Thursday, February 28, 2008

More Supporters Barack Obama Needs To Denounce and Reject

In the most recent debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, moderator Tim Russert asked Obama repeatedly to reject the endorsement of anti-Semitic Black Muslim leader Louis Farrakhan, who has himself been praised by the minister of Obama's church. Russert, who has such a deep and intimate knowledge of the thoughts and feelings of Jews that he is practically an honorary Jew himself, also asked Obama, "What do you do to assure Jewish Americans ... you are consistent with issues regarding Israel and not in any way suggesting that Farrakhan epitomizes greatness." Obama said that he had often denounced Farrakhan's statements, but it was only when he was backed into a corner by Clinton and Russert that he also rejected Farrakhan. But what of some of the other controversial endorsements Obama has gotten? Does he both denounce and reject those as well?

Of course, many conservatives are worried about the endorsement Obama got from the Kennedys, but what about the enthusiastic support he has gotten from Oprah Winfrey? Winfrey is single-handedly responsible for turning the execrable Dr. Phil McGraw into a celebrity. Dr. Phil is one of the most annoying, self-righteous people on television if not the most. What has Obama done to assure those of us who despise Dr. Phil that we will not see even more of him during an Obama Administration? Does he endorse Dr. Phil's crass Britney Spears hospital room intervention? Does he subscribe to Dr. Phil's smarmy, simple-minded psychobabble? Has Obama ever denied unequivocally that he will appoint Dr. Phil surgeon general? By accepting Oprah's endorsement, Obama has left himself vulnerable to the charge that he agrees with her that Dr. Phil has anything even remotely worthwhile to say.

But that is just one of many endorsements that Obama has refused to distance himself from. Some bloggers have pointed out that one of the actors in the viral pro-Obama video "Yes We Can" by Will.I.Am of the Black-Eyed Peas is Eric Balfour, who played a featured character on the patriotic television show 24, but also "has appeared in several extremely explicit films. A quick imdb.com search shows up one particular NC17 movie Lie With Me, one of the only modern films to contain unstimulated sexual material," according to PWConservative. "Unstimulated" sex is one of the worst kinds of sex a person can have and shame on the filmmakers for showing it. Does Obama reject and denounce Balfour's support or does he think our children should be exposed to unstimulated sex? "Now while I understand that Sen. Obama cannot account for all endorsements, I would appreciate if his campaign would apologize for this ad, given it's disrespect for Christian Values," says PWConservative quite reasonably. But Obama has yet to denounce the video, which his campaign did not produce, for letting this actor appear in it, or the show 24, for that matter.

Incidentally, the "Yes We Can" video is directed by Jesse Dylan, whose father Bob Dylan wrote "Subterranean Homesick Blues," which included the lyric "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows," which is where the violent, radical, left-wing group the Weather Underground got its name. And this is not Obama's only association with the 1960s terrorist organization. Obama once went to a party at the home of Bill Ayers, who was once a member of the Weather Underground and is now a professor of education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Does Obama endorse the Weather Underground's plot to foment a violent overthrow of the U.S. government? And how does Obama feel about Dylan's betraying thousands of very sincere fans of folk music by going electric? Why didn't Tim Russert ask him about that?

Obama has also been endorsed by actor Kal Penn, who starred in the film Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle and its upcoming sequel Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, which mocks the War on Terror and "seems to be banking on young people's belief America's a racist country and too hard on the terrorists," says Libertas' Jason Apuzzo. According to Wikipedia Harold and Kumar escape from Guantanamo after being mistaken for terrorists and "then begin a series of strange encounters, including an inbred mutant, Neil Patrick Harris, a nude woman, a KKK rally (where they are mistaken for 'Mexicans'), and George W. Bush's ranch house." Frankly, the fact that Neil Patrick Harris is in the film should be reason enough to condemn it, but according to the film's co-writer and director Hayden Schlossberg, "Our vision for Guantánamo was a place that doesn't even feel like America." Do we really want to elect a man who accepts the endorsement of an actor who appears in a film that claims that Guantanamo is un-American? Why hasn't Obama denounced this film and rejected the support of one its stars? Perhaps Obama thinks that the War on Terror is just a joke.

Robert De Niro's endorsement of Obama would not be problematic if he had only made films like The Godfather Part II, Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. But how does Obama explain Meet the Fockers? Or Showtime? Or The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle? Has Obama distanced himself from those terrible films? By accepting De Niro's endorsement does he in turn endorse the practice of aging actors' mugging for the camera and becoming little more than parodies of their former selves? Is he also soliciting the endorsement of Al Pacino?

Will.I.Am is not the only second-rate pop musician that has endorsed Obama. The GooGoo Dolls and the Dave Matthews Band have also endorsed him. Does Obama actually like this watered alternative music for people who think they are hip because they always vote for the contestant on American Idol who has a little bit of an edge? Does he think America needs more bad pop music that is not nearly as cool as it thinks it is?

Does Obama think comedian Chris Rock, who has also endorsed him, is funny? Rock has a reputation for making jokes that make white people uncomfortable and Obama needs to reassure white people that Rock's endorsement does not mean that Obama supports the practice of making white people laugh nervously. Did Obama laugh when Chris Rock joked, "If we have a black vice president right now, I couldn't wait to KILL the president," which was apparently a veiled threat to assassinate Dick Cheney, except for the black part. Obama seems to be so desperate to get endorsements that he couldn't wait and secure the endorsement of Jude Law, who is one of our finest actors, and settled for Rock's instead.

I don't think America can afford to take the risk of electing a man who does so little vetting of the people who support him. John McCain, for example, recently disavowed talk radio host Bill Cunningham for making nasty jokes about Obama's middle name at a McCain rally. If Obama hopes to keep up with McCain in the polls, he needs to start denouncing more of his supporters, too. Many pundits are urging Obama to stage a Sister Souljah moment and attack someone black to show that he is not beholden to black people. Perhaps, he could invite Chris Rock to one of his campaign events and then stand up and say, "That's not funny!" Or he could ask another supporter of his, Usher, to sing and then afterwards remark that Usher's tepid pop is a pale imitation of the great soul music of the past. And while he's at it, he could be proactive and start apologizing for the music of MC Hammer, Halle Berry's performance in Catwoman, Eddie Murphy's film Norbit and Rodney Allen Rippy to head off any potential endorsements from them. It may take from now until November to repudiate every supporter or potential supporter who has said or done something regrettable but it will be time well spent.

Share This Post

blinkbits BlinkList del.icio.us digg Fark Furl LinkaGoGo Ma.gnolia NewsVine Reddit Simpy Spurl TailRank YahooMyWeb

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , ,

47 comments:

The Pajama Pundit said...

"[H]ow does Obama feel about Dylan's betraying thousands of very sincere fans of folk music by going electric?"

Classic. Love it!

//PJP

OutOfContext said...

Is unstimulated sex the secret of Sting's 24 hour intercourse capabilities? Actually, I have no problem with unstimulated sex after marriage. In fact I think it's almost unavoidable.

Also congratulations for getting Rodney Allen Rippy, Neal Patrick Harris and Guantanamo in the same post. Almost as good as getting Neil Patrick Harris and Rodney Allen Rippy in Guantanamo.

Anonymous said...

Indeed. I've compiled a short list of additional people that I think that concerned folks everywhere must insist, nee demand that Obama reject, renounce, or even denounce:

Al Sharpton
Osama Bin-Ladin
O.J. Simpson
Barry Bonds
Idi Amin
Former Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega
Muammar al-Gaddafi
Ghengis Khan
Darth Vader
Lewis Black
Those kids who hang out by the 7-11 with their damn pants around their ankles.
That scary dude who sped past me in the Escalade, playing that loud rap "music".

I'm sure there are plenty more, but I need to lie down - I'm starting to feel faint...

darrelplant said...

What about the poor white nationalists? Can Obama assuage their fears?

http://www.newhouse.com/a-view-of-obama-from-the-trenches-of-white-nationalism.html

Carl said...

I understand Kanye West is standing in the wings, waiting to say "Barack Obama hates black people."

R. Bittar said...

I'm certain that I have seen video on HBO of Eric Balfour robbing a convenience store and using illicit drugs.

Anonymous said...

I'm still trying to figure out who is the American Idol contestant with and edge. Another classic post!

Anonymous said...

Are you talking to me? I'm the only one here. Are you talking to me?

Anonymous said...

Mr Swift,

I used to be a fan of your wit until you lumped me together with the Goo Goo Dolls and that goofy Will.I.Am.

By the way, I'm a first rate alternative rock musician.

Jaesoreal said...

I think he should invite Janet Jackson over and then have Minister Farrakhan make her wardrobe malfunction. Then he can denounce Farrakhan, the Jackson family, and Janet's breast. That's the only way he gets my vote. Where does he stand on her breast?

Anonymous said...

Excellent commentary, Mr. Swift. I had no idea the extent of the infamy. I am outraged.

Anonymous said...

I my need to rethink my endorsement of Obama. I wouldn't want to be lumped in with Dave Matthews.

Anonymous said...

Heh heh heh.

So... Obama's a traitor to the American way since he accepted an endorsement from Oprah, eh?

I'm so glad you cleared that up for us.

bjkeefe said...

PWC did not appear to find that my comments on his blog furthered the discourse, so I am taking the liberty of reposting them here. Since you say you are a reasonable conservative, I hope you will not delete them, too.

1. Are you equally troubled by the support of George W. Bush by James Dale Guckert, aka Jeff Gannon?

Or that Mark Kulkis and Mary Carey paid $5000 to dine with the same president?

And what about frequent contributor to the RNC, Nicholas T. Boyias?

2. I have another question: How did you recognize this guy in the first place?

On a related note, I observe that PWC has since changed the adjective he used to describe Balfour's material, but he has not attributed the correction to you. Could this be considered plagiarism? I hope not. That would make PWC nearly as bad as Obama.

bjkeefe said...

P.S. PWC just checked in at my place to denounce me for "[e]quating [him] with a racist organization."

I tried to reject this accusation, but I don't know if that will be considered sufficient.

slag said...

Frankenstein. Must repudiate/denounce/reject Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

Also, do read today's Glenn Greenwald post on that white evangelical dude who just endorsed McCain.

Kate said...

I'm not voting for any of 'em until they denounce the sort of books I write. We really need the attention and notoriety. Two votes for anyone who condemns me by name.

Anonymous said...

I guess we will never know, but if he was running behind, he probably would do exactly as you suggested.

OutOfContext said...

Jon, you need to denounce and reject Brendan.

Anonymous said...

If Obama denounces someone, does that automatically make them a McCain supporter?

Joseph Taylor said...

I also think McCain should denounce and reject that guy mentiond on bearing drift

Joseph Taylor said...

Obama also needs to denounce and reject his father for being a foreigner

Micgar said...

ewwww youck! Unstimulated sex is really gross! Now, of course hard-core, slimy, stinky, raunchy sex is quite ok in my book!

Vigilante said...

McCain needs to renounce and reject Hagee, and MSNBC needs to renounce and reject Tim Russert. Whichever comes first, I don't care.

Anonymous said...

"By accepting De Niro's endorsement does he in turn endorse the practice of aging actors' mugging for the camera and becoming little more than parodies of their former selves? Is he also soliciting the endorsement of Al Pacino?"

Hilarious. I thought I was the only one who'd noticed.

Anonymous said...

The Anonymous dude with the list is right on! I would go further and make sure that Barack Obama rejects the support from anyone who doesn't look white or has his pants down to his ankles. Support from the reincarnation of Messrs. Hitler and Milosevic are OK; support is not acceptable from any senator who has his pants down to his ankles in public washrooms while searching for gratification.

Anonymous said...

I'm pretty sure Mr Rogers would have endorsed Obama , if he was still around . He needs to renounce slightly creepy deceased kid show hosts .

Ajaz Haque said...

Will Hillary Clinton continue if she wins either Texas or Ohio?
While Barack Obama is now leading in opinion polls in Texas, he is still behind in Ohio & Rhode Island. If the last 11 contests are anything to go by, Barack tends to close the gap and go past Hillary in the last few days before the primary.

There is a possibility however that Hillary Clinton could win Ohio. The question arises, does she then fold her tent and go home or does she take this as a signal to keep going. The Clintons are known to be fighters, so chances are she will want to continue thus causing ripples in the Democratic party.

It will then be time for Senators, Members of Congress, Al Gore and other Democratic party elders to step forward and endorse Barack Obama to bring this race to an end. The longer this race goes on the more nasty it will get and that can only help McCain in the general election.

However, if Hillary Clinton wins both Texas and Ohio (which is unlikely) then she will have a case to continue.

Faded said...

Another great one, keep em coming.

Carl said...

So long as Obama doesn't denounce and reject that nice Tony Rezko, he'll be fine.

And McCain will be President! Hooray for reasonable conservatism!

Vigilante said...

"McCain" rhymes with "Hussein"! We can't have that!

liquiddaddy said...

Mr. Swift,

I don't see how he can go another day without denouncing and rejecting Curious George. From his website:

Perhaps his popularity lies in the predictability of his unpredictability. You know that the second the man with the yellow hat leaves the house, warning George to be careful, George is going to get into trouble. And when George starts getting into trouble, he only digs himself deeper.

As Margret Rey observed, "George can do what kids can't do. He can paint a room from the inside. He can hang from a kite in the sky. He can let the animals out of their pens on the farm. He can do all these naughty things that kids would like to do."

Movement conservatives will exploit the Obama-Curious George connection to the extreme.

Batocchio said...

Once again, you put things in their proper perspective.

James Higham said...

Now Jon, is that necessary? Louis and Barack are brothers, don't you know.

Anonymous said...

I'm so lost and confused. I don't even know which candidate I'm supposed to be for anymore...

Should I support the Manchurian Candidate that's supposed to be the al-Qaeda plant from childhood madrasas? Or the Manchurian Candidate that's supposed to be the Chinese Communist plant from the Hanoi Hilton? Or simply the Machiavellian Candidate who got Vince Foster out of the way? I just don't know. The flying mud just isn't quite thick enough yet...

Whew! I'm so relieved that we've got well over 5 more months until the conventions! And then another 2 more months of the Varsity Stuff! By then, we should be able to build an entire adobe city!

Ajaz Haque said...

Barack Obama likely to Win Texas
Things may not be as bad for Obama as they seemed Tuesday night. In the Texas primary Hillary Clinton leads in primary delegates by 65 to 61. But Obama is leading by a whopping 12% in the Caucus count. So far only 40% caucus results have come in and he is greadually increasing his lead. Even if the ultimate caucus result remains the same i.e. Obama's 56% to Clinton's 44%, Obama will win Texas overall (not counting the Super delegates). This is how the math works out:

Delegate Allocation:
Primary (99% results in) Clinton 65 Obama 61
Caucus (40% results in so far
Obama 56% Clinton 44%
assuming total 67 delegates
allocated on this basis) Clinton 29 Obama 38

Total Delegates Clinton 94 Obama99


Once all the caucus results are in, Obama should claim victory in Texas.

Also he needs to fire his advisor Goolsbee who damaged him tremendously in the Ohio primary by telling a Canadian Consulate employee in Chicago that Obama does not mean what he says about NAFTA. Obama should also address this issue in his next speech and take it head on to put this controversy to rest.

Chuck Butcher said...

I see the foreign characters prick has made it past your word verification as well. I suppose that's what Blogger's delete button is for...I'm just getting tired of going through stuff to get it gone.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Swift,

You haven't demanded that Hillary Clinton denounce and reject the support of Jack Nicholson, despite his appearance in The Bucket List. I suspect you are a member of the Hillary cult or, at the very least, Taylor Marsh.

Carl said...

Movement conservatives will exploit the Obama-Curious George connection to the extreme.

Curious George is from Kenya! And a troublemaker!

Obama's father was Kenyan! Obama is a troublemaker!

Carl said...

Mr Ailes, sir, that's a double edged sword, since Morgan Freeman has endorsed Hussein, I mean, Barack Obama.

Probably best to let sleeping dogs lie.

WomanHonorThyself said...

what bout his wifey poo who isnt even sure what country she should be 'proud' of this week..can he Denounce her?.ha

Anonymous said...

If Obama denounces Norbit he's lost my vote. Just what is it about this movie where Eddie Murphy plays an enormously fat and sassy woman that riles people up so much? Is it because it makes them think twice about that five pound bag of Krispy Kremes they were just about to snack on?

Anonymous said...

Speaking of unstimulated sex ...

Everyone looking forward to the harrowing of the batwing eared Emir of the Empire State, Eliot Spitzer?

Ought to be hilarious.

I'm laughing already.

Anonymous said...

Obama just loves to brag, and play the "higher than thou" game.
Trust me, his days are numbered.
Armenian Genocide

permen cinta said...

I am glad to find your site , and I am very happy with the content on your site

Spinal Stenosis said...

That was a VERY interesting one! Seriously interesting.

Dr. Sudhakar Prasad said...

Thanks for sharing that. It was fun reading it. :-)

The 2008 Weblog Awards

Google