The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

A Vote08 commenter has had some questions that many of you out there share about Barack Obama.

After the jump, we’ll share his comments & our responses to get to the truth about the candidate’s background & convictions.

“I am very curious as to where Mr. Obama is coming up with all this money. I wonder if some or all of this “extra” money is coming out of the Middle East. I hope someone is keeping track. I would hate to think that someone could buy the “Presidency”. I very seriously doubt that any of the major networks will comment on this matter though. ” -C. Waller

Mr. Waller,
Information about where a candidate is getting money is freely available to the public. There aren’t any donations that are left “under the table.” If you have the time & desire, you can see any & all campaign donations a candidate gets - the records are open.
You can start your search by going to this site, OpenSecrets.org. There, you’ll be able to see where the money is coming from, including a list of who’s donating from your neighborhood. In terms of someone being able to “buy” the presidency.. $2300 is the maximum any individual can give. So even if Mr. Obama has “extra money from the Middle East” (something that hasn’t been proven or shown so far this year), that money would only go so far.

Mr. Lehr, Thank you for responding to my comment. You answered most of my questions. Maybe you can answer a couple of others: What type of name is “Barak Obama”? Why wouldn’t he salute (show respect) for the American flag? What did he take his oath of office on(for his senatorial seat)? Please clear these up for me, because I’m having some real problems with these types of conflicting situations. Thank you very much.

Respectfully, C. Waller

Before we get to the specifics of your questions, Mr. Waller, let me first say that there is an e-mail going around (you may have received it) that raises the same questions about Barack Obama you do. But — & this is important for all information you get from e-mail or the internet — you should always view stuff of this nature with a large dollop of skepticism.

Here’s an example of why; this came to us just yesterday in the NewsChannel9 newsroom. A viewer e-mailed us this photo:

& she wrote, “This is the awesome picture of the tornado that my brother sent to me this morning. Wanted to share.”

Of course, the first reaction is Wow! What a great photo of the tornado that hit Pisgah, Alabama last week! Trouble is, this photo was not taken last week. It was taken in 1991. How did we know? Sometimes an assertion made about a story (or in this case a picture) either sounds too good to be true or fits a little too neatly into a narrative to be accurate.

Another photo of this nature made the rounds right after 9/11, claiming to be taken by an unlucky World Trade Center tourist right before the planes hit:

Again, it’s a fake.

At NewsChannel9, we have numerous examples every day of an assertion being made where we have to ask: does it sound like the real thing? or does it sound too good to be true?

As a consumer of information online, you should also force yourself to be skeptical about everything you see. For years we at NewsChannel9 have relied on this site, Snopes.com, to help us separate fact from fiction. And you should always use it any time someone “forwards” you an e-mail making an outstanding claim. It hasn’t let us down yet.

So with that in mind, let’s answer your first question, Mr. Waller:

What type of name is “Barak Obama”?

Barack means “one who is blessed” in Swahili. Throughout his childhood, he went by the nickname “Barry.” Obama is the name of his father, Barack Obama, Sr., a native of Kenya. His middle name, Hussein, has been often repeated in the right-wing media as a way to emphasize his supposed “Muslim” background. It is an Arabic name meaning “good,” but it is also one of the most common Arabic names used. Usually many people know of one notorious “Hussein,” Saddam. But you should also remember Jordan’s late King Hussein, who was considered one of the most respected, most moderate and most enlightened Middle East leaders long before he signed a peace treaty with Israel in October 1994.

[You can get more biographical details about Barack Obama from his Wikipedia page.]

This whole exercise of attaching ideology to a person’s name is irrelevant to the process of selecting a president. Consider this: you can’t get more American & apple pie than the names George (for 1st president Washington), Lincoln (16th president Abraham) & Rockwell (Americana artist Norman). But put them together & you get George Lincoln Rockwell, who was the founder of the American Nazi Party. George Lincoln Rockwell should not be judged based on his American-sounding name alone, just like Barack Hussein Obama should not be judged based on a name that doesn’t sound “American” to many ears. You should judge the candidate just like you do all others: based on his stances on the issues, notbecause of his name. The Founding Fathers passionately believed that the American system should provide all Americans equal treatment based on the person they are, not on the name their parents gave them.

Next question from Mr. Waller:

Why wouldn’t he salute (show respect) for the American flag?

For the answer, I’m getting information from Snopes.com — again, a site NewsChannel9 regularly consults to debunk myths & urban rumors:

The e-mail says “Barack Hussein Obama will NOT recite the Pledge of Allegiance nor will he show any reverence to our flag. While others place their hands over their hearts, Obama turns his back & slouches.”

2 major red flags pop up from that sentence:

1. Notice that no verifiable source - no source at all, actually - is cited for any instance where he actually did this.
2. If this actually happened, don’t you think you’d hear about it somewhere besides a forwarded e-mail?

This post from Snopes.com goes into detail about the ‘pledge’ & ‘anthem’ rumors.

As the photo shows, it’s true, he did not put his hand over his heart during an event in Iowa in September, 2007 (it’s important to note the other candidates in the shot were also violating “anthem code” by not facing the American flag behind them).

Inside Edition did a piece on that & had these pictures that refute the claim that Obama refuses to hold his hand over his heart:

& in his defense, the candidate has said “My grandfather taught me when I was 2. During the Pledge, you put your hand over your heart. During the anthem, you sing.” Think back to the last time you were at an event where the Star Spangled Banner was sung. Did everyone –100% — of the people near you stop what they were doing, put their hands over their hearts & sing? I would suspect not. For me, the last time I was in this situation was at the UTC Arena last Thursday for a Mocs game. While the anthem was going on, people were walking around, talking on their cell phones, & ordering food at the concession stand. This is not to excuse Obama, but merely to point out that one’s behavior during the anthem is ultimately up to each individual’s interpretation.

Was it a mistake not to put his hand over his heart in Iowa last September? Probably, yes. Does he do this on a regular basis as a way to “refute” the pledge or the anthem? Absolutely not. Again, ask yourself: if he did refuse to do this on a regular basis, don’t you think you’d hear about it in places other than a forwarded e-mail?

Next question from Mr. Waller:

What did he take his oath of office on(for his senatorial seat)?

The e-mail referred to above again makes a false claim: “ALSO, keep in mind that when he was sworn in office, he DID NOT use the Holy Bible, but instead the Koran.”

The e-mail confuses this member of Congress

..with this one.

Obama was in fact sworn in using his own copy of the Bible.

Keith Ellison (top picture), the first Muslim Congressman from Minnesota, did use a copy of the Koran (a copy owned by Thomas Jefferson, actually). But there is absolutely nothing wrong with this. Should he be forced to reject the book that provides him with spiritual comfort, even though it’s a religion that’s not considered mainstream? How would a Christian feel if he were forced to put his right hand on a Holy Book that is not the Bible? The Founding Fathers explicitly outlined freedom of religion in the 1st Amendment to the Bill of Rights; the American system is one that sets no religion above or below the other. This principle is also why former Presidential candidate Mitt Romney should not have been discounted simply because he is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Repeating: Obama used his own copy of the Bible to swear in as Senator.

Regarding the rumor that Barack Obama is a “secret Muslim:” His father was a Muslim, but that doesn’t make him one.. just as many children find different faiths from their parents. Obama’s father left his family when he was 2. Here is what Obama has to say about his religious upbringing, which was relegated to his mother, who made sure as a boy he was exposed to the world’s variety of faiths:

“In our household the Bible, the Koran, and the Bhagavad Gita sat on the shelf alongside books of Greek and Norse and Africanmythology. On Easter or Christmas Day my mother might drag me to church, just as she dragged me to the Buddhist temple, the Chinese New Year celebration, the Shinto shrine, and ancient Hawaiian burial sites.”

Since he became an adult, Obama has claimed to be a born-again Christian. There is no evidence out there that we should not take him at his word. You can find more about his background & upbringing at this post, again from Snopes.com.

While Vote08 does not endorse any single presidential candidate, it strongly encourages you, the voter, to make an educated, well-researched choice based on fact rather than rumor. Vote against Barack Obama because you disagree with his stances on the issues, not because of an inaccurate e-mail that makes false claims.

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