Politics is a dirty business, and it has only gotten murkier in recent years. We are often quick to criticize dishonesty or duplicity when we see it in a politician we don’t like, but we are slow to see it in ourselves. See, we become gossips about politicians, and we begin to pass on speculative rumors or outright falsehoods about current political leaders we dislike. It feels good. It makes us feel smarter about our choices. The guys on the radio and cable news are doing it. Unfortunately, repetition doesn’t make a thing true.
Such is the case with various myths floating about regarding President Obama. A friend recently pointed me to Snopes about a fake Pepsi controversy, and I immediately remembered how addictive of a site it is after not visiting it for several months. (Seriously, it’s almost as bad as TV Tropes, which I once saw described as being “like Rickrolling, but you’re trapped all day.”) While on Snopes, I checked out their Obama section, which contained some 89 claims about Obama that are circling the web with only 8 of those being completely true.
I noticed some that had crossed my path a few times and just thought I’d collect my favorites. I’m sure you could read some insidious motive into that, but, in reality, I’m only amusing myself here.
My Five Favorites
Michelle Obama Sharia Prohibition
We start with a gem of a chain email that became popular in 2009 stating that Michelle Obama had to head home after Obama visited France during his first major international trip as president. The reason? He’d be visiting Muslim countries, and he, as a Muslim, would not want to offend his brethren by bringing her with him. Okay.
- First, Obama is not a Muslim. As far as religion goes, he’s not much of anything really. Most politicians aren’t even when they say they are. Get over it already.
- Even if that was true, Obama visited France, the UK, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Turkey. None of those countries are governed by Sharia law.
- Even if they were, as a foreign dignitary, Obama would be exempt from such laws.
Okay, that chain email wasn’t even trying. Next.
Obama Cancels National Day of Prayer
Another chain email claims Obama cancelled the National Day of Prayer and hosted an Islamic Prayer Day at the White House instead (with photographic evidence). Or, perhaps not.
- Both in 2009 & 2010 Obama honored the National Day of Prayer with signed proclamations, despite opposition from religious freedom groups and a federal ruling (PDF link) that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional. He just didn’t make an event of it.
- It might be hard to notice, what with all the mosque-like architecture in the background cluttering the view, but the “photographic evidence” wasn’t taken at the White House. It was taken at the Blue Mosque while Obama was in Turkey in 2009, and he was honoring a local custom by removing his shoes.
I have to admit. That one tried harder. It even had a picture.
No Flag Press Conference
This one’s another chain email. It claims that Obama is the first president ever to hold a press conference without flags in the background and that it’s an intentional sign of how he’ll change the country. You know, that could be pretty profound. Except it’s not.
- Yes, on May 27, 2010, President Obama held a press conference about the Deepwater Horizon explosion and spill that had no American flags in the backdrop. He was the first president to have a press conference about Deepwater Horizon without an American flag present, but every one of our last five presidents have held the occasional press conference without a flag in the backdrop.
- In the days before cable news networks, it seems that presidents would seldom hold such staged press conferences, instead opting for more informal settings. Sometimes without flags framing them.
That one had me nervous for a second, but it’s nothing compared to the next one.
Dishonoring Memorial Day
Here’s another nail-biter. Apparently, according to a certain talk radio personality I’ve criticized before on this site, Obama is the first ever president to not attend Arlington on Memorial Day. Other conservative commentators implied he would be doing nothing on Memorial Day.
- Obama was scheduled to deliver a speech at the Lincoln Memorial National Cemetery (whose veterans are obviously less worthy of presidential attention in the minds of some) while Biden spoke at Arlington. If there is a first here, it may be the first time the President and Vice President honored troops in two separate ceremonies at two separate national cemeteries on Memorial Day. Prove me wrong, Internet.
- As for Arlington attendance, out of our last five presidents, only one has made it to Arlington for Memorial Day every year of his presidency. Do you want to guess who? It’s obviously not Obama, whose record is 1/2 right now. It’s not George H.W. Bush; he didn’t attend one Arlington Memorial Day ceremony. George W. Bush only missed 1 out of 7. Surely it must be Reagan, but his attendance record was 4/8. That leaves Bill Clinton as the only president in the last thirty years to never miss an Arlington Memorial Day ceremony.
Here’s a handy visual to help you with that long paragraph. Solid colors mean they were at Arlington on Memorial Day. Half-tones mean they gave a speech but somewhere else. No color means they attended no public observance.
By the logic that prompted this “controversy” about Obama to begin with, Reagan and George H.W. Bush must think little of our troops while Clinton loves our troops more than any president in my lifetime. Out of those who propagated this myth, I doubt many would agree with that assertion.
The Pimpin’ President
This is the best of all. Various 2009 emails circulated the following image claiming it was a White House function, a St. Patrick’s Day party, a Halloween party, even the Obamas’ wedding. Are you ready for it? Remember, people took this seriously and expressed outrage over this. It was even big on Facebook – Facebook I’m telling you – for a time.
Ahem. This one doesn’t even get bullet points in the debunking. Kids, it’s time you spoke with your parents and grandparents about Photoshop.
This photo was an entry in an online Photoshop contest called If Pimps Ruled. Someone saw it, pasted it into an email, wrote a bogus claim about it being legit, and people bought it. It’s not even very good. (Okay, the wrinkles on Barack Obama’s suit are impressive, but Michelle? The torso isn’t even the right shape!)
Blinded By the Right
I honestly never get emails like these about Sarah Palin, George Bush, or John McCain. With as many progressive friends as I have, I never get a single message in my inbox that tries to disparage politicians they don’t like. None. Zero. Zilch. Even searching Snopes, the number of myths debunked about those three are vanishingly small compared to the amount of garbage spread about Obama. In fact, you could add up all of the myths spread about Bush, Palin, and McCain combined and not equal Obama’s page. You could even throw in Nancy Pelosi, Bill Clinton, and Hillary Clinton, and all six of those public figures combined don’t add up to the number of myths circulating about Obama.
I’ve heard political commentators, bloggers, and comedians speak of Obama Derangements Syndrome (a derivative of Bush Derangement Syndrome, a condition I have been known to suffer from) or Baracknophobia. Urban Dictionary defines these as:
The acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the statements – nay – the very existence of Barack Obama.
I think it comes down to the paranoid nature of our politics. We have one side telling us the other is coming to turn us into a socialist dystopia while the other is claiming the first will turn us into an objectivist aristocracy. On top of this, some influential members of the Right are waging a one-sided “culture war” that completely vilifies members of the other party. It’s silly. I don’t care if you’re Rush Limbaugh yelling about how socialized school lunches are making our children fat (holding back rude remark) or if you’re Keith Olbermann declaring Dick Cheney the Worst Person in the World for the nineteenth time (seriously, hyperbole much?) or if you are just hitting the forward button in your email client – you’re not helping. Please stop.
Or don’t. After all, it keeps Snopes.com amusing as ever.
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