RNC denounces use of 'Hussein' in Obama's name

[sabra]

Source: CNN

(CNN) – Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan formally denounced Thursday the Tennessee Republican Party's use of Barack Obama's full name in a recent press release questioning the Illinois senator's commitment to Israel.

“The RNC rejects these kinds of campaign tactics," RNC Chairman Mike Duncan said in a statement. "We believe this election needs to be about the critical issues confronting our nation.”

The statement in question, which was released Monday, said the state party is joining a "growing chorus of Americans concerned about the future of the nation of Israel…if Sen. Barack Hussein Obama is elected president of the United States.” It also included a photograph of Obama from a 2006 trip to Kenya in which he is dressed in traditional attire worn by area Muslims.

...

On Wednesday night the party removed both the photo and the reference of Hussein from the statement after Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander called to express his belief that using them had become a distraction, Tennessee GOP Communications Director Bill Hobbs told CNN.

The press release now includes a clarification that reads: "This release originally referenced a photo of Sen. Obama and incorrectly termed it to be “Muslim” garb. It is, in fact, Somali tribal garb, hence, we have deleted the photo. Also, in order to diffuse attempts by Democrats and the Left to divert attention from the main point of this release — that Sen. Obama has surrounded himself with advisers and received endorsements from people who are anti-Semitic and anti-Israel — we have deleted the use of Barack Obama’s middle name."



Read more: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/02/28/rnc-denounces-use-of-hussein-in-obamas-name/

[SteppingRazor]

1. Breaking News: Good cop/Bad cop routine not just for police interrogations anymore!

n/t

[iconoclastic cat]

2. Like any good zombie movie, unintentionally hilarious. nt

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. they are attempting to cover their backsides

and not doing a good job. Excrement that is not cleaned up entirely tends to continue stinking.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

4. Methinks the RNC doth protest too much

They're milking this for all it's worth.

[Ian David]

5. What are they REALLY up to? n/t

[Submariner]

6. The racist repukes couldn't resist another chance to get

Obama's middle-name in the news cycle to try and get their knuckle-dragging base ready for the cross-burnings. The RNC Klan is disgusting.

[slackmaster]

7. Rush Limbaugh managed to say "Hussein" about a dozen times in 5 minutes

All the while denying that he says it, and relating a story about how the RNC was criticizing the Tennessee GOP for doing so.

:eyes:

[Cant trust em]

8. and Bush asked the swift boat vets to pull their ads

They are so F'ing phony.

[Neshanic]

9. They are good, you must give them that. This is a never ending loop

of using his middle name, taking it back, "apologizing", and "disciplining" each time(insert republican entity here), and this wil be repeated again and again till the convention.

[NashVegas]

10. Oh Boy

When I saw the headline I thought it seemed a little late and unnecessary. This is going to be a brutal campaign no matter who our nominee is.

[Robbien]

11. Hussein is a great honorable name.

The GOP is doing itself no favors by pushing the name as a bigoted slur. One third of the world's population views the name Hussein in a good light.

[LeftinOH]

12. "No, we categorically deny ever stating that the Senator has snorted cocaine"....

How Rovian of them. Keep an issue 'alive' by publicly announcing that it shouldn't be a issue.

[alcibiades_mystery]

13. They're desperate to stop Obama in Ohio

[chaplainM]

14. That technique is called, "paralepsis."

And I learned the word from...William F. Buckley, Jr.

Say what you will about his politics, but there's no denying Mr. Buckley's love of the English language.

[Megahurtz]

15. Who Cares

if his middle name is Hussein or not? I could care less! Anybody with half a brain will pick up on their low-life tactics!

[FiveGoodMen]

16. "Anybody with half a brain will pick up on their low-life tactics"

Stating the obvious, but ... it's the many, many, many voters without half a brain that they're trying to lock in with this particular smear.

[JustDavid]

17. In fact

purposely omitting his middle name is, in itself, acknowledging it.

[krispos42]

18. Remember, folks, John Sidney McCain III

If they're going to do it, we can too.

[DrZeeLit]

19. Denounce? Reject? Decry? As the cow leaves the barn, huh?

So the tactic is always this set of steps:

1) Very very public "mistake" -- with photos and 10" banners whenever possible
2) Repeatedly show this "art"
3) One or two days later, call a press conference, show the "art" again while denouncing it as "bad, but not from our campaign offices"
4) Go on several evening news shows, show the "art" again, reference the bad language, horrible gaff, or whatever several times,
and then
5) Apologize, but do that over and over, while holding aloft the "art"

[Mike Daniels]

20. IOW, our polls show that the voters with IQ's over 50 are turned off by this tactic

The hell with good cop/bad cop. If the RNC thought these attacks were working they'd be encouraging more of them and saying "the hell if it looks bad, it works".

I have a feeling that outside of their base these attacks come off as "they can't sell their own platform so they'll go for the cheap shots".

If McCain's compadres can't hit Obama on real issues he's sunk and he won't be the only one circling the drain come November.

[melody]

21. They denounce it while pointing it out

Just as we announce John SIDNEY McCain's middle name shouldn't be used against him.

[sutz12]

22. Breaking News! Barack Hussein Obama no longer beats his wife...

:evilgrin:

[struggle4progress]

23. RNC = Rightwing Nut Cases