US Election Coverage 2008

[Masanja]

Whether it is Obama or Hillary (but not Edwards) I will be happy maana najua mengi yatabadilika. But as a fighter, i say we have alot to learn from Clinton family! He is a man who won two elections since FDR 40+ years in between! ni jamaa ambaye ameonyesha kwamba with determination kila kitu kinawezekana. Watu wanataka results sio majungu na fitna za watu! Al Gore was smart, Kerry was smart, but not smart enough to win elections! NA sadly historia haikumbuki mshindi wa pili! Vijana tuache kulalamika na kuhate mafanikio ya watu! tujifunze kutoka kwao yale mazuri, na pretty much we have a lot to learn from Clinton. Infact Obama has done exctly the same! Against all odds you soldier on!

Sisi tunaoshabikia hapa, hatujui wapiga kura ni akina nani na wanafikiria nini! Thats democracy!

 

[Nyambala]

What differentiate Obama and many of you guyz is THE POWER OF BELIEVING (Remember he's the necessary qualities to be a potential nominee na pia presidoo)nimesoma comments nyingi sana kuhusu hili hapa JF na kwingineko zikionyesha what others don't believe but Obama strongly believes in. Lazima ieleweke hata kama ni suala la rangi, usomi, uzoefu or anything still it is the votes that count. Kwa maoni ya walio wengi ina maaana wanashangaa kumuona Obama ahead of JEdwards kwenye mchakato huu. Nilishangaa hapa juzi kuona kwenye televisheni za kenya ikiandikwa Obama ashindwa NH, tofauti na vyombo vya magharibi vilivyoinsist a "narrowly win for mama" which was the case For me who believes and the other believers in the same context OBAMA WILL BE NOMINATED FOR DEMS AND THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF US.

Ni maoni na imani yangu binafsi.

 

[Susuviri]

Obama has received the endorsement of John Kerry, also other senators! Anazidi kuongeza superdelegates kwenye mkoba wake! Listen, America is starting to believe and establishement figures of DNC are also suffering from Clinton fatigue they are attracted to a different figure who can galvanize them. Also remember Hilary is no Bill! Hakuna charisma! While Obama is huge!
The fact that Unions and established Democrats like Kerry who has still a huge network are supporting Obama is good news!
Mi nawaambia YES WE CAN!

 

[Nyani Ngabu]

Kweli Marekani ni taifa kubwa na lenye influence kubwa sana duniani. Saa ingine nakaa hapa nacheka tu jinsi gani hata sisi tunavyochukua pande ktk hatua za awali sana za machakato mzima utadhani na sisi ni wapiga kura. Labda kuna wachache wenye uraia humu lakini inafurahisha kuona dunia nzima ikifuatilia mchakato toka mwanzo hadi mwisho. God bless America.

 

[YNIM]

Ngabu,
Watu wanaishi hapa US, wana uraia na pengine ndio nyumbani kwa kudumu........kama sio wao labda ndugu zao, marafiki au majirani. Kwahiyo mchakato huu unawahusu kwa jinsi moja au nyingine. Hata wale wasiopiga kura na labda wapo hapa illegally, matokeo ya mchakato huu ni muhimu sana kwa future zao hapa unyamwezini.
Mfano, siku za mwisho mwisho za utawala wa Romney hapa MA, aliwapa mamlaka state troopers kudili na illegals. Yaani ukipungwa kwa traffic violations na jina lako/accent imepinda, jamaa walikuwa na haki ya kucheck na Homeland juu ya usawa wako hapa nchini. Hatua ambayo ilitia hofu kubwa miongoni mwa community za Wanyora, Haitians na Africans. Community hizo zikajihusisha kwa njia moja au nyingine ku-influence matokeo, mungu si athuman, Duval akashinda na siku yake ya kwanza tu ofisni, akatengua ile amri ya kipuuzi. Kama Lt. Governor wa Romney(Kelly Heally) angeshinda basi ile amri ingesimama na sasa ingekuwa balaa. Assume unapata rais Romney!!! uoni kama kutakuwa na tofauti kumpata rais McCain??........
Kwahiyo si suala la kucheka ukiona watu wanachukua sides mapema, na si suala la ushabiki, hii ni kitu inayowagusa watu sehemu "muhimu" moja kwa moja. Kwa baadhi yetu hapa ni nyumbani pengine kushinda hata Bongo!!!!!!.

 

[YNIM]

Nancy Pelosi na Tim Johnson nao pia wame-endorse Obama.

 

[Masanja]

Yourname hapo nakupata kabisa mkubwa! Tofauti ni kwamba wengine hiyo concern yako hawaielewi na wala hawaiappreciate.

On my case, with the history of Dems, kweli Dems kuchukua WH is good news na ni muhimu sana kwa mwaka huu... kwa wanyora wengi na wale wanaokimbia tawala dhalimu za akina Mugabe na Musharraf! na perhaps wakiongeza na viti kwenye chambers, you never know, they might get a workable solution kwa hili swala la illigal immigrants.

Otherwise Iam fully in agreement with your argument! US bwana ni home kwa walio wengi (wenye karatasi na wasio nazo) kwa hiyo kama kuna namna wachache wetu wanaweza kufaidika..its a good news and I dont see Republicans making the life of our compatriots any better if they take the WH.

 

[Ogah]

wapo wapi "no brainer" clintons lovers?. they'r rotten and stinks as hell.....kama akishinda tutakuwa na division kubwa na upuuzi wa partisan politics, ambao uta-tlanslate kwenye misery kama ambayo tunayo hivi sasa na pengine zaidi.

YNIM
kugawanyika!!!........hapana kitachotokea wakimui-endorse mama lazima wapigwe bao...mark my words........na itatumika ule usemi wa Bush-Clinton Syndrom

 

[Nyani Ngabu]

Ngabu,
Watu wanaishi hapa US, wana uraia na pengine ndio nyumbani kwa kudumu........kama sio wao labda ndugu zao, marafiki au majirani. Kwahiyo mchakato huu unawahusu kwa jinsi moja au nyingine. Hata wale wasiopiga kura na labda wapo hapa illegally, matokeo ya mchakato huu ni muhimu sana kwa future zao hapa unyamwezini.
Mfano, siku za mwisho mwisho za utawala wa Romney hapa MA, aliwapa mamlaka state troopers kudili na illegals. Yaani ukipungwa kwa traffic violations na jina lako/accent imepinda, jamaa walikuwa na haki ya kucheck na Homeland juu ya usawa wako hapa nchini. Hatua ambayo ilitia hofu kubwa miongoni mwa community za Wanyora, Haitians na Africans. Community hizo zikajihusisha kwa njia moja au nyingine ku-influence matokeo, mungu si athuman, Duval akashinda na siku yake ya kwanza tu ofisni, akatengua ile amri ya kipuuzi. Kama Lt. Governor wa Romney(Kelly Heally) angeshinda basi ile amri ingesimama na sasa ingekuwa balaa. Assume unapata rais Romney!!! uoni kama kutakuwa na tofauti kumpata rais McCain??........
Kwahiyo si suala la kucheka ukiona watu wanachukua sides mapema, na si suala la ushabiki, hii ni kitu inayowagusa watu sehemu "muhimu" moja kwa moja. Kwa baadhi yetu hapa ni nyumbani pengine kushinda hata Bongo!!!!!!.

Cha kufurahisha zaidi ni hata ktk nchi zingine watu ambao pengine hawana hata mpango wa kuja hapa wanavyofuatilia kwa umakini sana huu mchakato mzima. This is greatest country on the face of the earth. God bless it

 

[Nyambala]

Frustration with Washington makes 'experience' a liability

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Most-experienced candidates have dropped out of Democratic race Barack Obama's message of "change" has resonated with voters Frustration with how Washington works makes experience less appealing

From Dan Lothian
CNN Boston Bureau


COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) --

If experience were the only qualification, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson would be a shoo-in for president. (New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is a former congressman, ambassador and energy secretary.)

But with frustration with the political system running high and candidates who call for "change" enjoying success on the campaign trail, experience scores few points with voters -- and, in fact, may be a liability.
Richardson, a former congressman, ambassador and Cabinet member, couldn't get any traction during his presidential run, and he announced Thursday he was dropping out of the Democratic race.
"The time has come to end my quest and come home to tackle the challenges before us in New Mexico," Richardson told cheering supporters in his state capital of Santa Fe
In his final debate Saturday, Richardson seemed frustrated by the notion that experience was a liability.
"Look, what we need is change. There's no question. But, you know, whatever happened to experience? Is experience kind of a leper?" Richardson asked. "What is wrong with having been, like myself, 14 years in the Congress, two Cabinet positions?"
After all, two other veteran politicians, Sen. Chris Dodd, a five-term senator from Connecticut, and Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, had already dropped out after their poor showing in the Iowa caucuses last week.
They all have the kind of experience that voters say still matters.
"I want somebody that knows what they're doing," said Dennis Butt, a South Carolina resident. "I think you need the human element to get their personal votes, but I expect them to have some experience so I know they can handle themselves in a position, whether it's confronting a question on taxation or a question about a military movement."
But Charles Bierbauer of the University of South Carolina says many voters are looking for much more.
"We want people who understand what's going on, but those aren't always the people that excite us," Bierbauer said. "And so you see lots of candidates running on the fact that they're not insiders."
Voters "want people who they're comfortable with; they're confident with," Bierbauer said, "and they know have good advice coming to them."
Jayson Ertter, another South Carolina resident, said frustration with the current political system has given experience a bad name.
"People don't like what's going on in Washington," Ertter said. "So they don't want somebody who's been there for decades or 20, 25 years, they want somebody who is new."
"People keep talking about experience being a president," Ertter added. "There's not a single candidate that's been president before, so they don't have any experience being a president."
In the Democratic presidential race, Sen. Barack Obama got attention with his message of "change." And that theme is now part of Sen. Hillary Clinton's message, after she initially built her campaign on experience.
"Change, change, change -- you hear it from every candidate now, even those who might normally be touting their experience," Bierbauer said.

Voters say the message and issues are critical, but that's not all.
"I think its, you know, the whole package," said Ilsy Ventura of South Carolina. "You know, you can have lots of experience, but if you don't have the personality, then its not going to get voters."

 

[YNIM]

Ngabu,
Thx for ur understanding............mfano mwingine juu ya umuhimu wa chaguzi hizi kwa sisi wageni, kwenye magazeti ya leo hapa Boston, kuna report kwamba gavana Duvall Patrick atasaini legislation ya kuwa na flat school/college fees kati ya immigrants na wenyeji!!!. Good news kwa kina nobodys', ndio maana tuli-follow suit when he said, "together we can." With that note, ndio maana hii kitu watu wanaitolea macho maana inaweza kuwa a life changing event to the millions with no hope!!!.
Those are my two cents.

 

[Nyani Ngabu]

Sasa unaonaje, tutavuka kikwazo cha Jacksonville...? I think so...then bring on Indy...oooh I can't wait...that boy Randy Moss is baaaadddd

 

[YNIM]

the clintons are getting increasingly isolated!! Napolitano(gavana wa arizona), Gary Hart( former senator/prez candidate) na wengine, nao pia wame-endorse Obama. Infwact kuna "tsunami" la endorsements kwa upande wa Obama, swali ni je zita-tlanslate kuwa votes??!! Tantantannnn, kama kwenye movie...................

 

[Jasusi]

Yrname,
Unajua akina Clinton wamekuwa so establishment inaniwia vigumu ni vipi Hillary anajidai ni mtu wa mabadiliko. Yeye aliunga mkono uvamizi wa Iraq.
Sasa mabadiliko gani atakayoyaleta? Ukizungumzia change, you talk about new faces, new ideas, you talk about Barack Obama.

 

[Nyani Ngabu]

Sasa hizi chuki dhidi ya kina Clinton zinaweza zika-backfire maana sasa inaonekana wanachukiwa tu bila hata hoja yoyote ya maana zaidi ya wao kuwa kina Clinton. Halafu endorsements hazimaanishi lolote...ni kura za watu ambazo ndio zina maana.

 

[Ogah]

Cha kufurahisha zaidi ni hata ktk nchi zingine watu ambao pengine hawana hata mpango wa kuja hapa wanavyofuatilia kwa umakini sana huu mchakato mzima. This is greatest country on the face of the earth. God bless it

Duu mshikaji siku hizi umekuwa mtabiri kama Sheikh Yahaya nini......(joke)

Si kweli kuwa endorsement hazina maana......hizi endorsement zina impact kubwa sana ku-influence wapiga kura....amabo sasa wanajiuliza mara mbili mbili......tofauti na hapo awali

 

[Icadon]

Cha kufurahisha zaidi ni hata ktk nchi zingine watu ambao pengine hawana hata mpango wa kuja hapa wanavyofuatilia kwa umakini sana huu mchakato mzima. This is greatest country on the face of the earth. God bless it

Kama alivyoelezea YNIM uchaguzi wa mwaka huu unaangaliwa na kila mtu si unajua influence ya marekani duniani ilivyo..you have two people trying to make history, alafu nadhani baada ya mchakato kunaweza kukawa na mgawanyiko ndani ya Dem kuna watakaona wamenyang'anywa tonge mdomoni kisa gender au rangi ya ngozi.

Hii Youthquake si mchezo....Gen Y wanamake 20% ya registered voters..question is will they vote?

 

[Icadon]

Sliming Obama

Dueling chain e-mails claim he's a radical Muslim or a 'racist' Christian. Both can't be right. We find both are false.
Newsweek Web Exclusive
Updated: 10:17 AM ET Jan 11, 2008

Dueling chain e-mails claim he's a radical Muslim or a 'racist' Christian. Both can't be right. We find both are false.

Summary
If these two nasty e-mail messages are any indication, the 2008 presidential campaign is becoming a very dirty one.

One claims that Obama is "certainly a racist" by virtue of belonging to Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ, which it says "will accept only black parishoners" and espouses a commitment to Africa. Actually, a white theology professor says he's been "welcomed enthusiastically" at the church, as have other non-blacks.

Another e-mail claims that Obama "is a Muslim," attended a "Wahabi" school in Indonesia, took his Senate oath on the Koran, refuses to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and is part of an Islamic plot to take over the U.S. Each of these statements is false.

These false appeals to bigotry and fear remind us of the infamous whispering campaign of eight years ago, when anonymous messages just before the South Carolina primary falsely accused Republican candidate John McCain of fathering an illegitimate child by a black woman.

Analysis
We turn first to the most recent of these Internet whispering campaigns: a widely forwarded e-mail that says Barack Obama's church, the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, is anti-American, will only accept black parishioners and tilts toward Africa at the expense of the United States. The e-mail claims Obama is therefore "certainly a racist" and "desires to rule over America while his loyalty is totally vested in a Black Africa."

We've had scores of queries about the accuracy of this one. It's bunk. For one thing, the church welcomes whites, according to a University of Chicago professor of divinity who says he has attended. And while its controversial pastor is a fiery advocate for blacks and liberal causes and a fierce critic of anti-black discrimination, we've seen no evidence that he preaches hatred of or discrimination against whites.

False E-Mail Sent to FactCheck.org Readers
Received Dec. 31, 2007
Subject: Obama's church

Obama mentioned his church during his appearance with Oprah. It's the Trinity United Church of Christ. I found this interesting.

Obama's church:
Please read and go to this church's web site and read what is written there. It is very alarming.

Barack Obama is a member of this church and is running for President of the U.S. If you look at the first page of their web site, you will learn that this congregation has a non-negotiable commitment to Africa. No where is AMERICA even mentioned. Notice too, what color you will need to be if you should want to join Obama's church..._ B-L-A-C-K!!!_ Doesn't look like his choice of religion has improved much over his (former?) Muslim upbringing. Are you aware that Obama's middle name is Mohammed? Strip away his nice looks, the big smile and smooth talk and what do you get? Certainly a racist, as plainly defined by the stated position of his church! And possibly a covert worshiper of the Muslim faith, even today. This guy desires to rule over America while his loyalty is totally vested in a Black Africa!

I cannot believe this has not been all over the TV and newspapers. This is why it is so important to pass this message along to all of our family & friends. To think that Obama has even the slightest chance in the run for the presidency, is really scary.

Click on the link below:
This is the web page for the church Barack Obama belongs to: www.tucc.org/about.htm

The first clue that this e-mail is the product of careless ignorance is that it claims that "Obama's middle name is Mohammed," which is false. His middle name is Hussein.

As for the accusations against his church, this e-mail is not the first place they have come up. Nearly a year ago conservative blogger Erik Rush called the church "cultish" and "separatist" in a Feb. 2007 interview on Fox News' "Hannity and Colmes" and questioned whether its parishioners could consider themselves Americans or Christians.

Here are the facts:
It is true that Trinity describes itself as "a congregation which is Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian" and which "does not apologize for its African roots." The church's Web site specifies a commitment to Africa and to "historical education of African people in diaspora." The congregation is overwhelmingly black; few if any whites can be seen in the photographs and videos of the congregation posted on the church's Web site. But none of that makes the church "racist" or anti-American.

And in fact, a professor of theology at the University of Chicago Divinity School, Martin E. Marty, wrote this in April 2007, rebutting Rush's claims on Fox News:

Prof. Marty: To those in range of Chicago TV I'd recommend a watching of Trinity's Sunday services, and challenge you to find anything "cultic" or "sectarian" about them. More important, for Trinity, being "unashamedly black" does not mean being "anti-white." My wife and I on occasion attend, and, like all other non-blacks, are enthusiastically welcomed.
Regarding this renewed attack on Trinity, Prof. Marty told FactCheck, "That kind of e-mail is vicious and lying, and makes my blood boil. ... Many civic officials, public school teachers, etc. are members at Trinity; [Rev. Jeremiah] Wright has been on TV with his services for years, and no one found them racist – it's smear politics."

Trinity would not comment to us for this article. Rev. Wright, however, appeared on Fox's "Hannity and Colmes" on March 2, 2007, and responded at length to the claim made by Rush. He said in part:

Alan Colmes: I want the public to understand where your church is coming from, because you're being accused of being a black separatist church, and thus Obama is being accused by default of being a black separatist. Can you straighten that out for us, please?

Wright: OK. The African-centered point of view does not assume superiority, nor does it assume separatism. It assumes Africans speaking for themselves as subjects in history, not objects in history.

There's no question that Wright has been a controversial figure, a passionate advocate for black self-help and to some, a radical. Jason Byassee, in a lengthy article on the church published in Christian Century magazine, said, "There is no denying ... that a strand of radical black political theology influences Trinity." He added, "Conservatives may find the Africentric church too political, and liberals may squirm over its revivalist emotion." But he praised the church's success in growing to more than 8,000 members, making this black congregation the largest single church in a predominately white United Church of Christ denomination, saying "the black church continues to makes converts in unlikely places, reflecting a God who makes a way where there is no way."

Wherever we looked we found ample evidence that Obama's church is pro-black, but we found none to support a claim that it is anti-white. Calling it "racist" is, in our judgment, a falsehood.

The Manchurian Islamic Candidate?
Readers have also asked us about an oft-forwarded e-mail falsely claiming that Obama is a Muslim and suggesting that he is part of an Islamic plot to take over the U.S. "from the inside out" with "one of their own." This screed reads like the outline of a bad remake of the 1962 movie The Manchurian Candidate, in which Frank Sinatra unravels a Communist plot to make "one of their own" the president.

There is little excuse for those who continue to circulate this one. The most audacious falsehood it contains (of several) is a claim near the top: "We checked this out on 'snopes.com'. It is factual. Check for yourself." Anyone who actually does that would quickly find that Snopes.com, the respected debunker of urban myths, judges the message to be "false." And yet we continue to receive examples sent to our readers by others who either don't take the time to check, or who don't care that they are repeating false and damaging statements.

False E-Mail Sent to FactCheck.org Readers
Received January 6, 2008
Who is Barack Obama?

Very interesting and something that should be considered in your choice.

If you do not ever forward anything else, please forward this to all your contacts...this is very scary to think of what lies ahead of us here in our own United States...better heed this and pray about it and share it.

We checked this out on "snopes.com". It is factual. Check for yourself.

Who is Barack Obama?

Probable U. S. presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., a black MUSLIM from Nyangoma-Kogel, Kenya and Ann Dunham, a white ATHEIST from Wichita, Kansas.

Obama's parents met at the University of Hawaii. When Obama was two years old, his parents divorced. Hi s father returned to Kenya. His mother then married Lolo Soetoro, a RADICAL Muslim from Indonesia.?

When Obama was 6 years old, the family relocate to Indonesia. Obama attended a MUSLIM school in Jakarta. He also spent two years in a Catholic school.

Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that he is a Muslim.

He is quick to point out that, "He was once a Muslim, but that he also attended Catholic school."

Obama's political handlers are attempting to make it appear that that he is not a radical.

Obama's introduction to Islam came via his father, and that this influence was temporary at best. In reality, the senior Obama returned to Kenya soon after the divorce, and never again had any direct influence over his son's education.

Lolo Soetoro, the second husband of Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, introduced his stepson to Islam. Obama was enrolled in a Wahabi school in Jakarta.

Wahabism is the RADICAL teaching that is followed by the Muslim terrorists who are now waging Jihad against the western world. Since it is politically expedient to be a CHRISTIAN when seeking major public office in the United States, Barack Hussein Obama has joined the United Church of Christ in an attempt to downplay his Muslim background. ALSO, keep in mind that when he was sworn into office he DID NOT use the Holy Bible, but instead the Koran.

Barack Hussein Obama will NOT recite the Pledge of Allegiance nor will he show any reverence for our flag. While others place their hands over their hearts, Obama turns his back to the flag and slouches.

Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidential candidacy.
The Muslims have said they plan on destroying the US from the inside out, what better way to start than at the highest level - through the President of the United States, one of their own!!!!

Please forward to everyone you know. Would you want this man leading our country?...... NOT ME!!!

This claim, and others similar to it, originated with a Jan. 2007 Insight Magazine article – a publication owned by News World Communications, which also owns the conservative Washington Times newspaper:

Insight: Are the American people ready for an elected president who was educated in a Madrassa as a young boy and has not been forthcoming about his Muslim heritage?

This article, citing anonymous sources, claimed that "Mr. Obama, 45, spent at least four years in a so-called madrassa, or Muslim seminary, in Indonesia." But this allegation was quickly shown to be false. Days after the article appeared, CNN sent reporter John Vause to Jakarta, Indonesia, to visit the school. He reported:

CNN: I came here to Barack Obama's elementary school in Jakarta looking for what some are calling an Islamic madrassa ... like the ones that teach hate and violence in Pakistan and Afghanistan. … I've been to those madrassas in Pakistan ... this school is nothing like that.

CNN interviewed the school's deputy headmaster, Hardi Priyono, who said: "This is a public school. We don't focus on religion."

That same day, Obama's Senate office issued a press release saying the claims in the magazine story were false and citing CNN and other reports. Subsequent news stories in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and The Chicago Tribune found no merit in the madrassa claim. Obama's childhood in Indonesia, a country with the world's largest Muslim population, is not something he has attempted to hide. He dedicates pages in his best-selling book "Dreams from My Father" to his life overseas.

This e-mail cobbles together some other false claims that have been circulating for months.

Swore on Koran? The e-mail says "when he was sworn into office he DID NOT use the Holy Bible, but instead the Koran" – bunk yet again. Obama did not place his hand on the Koran when he was sworn into the U.S. Senate. This claim confuses Obama with the first and only Muslim member of Congress, Democratic House member Keith Ellison of Minnesota. Obama was sworn in using his own Bible, as widely reported in newspaper accounts and pictured above. That's his wife holding the Bible with Vice President Dick Cheney swearing him in. (Under the Constitution, the vice president serves as president of the Senate.)

Pledge of Allegiance? The slime doesn't stop there. The e-mail also claims Obama "will NOT recite the Pledge of Allegiance nor will he show any reverence for our flag" and that "while others place their hands over their hearts, Obama turns his back to the flag and slouches." These e-mails usually come with this photo, seen here as it appears on Time.com's Web site:

The photograph was taken during a "steak-fry" for Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa on Sept. 16, 2007. What is pictured is the singing of the national anthem, not a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. For proof, see this video taken by ABC News during the event.

And for proof that Obama has no problem reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, check this video of C-SPAN's recording of the Senate's morning business, with Obama presiding, on June 21, 2007. Or this one from Feb. 1, 2007.

A point not raised in this e-mail: Some have complained that Obama should have placed his hand over his heart during the singing of the anthem, as pictured in the Time photo. It is true that the U.S. Code states that "all present except those in uniform should stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart." But the word "should" rather than "shall" makes that a recommendation and not a legal requirement. To confirm, we spoke with Anne Garside, director of communication for the Maryland Historical Society – home of the original manuscript of "The Star-Spangled Banner," and asked if anyone could be punished for not placing their hands over their hearts during the national anthem. She quickly replied, "Oh, of course not," adding that "there is no obligation to put your hand over your heart." Garside told us she has been asked numerous times about this rumor and finds the controversy to have "gotten a little bit ridiculous."

The "Black Baby" smear
Scurrilous smears like those contained in these two e-mails can have a damaging effect. Before the South Carolina primary in 2000, for example, phone calls were made to voters in which the callers claimed to be taking a poll, asking: "Would you be more likely or less likely to vote for John McCain for president if you knew he had fathered an illegitimate black child?" McCain had done no such thing. He and his wife had adopted their daughter Bridget, who has dark skin, as a baby from Mother Theresa's orphanage in Bangladesh. A professor at Bob Jones University also had sent an e-mail message telling South Carolinians that McCain had "chosen to sire children without marriage," which wasn't true. McCain lost the 2000 primary, and the Republican nomination, to George W. Bush.

Such attacks usually can be disproved with less effort than it takes to forward them to others. The statement that Snopes endorsed the false claim that Obama is a Muslim radical is an example. So we find it disappointing that they continue to circulate. But we expect to see more of them as the election year wears on, and we'll do our best to expose them when readers bring them to our attention.

Sources
"Obama's Pastor: Rev. Jeremiah Wright." FoxNews.com interview archive, 2 Mar. 2007.

Byassee, Jason. "Africentric church: a visit to Chicago's Trinity UCC."
Christian Century, 29 May 2007.

Fiore, Faye. "He's the Hill's King for a Day, but Senate Has Other Plans." The Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2005.

Adair, Bill. "E-Mail Assailing Obama's Patriotism Misses Mark." St. Petersburg Times, 9 Nov. 2007.

Coleman, Francis. "Stop the mass e-mails before it's too late." Mobile Register, 11 Nov. 2007.

Kurtz, Howard. "Campaign Allegation A Source of Vexation." The Washington Post, 22 Jan. 2007.

Drobnic Holan, Angie. "Obama attended an Indonesian public school." PolitiFact.com, 10 Jan. 2008.

Beacon Jr., Perry. "Foes Use Obama's Muslim Ties to Fuel Rumors About Him." The Washington Post, 29 Nov. 2007.

Davis, Richard H. "The anatomy of a smear campaign," The Boston Globe, 21 Mar. 2004.

Steinhauer, Jennifer. "Confronting Ghosts of 2000 in South Carolina." New York Times, 19 Oct. 2007.

Reprinted with permission from Factcheck.org.
URL: http://www.newsweek.com/id/91424
© 2008 Newsweek.com

 

[Nyani Ngabu]

Kama alivyoelezea YNIM uchaguzi wa mwaka huu unaangaliwa na kila mtu si unajua influence ya marekani duniani ilivyo..you have two people trying to make history, alafu nadhani baada ya mchakato kunaweza kukawa na mgawanyiko ndani ya Dem kuna watakaona wamenyang'anywa tonge mdomoni kisa gender au rangi ya ngozi.
Hii Youthquake si mchezo....Gen Y wanamake 20% ya registered voters..question is will they vote?

Hicho ndio mimi ninachokiogopa. Kwa mfano sasa hivi wanavyomshambulia Bill Clinton na ile comment yake ya "fairy tale" halafu Obama aje apate nomination sijui hao wanaomshambulia Bill watafurahi wakimwona akimkampenia Obama...

Halafu let's say Obama akishinda uchaguzi mkuu....watu wakianza kumkosoa nina uhakika kuna watu ambao watalalamika kuwa anaonewa kwa vile tu ni mweusi....somethings are just unavoidable...

 

[YNIM]

ile speech ya "fairy tale" bill clinton alichemka!! leo alikuwa anapitapita kwenye black talk shows kujaribu kufanya damage control, lakini looks like too lil' to late, the damage has been done!!.
Watu wengi wamekasirika, yaani hata wale wanaokuwaga mashabiki wake........mfano mzuri, congressman clyburn, a powerfull black legislator from SC ambaye ana-influence kubwa kwa blacks ktk state hiyo.
Clintons wapo cornered na true colors zao sasa zinakuwa clear/out in the open.
Whatever happens, democratic party will never be the same!!.