Comments on: How To Say What You Really Mean (Without Saying What You Really Mean)

By: Edith

Edith — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:56:47 +0000

I’ve been reading both of Baracks books…he is such an excellent author and I’ve listened to or have read the complete speeches he’s made and I’m white and after seeing how he has handled the backlash, of what I’d consider, racial hatred in this country, with a dignified character…all of my senses believe that he is the most qualified to lead this country but…having said that…what I see in my co-workers, friends, ex-boyfriends, and family is a underlying prejudice … and they politely dismiss him as inexperienced but I strongly believe that behind my back they’re talking about me… that I’m naive, that I’m too liberal, that I’m misguided…and I will have to tell you that my strong devotion to get this man elected has put a wedge between me and the people I’ve mentioned.. I’ve questioned my family, my friends…all of the people I thought were open minded, intelligent folks..could I have been so wrong for the past 25 years? Have I been living in the emeral forest? It’s not a good place to be..but it is great to read that others, strangers in my midst, who are like-minded. This presidential election and the past 8 years of tyranny has changed my mind about this country…and this countries value system…not to mention the people I use to feel closest to…I can see how Obama must have felt when the people he felt were like-minded flip-flopped on him. He handled it and so will I. Great site…thanks
edie

By: qselby

qselby — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:22:46 +0000

Wait wait wait…i just read that Mrs. Obama herself said this!!! What was she thinking? I still agree that Fox as a broadcasting company is what I said above. However, Michelle shouldn’t have said that and as the possible future first lady should represent herself and blackwomen better. She opened the door for them to disrespect her…and apparently Fox can’t tell when they are taking it too far or they were probably highlighting that she actually said that with a taste of satire…she let her guard down. She is still okay with me though

By: qselby

qselby — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:08:41 +0000

Well…Fox has ALWAYS been a right wing station, no matter how fair and balanced they claim to be. Fox has always been a station that thrived on exploiting minority culture and talent..their hypocracy and prejudices are simply in their track record. Of course nowadays it will all come out ’subtely’ and you have to know when their being bigots and racist/prejudice…you know read through the lines. So, although I am angry, I am sadly not surprised. Oh, and please don’t think that any of these stations are purely objective..they all (CBS,NBC,etc.) have a history of leaning towards one political view versus another. So, it’s all just tainted….smoke and mirrors.

By: Tallulah Bankhead

Tallulah Bankhead — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 20:57:12 +0000

i feel like we are on the verge of a civil war
simply because a biracial American is more than qualified to be the next POTUS.

By: Tamra

Tamra — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:09:35 +0000

I totally agree that, as much as I love Michelle Obama, and as fabulous as I think they both are, they should be very aware of *everything* they say. –They should have been all along, but unfortunately we see how that goes (e.g., the patriotism flap).

The Baby Daddy thing–anh. I’m not feeling it. And if she said it first even in jest, then again, unfortunately it’s out there and it’s fair game. On the other hand, as you said after having seen her say it, it was still in very poor taste for Fox to “go there.” But, they’re Fox, and we all know they’re an A+ low-class media institution anyway.

The thing that scares me is that with all of the skeletons in McCain’s closet, I heard recently that he and the media in general have a something of an “understanding” or relationship which he’s meticulously cultivated over the years. This “understanding” is likely to provide much less scrutiny of him this election season whereas everything the Obamas say and do will be watched, commented on, taken out of context and blown out of proportion. Smear site be damned–if people already dislike hem, as illogical as it is they’re not going to care about the facts and whether or not something has been proven true or not in Obama’s favor.

[I already have strong feelings about the extent to which our news media is bought and biased, so I won't even start here on your blog. Heck, I haven't even gone there on mine--it's just so overwhelming.]

So, we’ll see. Without Mr. Russert there to take them *all* to task this time around, I am afraid. I am verrrry afraid… This is only the beginning, so get in, buckle up and prep for a bumpy ride.

By: Maze

Maze — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:39:57 +0000

I feel so sad for the US right now. If Obama does not win, it is going to seem as though American’s are racist. I live in Australia, and we are getting all this negative Obama footage over here! I feel sorry for Mrs. Obama, she is damned if she does and damned if she doesn’t!
BTW I just love your site, Bella!

By: Me

Me — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:03:26 +0000

She didn’t say Baby Daddy. She said my Baby’s Daddy.

By: Corrinne

Corrinne — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 05:06:17 +0000

Hi Bella,
I’m a BIG fan!!! Yes, I agree with you. Fox News is inappropriate and disrespectful. They are also overrated and unreliable. I personally do not watch Fox News because that.

Mrs. Obama should learn what to say and what not to say in public. Some things are best said in the company of friends only. She needs to start using vocabulary that will make us proud. Baby Daddy? Embarrassing!

By: Michael Meehan

Michael Meehan — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 23:47:02 +0000

Slightly off topic, but Fred Hobbs implied Barack Obama was a terrorist yesterday. Here is my open letter to him:

Dear Fred Hobbs,

I would like to applaud your recent statement implying Barack Obama is a terrorist. We here at Bigots United for McCain know that John can not possibly win on the issues. We need fine upstanding Americans like you to muddy the waters and cast doubt on the character and frankly the citizenship of the presumptive Democratic Nominee. We simply do not need a black man in office. Do we want our grade school children pointing to Africa on the map thinking it is where they live? No Sir!

If Obama gets in we will not be able to privatize Social Security and the country may very well spend a lot of money on health care for its populous instead of fighting wars in far off exotic lands. By the way, did you know Obama is Exotic? He is! And you can call him that on TV and not have to apologize!

John McCain canâ€™t say so but he appreciates your support so I will say it for him. We love your strong commitment to your race and to the Presidential race being won by a real American who is not black.

Remember! Race, Party and then Country!

Michael Meehan

Executive Director
Bigots United for McCain

Bigots United for McCain dot blogspot dot com

By: bella

bella — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 17:36:50 +0000

Corrine, thank you for unearthing this transcript. I’d heard people bring it up, but I had never seen Michelle Obama actually say that — I was worried it was as elusive as the “whitey” video. I think it was in poor taste of Michelle Obama to make that introduction. She should realize the power of her words, even in jest. But I still will call the judgment of Fox News into question here. It’s inappropriate regardless.