.
The site, fightthesmears.com, addresses false rumors on the Internet and right wing media outlets - including one recent assertion that Sen. Barack Obama’s wife, Michelle Obama, was caught on tape bashing white people.
Barack Obama’s campaign website already had a fact-check page, but the new site goes further in inviting supporters to spread the word.
“With the site, we created an interactive tool to allow our supporters to fight back against these smears in the same way that they received them– on the Internet,” Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor said.
“People can upload their address books and easily send fact-based emails to their friends and family,” he said. “Just knowing the truth isn’t enough - you have to proactively tell people the truth to fight back.”
The longest-running Obama smear, perpetuated by evil and/or ignorant morons, is that he is a Muslim or a terrorist and intent on destroying the U.S.
But the new initiative was launched after reports, by conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh among others, of a videotape existed showing Michelle Obama using the derogatory term “whitey” in the couple’s former church.
No such tape has surfaced.
Political candidates have traditionally refused to acknowledge such slander for fear of giving it respectability by association.
But given the slew of despicable attacks against Obama, and remembering how John Kerry was swift-boated out of the presidency in 2004, his campaign probably feels it has no choice. And it’s probably not the worst idea.
NATIONAL
