Monday, June 02, 2008

BARACK OBAMA

Is the Michelle Obama Tape a Matter of Enunciation?

A really interesting theory about the alleged Michelle Obama tape, which could explain a lot, from the liberal blog Booman Tribune. Michelle, offering a speech critical of President Bush, offers a refrain of "why'd he" — the words "why did he" mushed together — that sounds like "whitey" on the tape.

Apparently, if the tape ever comes to light, her words will sound something like:

Whitey cut folks off Medicaid?
Whitey let New Orleans drown?
Whitey do nothing about Jena?
Whitey put us in Iraq for no reason?*

...when the intended message is,

Why'd he cut folks off Medicaid?
Why'd he let New Orleans drown?
Why'd he do nothing about Jena?
Why'd he put us in Iraq for no reason?

Or so we will be told. The irony is, if the latter interpretation is accurate, we still have a potential first lady accusing her husband's predecessor of "letting" New Orleans drown.

UPDATE: Contemplating the rumor below, I wondered when and how Michelle Obama and Louis Farrkhan would appear on a panel together. Farrakhan doesn't seem like the type to voluntarily share the stage. But then I noted that in late 2007, Trinity United gave Farrakhan its lifetime achievement award with a full ceremony — the video shown that evening is still on YouTube, with the feminine announcer declaring, "For his commitment to truth, education and leadership, we honor Minister Louis Farrakhan with the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. lifetime achievement award." (Before you ask, the announcer is not Michelle Obama.) Is it possible the two are at the head table for a banquet? Is this the circumstance of Michelle Obama's remarks?

ANOTHER UPDATE: Readers point out that whether this is a question ("Why'd he") or a statement ("whitey") should be fairly clear from the intonation of the sentence, if we ever get to hear the audio of the tape. The pitch usually increases for a question, and decreases for a statement.

YET ANOTHER UPDATE: There's another transcript floating around FreeRepublic and elsewhere that would make it hard to believe that this is a mispronunciation of "why'd he." I have no idea where this alternative transcript comes from, and note that those who are posting it to various conservative chat rooms, etc., give no sense of where they heard it from.

An interesting point about the alternative explanation posted on Booman Tribune. Whoever felt the need to give that clarifying transcript to a liberal blog is, by that action, confirming that the tape exists.

FINAL UPDATE: I am now a skeptic that this tape exists, for reasons explained here. 

06/02 10:10 AMShare