Is Bogus Michelle Obama Rumor Based On A Work Of Fiction?
By Greg Sargent and Eric Kleefeld - June 6, 2008, 6:20PM
Is it possible that the bogus Michelle Obama rumor you've all heard by now is actually based on a work of fiction?
The rumor in question is one that's been circulating in recent weeks to the effect that there's video out there of Michelle Obama saying something derogatory about white people.
Not a single shred of evidence has surfaced to support this claim. Nobody has actually said they've personally seen it. It hasn't been posted to YouTube as you'd expect on something this juicy. Even Republican operatives we've spoken to say they don't believe it exists.
By Greg Sargent and Eric Kleefeld - June 6, 2008, 6:20PM
Is it possible that the bogus Michelle Obama rumor you've all heard by now is actually based on a work of fiction?
The rumor in question is one that's been circulating in recent weeks to the effect that there's video out there of Michelle Obama saying something derogatory about white people.
Not a single shred of evidence has surfaced to support this claim. Nobody has actually said they've personally seen it. It hasn't been posted to YouTube as you'd expect on something this juicy. Even Republican operatives we've spoken to say they don't believe it exists.
Despite the tenuousness of this rumor, Obama was actually asked about this non-existent video in front of the national press by a reporter the other day. Understandably, he pushed back hard on the notion that he should have to answer such a question.
Now Jim Geraghty of National Review has claimed that the rumor may be based on...fiction. A political thriller called The Power Broker, published in 2006 by Stephen Frey, features the presidential campaign of Dem candidate Jesse Wood, who's aspiring to be the country's first African-American president.
We went out and got the book. And sure enough, in the novel, Wood's opponents discover video of the candidate himself -- not his wife -- discussing with a radical black minister how he will "f--- whitey" when he gets into office, despite all his public rhetoric about racial reconciliation. Here's what he says on the fictional tape:
He said, "You know, I had to put up with so much crap from Whitey when I was playing tennis back in the day, it was ridiculous. Real b****** stuff, too. Tennis racquets busted while I was in the shower, no towels, the worst locker, called n***** all the time, even by the help." He looked over at Osgood. "I'm telling you, Clarence, if I get elected president, I'm gonna act the way I'm supposed to act in front of the camera. Smile and dance like a good black man, do what I'm expected to do like a good boy. But behind the scenes, I'll f*** Whitey, and I'll f*** him good, I really will."
If this was the basis for the rumor, Obama was forced to respond not just to a rumor, but to one that was consciously based on a published work of fiction. Welcome to General Election 2008, everyone!
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You all need to leave Michelle alone and get a life! Class is class and trash is trash - go figure!
ReplyDeleteshe is a racist. for the first time in my life i am proud to be an american. What does that mean?
ReplyDeleteto anonymous #2: What does not being proud of your country have to do with racism? There are many of us who love America but at times are not proud of her bigotry, treatment of the poor and the elderly, intolerance of the world around us.
ReplyDeleteI love that I live in America and I think that it is the best place to live in the world. But I also know that she has many flaws - which I am not proud of. Does that make me a racist?
No, I think that makes me an American! I just want a better America - which I think most Americans want regardless of their race, creed, nationality, or econimical status.
Unless you personally know Michelle Obama - how can you call her a racist!