RNC launches Facebook parody Web site targeting Obama
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/07/29/art.barackbook0729.rnc.jpg caption="The RNC's new Web site parodies Facebook.com where Sen. Obama has accumulated more than a million supporters."]
(CNN) – The Republican National Committee stepped up its efforts Tuesday to use social networking technologies that Barack Obama’s presidential campaign has effectively embraced in order to criticize the presumptive Democratic nominee as the campaign heads into the final 100 days.
BarackBook.com, the RNC’s new Web site parodies Facebook.com, the popular social networking site where Obama currently has 1.2 million supporters. The RNC says that Obama has seven “friends” on the parody site including convicted Chicago businessman Antoin “Tony” Rezko and William Ayers, a member of the Weather Underground during the 1970’s.
In addition to a feed page displaying activity between Obama and his “friends,” the RNC site also includes a page featuring YouTube videos about Obama, a page that facilitates donations to the RNC, an RSS feed of information from GOP.com, among other pages.
BarackBook.com is free-standing outside of Facebook but the site includes a link to the page of the RNC’s official Facebook group and a link to an application that duplicates the RNC’s parody site within the confines of Facebook.
“This is an interactive way to learn more about Obama’s poor judgment,” RNC spokesman Alex Conant said in a statement Tuesday. “Obama’s judgment is an issue in this election, and this site will help us highlight some of Obama’s noteworthy ‘friends.’”
The Obama campaign sees the new RNC site differently. “For comment on the new RNC site, I’d refer you to their own discussion board, specifically the topic ‘The site is lame,’” said an e-mail from Tommy Vietor of the Obama campaign, making a reference to comments posted on Facebook about the BarackBook application.
In recent days, both Obama and John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, have increased efforts to connect with supporters in on-line social networking environments. The McCain campaign recently launched “McCain Nation,” a space on the campaign’s Web site that facilitates grassroots organizing by supporters by allowing them to create and find events involving other McCain supporters. Since mid-June, the McCain campaign has also launched at least four separate applications on Facebook - a video tour of McCain’s bus, a video game, a virtual yard sign, and an application that allows users to view a McCain campaign advertisement.
The Obama campaign’s original Facebook application is credited with helping to build a large base of support on the social networking site. The campaign recently launched a Facebook second application that allows supporters on the popular social networking site to set up grassroots organizing events such as meetings, fundraisers, voter registration activities, phone banks, or community service.
Obama currently has a wide lead over McCain in terms of support on Facebook. Obama has 1.2 million supporters while McCain has 183,000 on the site.
Geeze, CNN. And you wonder why the rumors are out there. Because the media keeps repeating them. How about talking about McCain's now wife then mistress and her pain pill addiction just to call it fair? I bet not, since you're the GOP's servants.
Wow..GREAT "STRA-TEE-GERY" Republicans...you make your party prouder by the day...
Sad that this is the best you can come up with...aren't you tired of looking like whiners and complainers? Instead of continually focusing on Obama why don't you do something good for your own party...like telling McCain to give it up!!!
That is the only way they can campaign. They trust their ignorant supported will always believe there lies... while they make themselves rich and cronnies. Remember folks Bush was the GOD and Kerry the Devil.
They are at it again... Folk look and see the truth... Republicans are liars.
here it comes I hope the sites out there debunking all the GOP lies and trash are very for this one it will be a hotbed of hate and fear
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This is pathetic. I don't think that the McCain Campaign should be starting pages like this. If the Obama Campaign started a page like this and put McCain's top friends, guess who would be number 1, that's right, ole "W." I don't think the McCain Camp would like that much. Seems pretty desperate on the McCain side to pull a stunt like this. What happened to him wanting to run a Civil and Respectable campaign? Guess that idea goes out the window as soon as his pole numbers take a dive like they did this week. Good luck McCain.
Obama/Clinton 08!
The RNC should just give it up.
They (RNC) are coming across to the american people as the boy who didn 't get the most popular girl in high school!!!!!
BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME
Now isn't that clever, and so adult of them. Yep, we are all hauling out the heavy artillery which means the campaign is underway.
good.
Tell them to point out that Obama has held dual citizenship and is not even eligible to BE POTUS according to the constitution.
He was a citizen of Indonesia and lost his right to US allegiance and claims.
The poor Republicans are so behind the 8-ball, that each day is something so lame and poorly done that it is a joke amoung those of us under 40.
Love the positive campaign Mr. McCain is running! Full of respect! The GOP has become a sad shell of its former self. Let's see , , , in just the last 24 hours, we have Stevens' indictment, a budget deficit of $490B and a Justice Department found to have been used for partisan purposes. I guess I understand the attacks, but it doesn't justify them. Has the GOP or McCain no shame?
Exaggerations….....
Lying………………
Fear-mongering …..
& War-mongering... are part of the Republican principles.
They won’t tell you about the KEATING-5. Google Keating 5 for yourself.
They claim to be Christians, who care for the Poor and pursue peace....
….they deny healthcare coverage for children (S-CHIP)
.....but they give tax cuts to only the very Rich,
.... and enjoy fighting wars with our enemies instead of pursuing peaceful diplomacy
Are these abbreviations right?
CNN = Clinton News Network
FOX = 'F'or 'O'bama's e'X'ecution
GOP = Grand Old Pharisees (fake Christians-gives tax-cuts to only their rich friends)
Can we say "desperate" boys and girls??
McCain is always playing catch up.....flip flopping and trying to make Obama's ideas sound like his.....
McCain should look at some of his own 'freinds' before he starts pointing fingers at Obama.
Gawd!! Is this the best they can do? Right back at ya McCreepy:
In an appearance before the National League of Cities and Towns in Washington D.C., McCain supposedly asked the crowd if they had heard "the one about the woman who is attacked on the street by a gorilla, beaten senseless, raped repeatedly and left to die?"
The punch line: "When she finally regains consciousness and tries to speak, her doctor leans over to hear her sigh contently and to feebly ask, "Where is that marvelous ape?"
"It came after his 'Seizure World' joke, in which he referred to the [retirement community] Leisure World as Seizure World...
Back in 1998, he odiously declared before a GOP crowd: "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno."
More recently he joked that it might be good for the United States to keep exporting cigarettes to Iran as cancer would prove an effective weapon against that country's citizens.
How Pathetic! Just when you think the GOP could not get any further out of touch – you read about something like this. Do they really think they can attract young people by mocking them? It is disturbing that the Republicans have started their negative campaigning even before either candidate is officially nominated. It is going to be a long, ugly contest. I wish the Republicans would spend some of their time and money explaining how they plan to get us out of all the messes they have gotten us into during 8 years in the White House and six years in control of Congress.
what sleaze bags, their message is so sorry they have too come out like attack dogs, i think the american people are past tired of this strategy. Obama ought to run a page of how many members of the RNC that have been indicted.
Why don't they come out and say what they realy mean?
Don't vote for the BLACK guy.
Vote for the WHITE guy.
true americans need to declare an all out political war against these sleezy repugnicans and their kgb style campaigning.
Weak.
The GOP is out of ideas, out of hope and out of time.
The old smear campaign, under a new technology.
LAME...indeed!
Despeartion is a stinky cologne, RNC.
Hmm I wonder why McCain is having a hard time with the youth vote when they have such clever ideas as this....
He is fake. No obama. No obama.