Rove: Don't "Hussein" Obama

The Atlantic ^ | 2/27/08 | Marc Ambinder

[pissant]

No less an authority figure than Karl Rove has warned Republican operatives from demagoguing Barack Obama's middle name.

At a closed door meeting of GOP state executive directors in late January, Rove said the safest way to refer to Obama would be to use his honorific, "Sen. Obama."

"The context was, you're not going to stimatize this guy. You shouldn't underestimate him," one of the executive directors said. Rove said that the use of "Barack Hussein Obama" would perpetuate the notion that Republicans were bigoted and would hurt the party.

Rove also said that Republicans should refer to Hillary Clinton as "Sen. Clinton," rather than "Hillary."

Right wing figures are set to ignore Rove's advice. Rush Limbaugh used Obama's middle name more than a year ago, and Ann Coulter regularly uses the middle name, once calling him "President Hussein." So does Michael Savage, who once asked whether Obama was a "so-called friendly Muslim" or one more "radical."

[libh8er]

Barack Hussein Obama

[Cicero]

Well, I’m late to this thread. I have always had mixed feelings about Rove. He’s very smart, but he has always favored the RINOs when he could, and not always to the party’s advantage. Is the Republican Party really better off for having put Arnie in California instead of Bill Simon? That was mostly Rove’s doing.

On the other hand, give him a break. What has he done here. Just look at the title of this piece in The Atlantic: Don’t “Hussein” Obama. He has managed to remind all the readers of this piece that Obama’s middle name is Obama, while urging politeness. In other words, he’s being pretty smart here.

Whether he really means that “Hussein” should never be mentioned remains a question. Somebody has to speak the truth, if not necessarily party officials.

I’m conflicted here because McCain is such a lousy candidate I don’t think this kind of trickery can do much good.

[dba.adabas]

And I think your tagline says it all...

I’m completely aware of what this forum is. I’ve been around just long enough to know. And lastly, I believe you are not in any knid of political discussion here as you have addressed absolutely nothing I have said rather point out particular verbage. Therefore, there is no more to say here...

[Emperor Palpatine]

Sydney:


Hussein:


Both middle names have some baggage, hehehe.

[Beagle8U]

“1) Bush made it quite clear while campaigning for President in 200 that he’d sign the Clinton ‘94 gun ban renewal if it reached his desk.”

He also made it quite clear that he would VETO it if anything was added to it!

The courts had already gutted it to the point that it didn’t do much and the RATS were working on a new one.

[peeps36]

I don’t see anything wrong with calling Obama by his real name. We had George Herbert Walker Bush, William Jefferson Clinton, John Forbes Kerry and now we have Barrack Hussein Obama.

[LiveFreeOrDie2001]

So the liberals can butcher George Bush’s middle initial but we cannot sat Obama’s middle name...?

Yep, just keep giving in, keep knuckling under.

WTF?

[Emperor Palpatine]

Yeah...the name Karl has some baggage, too....

[FUMETTI]

Most media outlets refuse to call our president, “President Bush”...they call him Mr. Bush, ala Michael Moore.

[redstateconfidential]

No , Obama didn’t pick his name, but he is living up to its expectations.He IS a product of his upbringing.
Regards,

[LetsRok]

"Rove also said that Republicans should refer to Hillary Clinton as "Sen. Clinton," rather than "Hillary."

Hillary needs to change all of her campaign literature from "Hillary" to "Clinton" if Rove wants that.

[mountainfolk]

I watched a bit of the warm up for MCcain by Cunningham, I believe that was his name, and thought it juvenile and tedious but not out of the political realm of making barbs at the opponent. What really ticks me is that McCain himself does not respect the sensetivity of his own party members. He still takes shots at Donald Rumsfeld, a fellow veteran and tremendously patriotic man who served as sec of defense for Pres Bush. He probably won the Florida primary by lying about Mitt Romney not supporting the Iraq surge, and repeated the lie during the Calif debate. This pattern reminds me of the years when Bob Michael and Bob Dole were content to accommodate the RATS over conservative Republican objections. We are in for a rough presidential campaign season. Going to be hard to shore up support for McCain if this nonsense continues.

[Rosemont]

Now the liberals listen to Rove. Hussien is Obama’s middle name. It’s fair game and there is no need to censor.

[Clemenza]

Exactly. Which goes back to my point that Barack isn't a "closet Muslim" out of fear of death.

Barry O is not and has never been a Muslim. He is a leftist with outstanding communication skills, however. Much like Reagan was able to sell conservatism to non-conservatives, so can Obama sell socialism.

Of course, if McCain hits Obama on some of his more controversial stands, and shows the costs of Barry Os leftwing agenda, then he could pull this off, just as Gerry Ford almost pulled it off against Carter, and would have won had it not been for some gaffes along the way ("Poland is not under Soviet domination").

[jpsb]

"Without the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, Kerry would probably be President today."

Bump! Rove and Bush have pretty much destroyed a conservative GOP. Now the difference between the GOP and Rats is not worth fighting over. Hillary, Obama, McCain? Who cares, meet the new boss same as the old boss.

[LetsRok]

"Most media outlets refuse to call our president, “President Bush”...they call him Mr. Bush, ala Michael Moore"

They also refer to the executive branch of the govt at "this administration" instead of "the administration". They want to seem like they are somehow not part of the offical elected govt of the United States.

[Emperor Palpatine]

About the ears.

Obama has said when theyu make the movie about him he wants Will Smith to play him “because he has my ears...”

[Clemenza]

What "Muslim Past?" Barry attended a Catholic school in Indonesia, does that make him Catholic as well?

Some folks on this site are acting like the Inquisitors in Spain and Portugal, who could have someone declared a "crypto Jew" if one of their ancestors just happenned to be Jewish. No, I am NOT accusing these folks of torture, but the logic is the same.

[firewalk]

well maybe I shouldn't call them Pirates
I'll refer to them as Barbary Redistribution Coordinators...

[MadelineZapeezda]

Call 'em as I see 'em
John Sidney McCain
Hilliary Rodham Clinton
Barak Hussein Obama