Remember Dinesh D'Souza? He's the right-wing writer who wrote a strange book attacking President Obama for trying to carry out an "anti-colonial" agenda he inherited from his Kenyan father. It's a thesis as silly as it is ugly, based on bizarre assertions about the president having the mindset of an African "Luo tribesman."
The Weekly Standard criticized it for "misstatements of fact, leaps in logic, and pointlessly elaborate argumentation." When D'Souza's thesis first appeared as a piece in Forbes, one of the magazine's own columnists blasted D'Souza's "intellectual goofiness," "factual problems," and "unsubstantiated ideological accusations." The Columbia Journalism Review called D'Souza's piece "a fact-twisting, error-laden piece of paranoia" and a "singularly disgusting work."
And of today, the thesis is a movie. No, seriously. Here's the "trailer," which I assure you is not a parody.
The estimable Mariah Blake, my former colleague at the Washington Monthly, reported for Salon this week on how D'Souza's harangue found its way to filmmakers, boosted in part by millions of dollars he received from conservative benefactors, including TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts.
As for the smear itself, the thesis is so deeply ridiculous, I'm not sure whether to be offended by the disgusting attack or to feel sorry for those foolish enough to be associated with such transparent nonsense.
Regardless, I can only assume the "movie" will do quite well -- it was produced by the maker of a 2008 anti-evolution documentary that ranks among the highest-grossing documentaries of all time.
Leave a Comment:
Dinesh D'Souza seems not to realize the self hatred he has suffered from for two decaes.
Do collaborationists ever realize that self-hatred? If they were even capable of it, could thy be collaborationists?"
Fiction friction nouveau?
Fringe comedy?
Escapism?
Alfred Hitchcock sans believability?
(I just can't categorize this one)
I really hope some other @!$%# makes a documentary showing how Obama is a drug addled degenerate because he smoked pot in high school. That would be an awesome double feature.
4 deleted, IrishPat7 with an odd derail about Michael Moore that ended up imagining Ms. Maddow as one of a range of insults. Don't do that here.
You're suspended for a day for violating the User Agreement.
Well I'm going with the Atlas Shrugs analogy. It'll be lauded by teahaddists and die a quick death in the few theaters that take it. More likely it'll go straight to DVD.
Me thinks they are trying to pull what they tried on Hillary in 08.
And Ed Rendell is saying the Obama campaign is going 'too far' with its presentation of the facts about Bain?
The right wing is by definition fantasy mongering.
I'm old enough to remember when D'Souza was regarded as a serious conservative intellectual.
Yeah, I know: hard to believe that anyone was that dumb.
I often wondered who would believe such tripe then I went into a privately owned nursery today that was going out of business. They just couldn't cope against Lowe's, Home Depot and Wal-Mart's garden centers.
I told her I was sorry that small local businesses were closing. This was her response:
"We tried to stay afloat until ROMENY WAS ELECTED and he turned the economy around..but we couldn't hold out!" I stood there with an Obama button on my blouse and an Obama 2012 bumper ticker on my Prius parked out front.
I said "What?" Turn it around? His only interest is making sure his wealthy buddies are taken care of and he starts wars in Iran (Israel's enemy) and Syria. I said "No more wars!"
Then I told her how Romney wanted to get rid of government student loans and return it to banks and she said "Good!" I realized she didn't understand so I spoke slowly and calmly telling her that the government GAVE money to the banks for student loans. So the banks made big money off interest! The taxpayers didn't benefit and neither did the families or students! Loans are easier to pay back if these banks were out of the picture. I then tried to explain how she would be better off getting a government farm loan STRAIGHT from the government instead of being funneled through a bank.
She stood there with her arms crossed and said "I don't trust no gov'mint!" People will believe what they want no matter what logic and facts you present them. So they are certain to believe this idiotic "documentary" because it feeds their belief that Obama is different from us (he's a niggah after all!)
Just remember that the average IQ is Americans is 100. So 50% of 'mericans have IQs LESS than 100!
First off, I applaud you - but you do realize that you can't talk logically to GOTP'ers. Second that whole American IQ = 100, just so doesn't apply today to the GOTP - they start off at >50 and go further downward the older they get....
And the problem with an anti-colonial agenda is what ?
I hate to overstate the obvious, but the USA exists because of an anti-colonial agenda.
The classic liberal problem: after a conservative throws out an attack, you have to say, "Well, your premise is incorrect, but if it is was, why is that wrong?"
First off Chris, the "attack" wasn't logical. America exists because those colonialists got tired of their Imperial handlers and decided that they could do better going at it alone. Hence - Independence Day, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights.
To say that the President is anti-colonial is stating the obvious because WE the PEOPLE have slowly been slipping toward an Oligarchy replacing our democracy - if this President is over-throwing anything it is the Oligarchy taking over our democracy - for WE THE PEOPLE.
Now do you understand?
I think this is the plot in the next Assassin's Creed game.
O. M. F. G. What crap! But with high production value! Therefore, it must be believable!
He must have some seriously compromising photos that he uses as a fund raiser!
max Bialystock never had it so good. Does the film include "Springtime for Obama"?
It is true that the anti-Darwinian documentary "Expelled" (2008) is the 19th most successful American documentary film made since 1982, as per the figures presented by the Box Office Mojo website. On the other hand, it only grossed $7.7 million. That is much better than what "Atlas Shrugged Part I" pulled down (about $4.4 million), but that number pales in contrast to "Bowling for Columbine" and "Sicko" (grossed $20-30 million) and "Fahrenheit 911" (grossed nearly $120 million).
I imagine this film will pull down numbers that are, maybe, in the $5-6 million ballpark.
The trailer itself is bizarre. I see that there is brief footage from an animation of the American flag covered with corporate logos. That is a liberal image, so I wonder what it is doing in this trailer.
And as for the African-American children fighting over a Monopoly game--I guess that is a metaphor for--something. . . .or an allegory that means--something. . . .or a parable, maybe? A metonym? Whatever it means--when I pass Go, there had better be $200 waiting for me. . . . .
New Monopoly version uses credit cards and a little hand-held device. No more Monopoly money.
When you pass Go you get $2 Million.
It's just not the same...sigh
There is nothing wrong with having an anti-colonial agenda.
That was the agenda when our Founders wrote the Declaration of Independence!
Kenya was also a colony of Britain, so it was natural that President Obama's Kenyan father would have an anti-colonial agenda.
Is he saying that colonialism is a good thing, that the US should go back to being a colony? That can't be it....
Maybe he is saying this:
The US should become (or one might argue stay, in some cases) a colonial power around the world and exploit the resources and enslaving the populations of our "colonies"?
I don't think that is a good idea. I have an anti-colonial agenda.
clearly you do not understand the subtle nuances of a proper anti-colonial agenda.
the 13 revolutionary colonies that became the United States? white people. white people have their own agency, and it is oppression to colonize them. we should be anti such colonization of white peoples.
kenya? black people. really can't be trusted with any agency. God made them lesser beings. colonizing them is fine. if they have anti-colonial agendas, they're being "uppity."
only those who fully understand both parts qualify as good Americans, per Dinesh and fellow conservative travellers.
No wonder the little lady's nursery is going under. She sounds like a complete idiot and obviously has no business sense. We have a number of fabulous privately owned nurseries in our area and they are all thriving. I can't have much sympathy for stupid.
Alas, Mr. Benen is likely right about how popular the film will be by comparing it to "Expelled" the lie a minute movie about "intelligent" design aka creationism. It seems that many many people need to be lied so they can keep their personal myths alive. They will do *anything* to keep from realizing that they are wrong, including lying and listening to liars. If there is a Christian god, their actions surely must piss it off since it supposedly hates such mendacity.
If it weren't for our Founding Fathers' "anti-colonial" agenda, we would all be singing "God Save the Queen".
Sorry, I don't know who to give credit to for this - but it is the best explanation I've seen
Debating Republicans is like playing chess with a pigeon. You could be the world's best chess player, but the pigeon is still going to knock over all the pieces, poop on the board and walk around triumphantly.
Best observation on this blog yet!!
I love a good mockumentary but this looks a little more dry than your Waiting for Guffman..