’)Bill Cunningham is a second-tier conservative talk show host, but his brand of rhetoric is no secret, especially to conservative activists and by that extension, the campaign officials for John McCain who booked him to introduce McCain. So I simply don’t believe this “apology” from McCain after Cunningham used the “Hussein” middle name in order to try and link Sen. Obama to terrorists. They knew what this guy was doing. He’s said it on the radio and on tv.
McCain is using Cunningham, as Republicans often use con talk. Whether it’s Rush Limbaugh excusing Abu Ghraib or Sean Hannity rallying the troops by telling them stopping Pelosi’s ascendancy to the position of Speaker was a matter of life or death – this is what they do.
The relationship between the con talkers and the Republican politicians is an incestuous one and it won’t ever stop.
Wow. That’s what they have? A name… They are going to attack Obama based on his name?
Yes, pretty much that’s all they have. That being said, they will maintain their plausible denialibility while at the same time planting the seed in middle America that he isn’t like they are.
Name, and skin tone.
We can’t even say a person’s full name now? You free speech, whoops, I mean control-speech liberals better get busy and change all the Wikipedia etc. entries that say “Barack Hussein Obama” – if you don’t like it then tell your left-wing socialist liberal presidential candidate to change his name. I bet you liberals find this comment to be pretty “hateful.” Haven’t you liberals used up all your “race cards” and “hate” cards by now? Absurd.
The Party of Perverts, thieves, child molesters, war profiteers and war criminals don’t have much else to run on.
Only about 20% of this country are cowards, and they only vote Republican anyway, so fear won’t work anymore.
Spytalk demonstrates a perfect example of disingenuous conservative martyrdom (also known as “crybaby-ism”). Clip out and send to your friends so that they too can identify it when it happens.
Barack Hussein Obama doesn’t have to change his name. You have to change your attitudes about what that name means.
Newsflash, spytalk: In other parts of the world where USA is not number 1!!!, people have other names in other languages. In those parts of the world, names like Dave and Mike just don’t seem appropriate.
Hussein is a pretty common name in other parts of the world.
You can say it all you like, but leave off the condescending sneer when you say it. That’s all.
Spytalk: “We can’t even say a person’s full name now? You free speech, whoops, I mean control-speech liberals better get busy and change all the Wikipedia etc. entries that say ‘Barack Hussein Obama’…”
Wow. … Just… wow. When you thought conservatives couldn’t get any dumber.
Spytalk: “Haven’t you liberals used up all your ‘race cards’ and ‘hate’ cards by now? Absurd.”
The Republican Party is the party of hate. Instead of being a hypocrite and complaining when we call you guys racist, you should probably not be racist.
There’s not much I like about McCain. But good on him for calling Cunningham on this.
Gee, no one chastised Oliver during the multiple times he referred to “George Felix Allen”.
I’m sure it was an oversight.
Typical Liberal Hypocrites.
And pointing out that “Felix” was Macaca’s middle name was meant to draw parallels to which dictator?
EL -
I think JWG is being satirical.
At least, I’m pretty sure JWG is being satirical. I so easily lose track of certain online handles, not to mention what is satire and what is dead serious but outrageously stupid.
You’re right. It’s only wrong to make fun of a person’s name if it is the same as a dictator.
Or do you think Oliver was doing it for some noble purpose?
Typical Liberal Hypocrisy (which Oliver willingly admits to): OK for us but cry when they do it.
How about some intellectual honesty for once? It was stupid when the Left kept saying “Felix” and it’s stupid when the Right keeps saying “Hussein”.
Is being intellectually honest really that hard for you guys?
(Don’t bother answering — I already know the answer which is why I stopped reading this blog a long time ago — I was bored and made the mistake of checking it out again to see what Oliver thought of the debate. It won’t happen again — nothing has changed.)
Interesting. Completely bereft of irony, JWG calls all liberals hypocrites and crybabies, and then sticks fingers in ears and walks away.
There’s a difference between “Felix” and “Hussein” in the minds of the American people, and the pundits who insist on stating Obama’s full name are aware of the association, which is why they do it. Obama himself doesn’t campaign as “Barack Hussein Obama,” nor should he have to if he doesn’t want to. Will the coverage going forward be required to talk about “John Sidney McCain”?
Good God this is stupid. It’s stupid for people to get pissed off that somebody dared to call Barack Hussein Obama by his FULL NAME which is: Barack Hussein Obama.
It’s more stupid for John McCain to apologize.
Media Matters is stupid for actually writing the following:
“Cunningham smeared Obama, used his middle name during appearance at McCain rally”
Now, when Cunningham referred to Obama as “Barack Mohammed Hussein Obama”, THAT was a smear. But this is not and it’s petty to complain about.
Oh and I’ve never heard of Bill Cunningham before reading this entry. Besides, who does he hope to convince if indeed his intent is to link Senator Obama to terrorists? Conservative Republicans? Unless it is on the off chance that a straggler like me is going to vote for Obama (assuming he gets the nomination), I sincerely doubt Cunningham needs to use such rhetoric to sway conservative Republicans that aren’t going to vote for him anyway.
This is much ado about nothing.
“Good God this is stupid. It’s stupid for people to get pissed off that somebody dared to call Barack Hussein Obama by his FULL NAME which is: Barack Hussein Obama.”
Yes, Jay, this is full of stupid, and again, the stupid is coming from your side. People are attack Obama because he middle name is Hussein. How fucking stupid is that?
“You’re right. It’s only wrong to make fun of a person’s name if it is the same as a dictator.”
Wow. It it like it is a contest for conservatives to out-stupid each other.
How was Oliver making fun of George Felix Allen’s name? Is there something funny about, ‘Alex’? No?
On the other hand, Bill Cunningham was trying to link Obama to terrorists by pointing out he has a Middle Eastern sounding name.
Do you get the difference? Of course not. That’s because you are stupid. This is also the reason you are conservative.
It’s stupid for people to get pissed off that somebody dared to call Barack Hussein Obama by his FULL NAME which is: Barack Hussein Obama.
Come on, Jay. I don’t believe that you are stupid, so I need you to explain to me what possible reason Cunningham and anybody else would have to use Sen. Obama’s full name except to score cheap points with that section of the electorate who doesn’t go beyond the most superficial details when it comes to their voting behavior.
It’s juvenile. It’s like making fun of anybody who has the name “Gay.”
Cunningham is doing what has been done since the first mention of Barack’s middle name–trying to get people to go “Hussein? Like that evil dictator whose ass we kicked?”
People are attack Obama because he middle name is Hussein. How fucking stupid is that?
So simply saying his middle name along with his first and last name is attacking him?
That’s what you’re saying? Kind of like Media Matters claiming that merely saying his middle name is a ’smear.’
Stunning.
Yes, saying someone’s middle name in a derisive manner can be childish. When a wingnut who makes a career of questioning liberal’s patriotism and considers liberals unamerican does it, it is childish, racist, and xenophobic.
So JWG and Jay, there are two choices: Either you are ignorant of what your fellow travelers are trying to accomplish, which means that you are stupider than plant life and some forms of bacteria, or you are being disingenuous when you pretend not to see a problem, which makes you douchebags. Take your pick.
MM was wrong to use the word “smear.” Point to Jay.
“Saying” his middle name, no. Doing what Cunningham and others do, which is spotlighting the name, is another matter entirely.
Again, though, I ask you what reason he and others have for referring to him in a manner by which he never refers to himself. Nobody goes around talking about the new Thomas Cruise movie or asking about the Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen concert we were at last night.
Give me a solid reason other than they wish to connect his name with that of a vanquished enemy.
So simply saying his middle name along with his first and last name is attacking him?
Come now, Jay. You’re argument sounds to me like the alibi of a boy tormenting his brother: “I wasn’t touching him! I was just touching the air next to him!”
Anyone over the age of six doesn’t need to be told why Mr. Cunningham and others like him use endlessly repeat Mr. Obama’s middle name. On the off-chance you haven’t heard, I’ll explain: there’s a rumor floating around that he’s a “secret Muslim,” that he will buddy up to terroists and dictators, and that he will abandon our alliance with Israel. Mr. Obama’s middle name is a shorthand way to reference these and other smears.
Some who call attention to his middle name are less obvious than Mr. Cunningham. In his introductory remarks, Mr. Cunningham envisioned a day a year from now when Mr. Obama would return from his meetings with Iranian president Ahmadinejad, Kim Jong-Il, and Helbollah and convene a meeting of “world leaders who want to kill us.”
So, as you see, it’s not “just saying” his middle name. It’s a bit more than that.
Cunningham and anybody else would have to use Sen. Obama’s full name except to score cheap points with that section of the electorate who doesn’t go beyond the most superficial details when it comes to their voting behavior.
Oh please. Like people couldn’t find this out anyway? Oh no, stay away from Wikipedia. They’re smearing Barack Obama because they list his full name!
Sure constantly using the middle name is juvenile. But then again, so is feigning outrage over the whole thing.
I mean cmon. If the name ‘Barack Obama’ isn’t enough for some pinhead to declare they’re not going to vote based on how the name sounds, adding ‘Hussein’ into the mix isn’t going to put them across the finish line.
Mr. Cunningham envisioned a day a year from now when Mr. Obama would return from his meetings with Iranian president Ahmadinejad, Kim Jong-Il, and Helbollah and convene a meeting of “world leaders who want to kill us.”
So … Ahmadinejad, Kim Jong-Il and Hezbollah DON’T want to kill us? Really?
Good luck selling that to the voting public, bro.
So, what you’re saying is: “No, I can’t come up with any other reason to mention his full name as loudly and as often as is being done.”
Understood.
Congratulations, Farris. You’ve finally sunk to a comment that is so self-evidently inane that it requires no rebuttal.
Ok, so they’re spotlighting his name. People should make that clear. That being said, it hardly matters and it’s hardly something to get worked up over.
Jay: “So simply saying his middle name along with his first and last name is attacking him?”
They are saying his name in an attempt to connect him with Saddam Hussein.
This is a smear.
Now please, just try and act like you are actually human and not some conservative mimeograph who couldn’t even pass the Turing test.
SaveFarris: “So … Ahmadinejad, Kim Jong-Il and Hezbollah DON’T want to kill us? Really?”
How do you now choke to death on your own tongue is a miracle. You are obviously far too stupid to live.
SaveFarris: “So … Ahmadinejad, Kim Jong-Il and Hezbollah DON’T want to kill us? Really?”
How do you now choke to death on your own tongue is a miracle. You are obviously far too stupid to live.
Jesus Christ! This is just sad.
Jay, Farris, the rest of you ultra-con bums, could you at least TRY? Please?
I have to wonder, can the “Sekrit Mooslem!” people and their “Its only his full name, stop being thought police!” enablers even pretend theres some other, more legitimate reason to use Obama’s full name? I mean to my knowledge nobody has ever publically called them “Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton,” “John Sidney McCain III,” or “Michael Dale Huckabee” in like forever, so what possible other reason would there be for the full name?
Actually, its not even the full name is it? It’s “Barack Hussein Obama Jr.” Why would they add one extra term and not the other if not just because it gives them the chance to keep saying “Hussein! Hussein!” so often?