Barack HUSSEIN Obama

   As we come upon a new election season, I am reminded of how ugly politics can get. 

Shortly after it became apparent that Barack Obama would become a factor in the elections in 2008, some folks in politics decided they didn't like this man with a "different" sounding name.

  Politically, and on the issues, there was plenty for people to attack, but some decided to use his name. While they could have simply stuck to issues of political view or voting record, which in my view would have proven more effective, opponents made an all out effort at using fear to dissuade voters from considering then candidate Obama. 

  This has become the most popular tactic in politics by both the left and the right. The left is consumed with the idea of convincing you that the right hates poor people and minorities and is financially corrupt. The right would have you believe that the left hates America, is unpatriotic, stupid, hates minorities, and are all commies. These are our choices? Great!

  I have noticed that some folks in the "Barack Obama isn't American, is unpatriotic, and is a Communist" crowd are still using, today, some of the tactics that I found unproductive, and frankly dumb. Specifically, they have remained fond of emphasizing his middle name HUSSEIN. They enjoy saying the President's name as Barack HUSSEIN Obama, with an odd emphasis on Hussein. It's interesting.

Hey people, it's been three years. It's okay that his name is different. Now, you not only look dumb, uninformed and bigoted when you use it in that manner, but you also look way out of touch. Do yourself a favor and cut it out. While you're at it, maybe you could invest in a new wardrobe, that Member's Only jacket is a little tired and you can stop rockin' that cassette deck. 

"Husseins need not apply"

I love the name Hussein. It's a great name. It means "handsome or beautiful or good looking".  I have family members named Hussein, my grandfather's name was Hussein and there was King Hussein of Jordan (a wonderful ally of the U.S.). Also, my brother is named Hussein and he's an awesome guy, you should meet him if you haven't (and he doesn't know anybody in Al Qaeda, or even somebody named Al as far as I know).

King Hussein of Jordan

Initially, when candidate Obama's middle name was used, it was during a time when some folks were desperately trying to somehow connect him with terrorist elements or people believed to "hate America". It worked with some folks like this misinformed older lady at a McCain rally: VIDEO- Anti Arab McCain Supporter 

In March 2008, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), predicted Al Qaeda would be “dancing in the streets” if Barack Obama were elected president. 

Shortly after this, the RNC and many others publicly stated that this "tactic" that some were using would not be a "tactic" that they would endorse and shouldn't be used at all. The "tactic" of course refers to the attempt to associate Obama, through the use of his name with Al Qaeda and others opposed to America. Bravo to all who called these folks out for not only attempting to connect Obama with terrorists, but also for the slap against all good people named Hussein.
 It's this last point that bothers me most. These people insulted the intelligence of Americans and insulted Arabs at the same time. They thought simply mentioning the name Hussein would scare people from voting for him. For the record, if the name Hussein scares you, you're a moron. If it doesn't scare you, be aware that the folks who emphasized it over and over think you're a moron.

Besides, it's not the first time we have had someone with a Semitic name in our federal government as noted by Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan in the following piece. 

Gen. Omar Bradley, who bore a Semitic, Muslim first name, and shared it with the second Caliph of Sunni Islam, was the hero of D-Day and Normandy, of the Battle of the Bulge and the Ruhr.....What about Congressman Darrell Issa of California?(“`Isa” means Jesus in Arabic)....Abraham Lincoln, of course is, named for the patriarch Abraham, from the Semitic word for father, Ab, and the word for “multitude,” raham,. Abu, “father of,” is a common element in Arab names today.

Check out that Lincoln beard...Taliban like?

It's exciting to me that America has embraced so many people with Semitic names. It's particularly exciting because my little ones with middle names Hassen and Hussein live in a country that is smart enough to know better than to be frightened off by bigoted kooks. 

But the rest of you folks out there should be careful. You could be the next target....like you Al Roker. You should never run for office. Think about it...Al Roker....Al Qaeda? Spooky...


UPDATE
A comment pointed out a potential flaw in this blog entry in that I did not cite any current such uses of Obama's middle name. I suppose this is a question of the validity of my claim that this tactic is still being used. The fact of the matter is that you will find thousands of examples in the past 12 months on Google. Forgive me, there were too many to list.