ATS and the apparent 'let's all slur Obama' conspiracy

Speaking as a keen ATS member and as someone who through my citizenship cannot vote in the upcoming US presidential election I thought it was time I put my thoughts into a thread on what I see as a clear and seemingly determined campaign on here to either slur the democratic party or more directly to slander Barack Obama and of course in effect damage his campaign and try to swing potential voters on here.

An over-reaction you might say?
Or perhaps it is counter balanced by similiar threads on Senator McCain
and co.

Well the anti-Obama related threads seem to far outnumber those
which discuss his adversary.

And I present for the defence:

(and this is just a snippet)

Obama lawsuit backfires! 8 more lawsuits filed against OBAMA!

Fed Judge Throws Out Berg v. Obama Lawsuit? Or did he?

Obama is a Marxist

Obama 2001 Redistribution of Wealth Audio Uncovered

It's almost over- Obama and the Bradley Effect..

Obama's Extreme Stand on Abortion

Does Obama know the definition of "small business?"

Obama's anti christian speech

and it continues.


I personally believe there is a concerted effort on here
to damage the Democratic ticket or at least to discredit
Barack Obama, the man, the politician and the policies
and issues he believes in and the change he has promised.

For me this is just another reason why I truly hope
and pray that on November 4th the American people
will do the right thing for themselves and indeed the world
by replacing Bush with the most dynamic and exciting
political leader in the presidential race.

This speech says it all for me, it is truly inspirational:

uk.youtube.com...

(I hoped to insert this vid here but the youtube vid
embed option does not seem to be functioning for me)





[edit on 27-10-2008 by pmexplorer]

There is just as much negative stuff here about McCain and Palin, as well. I think the members here are keeping it pretty balanced.

It is a heated election season....what do you expect??


[edit on 10/27/2008 by skeptic1]

Personally I'm not going to let ANY of the threads on a website like this sway my decision on who to vote for.
I'll do my own research on the issues, see where the candidates stand, and (in reality) choose the lesser of two evils.

reply to post by pmexplorer


I guess you missed the non-stop Sarah Palin hate-fest last month?

Its all pretty much even. At the moment, it seems to be leaning more to Obama, but if we weren't so close to the election, it wouldn't be long before it started to tip the other way again.

i feel it is the opposite, i feel that there are alot of die-hard "heaven forbid you say anything negative about obama" fans on this board. i like some of what obama has to offer, but i also look at the negative attacks with an open mind. i just feel that the die-hards so easily dismiss anything negative about the man. the msm's apparent bias does not help either.
it is getting so bad that i fear what the diehards would do if mccain wins.
i wish there was this much passion about getting g.w. bush out 4 years ago.

I agree that there seems to be more of an emphasis on Obama than McCain/Palin. However, I have seen quite a few on McCain/Palin.

I don't have a problem with people posting threads voicing their political opinion. But seeing how it is ATS, there's always going to be some sort of conspiratorial angle worked in somehow - whether it's Obama being a socialist or (which seems to be quite popular at the moment) Obama being the Antichrist. Both of which are ridiculous, in my opinion. Obama speaking on wealth redistribution does not make him a socialist; nor does Obama's speaking ability qualify him as the Antichrist. The Antichrist has a number of complexities, very few of which are also shared by Obama.

I really don't pay those theories any mind. I'm concerned with real issues. I'll handle the other stuff as it comes along...if it ever does, which I highly doubt.

Originally posted by vor78
reply to post by pmexplorer

 

I guess you missed the non-stop Sarah Palin hate-fest last month?

Its all pretty much even. At the moment, it seems to be leaning more to Obama, but if we weren't so close to the election, it wouldn't be long before it started to tip the other way again.

I actually agree with this. If it was McCain who was leading in the polls, you'd see more stuff on him than you would Obama.

i think some people are more hesitant to accept someone 'against the norm' for president ... i personally don't like either of the two main candidates, but that's just my opinion ... some people think that because he is "different" then the typical presidential candidate they're has to be something wrong with him ... if that makes sense at all

[edit on 27-10-2008 by baseball101]

It's almost over.
The front runner is usually the main target. So, It's Obama's turn.
I felt the same way when Palin was first announced.
She got a rash of crap here, and pretty much everywhere else.
and that was after ONE SPEECH.

However, I will confess that as much as I hate it, I am drawn to it like many others.

I suppose, if enough thought is given, a good slur post can be thoughtful and possibly even respectful, when worded properly.

When defaming a candidate, it's good practice to have your ducks in a row.
Reliable sources, a non-emotional lexicon, constrained use of exclamation points. Try not to link directly to Drudge..stuff like that.

Just don't go after each other. Christmas is coming, Santa is watching.

what I think is simple. The majority of ATS members tend towards the 'right' side of the spectrum.

reply to post by pmexplorer


I see it as people exercising their right to post their opinions as long as it is within the guidelines.

What may be a slur or slander to one person may be the truth to another.

reply to post by Animal


You'll probably have a hard time proving that one way or another.
I think it's a pretty diverse group.
There are plenty of members who avoid politics altogether when it comes to public discussion.

barrack obama is the greatest thing to ats, he lies, he hides part of his past, he's a friggin mystery, everything about him is growth for CONSPIRACY and this is a conspiracy web site, get over it, sorry.

reply to post by pmexplorer


At last someone gets it...

Heck yes I for one am trying to bring down a candidate.

Obama IS a Marxist.

Obama does have an extreme stand on abortion...

The world has a long and proud tradition of political discourse that spans the lexicon of vobulary.

Get a little thicker skin and enjoy the communication between people rather then holding your nose it the air and pooh poohing the talk.

As a self proclaimed political junkie, I actually invite the political threads on ATS... on the condition that they are backed by reliable sources that can be cross referenced, everyone is polite, and people don't try and pass off opinion as fact.

A thoughtful debate is a good exercise for the intellect... however overt political smear tactics with derrogatory comments and poor sources kind of lowers the standard on ATS in my opinion.

I've been doing my best to try and post the thread concerning the new political rules when I see a thread heading south, or getting off topic...

Originally posted by crmanager
reply to post by pmexplorer

 

At last someone gets it...

Heck yes I for one am trying to bring down a candidate.

Obama IS a Marxist.

Obama does have an extreme stand on abortion...

I see what you did there... you passed off opinion as fact... sigh...

it really never is going to end is it...

I love heated political discourses. It reveals so much about the participants and rarely changes any minds anyway.

And if you can't run with the big dogs; stay on the porch.

Originally posted by crmanager
reply to post by pmexplorer

 

Get a little thicker skin and enjoy the communication between people rather then holding your nose it the air and pooh poohing the talk.

I am as thick skinned and open minded if not more so than most I might add.
Some of the posts are so incredulous and over the top that they cannot be taken seriously and it must be a tough job for the owners to moderate whilst I have seen some which border on racism,and that's the type of communication that I find rather difficult to 'enjoy'.

Right now I'm thinking the sooner the election comes around the better,
as the debate which I am all in favour of seems to be sadly lost in a sea of anti-Obama / pro McCain threads and don't get me wrong there are some topical and rather excellent presidential debate threads on here which I follow with great interest but it's either you're left or you're right and
neutrality is boring on internet discussion forums.

[edit on 27-10-2008 by pmexplorer]

It's been eight years of slur George Bush and all his friends and even in that there's been equal Clinton, Gore, Kerry, George H. Bush, Reagon etc... This is a conspiracy forum but better yet it's an opinion based member input too. None of the so called bashing, sluring, youtube bs, rumors, exzagerations has changed my personal views. It's been facts that I've researched myself with the help of members that has had an impact on me. I'm proud to have such good hearted members who will speak their minds no matter what race, religion, culture or political view they have. It's knowledge as long as you research it too. It's all part of the territory here on ATS. Good luck and I'm wishing you the best OP in your life and decisions.

Originally posted by Solarskye
Good luck and I'm wishing you the best OP in your life and decisions.

Thanks mate. Ad the same to you.

Good to see some of the more fair minded folk voice their opinions
on the matter.
It's refreshing and informative to hear your views.

[edit on 27-10-2008 by pmexplorer]