NYT: Obama Supporters Take His Middle Name As Their Own

[Hissyspit]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/29/us/politics/29hussein.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1214690610-8eILOPV9eTBKnroEIrUeEA

Obama Supporters Take His Middle Name as Their Own

By JODI KANTOR
Published: June 29, 2008
Emily Nordling has never met a Muslim, at least not to her knowledge. But this spring, Ms. Nordling, a 19-year-old student from Fort Thomas, Ky., gave herself a new middle name on Facebook.com, mimicking her boyfriend and shocking her father.

“Emily Hussein Nordling,” her entry now reads.

With her decision, she joined a growing band of supporters of Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, who are expressing solidarity with him by informally adopting his middle name.

The result is a group of unlikely-sounding Husseins: Jewish and Catholic, Hispanic and Asian and Italian-American, from Jaime Hussein Alvarez of Washington, D.C., to Kelly Hussein Crowley of Norman, Okla., to Sarah Beth Hussein Frumkin of Chicago.

Jeff Strabone of Brooklyn now signs credit card receipts with his newly assumed middle name, while Dan O’Maley of Washington, D.C., jiggered his e-mail account so his name would appear as “D. Hussein O’Maley.” Alex Enderle made the switch online along with several other Obama volunteers from Columbus, Ohio, and now friends greet him that way in person, too.

Mr. Obama is a Christian, not a Muslim. Hussein is a family name inherited from a Kenyan father he barely knew, who was born a Muslim and died an atheist. But the name has become a political liability. Some critics on cable television talk shows dwell on it, while others, on blogs or in e-mail messages, use it to falsely assert that Mr. Obama is a Muslim or, more fantastically, a terrorist.

“I am sick of Republicans pronouncing Barack Obama’s name like it was some sort of cuss word,” Mr. Strabone wrote in a manifesto titled “We Are All Hussein” that he posted on his own blog and on dailykos.com.

So like the residents of Billings, Mont., who reacted to a series of anti-Semitic incidents in 1993 with a townwide display of menorahs in their front windows, these supporters are brandishing the name themselves.

“My name is such a vanilla, white-girl American name,” said Ashley Holmes of Indianapolis, who changed her name online “to show how little meaning ‘Hussein’ really has.”

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[dkf]

1. I like that...I love being an Obama supporter!

[Arkana]

2. Changing my Facebook entry to make my middle name Hussein

as I write this. Doesn't go real well with the Polish last name and ancient Roman first name, though...

[Tarheel_Dem]

3. Brutus "Hussein" Falkowski? It has a nice ring. But, on a serious note,

I think it is heartening that so many people, from such varied backgrounds have chosen to make Obama's middle name a non-issue.

[babylonsister]

5. LOL! babylon hussein sister thinks this is a grand idea, takes

the sting out of this non-issue.

[Tarheel_Dem]

6. You're right, so says Tarheel Hussein Dem. nt

[tblue37]

29. T. Hussein Blue is on board, too. n/t

[Fridays Child]

13. Fridays Hussein Child thinks it's pretty great, too!

[Arkana]

22. We should see if we can get Skinner to put "Hussein" into all of our SNs.

[Fridays Child]

30. Yes! Skinner!

C'mon! Do it! :woohoo:

[shireen]

34. wow! I love that idea! nt

[Cha]

18. The more it doesn't "go"..the

more it goes! :toast:

[Joe Bacon]

43. Joe Hussein Bacon joins you in this effort

And I would love to see my biblethumping family's heads explode a la Cronenberg when they see this!

[SaveAmerica]

4. Just call me Save Hussein America...

hmmm, or not.

[jwirr]

7. LOL

[Cha]

19. Sounds like "Save

Insane America":evilgrin: This is taking away any power they try to manufacture over a name.

To me it helps get rid of sterotyping and blanket assumptions.

[cbc5g]

8. I'll join...I'll be CHC

:)

[newmajority]

9. I'm NewHusseinMajority, and I approve of this message!

:bounce: :kick:

[Sarah Ibarruri]

10. I love it. I love the fact that Obama has YOUNG supporters!

It's the best thing that's happened in a long, long time. They are irreverent and awesome!

[4themind]

11. 4theHussein!

[Faygo Kid]

12. Love it! faygohusseinkid here.

It's got a ring to it.

[Cha]

20. Totally..

dude.

[Born_A_Truman]

14. Would that make me a Born A Hussein Truman?

Has a ring to it, no?

[grantcart]

15. It is that "Daily Hussein Show" graphic. lovin it smart hip and victorious.

[Jazzgirl]

16. Jazz "Hussein" Girl thinks this is a great idea!

Hmmm...gotta get my web page going again.

[Cha]

17. Fascists pronounce Obama's middle name

just like they spit out "Liberal". They're so clever.

This article cracks me up:D

zidzi hussein poster:)

[me b zola]

21. me b Hussein zola

:)

[grannylib]

23. I will proudly be grannyHusseinlib

:-)

[Kahuna]

24. Ka Husseina!

:rofl:

[JackORoses]

25. I am Hussein Spartacus!

[Faygo Kid]

28. No, I am Hussein Spartacus!

[Phx_Dem]

26. Love it!

This is a great way to turn the Republican's negative message around on them, and make it a positive.


Mrs. Phx_Hussein_Dem

[Warren Stupidity]

27. Right on top of things as usual.

Warren Hussein Stupidity - since like march or april.

[corkhead]

31. I'm Brian and so is my wife

[rhiannon55]

32. rhiannonHussein55 has a nice ring to it

count me in!

[shireen]

33. and you can call me Shireen Hussein

added bonus: "shireen" is a Persian name. As in Iran. The next country Bush wants to bomb. (I'm not Iranian, but who cares, except neo-freaks?)

Just those two reasons alone have probably earned me a spot on the no-fly list.

[AspenRose]

35. Deserted Hussein Rose

I love it :bounce:

[FrenchieCat]

36. Aye! Signed Frenchie Hussein Cat!

[bain_sidhe]

37. Bain Hussein Sidhe, checking in!

I like it!

[blondeatlast]

38. Blonde Hussein At Last is pleased to meet all her sisters and brothers! nt

[mopinko]

39. mo hussein pinko. oh, skinner can i please?????

please please please please.

[Barack_America]

40. Jesus H. Christ.

The J-man, always a trend-setter.

[SaveAmerica]

47. That's a keeper!!

[LWolf]

41. I find that pathetic.

No wonder the "cult" meme won't die.

[seriousstan]

44. I will only get stronger and more inane.

This is a politician and an election not a messiah and the second coming. The Ron Paulian's showed how support can turn in to a comedic absurdity.

[LWolf]

45. But look at this thread.

DU is unrelentingly brutal towards republicans who act like this about their politicians.

[Veruca Salt]

42. Veruca Hussein Salt checking in!

[BreweryYardRat]

46. This works, but a better idea...

...make it very clear that Hussein is the Middle-Eastern version of "Smith" or "Jones." An amazingly common last name.

[Toucano]

48. Dumb. n/t