Refuting “A Video Portrait Of Barack Hussein Obama”

OK, I am a big fan of stating flat-out what it is you’re saying. I am not a fan of innuendo. So when I recently watched “A Video Portrait Of Barack Hussein Obama“, I was incensed at the baseless use of innuendo, error, and mis-statement.

This video offends me. It’s a racist, anti-Muslim, mean-spirited attack that cannot stand unanswered.

• Repeated use of Obama’s middle name — and emphasis on his middle name, “Hussein” — is calculated to equate Obama to Saddam Hussein, widely reviled in the USA as a despot, dictator, and war criminal. Anne Coulter’s insistence on calling him “B. Hussein Obama” and “President Hussein” is particularly irritating.
• Videos of political leaders accidentally saying “Osama” instead of “Obama” is calculated to encourage viewers to believe Barack Obama is a terrorist.
• “Fact: Obama’s father is a Muslim from Kenya, and his mother is a white American.” This statement is a blatant play on racist sentiments in the USA, and should be recognized for what it is: a ploy designed to ignite racial hatred and bigotry. Say what you like, but a black man marrying a white woman in many parts of the USA is not only taboo, but sufficient cause for many to consider violence were it not against the law to act on that impulse.
• “Fact: Obama attended a Muslim school for two years in Jakarta, Indonesia”. If a presidential candidate attended a Hebrew school, or a Christian private school, would people be this upset? No. This is a play on the current anti-Muslim religious sentiment in the USA, and yet another racist attack by the extreme right.
• “Fact: Obama has a vague voting record.” As justification, they cite his number of “present” votes. I am a huge believer that we pass too many laws as it is, and there is no chance for an individual Senator to fully read every single bill presented to the Senate. The majority of senators ignore the content of the bills and vote based on the executive summaries. This way lies abuse of law like the USA PATRIOT act. Is it vague to vote that you do not have an opinion on a bill? I say no, that’s a stronger statement than a rubber-stamp Yes or No vote according to party politics. I wish more senators would be willing to refuse to vote when they are ignorant about the bill.
• “Fact: A large flag, featuring a portrait of Communist mass-murderer Che Guevara hangs on the wall of Obama’s Houston office.” Ronald Reagan was endorsed by the KKK. A low-level staffer in a tiny recruiting office in Houston decided to put up a decoration that many consider tasteless. The break of the Che Guevara “scandal” picture was the first Obama had heard of one of his supporters putting that picture up in a short-term rented campaign office. Presidential candidates, as mentioned above with Ronald Reagan, collect all kinds of supporters, and in this case, Obama apparently did not micro-manage the Feng Shui of his supporters. Yet another attempt to paint Obama as a terrorist. They are really reaching at this point.
• “Fact: Obama refuses to wear the American flag as a pin.” Well, so do I; I avoid wearing tacky novelty pins as a general rule. What’s the point? I put my hand over my heart during the Pledge of Allegiance. Does a presidential candidate really have to wear a novelty pin to show he’s loyal? If that’s the case, apparently all the previous presidents of the United States have been disloyal at one time or another. If you want to wear a flag on your body, who am I to stop you? But the moment you try to tell me I have to wear a flag on my body, you’ve over-stepped your bounds.
• This one is split. The words on the screen say “Fact: Disrespects Nat’l Anthem”, while the announcer says “Fact: Obama has refused to place his hand over his heart during the national anthem”. Well, first, the real “fact” is he’s never “refused”. Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn’t. Second, when was the last time you placed your hand over your heart during the National Anthem? I’ve always just stood respectfully and taken off my hat if I was wearing one. Hand-on-heart is generally reserved for the Pledge of Allegiance. Isn’t that the way it is for everybody? Why the brouhaha? I’d never heard of a requirement to place my hand over my heart during the National Anthem until commentators made a big deal out of Obama not doing it.
• “Fact: Obama has attended Chicago’s United Trinity Church of Christ for over twenty years.” We have no religious test for office in the US. Some presidents offered simple affirmations rather than oaths on the Bible due to their religious convictions. When one’s choice of church is more important than one’s stance on foreign policy, I’m concerned for the state of politics.
• Written: “Fact: Unpatriotic Sentiments.” Spoken: “Fact: Obama’s wife Michelle implied that she hadn’t been proud of her country until her husband started leading the race.” I am not proud of my country right now. Blooming national debt, numerous wars abroad, a despotic President, spiraling inflation, a deplorable public education system, politicians easily bribed, economy in the toilet, rampant violation of civil liberties, steady increases toward a police state, and more… right now, things look grim. I love my country, but right now I’m not proud of where we are. We must improve, shrink government, reduce our involvement in wars in foreign countries, stop spending so much, eliminate rampant corruption among our Senators and Representatives via campaign contributions, focus on renewable resources for our energy needs to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and fix our healthcare system. That sentiment is not unpatriotic. That’s realistic.
• “Fact: Wright was Obama’s mentor.” I had a lot of mentors through the years. Once again, Wright’s opinions do not equal Obama’s opinions. The only reason for them to attempt to harp on this point AGAIN is to try to paint Obama AGAIN as a terrorist. How ridiculous can you get? A peace-loving, life-long public servant with no record of any violent activities a terrorist due to his pastor? Come on! By the way, the sinister drone in the background at this point was an excellent way to make Wright, preaching, with a picture of Obama below and out-of-context damning statements flashing to the side, seem supremely evil. If you were interested in facts, why the sinister music? Right, because you’re not interested in facts, you’re interested in doing whatever vile thing you can to put McCain into office.

Let’s take a break here. Let’s spend the next several minutes analyzing Reverend Wright, and try to attribute all of his negative attributes — including “rude” — to Obama.

Have some popcorn.

Have a cookie.

• Sure, yeah, that’s fair: put a hammer & sickle next to Liberation Theology. So in other words, Obama is now a Terrorist Unpatriotic Muslim Christian Cuban Kenyan Kanasasian who’s white mother got knocked up by a black man and he’s a COMMUNIST. Dude.
• “Pope John Paul condemned the Humanist doctrine, which had produced numberous socialist revolutionaries throughout the region.” Say what? I know Catholics dislike Humanism, but does that have anything to do with Obama’s Christian church?
• “The task of Black Theology is to kill gods who do not belong to the black community.” I think that stands on its own as an example of the ridiculous lengths to which this documentarian is willing to go to try to slander Obama. What was this fellow smoking?
• “Can Democrats expect to elect a man who disrespects the National Anthem?” Debunked already. Worthless argument; you STAND for the Anthem, you place your hand over your heart for the Pledge. Their argument is pure idiocy!
• “Can Obama honestly expect Americans to believe he doesn’t share his pastor’s views?” Well, yeah. When I was Mormon, I didn’t share Brigham Young’s anti-black sentiments. I did not share Spencer W. Kimball’s distaste for interracial marriages. I did not share Ezra Taft Benson’s love of the John Birch Society. Although I have read his works, I do not share all — or, probably, even most — of Richard Dawkins’ beliefs regarding the role of religion in society. George Washington went to his grave with no membership in a specific church, though he shared a bench with his wife, Martha, for decades. The religion of prospective presidents did not become a significant issue in US election races until the 1880s, when a religious furor swept the nation, the fires of which are still burning today. Being a member of a congregation does not imply blind acceptance of the beliefs of the leaders of that congregation. I would venture to say that the best, most involved congregations are those in which there is a healthy skepticism present among the congregants. America is renowned for its diversity of opinion.

And after all this, I learn that this video has already been repeatedly debunked and shown for the fraud it is. Perhaps I should not have dignified it with a response.

It is videos like these that make me question my membership in the Grand Old Party. I am ashamed to share a party with such an example of patent bigotry as this extremist Christian hate-monger. Ultimately, I am just as believing of the claims of this video as I am of the claim of its producer, aired twice during the segment.

“I am Lorne Baxter. And I invented the Internet.”

Yes, yes, Jason Mitchell, absolutely, I’m sure you did. Your name is Lorne Baxter. You invented the Internet. When someone starts off a production with two lies, how much more should you believe?