Posted on 02/27/2008 6:35:46 AM PST by 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."
(Excerpt) Read more at marcambinder.theatlantic.com ...
I think Rove is right. Using his middle name, although not really “unfair”, will give the perception that we are trying to exploit this - and it won’t change any minds.
It will also give the message that we cannot defeat his ideas (or lack of ideas) - which we can!!!
Wow.
So using an actual photo of him in Muslim garb is out of bounds, and so is referring to his actual middle name.
Got it.
Are you trying to give Rove credit for the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth? Because I have to say, that's nervy if that's what you are doing. The Swifties were effective precisely because they were genuine and people believed them. To say they were a plot by Rove is to discredit their honesty.
The penalty for converting away from Islam is death. Period. There’s no middle ground. Obama’s as Christian as I am Muslim.
And don’t call him a liberal either. Or bring up Larry Sinclair. Screw this nonsense. He needs to be exposed at every level.
Who is he to tell me what to do?
My close friend Mo(hammed) from Guyana (now in Toronto, however) is awaiting his death sentence. Despite his name he is an anti-Muslim atheist.
You are right but it will be done by the far right wackos of the Repub party. Gonna bite the Repubs in the fall.
My bet is that Americans don't like hearing someone being disrespectful of any other American and especially don't want to hear quasi-leaders of their party acting and talking like twelve year olds. Grown people will make decisions on the issue. To think Karl Rove is out of touch is a bit laughable. I think it will be up to the people that don’t get the memos since McCain is apparently looking to avoid playing even fast pitch softball. I think he needs to play hardball to have a chance at this.
HUSSEIN is good to use. Who wants to .elect someone President with the name “HUSSEIN” anywhere
For a while, he was that magnificent darling of FR.
We should attack the politics of both Senators B. Hussein and J. Sydney. Using their middle names doesn’t change the time it takes to say what you want to say about their poltiics. It is sooo girly to whine about something like this.
At last somebody with some sense.
Oh yes, grown-ups don’t like to laugh. /s
I have no intention of not attacking Obama. He’s a presidential candidate and therefore fair game. That’s how we see if he’s got the stuff to run this country. It’s traditional. Speaking of limp wristed whiners, it’s pretty funny that femmy Obama keeps relying on third parties to chastise his critics with charges of mean spiritedness. He can’t even fight his own battles.
Only a minority stoop to lowball tactics such as that....the majority of Republicans even if they disagree with the President's policies, call him Mr. President.
Yeah, SENOR Rove has been such a stalwart for us US Citizens who reelected Senor Bush and Senor...thank you pudgey little dipweed, just shut up and get out of the way Senor Rove!
Rove w/o the Swiftboat Vets and the Conservatives would never have left Texas!
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