Frank Marshall Davis undeniably wrote a scandalous memoir-novel under the pseudonym Bob Greene, one chapter of which is devoted to fictional character Bob Greene and his wife having sex with a thirteen-year old girl. This fact was accurately reported on August 24, 2008 by Toby Hamden on a British website
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/barackobama/2601914/Frank-Marshall-Davis-alleged-Communist-was-early-influence-on-Barack-Obama.html).

From this kernel of truth, however, forensic deconstruction may reveal that Hamden and others skillfully built a slanderous house of cards in framing Davis as a pedophile based solely on his novel. To wit:

1. FALSE ATTRIBUTION: According to Hamden, “Mr. Davis (writing as Greene) explains that although he has “changed names and identities…all incidents I have described have been taken from actual experiences.”

a. Please note that the fictional character Bob Greene, not author Davis, alleges that incidents were taken from actual experiences. Even Hamden’s travesty of journalism only stated that Mr. Davis confirmed that he was the author, not that Davis said the events actually occurred in his own life.

b. Casual readers of Hamden’s story may not have noticed this sleight of hand (fallacy of equivocation) when substituting author Davis for fictional character Bob Greene as the subject of experiences in the book. In this one maneuver, Hamden cleverly shifted the identity of subject “he” from Greene to Davis, thereby indicating that Greene’s fictional story actually happened to Davis in real life. This deception, however, reveals Hamden’s intent to directly smear Davis and thereby indirectly smear Obama through guilt-by-association.

2. ESCALATION #1: On the same day (August 24) Hamden’s report was published, so-called “Accuracy In Media” (AIM) published a new report citing Hamden’s story. (AIM had already published numerous reports defaming Frank Marshall Davis starting in February 2008.) AIM now reported that Edgar Tidwell, an “expert in the life and writing of Davis,” confirmed that Frank Marshall Davis wrote “Sex Rebel: Black” as a semi-autobiographical novel. Despite Tidwell’s expert opinion that the novel was SEMI-autobiographical, AIM escalated accusations against Davis by claiming he was a sex pervert (http://www.aim.org/aim-column/obamas-red-mentor-was-a-pervert/) based on Hamden’s same-day report. Kincaid falsely attributed the “pervert” claim to Hamden’s report.

3. ESCALATION #2: On 14 October, AIM again escalated the charges by falsely claiming Davis was an “admitted child molester”
(http://www.aim.org/aim-column/was-a-communist-obamas-sex-teacher/).

4. SUMMARY: Evidence strongly suggests that Hamden and AIM worked together on this story before either post was published on August 24: AIM’s post referenced Hamden’s story although both were published the same day. Further, AIM’s false attribution of the “pervert” claim to Hamden’s story suggests AIM referenced Hamden’s draft rather than a final version.

“Truth is generally the best vindication against slander.”
– Abraham Lincoln

“Samuel Clemens wrote autobiographical novels under the pseudonym “Mark Twain,” including “Roughing It,” which “follows the travels of young Mark Twain through the Wild West during the years 1861–1867. After a brief stint as a Confederate cavalry militiaman, he joined his brother Orion Clemens, who had been appointed Secretary of the Nevada Territory, on a stagecoach journey west. Twain consulted his brother’s diary to refresh his memory and borrowed heavily from his active imagination for many stories in the novel.” – Wikipedia

In both cases authors used pseudonyms to publish autobiographical novels that were “fictionalized but still based upon actual occurrences.” In both cases these novels presented fictionalized adventures of their pseudonymous characters.

Does anyone claim that the adventures of “Mark Twain” literally occurred in the life of Samuel Clemens, because “Mark Twain” said they happened? If not, then why should anyone claim that the adventures of Bob Greene literally occurred in the life of Frank Marshall Davis, because “Bob Greene” said they happened? Fair weather principles indicate bias.

You will find that contrary to fairy tales drifting around the blogosphere, Davis never “admitted” that any of the events from his novel actually happened in real life. You will find that critics are trying to railroad Davis with trumped-up evidence.

“Truth is generally the best vindication against slander.”
– Abraham Lincoln

The perv wasn’t into little boys. Just little girls. Of course that’s every bit as bad, but…

I think it’s important to say this often and in full — The Enquirer has no evidence that Frank Marshall Davis was a “sex pervert.” They absolutely don’t have evidence that he raped anyone, child or no. The entirety of their claimed “proof” is that Davis admitted to authoring a pulp novel in which these acts are committed, and that the novel in question was promoted and written as a shocking tell-all memoir about some anonymous black rebel.

In case you’re not familiar with the genre, pulp/exploitation novels were almost invariably “based on a true story,” “autobiographical,” etc. This both helped them sell better and supposedly shielded them from some legal attacks. In addition, quite a few authors in that era made a living writing pulp anonymously. It was the equivalent of today’s acres of ghostwritten romance/Tom Clancy novels.

The Enquirer’s claim has no credibility — not because it’s the Enquirer, but simply because their assertion that “Sex Rebel: Black” is documentary evidence is invalid.

I’m sure that among his own kind he is a social being… capable of actual affection… nuzzling his young with almost human-like compassion.

But if he and Erick Erickson get off on slash fantasies of a young Barack Obama being subjected to molestation, then I would just rather that (a) they keep it to themselves; and failing that, (b) that they abandon the facade of claiming support for their fantasies from a National Enquirer story that would be irrelevant even if it were fact-based.

(5) Profit

What more do you require, for his to be caught in bed with a live boy or dead girl? Both?

scumbag

Mr RedState’s and CY’s priorities seem to be as follows, in decreasing order:
(1) Enjoy a hearty snigger at the thought of underage homosexual rape.
(2) Enjoy the taboo-breaking frisson of throwing around accusations of pedophilia (scoring extra frisson points because the target is Black and intellectual)
(3) …
(4) Obama loses election!

The moral rot of today’s far right is complete.

-GSD

Jackpot.

Good ol’ ConYank, keepin’ it classy as always.

After mustering up the “Country First” courage to kick a corpse, who luckily can’t tell everyone how full of shit he is, he’ll happily use its supposed failings to smear Obama – knowing that he’d never degrade himself by answering him.

I don’t think this even has anything to do with November, either. The GOP don’t even seem very interested in trying to win any more. By now they’re already looking ahead to 2010 & 2012, because this one is all over for them except the Waaahmbulance-ride.

Confederate Yankee: Instead, they buried the story, until once again the Enquirer shows itself to be the only U.S news organization with enough integrity to report a story detrimental to a Democratic Presidential candidate.

That doesn’t mean the Enquirer has suddenly become more credible. It just serves to show you how partisan and unreliable the American news media is today.

…

Anyway,

Dan Coyle: Last month Horowitz hanger-on Rocco DiPippo did the FMD angle.. and FMD’s son showed up in the comments:

http://antiprotester.blogspot.com/2008/09/media-too-busy-smearing-palin-to-vett.html

I love that Rocco thinks it’s somehow damning that Davis had an FBI file during the 40s through the 60s proves what a dangerous radical he was. You know who else back then was a dangerous communist radical working to bring down America?

Every civil rights advocate in the entire country.

Rocco’s utter refusal to support his case in the comments is fairly galling, too. It’s like he’s trolling his own blog.

Erick and Dan and the rest added the man on boy aspect themselves, based on nothing but… something disturbing in their psyches paychecks.

Fixed.

You’d think wingnuts would realize that McCain has tanked even more since his campaign went 100%-issue-free.

When did that happen? McCain has been issue-free since his own party chased him out of the presidential race in South Carolina in 2000. Are you talking about something that happened before that?

So when I went to college I was being trained to be a “good n*gger?”

Damn. How about all the other white guys?

Well, if you’re supporting his Wankee-ness and the Rethugs, apparently the training worked.

And then, Obama replies:

“Y’know, I haven’t heard such a recitation of gossipy horsedung since junior high school. With the world economy heading toward an historic meltdown, the US fighting two wars and the threat of terrorism as yet unabated, gas, food and healthcare costs spiraling out of the reach of an increasing number of ordinary Americans and the planetary climate balance becoming ever more fragile, THIS is what you have to offer??!!

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you John McCain! The next Class President of the Seventh Grade!”

Does anyone at all care how hurtful this is to people who were sexually abused as children? Wow. Talk about sinking to new lows. Way to go, wingnuts!

Of course they don’t. Anyone who can make up child raping and then spin it into a consensual act doesn’t care about jack. Here it also helps perpetrate two of their favorite theories about gays and lesbians: 1. People are only gay due to some flaw – in this case being raped as children. 2. Gay people, being damaged, are a danger to children.