Muslims barred from picture at Obama event

[HAL 9000 96]

It's back to what I was saying yesterday, all this stereotyping, labeling and adherence to 'marketing speak' in politics is bad for America - and Barack's organizers should be ashamed for treating their supporters this way - as should any politician. That people tolerate these chenanigans when they attend a campaign rally is surprising, and more particulary as Barack is on a platform of 'change' in the way politics is 'seen' to be done. It's not a very auspicious - but it's not the end of the world either. He does need to up his game though if he wants to win.

Very mature points to make, PH.

You have that right 6, Barack's change and Blair's New Deal or whatever it was - very similar guys in some ways. I mean, after all, Blair was a closet Catholic!!!!

You imagine if he were, according to the cons, a closet Irishman??

[Tsup2 0]

Obama campaign backdrops are always staged. Need more white people in the background, etc.

[Peikko 1,575]

It would explain the 'secret deals' with the IRA - though not the apparant equanimity of the right Rev Ian.

[HAL 9000 96]

[Peikko 1,575]

Obama campaign backdrops are always staged. Need more white people in the background, etc.

Not just Baracks, any campaign by any politician (by all accounts) but is that any way to conduct political business? I think not. We are what we are - and the colour of our skin does not reflect the colour of our hearts - or our political aspirations.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

It's back to what I was saying yesterday, all this stereotyping, labeling and adherence to 'marketing speak' in politics is bad for America - and Barack's organizers should be ashamed for treating their supporters this way - as should any politician. That people tolerate these chenanigans when they attend a campaign rally is surprising, and more particulary as Barack is on a platform of 'change' in the way politics is 'seen' to be done. It's not a very auspicious - but it's not the end of the world either. He does need to up his game though if he wants to win.

Very mature points to make, PH.

You have that right 6, Barack's change and Blair's New Deal or whatever it was - very similar guys in some ways. I mean, after all, Blair was a closet Catholic!!!!

You imagine if he were, according to the cons, a closet Irishman??

To his credit - Blair did broker the Good Friday Agreement

[Peikko 1,575]

I don't belittle that achievement - spent 25 years in the province. Intersting place.

[Dan J 277]

Obama campaign backdrops are always staged. Need more white people in the background, etc.

So would McCain, if he could get more than 200 people to show up for a rally

[almaty 19]

lol

[HAL 9000 96]

Obama campaign backdrops are always staged. Need more white people in the background, etc.

Not just Baracks, any campaign by any politician (by all accounts) but is that any way to conduct political business? I think not. We are what we are - and the colour of our skin does not reflect the colour of our hearts - or our political aspirations.

WRONG WRONG WRONG!

Only Barack Obama.

It's back to what I was saying yesterday, all this stereotyping, labeling and adherence to 'marketing speak' in politics is bad for America - and Barack's organizers should be ashamed for treating their supporters this way - as should any politician. That people tolerate these chenanigans when they attend a campaign rally is surprising, and more particulary as Barack is on a platform of 'change' in the way politics is 'seen' to be done. It's not a very auspicious - but it's not the end of the world either. He does need to up his game though if he wants to win.

Very mature points to make, PH.

You have that right 6, Barack's change and Blair's New Deal or whatever it was - very similar guys in some ways. I mean, after all, Blair was a closet Catholic!!!!

You imagine if he were, according to the cons, a closet Irishman??

To his credit - Blair did broker the Good Friday Agreement

Midweek be upon us lad... pints for all of us.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Obama campaign backdrops are always staged. Need more white people in the background, etc.

So would McCain, if he could get more than 200 people to show up for a rally

PWNED!!!

[zqt3344 21]

Bill Clinton brought peace to Ireland and England.

It's back to what I was saying yesterday, all this stereotyping, labeling and adherence to 'marketing speak' in politics is bad for America - and Barack's organizers should be ashamed for treating their supporters this way - as should any politician. That people tolerate these chenanigans when they attend a campaign rally is surprising, and more particulary as Barack is on a platform of 'change' in the way politics is 'seen' to be done. It's not a very auspicious - but it's not the end of the world either. He does need to up his game though if he wants to win.

Very mature points to make, PH.

You have that right 6, Barack's change and Blair's New Deal or whatever it was - very similar guys in some ways. I mean, after all, Blair was a closet Catholic!!!!

You imagine if he were, according to the cons, a closet Irishman??

To his credit - Blair did broker the Good Friday Agreement

[nunyab 0]

Two Muslim women at Barack Obama's rally in Detroit Monday were barred from sitting behind the podium by campaign volunteers seeking to prevent the women's headscarves from appearing in photographs or on television with the candidate.

The campaign has apologized to the women, all Obama supporters who said they felt betrayed by their treatment at the rally.

"This is of course not the policy of the campaign. It is offensive and counter to Obama's commitment to bring Americans together and simply not the kind of campaign we run," said Obama spokesman Bill Burton, who added that the volunteers were acting contrary to the campaign's policy. "We sincerely apologize for this behavior."

Building a human backdrop to a political candidate, a set of faces to appear on television and in photographs, is always a delicate exercise in demographics and political correctness. Advance staffers typically pick supporters out of a crowd to reflect the candidate's message.

When Obama won North Carolina amid questions about his ability to connect with white voters, for instance, he stood in front of a group of middle-aged white women waving small American flags. Across the aisle, a Hispanic New Hampshire Democrat, Roberto Fuentes, told Politico that he was recently asked, and declined, to contribute to the "diversity" of the crowd behind Senator John McCain at a Nashua event.

But for Obama, the old-fashioned image-making contrasts with his promise to transcend identity politics, and to embrace all elements of America. The incidents in Michigan, which has one of the largest Arab and Muslim populations in the country, also raise an aspect of his campaign that sometimes rubs Muslims the wrong way: The candidate has vigorously denied a false, viral rumor that he himself is Muslim. But the denials seem to some at times to imply that there something wrong with the faith, though Obama occasionally adds that he means no disrespect to Islam.

"I was coming to support him, and I felt like I was discriminated against by the very person who was supposed to be bringing this change, who I could really relate to," said Hebba Aref, a 25-year-old lawyer who lives in the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills. "The message that I thought was delivered to us was that they do not want him associated with Muslims or Muslim supporters."

In Detroit Monday the two different Obama volunteers – in separate incidents– made it clear that headscarves wouldn't be in the picture. The volunteers gave different explanations for excluding the hijabs, one bluntly political and the other less clear.

In Aref's case, there was no ambiguity.

That incident began when the volunteer asked Aref's friend Ali Koussan and two other friends, Aref's brother Sharif and another young lawyer, Brandon Edward Miller, whether they would like to sit behind the stage. The three young men said they would, but mentioned they were with friends.

The men said the volunteer, a twenty-something African American woman in a green shirt, asked if their friends looked and were dressed like the young men, who were all light-skinned and wearing suits. Miller said yes, but mentioned that one of their friends was wearing a headscarf with her suit.

The volunteer "explained to me that because of the political climate and what's going on in the world and what's going on with Muslim Americans it's not good for her to be seen on TV or associated with Obama," said Koussan, who is a law student at Wayne State University.

Both Koussan and Miller said they specifically recalled the volunteer citing the "political climate" in telling them they couldn't sit behind Obama.

"I was like, 'You've got to be kidding me. Are you serious?'" Koussan recalled.

Shimaa Abdelfadeel's story was different. She'd waited on line outside the Joe Louis Arena for three hours in the sun, and was walking through the giant hall when a volunteer approached two of her non-Muslim friends, a few steps ahead of her, and asked if they'd like to sit in "special seating" behind the stage, said one friend, Brittany Marino, who like Abdelfadeel is a recent University of Michigan graduate who works for the university.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0608/11168.html

Made me so mad I went to his websigt and posted a comment... not that it'll do any good after all it is politics. But I feel a little better. #######.. and I thought I liked him too.

[Marlita 0]

Made me so mad I went to his websigt and posted a comment... not that it'll do any good after all it is politics. But I feel a little better. #######.. and I thought I liked him too.

Well you have to know this isn't and action from him personally. It was a bad action to the reactions of many Americans when they see people in traditional Muslim wear. There's a many ignorant people in this country who are scared as all get out of any person who wraps their head. Sad but very true. All politicians stage their back drop and I can venture to guess that all of them would make this move. I just dont think I can see a Muslim person really supporting someone like McCain or Bush, so they never came into the situation....but best belive they would have handled it the same way.

I guess people wouldn't want me in their backdrop either cause I cover my head all the time. Heck most all Black women do when we go to bed at night....haha.

Edited June 19, 2008 by Marlita

[Gallowglass 0]

Bill Clinton brought peace to Ireland and England.

Oh, for God's sake. No, he didn't. No one person did that.

George Mitchell, Tony Blair, Bertie Ahern, John Major and the referendum in the Republic of Ireland which gave up the territorial claim to the entire isalnd of Ireland are what calmed things down, and got people talking. Clinton sent Mitchell to Ireland - that's all he did beyond play golf in Ballybunion.