Hillary/Obama - Why Somalian Smears matter in Ohio

[denem]

There is considerable resentment in the Columbus Ohio area about resettlement of Somalian refugees. It's a RW talking point. 240 came off the plane without even being checked for HIV, or so says my republican wife. I've been hearing about this for some years. It's a micro trend that left major waves in this locale.

[anigbrowl]

1. Good catch. It's always interesting to hear the telling local detail. /nt

[Yael]

2. Ah HA! I knew the timing was questionable

but was giving her the benefit of the doubt.

[denem]

4. I missed it at first.

But as the commentary went on about a Somalian outfit, the penny dropped. No way would the Obama campaign have drawn attention to it at this particular point in time.

[WilliamPitt]

3. Great post, good insight.

:toast:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. Are you series?

Just curies.

[rox63]

5. But Obama is an American, not a Somali refugee

I would guess most people realize that by now.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

8. Well, sure, most people.

But I think people like Stephanie Tubb Jones aren't realizing what most people are realizing by now.

[Yael]

10. BINGO. She referred to it as "his native garb"

Tactical to the core -- and obvious given this little tidbit of information.

[flor de jasmim]

11. Tactical--exactly, combined with some local knowledge...

[Qutzupalotl]

13. If it were truly his native garb,

he'd be disqualified for running for president.

I think that is the subtext to Tubbs-Jones' comment. Raising questions about his Americanism.

[Yael]

14. She is a local, there is a Solmai-specific undertone in the state

I ain't buyin that this was an oopsie.

[HeraldSquare212]

6. Ambinder posted the same thing from a reader:

Reader J.K. writes:

FYI: Columbus (as you know the largest city in Ohio) is home to the second-largest collection of Somali ex-pats in the nation (Minneapolis is first). Columbus' Somali population is in the tens of thousands, and most estimates range from 30,000 to 45,000. As with any large influx of ethnically and nationally distinct people into a largely culturally homogenous area, assimilation efforts have been tough going. From my experience, there is definitely an underlying tension (among white and African Americans alike) regarding Somalis here in Columbus. I'm not necessarily suggesting that this was part of the calculus in pushing the image (indeed, we still don't know for sure who pushed it or why they did), but it is something to think about.

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/

[denem]

9. I didn't know it was so many.

Thought my wife was exaggerating as usual.

[Kukesa]

15. And many are employed by Columbus-based companies

because they get a big tax break. Think: Limited Brands

[cbayer]

12. "240 came off the plane without even being checked for HIV"?

What the hell does that mean. Since when do we check people for sexually transmitted diseases upon arrival to this county?

And frankly, people that have considerable resentment about resettlement of Somalian refugees are probably bigots of the worst sort and are not going to vote for the democratic candidate.