Dutch Columnist Writes Article: ‘Obama Assassinated’
Published in de Volkskrant
(Netherlands) on 29 May 2008
by Iris Koppe (link to original)
(Netherlands) on 29 May 2008
by Iris Koppe (link to original)
Translated from
by Dorian de Wind.
Edited by .
[Translator's Note: The original title of this Dutch column is "Obama Assassinated." In order to avoid sensationalism, the translator has modified the title.]
On Super Tuesday I was in America to follow the primaries. I attended within the same week a McCain rally as well as an Obama rally. To hear Obama make a speech, you had to stand six hours in line, while tens of sharpshooters at nearby buildings kept the public continuously in the eye.
After a few thousand people had been frisked, the slender Obama himself ascended the podium with a bulletproof vest on. In the case of McCain it was only necessary to arrive five minutes ahead of time, stand in front of the podium and shake his hand.
Compared with the Obama gathering there were hardly any protective service agents.
“Yes. I really find Obama to be the best candidate, but I do not vote for him because I don’t want it on my conscience that this man is later assassinated,” said a taxi driver later in Washington, D.C. “You know, good people are murdered in this country, that is the way it is,” he added.
I could not believe it.
Dark-Skinned Types
At first, this seemed to be an incident, but soon it turned out that the pronouncement was a more common line of thought. Nine out of ten people whom I approached on the streets of New York and Washington, and whom I asked about their preference for the Democratic presidential candidate, said something similar.
Obama would—if he chalks up the Democratic nomination to his name—not even make it to November 4.
Obama, as a person of color, would die prematurely, because there are enough Americans who still want nothing to do with dark-skinned types. I certainly have no illusions about that.
Of course, I have not done any statistical research into the expectations of the average American over Obama, but I can say that the idea of a possible assassination of the black Senator dwells strongly among the population.
Last weekend, Hillary Clinton said in an interview with a South Dakota newspaper, “My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June. And we all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California.”
Play-acted innocence
According to her husband and spokespersons, she did not imply anything with this statement, nor did she wish anyone any harm, but I believe that she is going to have a very difficult time explaining this remark.
Namely, it is exactly this feeling within American society that she expresses here: the chance is large that Obama may be assassinated, and that voters will take that thought with them into the voting booth. They prefer to play it safe and sign up for someone who will likely make it through the elections.
Hopefully the Democratic voter will see through Hillary’s play-acted innocence.
All her sobbing, pronouncements and excuses are totally staged.
It is appalling how she dared to put into words the fears of Americans over a possible assassination, for her own gain. And everyone knows that Robert Kennedy was assassinated on June 5 and that Republican Nixon won the election.
On Super Tuesday I was in America to follow the primaries. I attended within the same week a McCain rally as well as an Obama rally. To hear Obama make a speech, you had to stand six hours in line, while tens of sharpshooters at nearby buildings kept the public continuously in the eye.
After a few thousand people had been frisked, the slender Obama himself ascended the podium with a bulletproof vest on. In the case of McCain it was only necessary to arrive five minutes ahead of time, stand in front of the podium and shake his hand.
Compared with the Obama gathering there were hardly any protective service agents.
“Yes. I really find Obama to be the best candidate, but I do not vote for him because I don’t want it on my conscience that this man is later assassinated,” said a taxi driver later in Washington, D.C. “You know, good people are murdered in this country, that is the way it is,” he added.
I could not believe it.
Dark-Skinned Types
At first, this seemed to be an incident, but soon it turned out that the pronouncement was a more common line of thought. Nine out of ten people whom I approached on the streets of New York and Washington, and whom I asked about their preference for the Democratic presidential candidate, said something similar.
Obama would—if he chalks up the Democratic nomination to his name—not even make it to November 4.
Obama, as a person of color, would die prematurely, because there are enough Americans who still want nothing to do with dark-skinned types. I certainly have no illusions about that.
Of course, I have not done any statistical research into the expectations of the average American over Obama, but I can say that the idea of a possible assassination of the black Senator dwells strongly among the population.
Last weekend, Hillary Clinton said in an interview with a South Dakota newspaper, “My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June. And we all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California.”
Play-acted innocence
According to her husband and spokespersons, she did not imply anything with this statement, nor did she wish anyone any harm, but I believe that she is going to have a very difficult time explaining this remark.
Namely, it is exactly this feeling within American society that she expresses here: the chance is large that Obama may be assassinated, and that voters will take that thought with them into the voting booth. They prefer to play it safe and sign up for someone who will likely make it through the elections.
Hopefully the Democratic voter will see through Hillary’s play-acted innocence.
All her sobbing, pronouncements and excuses are totally staged.
It is appalling how she dared to put into words the fears of Americans over a possible assassination, for her own gain. And everyone knows that Robert Kennedy was assassinated on June 5 and that Republican Nixon won the election.