Muslims barred from picture at Obama event

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William Haskins

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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. "We sincerely apologize for the behavior of these volunteers."

<snip>

"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."

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

mscelina

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I am absolutely gobsmacked. The peon who actually stopped for a moment and said, "Hey! Wait a minute! We can't have Muslims in the picture because then people will think that Obama is a Muslim..." should b e hung, drawn, and quartered for just weakening his candidate's stand on "Change."

Seriously.
 

Aglaia

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I am absolutely gobsmacked. The peon who actually stopped for a moment and said, "Hey! Wait a minute! We can't have Muslims in the picture because then people will think that Obama is a Muslim..." should b e hung, drawn, and quartered for just weakening his candidate's stand on "Change."

Seriously.
:Wha: Well, that is a "change." Maybe not exactly the change Obama was thinking of, but...

Ack, I hate this election.
 

Williebee

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It was a moron move, but not a new one.

I've been backstage at a couple of these things. They try to keep "pretty people" who will stay awake in the frame.

It's just another version of the shaking hands and kissing babies pictures.
 

johnnysannie

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While this should not have happened, "staging" who appears in the news footage and photo ops is common to all campaigns. Bush Sr. did it to my brother and his friends when Bush visited his college campus. Not only were they asked to leave the event, they were told they would be arrested if they did not comply. No "scruffy" college students in their Levis and t-shirts allowed on the Bush platform, apparently.

That said, to play devil's advocate, how much shit would have been stirred if the Muslim women were in the news footage? It would have lent credence to the fallacy that Obama is a Muslim. I can understand why some peon did what he did.....but I agree totally that the women should have be allowed to stay and be visible.
 

William Haskins

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While the crowd was indeed diverse, some students at the event questioned the practices of Mrs. Obama’s event coordinators, who handpicked the crowd sitting behind Mrs. Obama. The Tartan’s correspondents observed one event coordinator say to another, “Get me more white people, we need more white people.” To an Asian girl sitting in the back row, one coordinator said, “We’re moving you, sorry. It’s going to look so pretty, though.”

http://www.thetartan.org/2008/4/7/news/obama
 

odocoileus

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The new Obama campaign slogan:

"More white people, less Muslims!"

At the next photo op:

"Okay, black people in the middle, all you white people up front, and you Latinos squeeze in here. And uh, all you swarthy guys with big noses, who look like you haven't shaved, feel free to sit this one out."
 

SHBueche

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Political correctness (excluding some campaign buttons) is alive and well, in the 2008 campaign.
 

Takvah

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Oh my. I'd be shocked if I could stop laughing.
 

William Haskins

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it was a boneheaded move in the state with the largest arab / muslim population in the US.

it also offers an interesting contrast in perception.

had it been mccain's people ushering muslims out of the photo-op, it would be proof-positive to many that mccain hates muslims and indeed that he wants to bomb ann arbor.

and don't even think about if mccain's people had shouted out "we need more black people!"
 

mscelina

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it was a boneheaded move in the state with the largest arab / muslim population in the US.

it also offers an interesting contrast in perception.

had it been mccain's people ushering muslims out of the photo-op, it would be proof-positive to many that mccain hates muslims and indeed that he wants to bomb ann arbor.

and don't even think about if mccain's people had shouted out "we need more black people!"

Very good point. What a furor that would cause.
 

James81

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Is it any damned wonder?

I say good for them. But it STILL bit them in the ass. The poor guy just can't win, can he?
 

odocoileus

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and don't even think about if mccain's people had shouted out "we need more black people!"

"... to mow our lawns!" ?

"...to refresh our drinks!" ?

"...to start working for a living!" ?

I'll take "Things a Republican Would Say" for a thousand.
 

William Haskins

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Is it any damned wonder?

I say good for them. But it STILL bit them in the ass. The poor guy just can't win, can he?

you're saying "good for them" as in the obama campaign did the right thing by playing into the fear of muslims that so many accuse of being the province of the right?
 

Haggis

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had it been mccain's people ushering muslims out of the photo-op, it would be proof-positive to many that mccain hates muslims and indeed that he wants to bomb ann arbor.
It's Dearborn he wants to bomb, not Ann Arbor. At least I hope so.

*ducks and covers*
 

James81

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you're saying "good for them" as in the obama campaign did the right thing by playing into the fear of muslims that so many accuse of being the province of the right?

I say "good for them" in a "how, look what you made me do" sort of sense.

It's a shame that the man can't even have Muslims on his platform lest someone take a picture of it and circulate it in a spam email 4 trillion times a day.
 

cethklein

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I am absolutely gobsmacked. The peon who actually stopped for a moment and said, "Hey! Wait a minute! We can't have Muslims in the picture because then people will think that Obama is a Muslim..." should b e hung, drawn, and quartered for just weakening his candidate's stand on "Change."

Seriously.

Agreed. Let's face it, the rINY minority of half-wits who still think Obama is a Muslim aren't going to have their minds changed anyway. In fact, having Muslim women in the picture could probably HELP Obama. So yes this staffer needs to be canned (or drawn and quartered, as you said, I can see that fitting here.)
 
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