Name That Candidate

Byron York has a very funny post about Barack Hussein Il Jong Obama.  His intro:

Maureen Dowd is worried that the Republican smear machine is at it again, attacking Barack Obama by using…his middle name.  It seems Ed Rogers referred to Obama by his full name on "Hardball" a while back, setting off indignation among some on the left.  I don't know why it came to Rogers' mind, but it is true I included Obama's middle name in an NR story (not available on the web) in early November:

Obama has joked that he worried his political career was over after 9/11 because his name sounded too much like Osama. In fact, it's better than that: Named after his father, his full name is Barack Hussein Obama Jr.

Maureen Dowd and Keith Olbermann are foaming (this is news?), so you know we are having fun now.

Folks old enough to remember gibes at 41 as George Herbert Hoover Bush may not be too impressed with the current complaints.  But fair's fair!  If Obama, the People's Choice as the Anybody But Hillary Alternative, must carry the burden of his names, the Evil Republican Noise Machine really ought to come up with a suitably scary monicker for Hillary! as well.

I suggest - brace yourself - Hillary Clinton.

Comments

[bgates]

Mrs. William Jefferson Clinton.

[lurker]

Boy, Maureen Dowd played the SMEAR game against the republicans. Now she's worried?

What a hypocrite.

[Crew v1.0]

I assume that the reason that Maureen and Keith are upset is because, in fact, Obama's middle name is not Hussein. Right?

You mean his name really is Hussein? Fine. Exactly when was I supposed to learn that fact for the first time, if not sometime right around now? On the day of his second inauguration?

[SmokeVanThorn]

Is that Keith Douchebag Olbermann?

[SteveMG]

Is that Keith Douchebag Olbermann?

No, it's Keith-I'm-a-news-anchor-of-the-news-program-Countdown-and-never vote-and don't-care-about-politics-or-who-wins-elections-Olbermann.

That one.

SMG

[SteveMG]

Very good.

SMG

[clarice]

Who put the Felix in George Allen's name (and that one was not even his real middle name)?

[topsecretk9]

Happy Birthday Clarice...I've been meaning to say so...just arrived from a lovely dinner out!

You are top drawer Madame!

[topsecretk9]

--Maureen Dowd is worried that the Republican smear machine is at it again--

No worries here, way-back when, MODO?

...[TED] Kennedy...mangled the name of the Democrats' new star, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama,calling him "Osama bin...Osama...Obama."

OH? MODO don't carey if "anything on the rocks" actually does mangles the name...it's really worrisome if a republican could?...I see, makes so much sense now. Send the women a bottle of anything and tell her it's a man, it seems to be the only solution. And question, why do faithful liberals let their "dear leaders" fubar so badly, so consistently and ignore it? Seems a bit "greenwaldist" to me.

http://www.reason.com/blog/show/108084.html

[clarice]

Thanks--I just saw your message at AJ's--It's your birthday, too, if my failing memory still holds..Happy back at ya..and many thanks.

[Bob]

Happy Birthday Clarice!

[Bob]

Now I think Obama presents the same problem for the Democrats, that Lamont did in CT. Like Lamont as the anything but Lieberman candidate, Obama has the "anything but Hillary" appeal, but I think the Dem party's "brain trust" (that's if the Dems even have anyone with brains anymore)knows this... or a least learned something from CT 2006. So I would expect to see the Hillary supporters go all out to keep Obama out the "masters" house!

[Tom Maguire]

Exactly when was I supposed to learn that fact for the first time, if not sometime right around now? On the day of his second inauguration?

Well, when did we learn it was Hillary "Rodham" Clonton? First inauguration, IIRC.

[ed]

Hmmmm.

Well that's liberal facism again. To think I'd hold a guy's name against him.

I think what we're seeing is a bit of liberal projection because we all know that's exactly what they would do ... because they've already done it.

[SunnyDay]

OT: watching MTP - Jimmah Cawtah is insane.

[clarice]

Thanks, Bob.

[lurker]

Happy birthday, Clarice and AJStrata!

Captain's Quarters thinks that

In fact, unlike Andy, I suspect that this memo did not get leaked by someone within the Bush administration opposed to Rumsfeld; I suspect it came from Rumsfeld himself, or one of his deputies. Like Andy, I think this signals that we are about to enter a difficult two years for the war on terror.

Heck, the last six years were already difficult!

And Robert Spencer implied that the Crusades against Islamofascism were difficult enough!

[jeff m]

I wonder why his father named him in this way. Who was he thinking of when he did so? I read somewhere, and it needs to be substantiated, that Obama's father and grandfather are both Farrakhan Muslims.

[clarice]

Thanks, lurker. Is it AJ's birthday, too?

[Anonymous Liberal]

I don't want to make a bigger deal out this than it is (because it's pretty small potatoes), but I don't think reminding people that Obama's middle name is Hussien is at all comparable to reminding people that George Allen's middle name is Felix or that George Bush Sr.'s middle name is Herbert. The latter two were done in order to tease the candidates because they didn't like their names. It was light-hearted ribbing.

If Republicans make it a habit of reminding everyone that Obama's middle name is Hussien, however, it will be pretty hard to see that is simply light-hearted ribbing. It will be seen, correctly I think, as an attempt to paint Obama as a foreigner and a Muslim. In other words, it will be an appeal to people's baser instincts. It's just qualitatively different.

[R C Dean]

It will be seen, correctly I think, as an attempt to paint Obama as a foreigner and a Muslim.

Seeing as he's neither, this would seem an exercise in futility, no?

[Sue]

It will be seen, correctly I think, as an attempt to paint Obama as a foreigner and a Muslim.

And in the opposite direction, keeping that information on the hush-hush is seen as an attempt to downplay his father is a foreigner and a Muslim. Why not get it in the open and the ability to paint it in a bad light is minimized?

[Anonymous Liberal]

And in the opposite direction, keeping that information on the hush-hush is seen as an attempt to downplay his father is a foreigner and a Muslim. Why not get it in the open and the ability to paint it in a bad light is minimized?

I agree. The best thing for Obama would be to try to turn this into old news as quickly as possible. I think that's what is happening now actually.

[Patrick R. Sullivan]

We should check to see what our favorite Berkeley etymologist says:

--------------quote-------------
December 19, 2002
A Question That Has No Good Answer

Why does our President--the child of two yankees--have a brother named after Confederate cavalry general J.E.B. Stuart, a guy who would round up free Blacks during Confederate invasions of Maryland, ship them back to Virginia, and sell them as slaves?
Posted by DeLong at December 19, 2002 09:42 AM | Trackback
-----------endquote------------

[Doug]

I wonder why his father named him in this way. Who was he thinking of when he did so? I read somewhere, and it needs to be substantiated, that Obama's father and grandfather are both Farrakhan Muslims.

His father was a Muslim from Kenya, so it was not surprising that he gave his child a traditional Muslim middle name. IIRC, Obama was raised by his grandparents, and converted to Christianity as a teenager.

[Anonymous Liberal]

I'd also note, Sue, that Obama has never tried for a second to hide the fact that his dad was a foriegner and a Muslim. His best-selling book was entitled "Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance." It was all about his attempts to learn more about his Kenyan father.

[Anonymous Liberal]

His father was a Muslim from Kenya, so it was not surprising that he gave his child a traditional Muslim middle name. IIRC, Obama was raised by his grandparents, and converted to Christianity as a teenager.

It's especially not surprising given that his father's name was Barack Hussein Obama, Sr.

[Jane]

Happy B-day Clarice and TS (is it your birthday too?) And was it yesterday and I missed it?

Anyway, many happy returns!

[Larry]

Happy birthday Clarice and TSK9. You're not getting older, just getting better. Can't count the number of times I've wanted to ask yas to marry me, but I'm already married, dagnabbit.

You heard it here first: The USA will never have a president whose middle name is Hussein.

[clarice]

Thanks Jane and Larry, I may be getting Younger but it was amusing to have my mom ask if I'd remembered to sign up for Medicare..

[clarice]

Scratch "younger", substitute "better" HEH!

[Semanticleo]

To quote the Bard; "WTF is in a name?"

[Semanticleo]

So much is made of appearances. How about comparing names and words to......Behaviors?

Naw, too radical.

[boris]

It was light-hearted ribbing

Born of deep affection no doubt.

Feel the love.

[Larry]

Clarice, I don't think you have to sign up. My card came in the mail, from big brother, I guess.

[Walter]

A friend of mine from church converted to Christianity while in high school in Iran. It was chilling to hear him tell of (and this is a direct quote) "fleeing across the desert" to avoid a death sentence for apostasy.

Chilling, I tell you.

I wonder if Mr. Obama has heard from any of his former co-religionists about his decision.

[Slartibartfast]

We should check to see what our favorite Berkeley etymologist says:

I think that's testimony that economists can be just as dumb as Atrios where it comes to performing a cursory Google search.

Jeb Bush = John Ellis Bush
JEB Stuart = James Ewell Brown Stuart

Maybe even dumber. And yes, I am aware that Atrios is an economist.

[maryrose]

clarice and TS9 -Happy Birthday to you both and thank you for another year of great informative comments and in your case clarice-insightful columns. You both are always worth reading and I have learned a great deal this past year. Your excellent contributions to this blog have kept discussions at a very lively and interesting level!
On topic, MODO needs to cool her jets. Nobody is dissing Barack Obama though Hil would do well to try to line him up as her V.P. running mate.

[Borat Obama]

So now it is a smear to call a spade a spade, so to speak.

[Anonymous]

Olberman would complain if someone slighted Muhommed Atta. This is a guy who believes that if the terrorists in GITMO don't get all the rights in the Constitution, the Constitution has been torn up.

[clarice]

Thanks, maryrose.

[MayBee]

Happy Birthday to two people who brighten the board!
TSK9 and Clarice!

Remember birthday spankings? I'll bet they don't do those anymore.
xoxox,
m

[richard mcenroe]

Hussein for President?

Hell, he's got the Ramsey Clarke vote nailed down already.

[MayBee]

Anyway, the Hussein bit reminds me of a scene from Crash. I'm sure MoDo and KO have both seen it, so they understand how real people would respond to such a name.

[Buzz]

The Webb campaign didn't mention George Allen's middle name "Felix" because Allen didn't like it. They called him Felix to link him to his grandfather, right before the "bombshell" was dropped that grandpa Felix was a joooooooooooooooo.

[Soylent Red]

Clarice and TSK9: Happy birthday to both of you.

Barack Hussein Obama... where to start?

Name makes him unelectable. Not even the Hussein part. Sounds too...foreign. Hell, Barack sounds Klingon or something.

Experience (more properly, the lack thereof) makes him unelectable.

And, I'm sorry to be the one who has to point it out, he's ethnic looking. There are still lots and lots of people out there who would be bothered by that.

End result: a lot of liberal swooning but no candidate. Guy's not really smear worthy when you get right down to it.

[clarice]

Thanks, Soylent.

[Forbes]

I think the Republican smear machine has been mistaken for the Republican sneer machine--but then that's the left wing for you. Facts, even facts as simple as a man's name, are inconvenient when mythologizing Republican politics.

[BumperStickerist]

If Republicans make it a habit of reminding everyone that Obama's middle name is Hussien, however, it will be pretty hard t to see that is simply light-hearted It will be seen, correctly I think, as an attempt to paint Obama as a foreigner and a Muslim. In other words, it will be an appeal to people's baser instincts. It's just qualitatively different.

Anon Lib -

Somehow I don't imagine it's a stretch to think that most people will think the name 'Barack Obama" has a foreign - muslimish name.

Also, my understanding from the Left is that Saddam Hussein's Iraq was a secular non-Islamist country where kite-flying was enjoyed by small children and, per Riverbend, Iraqi women had rights that made the gals in Madison, Wisconsin envious.

So why would reminding people about 'Hussein' be a bad thing?

Also, if you could reconcile the concern MoDo and Keith have about the dopey public and names with Hillary Rodham Clinton and Theresa Heinz Kerry I'd appreciate it.

Sure, TH(K) wasn't an actual candidate, but still - you'd agree she started using her husband's last name for political purposes ... right?

.

[VRWC #1]

This is how we planned it!

First build up Obama so he is the choice above and beyond the she-devil. Then pummel him with name-calling. We took it right out of the VLWC web site - DNC.org

The plan is working. Paranoia in the Dem ranks abounds - especially amongst the ranking Dems. Bwahahahahaha