Monday, June 02, 2008
Michelle & Farrakhan Sitting In A Tree...Not
So, the blogosphere is abuzz with rampant speculation that there exists a videotape from the Trinity Church where Michelle Obama and Louis Farrakhan are going ape-shit over race in America, blaming "whitey" for this, that and the other offense.
Over at National Review, Jim Geraghty tries to tamp down the rumor.
That's a smart move on his part.
No tape exists. I am willing to bet my first-born on it.
You know why I know no tape exists? Because all copies of it were wrapped up in an American flag and burned on a woodpile ignited by Hillary Clinton and Kitty Dukakis. I didn't see it, but my best friend's cousin's boyfriend saw the whole thing.
Let me explain.
This is the '08 version of a really weird conservative urban legend that pops up every four years, The names change, but the basics remain the same: 1) It always involves the wife of the Democratic presidential candidate; 2) It always portrays the wife -- not the candidate -- committing some anti-American, unpatriotic act.
I was first exposed to this during the 1988 campaign when the line was, "There's a picture out there of Kitty Dukakis burning the American flag...just wait til that comes out..." (that one got out of hand when a GOP senator actually believed it and called a press conference to say he would soon produce the evidence -- which never materialized). Four years later, "There's a picture out there of Hillary Clinton burning the American flag...just wait 'til that comes out..." In 1996, the Hillary thing repeated itself. In '04, there was a similar one about Teresa Heinz Kerry.
Differences this year: Because of the racial angle and Jeremiah Wright, Michelle Obama -- and Louis Farrakhan, for good measure -- are blaming "whitey." Because of YouTube, it's a clip, not a photo. Oh, and it's also real early: This urban legend isn't supposed to start making the rounds until September or so. Perhaps it's because this one has "crossed over" -- Larry Johnson is a lefty blogger partial to Hillary, so he's caught up in the feverish wish that this might be true. Sorry, Larry, don't hold your breath.
I'll believe it when I see it. Actually, given how things can be photo-shopped and video altered, I may not even believe it then.
UPDATE: RT welcomes readers of Instapundit, Kausfiles, Conservative Grapevine, John Cole and Reason's Hit & Run blog! Whew!! Nice to have so many new folks dropping in!!
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Over at National Review, Jim Geraghty tries to tamp down the rumor.
That's a smart move on his part.
No tape exists. I am willing to bet my first-born on it.
You know why I know no tape exists? Because all copies of it were wrapped up in an American flag and burned on a woodpile ignited by Hillary Clinton and Kitty Dukakis. I didn't see it, but my best friend's cousin's boyfriend saw the whole thing.
Let me explain.
This is the '08 version of a really weird conservative urban legend that pops up every four years, The names change, but the basics remain the same: 1) It always involves the wife of the Democratic presidential candidate; 2) It always portrays the wife -- not the candidate -- committing some anti-American, unpatriotic act.
I was first exposed to this during the 1988 campaign when the line was, "There's a picture out there of Kitty Dukakis burning the American flag...just wait til that comes out..." (that one got out of hand when a GOP senator actually believed it and called a press conference to say he would soon produce the evidence -- which never materialized). Four years later, "There's a picture out there of Hillary Clinton burning the American flag...just wait 'til that comes out..." In 1996, the Hillary thing repeated itself. In '04, there was a similar one about Teresa Heinz Kerry.
Differences this year: Because of the racial angle and Jeremiah Wright, Michelle Obama -- and Louis Farrakhan, for good measure -- are blaming "whitey." Because of YouTube, it's a clip, not a photo. Oh, and it's also real early: This urban legend isn't supposed to start making the rounds until September or so. Perhaps it's because this one has "crossed over" -- Larry Johnson is a lefty blogger partial to Hillary, so he's caught up in the feverish wish that this might be true. Sorry, Larry, don't hold your breath.
I'll believe it when I see it. Actually, given how things can be photo-shopped and video altered, I may not even believe it then.
UPDATE: RT welcomes readers of Instapundit, Kausfiles, Conservative Grapevine, John Cole and Reason's Hit & Run blog! Whew!! Nice to have so many new folks dropping in!!
Labels: michelle obama, urban legends
