Fact Check: Obama Never Said We Should Support Trade Deals Like NAFTA
Today's New York Times quotes a Clinton spokesperson pointing to a 2004 story claiming Obama had been in favor of NAFTA-like trade agreements. In fact, Obama has consistently opposed NAFTA-like trade deals and the 2004 the report that the Clinton campaign cites is inaccurate.
2004 Chicago Tribune Cited Its Difference With Obama's Opposition to NAFTA. The Chicago Tribune wrote in an editorial, "We sharply differ with some of those views, particularly Obama's opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement." [Chicago Tribune, 2/29/04]
New Yorker: Obama Opposed NAFTA. The New Yorker wrote, "This is a regular theme with Obama: supporters who disagree with him. The two big Chicago daily papers both endorsed him enthusiastically in the primary, even though they disagreed with him on major issues-his opposition to the war in Iraq and, in the case of the Tribune, his opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement." [New Yorker, 5/31/04]
Obama Said NAFTA And CAFTA Were Not In The Best Interest Of The American Worker "Because They Did Not Contain The Sorts Of Labor Provisions And Environmental Provisions" That They Should Have. "The AP reported, "Obama said he supports the foreign trade deal, which is especially important to labor and U.S. manufacturers. He said active trading is a key way to keep the United States competitive. 'We're not going to draw a moat around the United States' economy. If we do that, then China is still trading, India is still going to be trading,' said Obama, who voted against the recent Central American Free Trade Agreement and opposes the pending trade deal with South Korea. 'I think that NAFTA and CAFTA did not reflect the interests of American workers but reflected the interests of the stock owners on Wall Street, because they did not contain the sorts of labor provisions and environmental provisions that should have been embedded and should have been enforceable in those agreements,' he said." [AP, 10/10/07]
Click below for the full transcript of Obama's response referenced in the 2004 story
Obama Said He Supported "Restructuring NAFTA." "Do you support rolling back NAFTA or GATT?" Obama said, "I would support restructuring NAFTA and GATT to make sure that environmental protections, labor protections and so on are in place. And I also think that we've got to enforce some of these provisions more aggressively, the same way other countries are doing. I use the example of China. If China is devaluing its currency by 40 percent and we are not challenging them on that, then there's not much point of having China in the WTO, if they're not respecting our trademarks and our copyright laws. If we have countries that continue to present barriers to us - non-tariff barriers - to our products getting to market, then those are all issues that I think we've got to challenge these countries on. And that's the responsibility of the Administration. The problem in a lot of our trade agreements is that the Administration tends to negotiate on behalf of multinational companies instead of on behalf of workers and communities. If we had a shift in orientation in terms of who are we negotiating for, then I think you'd see some different outcomes." [Illinois Farm Bureau Transcript, 9/8/04]
"Associated Press reporter Kathleen Hennessey wrote that Sen. Barack Obama "opposes a bill that would change the nation's 135-year-old mining law -- the same stance as mining industry executives who employ a Nevada-based lobbyist advising the presidential candidate," which Hennessey said is "raising questions." Despite the suggestion of impropriety, Hennessey offered no evidence or allegation of wrongdoing. Hennessey's article is the latest in a series of media reports on Obama that have suggested possible wrongdoing on his part, but, at the same time, failed to identify any allegations or evidence that he acted improperly."
RHETORIC: Obama Is Doing the Bidding of Mining Interests Regarding The General Mining Law Of 1872
REALITY: Obama "First Of Any Of The Presidential Candidates To Take A Public Stand" Opposing House Mining Reform Bill But Supported Updating The General Mining Law Of 1872 And Would Work With Harry Reid On Compromise Legislation
Obama "First Of Any Of The Presidential Candidates To Take A Public Stand" Opposing House Mining Reform Bill. The AP reported, "Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama is siding with Nevada's mining industry. At least for now. The Illinois senator said today he opposes the mining reform bill the House has approved because it would be too burdensome on the industry and could end up costing miners jobs in Nevada and other states... But he told Nevada news reporters during a conference call today that he specifically opposes parts of the House-passed bill that would impose royalties of 4% of gross revenue on existing hard-rock mining operations, and royalties of 8% of gross revenue on new mining operations. He says it is clear to him that the bill, in his words, 'places a significant burden on the mining industry and could have a significant impact on jobs.' He's believed to be the first of any of the presidential candidates to take a stand publicly on the proposal." [KESQ, 11/6/07]
Congressman Nick Rahall Called The Eight Percent Royalty A "Good Starting Point" But Was "Not Locked In Concrete" With His Own Bill. "Rahall seemed flexible about changes to the bill, saying he's not ruling out any provisions at this point. He said the 8 percent was a 'good starting point' for negotiations. 'I'm not locked in concrete with what I introduced,' he said." [The Billings Gazette, 5/11/07]
Nevada Mining Association Called The Eight Percent Royalty Arbitrary. The AP reported, "Opponents of the legislation believe production would fall off and funding for exploration to sustain mining and mining communities would go away if companies were compelled to pay the fees. 'You need to work with the existing framework because an 8 percent royalty is a gross injustice,' said Russ Fields, head of the Nevada Mining Association. 'It's not fair to mining or the public because mining has no control over the price of minerals, so it's impossible for mining to pass on the cost of the fee to the customer.'" [AP, 8/21/07]
Obama Said He Supported Updating The General Mining Law, Would Work With Reid To Find Compromise. The AP reported, "Obama says he supports efforts to update the General Mining Law of 1872. He says he will work with Nevada Senator Harry Reid to find a compromise with an appropriate balance between environmental protection and a healthy mining industry." [KESQ, 11/6/07]
Reid Said "We Have To Reach A Compromise" On Mining Law Revisions. "Sen. Reid said environmental groups have caused the mining industry to 'live in a political wilderness' for years, adding, 'It can't be their way or no way. We have to reach a compromise.' Reid added that some revisions to the mining law are needed if for no other reason than to end uncertainty for the industry. If Congress doesn't act, he said the issue is left in the hands of whoever is president." [AP, 8/21/07]
Reid Said He Hoped Congress Would Deliver "Real And Reasonable Reform" On Mining Updates. CQ reported, "A pivotal figure in the mining debate is Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., a son of a miner and a longtime ally of the industry. Reid's willingness to negotiate a mining bill is considered the best indication that the industry is ready to make a deal. When Rahall held a field hearing in a mining area of northern Nevada during the August recess, Reid made introductory remarks. 'It is my genuine hope,' he told the crowd, 'that at the end of this Congress that we can both be proud to have delivered real and reasonable reform for one of our nation's vital industries.' Reid added that finding a compromise was better than 'crossing our fingers every four years and hoping that the newly elected president understands the West and understands the importance of mining.'" [CQ, 9/23/07]
RHETORIC: A Member Of Obama's Nevada Steering Committee Is A State Lobbyist For Mining Interests, Has Influenced Obama's Position On The General Mining Law Of 1872
REALITY: Billy Vassiliadis Cannot Lobby A Federal Official On Any Issue
According To The Law, Only Those Who Lobby The Federal Government Need Register As A Federal Lobbyist. US Code reads in part that "responsible representative Government requires public awareness of the efforts of paid lobbyists to influence the public decisionmaking process in both the legislative and executive branches of the Federal Government." [2USC Sec. 1601, Accessed 8/13/07]
AP: "Vassiliadis Is Not A Federally Registered Lobbyist." The AP reported, "Vassiliadis is not a federally registered lobbyist." [AP, 11/15/07]
Vassiliadis Said He Had Never Discussed Mining With Obama. Vassiliadis said, "I have not had a single conversation, not one, with anybody in the Obama campaign about mining." [AP, 11/15/07]
RHETORIC: "Obama Regularly Assails The Relationship Between Special Interests, Lobbyists And Politicians."
REALITY: Obama Does Not Take Money From PACs Or Lobbyists, Breaking The Relationship Between Special Interests And Politicians
Washington Post Fact Check: Obama Has Not Accepted Campaign Contributions From Federally Registered Lobbyists. The Washington Post reported in a fact check, "As far as we can establish (and we have only examined the present election cycle), neither Edwards nor Obama have knowingly accepted campaign contributions from federally registered lobbyists, so that claim is technically correct." [Washington
Post, 10/22/07]
Public Citizen: Praised Obama Efforts To Turn His Back On Lobbyist Money. Roll Call reported, "Federally registered lobbyist Craig Holman, for example, who works for the government watchdog group Public Citizen, should not get lumped into the same broad category as Jack Abramoff, the now-incarcerated lobbyist. But perhaps these lobbyists are more eager to be plugged into the campaign than simply looking out for Obama's interest. Holman himself gives Obama credit for trying and wants no special treatment. "He's doing the best he can," Holman said of Obama's relationship with lobbyists. "He is turning his back on one of the most lucrative sources of campaign cash. I give him very high marks, even though he's still developing relationships with lobbyists because lobbyists tend to be well-networked. Obama has long recognized that lobbyists and campaign cash has a potentially corrupting influence over lawmakers."" [Roll Call, 5/23/07]
Obama Received A 25% Rating From The National Mining Association In 2005. The National Mining Association gave Barack Obama a 25% rating based on his voting record in the 109th Congress. The NMA rated eight votes during the 109th Congress, and Obama voted against the NMA on six of those votes. [National Mining Association Website, Accessed 11/15/07]
"The Associated Press reported that Sen. Barack Obama "says he can't step up and produce his own records from his days in the Illinois state Senate. He says he hasn't got any." But Obama did not claim that the documents do not exist. In fact, the article quoted Obama saying: "I don't have -- I don't maintain -- a file of eight years of work in the state Senate because I didn't have the resources available to maintain those kinds of records."
RHETORIC: JUST DAYS AGO, OBAMA ACKNOWLEDGED HE HAD "REMAINING DOCUMENTS" AND ENCOURAGED REPORTERS TO MAKE SPECIFIC REQUESTS.
FACT: OBAMA HAS CONSISTENTLY SAID THAT HE DID NOT KEEP HIS ILLINOIS SENATE RECORDS AND DOES NOT SAY THAT HE HAD MORE RECORDS THAN WERE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE
Chicago Sun-Times: Obama "Did Not Keep" Records From His Time In The State Senate, Turned Over Casework To His Successor. The Chicago Sun-Times reported, "After White House hopeful Barack Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004, he turned over 'pertinent' files from his state Senate office to his successor and did not keep other office records. Senior strategist David Axelrod said Sunday night, 'Files pertinent to ongoing casework were passed to Kwame Raoul, his successor.'" [Chicago Sun-Times, 11/12/07]
Obama: "We Did Not Keep Those Records." "Tim, we did not keep those records." [NBC Meet the Press, Transcript, 11/11/07]
Obama Said He Had No Record Of His Meetings As A State Senator Because He Kept His Own Schedule. When asked whether there were available records his meetings with lobbyists during his State Senate days, Obama said, "I did not have a scheduler, but, as I said, every document related to my interactions with government is available right now. And, as I said, news outlets have already looked at them...I kept my own schedule. I didn't have a scheduler." [NBC Meet the Press, Transcript, 11/11/07]
Obama Said "I Do Not Have A Whole Bunch Of Records From Those Years...I Don't Maintain A File Of Eight Years Of Work." Obama was asked if his State Senate "papers" still existed. Obama said, "So we have a bunch of file cabinets. I do not have a whole bunch of records from those years. Now, if there are particular documents that you are interested in, then you should let us know. But I don't have, I don't maintain, a file of eight years of work in the State Senate because I didn't have the resources available to maintain those kinds of records." [Iowa Press Avail, 11/9/07]
RHETORIC: THE RECORDS "THE STATE CONSIDERS PUBLIC" ARE NOT "CURRENTLY AVAILABLE"
FACT: FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUESTS ARE FILED WITH THE STATE OF ILLINOIS; OBAMA HAS NO CONTROL OVER THAT INFORMATION AND VOTED TO ESTABLISH AN APPEALS PROCESS FOR DENIED REQUESTS
Freedom Of Information Requests Are Filed With The State Of Illinois; Obama As A Presidential Candidate And United States Senator Has No Control Over The Release Of Documents. Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140/1 et seq.) states that "Pursuant to the fundamental philosophy of the American constitutional form of government, it is declared to be the public policy of the State of Illinois that all persons are entitled to full and complete information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts and policies of those who represent them as public officials and public employees consistent with the terms of this Act. Such access is necessary to enable the people to fulfill their duties of discussing public issues fully and freely, making informed political judgments and monitoring government to ensure that it is being conducted in the public interest." [5 ILCS 140/1 et seq]
FACT: CHICAGO TRIBUNE FOIA REQUEST FOR OBAMA'S MEMBER INITIATIVES WAS GRANTED, ANALYZED THE INFORMATION FOR AN ARTICLE ON OBAMA'S TIME IN THE STATE SENATE
Obama Said Every Single Piece Of Information And Every Document Related To His Work In State Government Has Been Kept By The State Of Illinois, Has Been Disclosed, And Is Available. When asked about the location of his Illinois State Senate Records, Obama said, "In the state senate, every single piece of information, every document related to state government was kept by the state of Illinois and has been disclosed and is available and has been gone through with a fine-toothed comb by news outlets in Illinois." [NBC, Meet the Press Transcript, 11/11/07]
The Chicago Tribune Analyzed 119 Obama-Sponsored "Member Initiatives" From His State Senate Days. "The Tribune analyzed 119 grants in which Obama steered more than $6 million for Chicago projects between late 1999 and late 2002, the heart of his Statehouse career and the center of a state government frenzy in which Obama said the pork-barrel process was 'wide open.'" [Chicago Tribune, 5/3/07]
FACT: OBAMA HAS MADE A HABIT OF DISCLOSING MORE THAN IS REQUIRED, INCLUDING HIS BUNDLERS, EARMARKS, TAX RETURNS AND LEGAL CLIENTS...
Obama Committed to Disclose the Names of Bundlers. In 2007, Obama committed to name people who bundle campaign contributions. [Los Angeles Times, 2/9/07]
Obama Went One Step Further Than Other Candidates, Disclosed The Amount Of Money That His Bundlers Were Raising. "Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Tuesday disclosed the amounts his very top fund-raisers -- called bundlers -- are pulling in for his presidential campaign...Obama is disclosing more information than chief rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) is willing to reveal about the amounts her top players are raising." [Chicago Sun-Times, 11/14/07]
Public Citizen: Obama's Bundling List "Would Rank The Best." "In terms of just breaking out the amounts raised by superbundlers, compared with the other candidates, Obama's list 'would rank the best,' said Taylor Lincoln, research director for Public Citizen, a watchdog group tracking big dollar campaign fund-raising." [Chicago Sun-Times, 11/14/07]
Obama Was the Only Presidential Candidate to Release His Income Tax Returns. The AP reported, "In addition to filing financial disclosures, another common practice in presidential campaigns is the release of income tax returns. But so far this year, only Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has released his 2006 tax returns." [AP, 5/15/07]
Obama Reported All Clients On PFD, Providing More Disclosure Than Required. In 1998, the Chicago Sun-Times reported on lawmakers who did not disclose their firms' client. The Sun-Times wrote, "The state form does not require that information, and he refused to provide it to the center, citing attorney-client privilege. Other attorney-lawmakers, such as Sen. Barack Obama (D-Chicago), reported a full list of clients. 'My assumption is whenever there is a potential conflict of interest, my constituents have a right to know,' Obama told the Sun-Times." [Chicago Sun-Times, 3/29/98]
2007: Obama Disclosed His Earmark Requests. On June 21, 2007, Obama disclosed the earmark projects that he had requested for fiscal year 2008. [Obama Release, 6/21/07]
Chicago Sun-Times: Applaud Obama And Others For "The Courage To Disclose Every Earmark Request." The Chicago Sun-Times wrote in an editorial, "As valuable as it has already been to see the earmarks and their sponsors at the subcommittee stage, it's even more valuable to see the requests from members before they even make it that far. That's why we applaud Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, Democratic Rep. Rahm Emanuel and GOP Representatives Peter Roskam, Judy Biggert and Mark Kirk for having the courage to disclose every earmark request, whether successful or not. The sooner the public can start scrutinizing the earmarks -- which are, after all, demands for taxpayers to fund specific projects -- the sooner it can start separating the wheat from the chaff. We encourage every member of Congress to do the same. The more glare, the more scrutiny, the better the process will work." [Chicago Sun-Times, 6/27/07]
...AND WOULD BE THE DEMOCRAT MOST COMMITED TO TRANSPARENCY
Reason Foundation: Obama The Only Democrat Who Signed The Oath Of Presidential Transparency. The Reason Foundation wrote, "Meet the only three would-be chief execs who will dare to tell you how the government spends your money...The Oath of Presidential Transparency, a project spearheaded by the Reason Foundation, the nonprofit that publishes the print and online editions of reason. Joining together three dozen diverse groups ranging from the American Association of Physicians and Surgeons to the Electronic Frontier Foundation to the voter-rights outfit Velvet Revolution, the Oath provides voters with a crystal-clear understanding of the candidates' priorities when it comes to government spending...'Every American has the right to know how the government spends their tax dollars, but for too long that information has been largely hidden from public view,' says Sen. Obama, whose role in creating FFAT can't be overstated. 'This historic law will lift the veil of secrecy in Washington and ensure that our government is transparent and accountable to the American people. And I will be proud to fully implement and enforce this law as president.'" [Reason Foundation, 8/24/07]
Sunlight Foundation: Obama Was A Leader On Government Transparency, Willingness To Talk About The Issue Demonstrated Commitment. Ellen Miller wrote on her Sunlight Foundation blog, "Given the fact that Obama is a leader on government transparency issues in the Senate now, his willingness to talk about these issues demonstrates his commitment to them and his understanding that the public strongly favors more transparency by the government." [Ellen Miller, Sunlight Foundation, 6/26/07]
Public Citizen: Obama Would Be The Most Active Advocate For Good Government. TPM Election Central reported, "Craig Holman, the ethics lobbyist for Public Citizen, tells us the group endorses all the principles in Obama's speech. 'These are all things we've been advocating for several years now,' he says. 'Obama has been working on many of these reforms for the last year.' Asked if this meant Obama was really better than the other Dems on good-government issues, Holman said: 'Certainly in terms of his active roles. I would expect many of the Democratic candidates to endorse similar proposals. But Senator Obama has been actively working on these since even before he considered running for President.'" [TPM Election Central, 6/22/07]
RHETORIC: PRESIDENT CLINTON'S REPRESENTATIVE HAS CLEARED FOR RELEASE OVER 22,000 OF THE APPROXIMATELY 26,000 PAGES THAT HAD BEEN PENDING BEFORE HIM.
FACT: 26,000 RECORDS CLEARED BY THE ARCHIVES FOR RELEASE ARE BEING HELD FOR REVIEW BY PRESIDENT'S REPRESENTATIVE
Clinton Is Being "Disingenuous And Omitting Facts" In The Saying That Her And Her Husband Have Nothing To Do With The Release Of Their Presidential Records. The Clintons are "being disingenuous and facts that are inconvenient" when discussing the Clinton Library records, "taking advantage of a clause in a November 2001 Bush order that permits former presidents to take virtually as much time as they want to review FOIA requests. According to National Archives officials, 26,000 pages of Clinton presidential records are being held for release after being submitted to Clinton lawyer Bruce Lindsey for review. The records have been screened and processed by Archives officials under FOIA, but they cannot be released to the public until Lindsey, as President Clinton's designated representative, signs off on them. Lindsey did not respond to telephone calls." [Washington Post, 11/1/07]
El padrastro de Obama vio la religión "como no útil," pero siguió "una fase de Islam" que dio espacio a la fé Animista é Hindú. Obama escribio en su libro Audacity of Hope, "cuando mi madre se volvió a casar, fué con un hombre de Indonesia quien era un escéptico, un hombre quien vio religión como no particularmente provechoso en la práctica de hacer uno su marca en el mundo, y quien habia crecido en un país que facilmente se combina con la fé Musulmana y vestigios del Hinduismo, Budismo y tradiciones Animistas antiguas." Obama escribió en su libro Dreams from My Father, "Como muchos Indonesios, Lolo siguió una fase del Islam que dió oportunidad a abrirle pasos a vestigios de fés más antiguas como las Animistas é Hindús." [Audacity of Hope, p 204; Dreams From My Father, p 37]
Barack Obama No Es y Nunca Ha Sido Musulmán. Obama nunca ha rezado en una mezquita ó templo Musulmán. El Nunca ha sido Musulmán, no fué criado Musulmán, y es un Cristiano cometido quien asiste a la Iglesia Unida de Jesucristo, United Church of Christ.
Una amiga de la familia, Julia Suryajusuma dice: Obama "No fue Musulmán... esas declaraciónes (en el Los Angeles Times) No Son Verdaderas." Suryakusuma dice, "Yo conocía a la madre de Barack por muchos años. Ella era una gran amiga cercana. Nosotros platicabamos de Barack muy seguido. El no era Musulmán. Esas declaraciónes [en el Los Angeles Times] no son verdaderas." [Conversation With Julia Suryakusuma, 3/15/07]
EL NUNCA ASISTIO A UNA ESCUELA RADICAL MUSULMANA
Reportero de CNN: Yo he estado en Madrasas en Pakistan y en Afganistán, y la escuela infantil Indonesa no es nada como eso. El 22 de enero, el reportero John Vause de CNN reportó, "Yo vine aquí a la escuela infantil de Barack Obama en Jakarta, buscando a lo que muchos llaman una Madrasa Musulmana, como en las que enseñan odio y violencia en Pakistan y Afganistan. Yo he estado en esas Madrasas en Pakistan y Wolf, esta escuela no es nada como eso." [CNN, Situation Room, 1/22/07]
La embajada de Indonesia dice que La Escuela Besuki a donde Barack Obama Asistió, "Nunca ha sido una Madrasa Musulmana." En una carta de la Embajada de Indonesia dice que "La Sekolah Dasar Negeri Besuki en Menteng, Jakarta, Indonesia siempre ha sido una escuela pública. Nunca ha sido una escuela tipo Madrasa Musulmana." [Carta del Embajador Sudjadnan Parnohadiningrat al Senador Barack Obama, 1/25/07]
OBAMA ES UN CRISTIANO PRACTICANTE
Obama encontró su fé durante sus días como organizador comunitario. "Fué en La Iglesia Trinity United Church of Christ, a los finales de 1980’s que el Senador Obama dice que encontró su religión. Criado en un hogar secular, con raizes que abarcan desde el Islám a Baptista, a Ateísta, Obama casi era un escéptico. Pero la combinación de la escritura y acciónes sociales de Mr. Wright resonó con Obama, entonces un joven organizador comunitario en vecindarios afro-americanos devastados por los cierres de las fábricas de acero." [Christian Science Monitor, 7/16/07]
Obama fué bautizado y asiste a la iglesia una vez cada semana cuando le es possible. En el libro Audacity of Hope, Obama escribió, "Finalmente pude caminar en el pasillo de la iglesia Trinity United Church of Christ y ser bautizado." En 2004, el "asistió la misa de domingo de las 11 a.m. en la iglesia Trinity en el vecindario de Brainerd cada semana - por lo menos todas las semanas que le fuese posible. Su pastor, Wright, se ha convertido en un confidente cercano." Cuando se le pregunta acerca de su decición para ser bautizado, Obama dice, "de rodillas ante la cruz en el sureste de Chicago, sentí la llamada del espiritu de Dios llamandome." El dice de su paseo en el pasillo de la iglesia Trinity United Church of Christ. "Yo me sometí a su poder y a dedicarme a encontrar su verdad." [Audacity of Hope, p.208, Chicago Sun Times, 4/5/04; AP 6/28/06]
Obama lee la Biblia, encuentra timpo para rezar en el campaña presidencial. El periodico Chicago Sun Times escribió, "Obama dice que él lee la Biblia, aunque no tan seguido como él quisiera, ahora que esta en la campaña. Pero el si encuentra tiempo para rezar. ‘No es formal, que yo me ponga de rodillas, dice. ‘Yo creo que tengo una conversación continua con Dios... Siempre me estoy haciendo preguntas acerca de lo que estoy haciendo, y porque lo estoy haciendo." [Chicago Sun Times, 4/5/04]
Obama detuvo su Biblia personal cuando fue juramentado como Senador de los Estados Unidos. "...Incluso antes de que la oficina provisional ya estuviera establecida en el sotano del edificio del senado e incluso antes de haber levantado su mano un martes para ser juramentado como un joven senador de Illinois, Barack Obama ya era una estrella politica y una nueva cara celebrada en el Congreso. El llegó el martes, su primer día oficial en el Capitol... En los circulos en los cuales pertenece, el prestigio de celebridad que el tiene, es dejado en la puerta de guardaropa official... Cuando llegó la hora de prestar juramento, el sostuvo su Biblia, al mismo tiempo que su familia, desde tan lejos como Kenia, miraban desde la galeria de visitas sobre de él. Sus hijas, Malia 6 y Sasha 3, en vestidos de terciopelo y zapatos de charól, rebotaban en sus sillas cuando el vió hacia arriba y les saludo con sus manos." [Los Angeles Times, 1/5/05]
News Outlets Have Agreed: Attacks on Obama's Religion Are Scurrilous and Unfounded
NEWSWEEK: "Dueling chain e-mails claim he's a radical Muslim or a 'racist' Christian. Both can't be right. We find both are false. If these two nasty e-mail messages are any indication, the 2008 presidential campaign is becoming a very dirty one. One claims that Obama is 'certainly a racist' by virtue of belonging to Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ, which it says 'will accept only black parishioners' and espouses a commitment to Africa. Actually, a white theology professor says he's been 'welcomed enthusiastically' at the church, as have other non-blacks. Another e-mail claims that Obama 'is a Muslim,' attended a 'Wahabi' school in Indonesia, took his Senate oath on the Koran, refuses to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and is part of an Islamic plot to take over the U.S. Each of these statements is false. These false appeals to bigotry and fear remind us of the infamous whispering campaign of eight years ago, when anonymous messages just before the South Carolina primary falsely accused Republican candidate John McCain of fathering an illegitimate child by a black woman." READ MORE HERE
PROMINENT JEWISH LEADERS: "As leaders of the Jewish community, none of whose organizations will endorse or oppose any candidate for President, we feel compelled to speak out against certain rhetoric and tactics in the current campaign that we find particularly abhorrent. Of particular concern, over the past several weeks, many in our community have received hateful emails that use falsehood and innuendo to mischaracterize Senator Barack Obama's religious beliefs and who he is as a person. These tactics attempt to drive a wedge between our community and a presidential candidate based on despicable and false attacks and innuendo based on religion. We reject these efforts to manipulate members of our community into supporting or opposing candidates." READ MORE HERE
JEWISH U.S. SENATORS: "Over the past several weeks, many in the Jewish community have received hateful emails that use falsehood and innuendo about Senator Barack Obama's religion and attack him personally. As Jewish United States Senators who have not endorsed a candidate for the Democratic nomination, we condemn these scurrilous attacks. We find it particularly abhorrent that these attacks arc apparently being sent specifically to the Jewish Community. Jews, who have historically been the target of such attacks, should be the first to reject these tactics. We won't dignify these falsehoods by repeating them in order to refute them. Instead, we will express our outrage at these tactics, which are being used to demonize a good and decent man and our friend and colleague. Attempting to manipulate voters into supporting or opposing one candidate or another based on despicable and fictitious attacks is disgraceful. These false and malicious attacks should not be part of our political discourse." READ MORE HERE
Obama Was Baptized And Attends Church Once a Week When He is Able. In the Audacity of Hope, Obama wrote, "I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity United Church of Christ one day and be baptized." In 2004, he "attend[ed] the 11 a.m. Sunday service at Trinity in the Brainerd neighborhood every week -- or at least as many weeks as he is able. His pastor, Wright, has become a close confidant." When asked about his decision to be baptized, Obama said "Kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side of Chicago, I felt I heard God's spirit beckoning me," he said of his walk down the aisle of the Trinity United Church of Christ. "I submitted myself to his will and dedicated myself to discovering his truth." [Audacity of Hope, p.208, Chicago Sun Times, 4/5/04; AP 6/28/06]
Obama Reads The Bible, Finds Time to Pray On Campaign Trail. The Chicago Sun-Times wrote, "Obama says he reads the Bible, though not as regularly as he'd like, now that he's on the campaign trail. But he does find time to pray. 'It's not formal, me getting on my knees,' he says. 'I think I have an ongoing conversation with God... I'm constantly asking myself questions about what I'm doing, why I am doing it.'" [Chicago Sun Times, 4/5/04]
Obama Held His Personal Bible When He Was Sworn-In as a U.S. Senator. "...Even before the makeshift office was up and running in the basement of a Senate building, even before he raised his hand Tuesday to take the oath of office as the junior senator from Illinois, Barack Obama was already a political rock star and a celebrated new face in Congress. He arrived Tuesday, his first official day in the Capitol.... In the circles he runs in now, celebrity status is checked at the cloakroom door...When it was finally time to take the oath, he held his personal Bible, as family from as far away as Kenya watched from the visitors' gallery above. His daughters, Malia, 6, and Sasha, 3, in velvet dresses and patent leather shoes, bounced in their chairs when he looked up and waved." [Los Angeles Times, 1/5/05]
BARACK OBAMA NEVER ATTENDED A RADICAL MUSLIM SCHOOL
CNN Reporter: I've Been to Madrassas in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and Obama's Indonesian Elementary School Is Nothing Like That. On January 22, CNN Reporter John Vause reported, "I came here to Barack Obama's elementary school in Jakarta, looking for what some are calling an Islamic Madrassa, like the ones that teach hate and violence in Pakistan and Afghanistan.. I've been to those Madrassas in Pakistan and Wolf, this school is nothing like that." [CNN, Situation Room, 1/22/07]
Indonesian Embassy Says That Besuki School Attended by Barack Obama "Has Never Been an Islamic Madrassah Type of School." A letter from the Indonesian Embassy stated that "Sekolah Dasar Negeri Besuki in Menteng, Jakarta, Indonesia has always been a public school. It has never been an Islamic madrassa type of school." [Letter From Ambassador Sudjadnan Parnohadiningrat to Senator Barack Obama, 1/25/07]
Time's Joe Klein: Attacks On Obama's Elementary School Are "Laughable" Given the Moderate Form of Islam Practiced in Indonesia, Especially in Those Days." Time's Joe Klein wrote, "The effort to slime Barack Obama has begun in the slimiest possible way." Describing attacks on Obama's elementary school, Klein wrote, "Now, this is nonsense of course. Obama's stepfather was not a Muslim extremist (among other things, he worked for Shell Oil). Obama attended public school for two years in Indonesia, in addition to the two years he spent in catholic schools--although, as Obama's staff points out, Indonesia is a Muslim country, so the public schools undoubtedly reflect the dominant relgious culture. The notion that the Obama's school was a Wahabi madrasa is laughable, given the moderate form of Islam practiced in Indonesia, especially in those days." [Time Blog, 1/22/07]
Los Angeles Times: The Rumors About Obama Are "False And Vile." The Los Angeles Times wrote in an editorial, "That the rumors are false and vile is self-evident...Presidential candidates of both parties have a duty to denounce not only the smear against Obama but the bigotry that underlies it." [Los Angeles Times, 12/3/07]
Obama Spokesman Robert Gibbs Issued A Statement Explaining That "Senator Obama Has Never Been A Muslim, Was Not Raised As A Muslim, And Is A Committed Christian." "Obama's campaign aides have emphasized his strong Christian beliefs and downplayed any Islamic connection. The Illinois senator was raised 'in a secular household in Indonesia by his stepfather and mother,’ his chief spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said in a statement in January after false reports began circulating that Obama had attended a radical madrasa, or Koranic school, as a child. 'To be clear, Senator Obama has never been a Muslim, was not raised a Muslim, and is a committed Christian who attends the United Church of Christ in Chicago,’ Gibbs' Jan. 24 statement said." [Los Angeles Times, 3/16/07]
Obama "Beckoning" Felt At Trinity United Church Of Christ, "Submitted Myself To His Will, And Dedicated Myself To Discovering His Truth And Carrying Out His Works." Obama said, "So one Sunday, I put on one of the few clean jackets I had, and went over to Trinity United Church of Christ on 95th Street on the South Side of Chicago. And I heard Reverend Jeremiah A. Wright deliver a sermon called "The Audacity of Hope." And during the course of that sermon, he introduced me to someone named Jesus Christ. I learned that my sins could be redeemed. I learned that those things I was too weak to accomplish myself, He would accomplish with me if I placed my trust in Him. And in time, I came to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death, but rather as an active, palpable agent in the world and in my own life. It was because of these newfound understandings that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity one day and affirm my Christian faith. It came about as a choice, and not an epiphany. I didn't fall out in church, as folks sometimes do. The questions I had didn't magically disappear. The skeptical bent of my mind didn't suddenly vanish. But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side, I felt I heard God's spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth and carrying out His works." [Speech, 6/23/07]
Barack Obama Is Not and Has Never Been a Muslim. Obama never prayed in a mosque. He has never been a Muslim, was not raised a Muslim, and is a committed Christian who attends the United Church of Christ.
Obama's Step-Father Saw Religion "As Not Particularly Useful," But Followed "A Brand of Islam" That Made Room for Animist and Hindu Faiths. Obama wrote in the Audacity of Hope, "When my mother remarried, it was to an Indonesian with an equally skeptical bent, a man who saw religion as not particularly useful in the practical business of making one's way in the world, and who had grown up in a country that easily blended its Islamic faith with remnants of Hinduism, Buddhism, and ancient animist traditions." Obama wrote in Dreams from My Father, "Like many Indonesians, Lolo followed a brand of Islam that could make room for the remnants of more ancient animist and Hindu faiths." [Audacity of Hope, p 204; Dreams From My Father, p 37]
Obama Found Faith During Community Organizing Days. "It was at Trinity United Church of Christ here, in the late 1980s, that Senator Obama says he found religion. Raised in a secular household, with ancestral roots running from Islam to Baptist to atheist, Obama had grown up a skeptic. But Mr. Wright's blend of scripture and social action resonated with Obama, then a young community organizer in black neighborhoods ravaged by steel-mill closings." [Christian Science Monitor, 7/16/07]
OBAMA'S MIDDLE NAME IS NOT MOHAMMED
Barack Obama's Middle Name Is Not Mohammed. Barack Obama's middle name is not Mohammed. [Media Matters, 3/20/07]
Obama Said His Grandfather Taught Him The Pledge And To Put His Hand Over His Heart, "During The National Anthem You Sing." Obama said, "My grandfather taught me how to say the Pledge of Allegiance when I was 2...During the Pledge of Allegiance you put your hand over your heart. During the national anthem you sing." [AP, 11/7/07]
Obama Spokesman Bill Burton Said Obama Was Not "Making Any Sort Of Statement, And Any Suggestion To The Contrary Is Ridiculous. "Asked whether Obama normally puts his hand over his heart while listening to the national anthem, Obama spokesman Bill Burton replied by e-mail: "Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't. In no way was he making any sort of statement, and any suggestion to the contrary is ridiculous." [Washington Post, 11/2/07]
HE SAYS THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE...
5/28/07:
AND OBAMA VOTED TO REQUIRE THE PLEDGE TO BE RECITED IN SCHOOLS
Obama Voted To Require Pledge Of Allegiance Recital Requirement. Obama voted to require the Pledge of Allegiance to be recited each school day by students in secondary education institutions receiving public funds. [92nd GA, SB 1634, 3/7/02, 3R P; 54-0-0; P.A. 92-0612, 7/3/02; 92nd GA, HB 2077, 11/28/01, 3R P; 56-0-0]
THE ANONYMOUS EMAIL ON OBAMA AND THE PLEDGE WAS AWARDED "WHOPPER" STATUS BY THE WASHINGTON POST
Washington Post Awarded "The Scoundrel" Who Put The Obama/Pledge Of Allegiance Email Into Circulation "Four Pinocchios" On Its Fact Checking Scale, Which Classifies The Attack As A "Whopper." "Anonymous attacks by e-mail are, or at least should be, un-American. This particular one was also wrong on the facts: the ceremony in question had nothing to do with the pledge of the allegiance. We award the scoundrel who put the e-mail into circulation four Pinocchios." [Washington Post, 11/2/07]
Email Made False Claims About The Content Of A Time Article. "Oddly, the accurate caption from Time is included in the chain e-mail. But someone has added that "the article said" Obama refused to say the pledge and would not put his hand on his heart. There is no such article on the Time Web site and searches of the Web and newspaper-magazine databases could only find blog postings that repeat the claim from the e-mail. It's unclear where the allegation originated." [St. Petersburg Times, 11/9/07]
AND WAS CALLED SCURRILOUS AND FALSE BY OTHER NEWS SOURCES
"Scurrilous." "A scurrilous new e-mail is circulating about Barack Obama." [Slate, 11/8/07]
"Addressed And Debunked." "Today, the Obama campaign explained that the photo was taken not during the pledge of allegiance but during the star spangled banner. Said Obama, "I was taught by my grandfather that you put your hand over your heart during the pledge, but during the Star Spangled Banner, you sing!" Of course, it doesn't really matter that Obama has addressed and debunked the e-mail because it's going to keep circulating." [The Nation, 11/8/07]
"False." "(Again, the above email is false. It is printed here for information purposes and should not be construed as fact.)" [Iowa Independent, 11/8/07]
OBAMA SAID ONE SHOWS PATRIOTISM BY HOW ONE TREATS FELLOW AMERICANS AND VETERANS...
Obama Had Not Worn A Flag Pin For Years, Said Patriotism Resided In The Heart And Not The Lapel. The Chicago Tribune reported, "His campaign, sensing the issue was dominating campaign news, had earlier made clear he had not worn such a pin for years. 'I'm less concerned about what you are wearing on your lapel than what's in your heart,' he said under a county fairgrounds pavilion here, a giant American flag draped behind him. 'You show your patriotism by how you treat your fellow Americans, especially those ones who served.' He suggested that some politicians who wear such pins act in disingenuous ways. 'After a while, you know, you start noticing people wearing a lapel pin, but not acting very patriotic, not voting to provide veterans with the resources that they need,' he said." [Chicago Tribune, 10/5/07]
...A SENTIMENT ECHOED BY MILITARY BRASS AND THE DES MOINES REGISTER
Danzig, McPeak, Gration: "Barack Obama Is A Patriot." "'Senator Obama's attackers are peddling lies and smears because they disagree with his strong opposition to the war in Iraq and the rush to war in Iran,' wrote Richard Danzig, secretary of the Navy under President Bill Clinton, and retired Gens. Merrill "Tony" McPeak and J. Scott Gration. 'We have served this nation for decades, and we know a true patriot when we see one. Barack Obama is a patriot.'" [St. Petersburg Times, 11/9/07]
McPeak: Patriotism Is Hard Work; Pin Flap Is Business As Usual, Obama Wants To Turn The Page. When asked on a conference call about Obama no longer wearing an American flag pin, General Tony McPeak said, "'This business about the lapel pin, I think the senator understands that patriotism is hard work...If you could just do it by placing a flag on your lapel, that would be pretty easy.' McPeak then dismissed the flag flap as 'petty symbolism.' 'This pin flap is kind of business as usual. Isn't that the old politics, the gotcha politics,' he said. 'Barack stands for turning the page. Let's do something substantial here.'" [Talking Points Memo, 10/5/07]
Des Moines Register: Obama Was Right About Wearing The Flag Pin And True Patriotism. The Des Moines Register wrote in an editorial, "When we searched eBay for "flag lapel pins," the Web site returned more than 400 hits. With shipping as low as 60 cents, buyers can have a little nugget of patriotism delivered right to their doors. Following 9/11, these small pins could be found on nearly every politician. Over time, the novelty wore off, and people tucked the pins in drawers (or sold them online). Still, when a reporter in Iowa asked presidential candidate Barack Obama why he wasn't wearing a pin, it turned into a national news story. The pin, Obama said, "became a substitute for I think true patriotism, which is speaking out on issues that are of importance to our national security. I decided I won't wear that pin on my chest." He rightly noted that some people wearing lapel pins don't act very patriotic. Staff from other campaigns criticized him. One political analyst said the absence of the pin might hurt him politically. Reporters started asking other candidates about the whereabouts of their pins. Perhaps in an image-fixated world, a flag secured to one's lapel speaks louder than words or actions. But Obama is right. It shouldn't." [Des Moines Register, 10/10/07]
Obama Has Never Been A Muslim, And Is a Committed Christian
"In the internet age, there are going to be lies that are spread all over the place. I have been victimized by these lies. Fortunately, the American people are, I think, smarter than folks give them credit for."
WATCH WHAT OBAMA HAD TO SAY ABOUT THE SMEAR EMAILS
READ WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY
NEWSWEEK: "Dueling chain e-mails claim he's a radical Muslim or a 'racist' Christian. Both can't be right. We find both are false. If these two nasty e-mail messages are any indication, the 2008 presidential campaign is becoming a very dirty one. One claims that Obama is 'certainly a racist' by virtue of belonging to Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ, which it says 'will accept only black parishioners' and espouses a commitment to Africa. Actually, a white theology professor says he's been 'welcomed enthusiastically' at the church, as have other non-blacks. Another e-mail claims that Obama 'is a Muslim,' attended a 'Wahabi' school in Indonesia, took his Senate oath on the Koran, refuses to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and is part of an Islamic plot to take over the U.S. Each of these statements is false. These false appeals to bigotry and fear remind us of the infamous whispering campaign of eight years ago, when anonymous messages just before the South Carolina primary falsely accused Republican candidate John McCain of fathering an illegitimate child by a black woman." READ MORE HERE
THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST: "'Trinity UCC is rooted in and proud of its Afrocentric heritage,' [Rev. John H. Thomas, the UCC's general minister and president] said. 'This is no different than the hundreds of UCC churches from the German Evangelical and Reformed stream that continue to own and celebrate their German heritage, insisting on annual sausage and sauerkraut dinners and singing Stille Nacht on Christmas Eve. Recognizing and celebrating our distinctive racial-ethnic heritages, cultures, languages and customs are what make us unique as a united and uniting denomination.' While Trinity UCC is predominately African American, it does include and welcome non-Black members. The Rev. Jane Fisler-Hoffman, Illinois Conference Minister, who is white, has been a member of the congregation for years." READ MORE HERE
PROMINENT JEWISH LEADERS: "As leaders of the Jewish community, none of whose organizations will endorse or oppose any candidate for President, we feel compelled to speak out against certain rhetoric and tactics in the current campaign that we find particularly abhorrent. Of particular concern, over the past several weeks, many in our community have received hateful emails that use falsehood and innuendo to mischaracterize Senator Barack Obama's religious beliefs and who he is as a person. These tactics attempt to drive a wedge between our community and a presidential candidate based on despicable and false attacks and innuendo based on religion. We reject these efforts to manipulate members of our community into supporting or opposing candidates." READ MORE HERE
JEWISH U.S. SENATORS: "Over the past several weeks, many in the Jewish community have received hateful emails that use falsehood and innuendo about Senator Barack Obama's religion and attack him personally. As Jewish United States Senators who have not endorsed a candidate for the Democratic nomination, we condemn these scurrilous attacks. We find it particularly abhorrent that these attacks arc apparently being sent specifically to the Jewish Community. Jews, who have historically been the target of such attacks, should be the first to reject these tactics. We won't dignify these falsehoods by repeating them in order to refute them. Instead, we will express our outrage at these tactics, which are being used to demonize a good and decent man and our friend and colleague. Attempting to manipulate voters into supporting or opposing one candidate or another based on despicable and fictitious attacks is disgraceful. These false and malicious attacks should not be part of our political discourse." READ MORE HERE
Los Angeles Times: The Rumors About Obama Are "False And Vile." The Los Angeles Times wrote in an editorial, "That the rumors are false and vile is self-evident...Presidential candidates of both parties have a duty to denounce not only the smear against Obama but the bigotry that underlies it." [Los Angeles Times, 12/3/07]
Obama Spokesman Robert Gibbs Issued A Statement Explaining That "Senator Obama Has Never Been A Muslim, Was Not Raised As A Muslim, And Is A Committed Christian." "Obama's campaign aides have emphasized his strong Christian beliefs and downplayed any Islamic connection. The Illinois senator was raised 'in a secular household in Indonesia by his stepfather and mother,’ his chief spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said in a statement in January after false reports began circulating that Obama had attended a radical madrasa, or Koranic school, as a child. 'To be clear, Senator Obama has never been a Muslim, was not raised a Muslim, and is a committed Christian who attends the United Church of Christ in Chicago,’ Gibbs' Jan. 24 statement said." [Los Angeles Times, 3/16/07]
Obama "Beckoning" Felt At Trinity United Church Of Christ, "Submitted Myself To His Will, And Dedicated Myself To Discovering His Truth And Carrying Out His Works." Obama said, "So one Sunday, I put on one of the few clean jackets I had, and went over to Trinity United Church of Christ on 95th Street on the South Side of Chicago. And I heard Reverend Jeremiah A. Wright deliver a sermon called "The Audacity of Hope." And during the course of that sermon, he introduced me to someone named Jesus Christ. I learned that my sins could be redeemed. I learned that those things I was too weak to accomplish myself, He would accomplish with me if I placed my trust in Him. And in time, I came to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death, but rather as an active, palpable agent in the world and in my own life. It was because of these newfound understandings that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity one day and affirm my Christian faith. It came about as a choice, and not an epiphany. I didn't fall out in church, as folks sometimes do. The questions I had didn't magically disappear. The skeptical bent of my mind didn't suddenly vanish. But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side, I felt I heard God's spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth and carrying out His works." [Speech, 6/23/07]
Barack Obama Is Not and Has Never Been a Muslim. Obama never prayed in a mosque. He has never been a Muslim, was not raised a Muslim, and is a committed Christian who attends the United Church of Christ.
Obama's Step-Father Saw Religion "As Not Particularly Useful," But Followed "A Brand of Islam" That Made Room for Animist and Hindu Faiths. Obama wrote in the Audacity of Hope, "When my mother remarried, it was to an Indonesian with an equally skeptical bent, a man who saw religion as not particularly useful in the practical business of making one's way in the world, and who had grown up in a country that easily blended its Islamic faith with remnants of Hinduism, Buddhism, and ancient animist traditions." Obama wrote in Dreams from My Father, "Like many Indonesians, Lolo followed a brand of Islam that could make room for the remnants of more ancient animist and Hindu faiths." [Audacity of Hope, p 204; Dreams From My Father, p 37]
Obama Found Faith During Community Organizing Days. "It was at Trinity United Church of Christ here, in the late 1980s, that Senator Obama says he found religion. Raised in a secular household, with ancestral roots running from Islam to Baptist to atheist, Obama had grown up a skeptic. But Mr. Wright's blend of scripture and social action resonated with Obama, then a young community organizer in black neighborhoods ravaged by steel-mill closings." [Christian Science Monitor, 7/16/07]
HE NEVER ATTENDED A RADICAL MUSLIM SCHOOL
CNN Reporter: I've Been to Madrassas in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and Obama's Indonesian Elementary School Is Nothing Like That. On January 22, CNN Reporter John Vause reported, "I came here to Barack Obama's elementary school in Jakarta, looking for what some are calling an Islamic Madrassa, like the ones that teach hate and violence in Pakistan and Afghanistan.. I've been to those Madrassas in Pakistan and Wolf, this school is nothing like that." [CNN, Situation Room, 1/22/07]
Indonesian Embassy Says That Besuki School Attended by Barack Obama "Has Never Been an Islamic Madrassah Type of School." A letter from the Indonesian Embassy stated that "Sekolah Dasar Negeri Besuki in Menteng, Jakarta, Indonesia has always been a public school. It has never been an Islamic madrassa type of school." [Letter From Ambassador Sudjadnan Parnohadiningrat to Senator Barack Obama, 1/25/07]
Time's Joe Klein: Attacks On Obama's Elementary School Are "Laughable" Given the Moderate Form of Islam Practiced in Indonesia, Especially in Those Days." Time's Joe Klein wrote, "The effort to slime Barack Obama has begun in the slimiest possible way." Describing attacks on Obama's elementary school, Klein wrote, "Now, this is nonsense of course. Obama's stepfather was not a Muslim extremist (among other things, he worked for Shell Oil). Obama attended public school for two years in Indonesia, in addition to the two years he spent in catholic schools--although, as Obama's staff points out, Indonesia is a Muslim country, so the public schools undoubtedly reflect the dominant relgious culture. The notion that the Obama's school was a Wahabi madrasa is laughable, given the moderate form of Islam practiced in Indonesia, especially in those days." [Time Blog, 1/22/07]
OBAMA IS A PRACTICING CHRISTIAN
Obama Was Baptized And Attends Church Once a Week When He is Able. In the Audacity of Hope, Obama wrote, "I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity United Church of Christ one day and be baptized." In 2004, he "attend[ed] the 11 a.m. Sunday service at Trinity in the Brainerd neighborhood every week -- or at least as many weeks as he is able. His pastor, Wright, has become a close confidant." When asked about his decision to be baptized, Obama said "Kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side of Chicago, I felt I heard God's spirit beckoning me," he said of his walk down the aisle of the Trinity United Church of Christ. "I submitted myself to his will and dedicated myself to discovering his truth." [Audacity of Hope, p.208, Chicago Sun Times, 4/5/04; AP 6/28/06]
Obama Reads The Bible, Finds Time to Pray On Campaign Trail. The Chicago Sun-Times wrote, "Obama says he reads the Bible, though not as regularly as he'd like, now that he's on the campaign trail. But he does find time to pray. 'It's not formal, me getting on my knees,' he says. 'I think I have an ongoing conversation with God... I'm constantly asking myself questions about what I'm doing, why I am doing it.'" [Chicago Sun Times, 4/5/04]
Obama Held His Personal Bible When He Was Sworn-In As A U.S. Senator. "...Even before the makeshift office was up and running in the basement of a Senate building, even before he raised his hand Tuesday to take the oath of office as the junior senator from Illinois, Barack Obama was already a political rock star and a celebrated new face in Congress. He arrived Tuesday, his first official day in the Capitol.... In the circles he runs in now, celebrity status is checked at the cloakroom door...When it was finally time to take the oath, he held his personal Bible, as family from as far away as Kenya watched from the visitors' gallery above. His daughters, Malia, 6, and Sasha, 3, in velvet dresses and patent leather shoes, bounced in their chairs when he looked up and waved." [Los Angeles Times, 1/5/05]
DEBUNKED: Email Purporting to Be From Obama on Islam
In recent weeks a fraudulent email has circulated purporting to be from Senator Obama about Islam. Read the retraction The Muslim Observer wrote when they learned the letter wasn't true.
Last week (Volume 10 Issue 4) we printed an article, supposedly a letter by Senator Barack Obama, which detailed his childhood and his relations with Muslims and Islam over the years. The letter had been sent to us by a trusted friend of TMO. The letter seemed to us perfectly attuned to the sensibilities of Muslims, even though it clearly declared his actually being a Christian and not a Muslim.
It came to our attention shortly after our mass emailing last week that the letter was a fraud, actually written by a blogger named Umar Lee. The letter was widely circulated after being written by Mr. Lee, becoming "viral" in the emails of Muslims and this in fact is the way we received it. By the time we received it the letter did not have Umar Lee's signature at the bottom; the email said in fact that the letter had been sent to CAIR as an explanation of Obama's background.
We wish to print some statement on the issue from the Obama campaign. Therefore, we have made approximately 10 calls to different offices of the Obama campaign since Monday morning; we have left our contact information on every voicemail; we spoke at length with one volunteer for the campaign (who is not authorized to speak on behalf of the campaign) who explained that he thought the campaign staff might consider it unwise to respond on such an issue. We left two voice messages with Michael Ortiz, Senator Obama’s federal press secretary, and left one message with his campaign press office. But as of this writing, we have heard nothing from the campaign.
We at TMO are deeply embarrassed by what has happened, and because of this event we will implement changes in our policies regarding verification of outside submissions. Since we have limited staff and time for verification, we will be forced to rely more on our own paid writers and our subscription to news services rather than outside submissions.
TRINITY UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST IS ROOTED IN CHICAGO'S SOUTH SIDE AND IS THE LARGEST UCC CONGREGATION
Trinity United Church Of Christ Is The Largest UCC Congregation, A Liberal Denomination That Was The First To Ordain An African American, Woman, And Gay Man. "However incongruously, Trinity became the largest congregation in The United Church of Christ, a predominantly white denomination known for its liberal politics and steepled churches in small New England towns. The UCC, or Congregational church, as it is also called, was the first mainline Protestant church to ordain an African-American (1785), a woman (1853), and an openly gay man (1972), and the first major Christian denomination to endorse same-sex marriage (2005)." [Christian Science Monitor, 7/16/07]
Trinity Educates New Members About the Historical Context of the Black Values System; Puts It In Context of Civil Rights Movement And Chicago's South Side. There is information on the Black Values System in the new member packet provided at Trinity, and the new member classes put the Black Values System in the historical context of the civil rights movement. "Because the community that Trinity sits in [the south side of Chicago] in faces a number of challenges, Trinity made the commitment to this values system in the hope that it will help...transform of the community. [Activities that exemplify the Black Values System include] the drug and alcohol recovery ministry...the prison ministry, the congregation's commitment to mothers who have been incarcerated, and the Rites of Passage program [youth ministry] which helps young people move into adulthood connected with their faith and [a sense of] economic justice." [Conversation with Reverend Otis Moss III, Pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ, 1/30/07]
TRINITY IS A "WARM AND ACCEPTING" CHURCH COMMUNITY WHERE ALL RACES ARE "ENTHUSIASTICALLY WELCOMED"
Congregants Said Trinity Was "A Warm and Accepting Community." The New York Times reported, "On blogs and cable news shows, conservative critics have called it separatist and antiwhite. Congregants respond by saying critics are misreading the church's tenets, that it is a warm and accepting community and is not hostile to whites." [New York Times, 4/30/07]
Religion Historian: At Trinity, "My Wife And I On Occasion Attend, And, Like All Other Non-Blacks, Are Enthusiastically Welcomed." University of Chicago's Martin Marty, a historian of modern Christianity. wrote, "Trinity is the largest congregation in the whole United Church of Christ, the ex-Congregational (think Jonathan Edwards) and Reformed (think Reinhold Niebuhr) mainline church body. Trinity's rubric is "Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian." So far as I can tell Trinity shapes a kind of ellipse around these two "centers," neither of which makes sense without the other. This you would never know from the slanders of its enemies or the incomprehension and naiveté of some reporters who lack background in the civil rights and African-American movements of several decades ago — a background out of which Trinity's stirrings first rose and on which it transformatively trades...More important, for Trinity, being 'unashamedly black' does not mean being 'anti-white. My wife and I on occasion attend, and, like all other non-blacks, are enthusiastically welcomed." [Martin Marty, 4/2/07]
TRINITY TENETS ARE "TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM SCRIPTURE" AND EMPHASIZE "COMMITMENT" TO GOD, COMMUNITY, FAMILY, WORK, SELF-DISCIPLINE AND SELF-RESPECT
Obama Says Black Values System Must Be Understood as a Whole. "Obama said it was important to understand the document as a whole rather than highlight individual tenets. 'Commitment to God, black community, commitment to the black family, the black work ethic, self-discipline and self-respect,' he said. 'Those are values that the conservative movement in particular has suggested are necessary for black advancement...So I would be puzzled that they would object or quibble with the bulk of a document that basically espouses profoundly conservative values of self-reliance and self-help.'" [Chicago Tribune, 2/6/07]
Obama Says Argument Against "Middleclassness" Taken Directly From Scripture. "In his published memoirs, Obama said even he was stopped by Trinity's tenet to disavow "middleclassness" when he first read it two decades ago in a church pamphlet. The brochure implored upwardly mobile church members not to distance themselves from less fortunate Trinity worshipers. 'As I read it, at least, it was a very simple argument taken directly from Scripture: 'To whom much is given much is required,'' Obama said. [Chicago Tribune, 2/6/07]
OBAMA'S MIDDLE NAME IS NOT MOHAMMED
Barack Obama's Middle Name Is Not Mohammed. Barack Obama's middle name is not Mohammed. [Media Matters, 3/20/07]
Open Letter from Religious Leaders Supporting Obama
