46 Comments

1. David Thomson:

I have no idea who will actually write Barack Obama’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech—but it won’t be him! He may not even do a rough draft. Obama simply lacks the intellectual depth to complete anything this demanding. And God help him if his teleprompter breaks down.

Oct 9, 2009 - 10:16 am 2. Professor Guvinoff:

What would the opening paragraph be like?

“As you well know, I am the one who wrote the book on how to defang a paper tiger, but at time, nobody was listening. Since then, I have perfected my technique, because I had to learn quickly how to defang a toilet paper tiger, which requires a lot of finess, believe me.”

Please help me with it.

Oct 9, 2009 - 10:40 am 3. David Thomson:

There is also no evidence that Barack Obama can write a great speech. The one he gave during the 2004 Democratic Party convention was roughly 16 minutes long and lacked substance. It was pure fluff. Can anyone point to an intellectually well developed Obama speech? Guilt tripped whites have lowered their normal standards so that they can praise the Anointed One for saying next to nothing.

By the way, am I exaggerating concerning the alleged banality of Obama’s 2004 speech? Well, you don’t have to take my word for it. You can come up with your own opinion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWynt87PaJ0

Oct 9, 2009 - 10:43 am 4. bloomergal:

He can just recite the lyrics to “We are the World” and if he hasn’t memorized it yet, there’s always the teleprompter, or backup teleprompter.

Oct 9, 2009 - 11:36 am 5. A Treasury of Conservative Nobel-Bashing « The Fifth Column:

[...] Ronald Radosh uses the occasion to dabble in the Bill Ayers-wrote-Obama’s-memoirs conspiracy [...]

Oct 9, 2009 - 12:21 pm 6. homero:

all I want to say is don’t let obama write the speech.

…he’s an idiot.

Oct 9, 2009 - 1:05 pm 7. Barack Obama Wins The Nobel Peace Prize For Appeasement; Nominated TWO WEEKS After His Inauguration | Tea Party of Northern Colorado:

[...] also Ron Radosh’s article “Will Bill Ayers Write Obama’s Acceptance Speech?” Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUponShare this on FacebookPost this to [...]

Oct 9, 2009 - 1:08 pm 8. Neo:

Obama says Nobel Peace Prize is “call to action”

InTrade had action with Hu Jia, Morgan Tsvangirai, Thich Quang Do, Ingrid Betancourt, Nicolas Sarkozy, Tony Blair, with Pete Seeger having the most, just behind “Anyone else.”
Obama was listed but had no action as did Michael Jackson and Bono.

Oct 9, 2009 - 1:34 pm 9. Depends on their definition of “Extraordinary” « Obi’s Sister:

[...] V: Paco has the committee transcript. Really. Ron Radosh – will Ayers write the acceptance speech? Bookworm Room has more updates than [...]

Oct 9, 2009 - 5:47 pm 10. A Treasury of Conservative Nobel-Bashing | GSA Schedule Services:

[...] Ronald Radosh uses the occasion to dabble in the Bill Ayers-wrote-Obama’s-memoirs conspiracy theory. I do have this thought [...]

Oct 9, 2009 - 7:41 pm 11. Recruiting Animal:

Ron, you are making yourself seem like a crank.

I know that President Kennedy’s famous book, Profiles In Courage, was written by a ghost writer but you are dwelling on this Bill Ayers story as if it is the truth – and there is no proof.

Oct 10, 2009 - 5:20 am 12. David Thomson:

“….but you are dwelling on this Bill Ayers story as if it is the truth”

It is the Left that seems obsessed with the possibility that Bill Ayers may have been Barack Obama’s ghostwriter. I personally remain agnostic regarding the matter. The main point is this: Obama almost certainly did not unassisted write these two books—which turned him into a public figure! At the very best, he had a co-author who stayed hidden behind the scene. Obama’s readers were therefore conned. Much of the excitement was premised on the belief that the young Obama possessed an incredibly gifted writing style. Few would have given a damn if “Barack Obama and Joe Blow” instead authored them. He would have been lucky to sell a few hundred copies.

Oct 10, 2009 - 6:40 am 13. Recruiting Animal:

@David Thompson

Where’s the proof that Obama did not write the books?

Oct 10, 2009 - 7:16 am 14. David Thomson:

“Where’s the proof that Obama did not write the books?”

Where is the evidence that Barack Obama did a lot of writing before publishing his first book—or since then? This is the same guy who did not publish even one article during the time while serving as editor of the Harvard Law Review. We have not even seen his regular college work. Human beings do not become overnight sensations. It simply doesn’t happen. I don’t care if one is a superb violinist, quarterback, painter, singer or whatever. They do not come out of nowhere. No, you are the one compelled to provide the evidence. The burden of proof is on your shoulders.

Oct 10, 2009 - 9:13 am 15. A Treasury of Conservative Nobel-Bashing | The Lie Politic:

[...] Ronald Radosh uses the occasion to dabble in the Bill Ayers-wrote-Obama’s-memoirs conspiracy theory. I do have this thought [...]

Oct 10, 2009 - 9:16 am 16. Balloon Juice » Blog Archive » What It Looks Like to Be Driven Insane:

[...] Radosh at PJ Media reacts to the Nobel prize news to… insist Bill Ayers will write Obama’s acceptance speech, just as he did his [...]

Oct 10, 2009 - 11:53 am 17. Skylark:

Seriously, David, you think a law review editor is supposed to publish articles? Seriously?

Oct 10, 2009 - 12:16 pm 18. imadoc:

Ummm…..actually David, the burden of proof is on you. You’re the one making the assertion that President Obama used a ghost write. You’re the one that needs to prove it.

If you can

Oct 10, 2009 - 12:28 pm 19. MoeLarryAndJesus:

Obama deserves the Peace Prize for deballing the Torture Death Party here in the US. It’s so much fun watching the Repiglican castrati bunch squealing in impotent anger over everything he says and does.

Wingnuts have no idea how much fun members of the reality-based community are having watching this sort of thing. We always knew wingnuts were crazy, stupid and pathetic, but it wasn’t funny while Dumbya was polluting the White House. It’s funny now.

Oct 10, 2009 - 12:37 pm 20. Michael Carpet:

“Then again, when they were all underground, the Weather Bureau cadre were quite good as disguising themselves with false beards, hair dyed different colors, false mustaches and the like.”

Ahem, History Perfesser, weren’t they the “Weathermen” or “Weather Underground”? If you are going to slam someone for being awarded a prize over which he had no control, at least get your facts down.

Oct 10, 2009 - 12:41 pm 21. Egypt Steve:

Admit it — everyone posting on this site is insane. Obviously insane.

Oh, and @ David Thompson: where’s you effin high school diploma? I seriously doubt you even wrote that last post. And the burden of proof is on your shoulders. If you don’t know that word, it’s the two things your arms hang down from, you moron. Ask your ghost-writer.

Oct 10, 2009 - 12:55 pm 22. 62across:

@ David Thomson

Barack Obama is named as author of both books, right there on the cover. That is all the proof of authorship required of any book. You’ll have to try harder.

And it is not the left that is obsessed with Ayres or anyone else allegedly writing Obama’s books. The left is laughing at you and all those like you that will grasp at anything to de-legitimize the President. Keep it up, because all you are accomplishing is pushing away all rational people who can see and hear for themselves what Obama has going for himself. Enjoy your time on the fringe; you’ll be there for a long time.

Oct 10, 2009 - 1:03 pm 23. nitpicker:

Mr. Thomson,

For the record, Margaret Mitchell, Emily Bronte, Harper Lee, Boris Pasternak, Arundhati Roy and many other authors wrote nothing before they wrote their first (and only) books. Every one was an overnight sensation. I think you’d find, in fact, there are many authors who wrote almost nothing before their first book was published, hence the publishing phenomenon known as the “sophomore slump,” which means an author’s debut book was amazing but second not so great. I know you want to shift the burden of proof so you can hold onto your kooky conspiracy theories, but, unless you have some evidence that Obama didn’t write his book, then you’re just being nutty.

Oct 10, 2009 - 1:52 pm 24. jong:

“No, you are the one compelled to provide the evidence. The burden of proof is on your shoulders.”

Actually, no. You’re the one making the charge, prove it. Innocent until proven guilty – remember?

Seems the Obama Derangement Syndrome – this in the form of the Bill Ayers strain – is alive and growing.

There’s a bit of America-hating infecting conservative circles these days. Celebrating losing the Olympics and attacking Obama for winning the Peace Prize. No doubt they still have their flag lapel pins though.

Oct 10, 2009 - 2:20 pm 25. Pete Start:

Wow. You guys are truly insane. There’s less than no proof that Bill Ayers wrote Obama’s book. There’s substantial evidence to the contrary. Your argument method seems to be to bombard anyone unfortunate enough to listen with a series of gross factual errors so numerous that no one has the time or inclination to debunk due to their volume and logical stupidity.

And David Thompson – the burden on proof in defamation is on the accuser. Always. No exception. Just so we’re clear, intimating that a man is a liar in a public forum is defamation. If, as an “agnostic”, you aren’t saying that, then please be quiet on the subject. Alternatively, grow a pair and stop pretending to be disinterested observer who concern trolls to an objective truth.

Oct 10, 2009 - 2:47 pm 26. Matt:

if overnight sensations never happen, then why do we have the phrase?

Oct 10, 2009 - 3:34 pm 27. Matt:

overnight sensations from the literary world, including one who was an unknown high school teacher:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA626027.html

Oct 10, 2009 - 3:35 pm 28. Rand Careaga:

“Human beings do not become overnight sensations. It simply doesn’t happen.”

Why, that would be like some welfare mother, hitherto unpublished and unsung, writing the Harry Potter series. My money’s on Bill Ayers as the secret author of those books too. Why is it the the Argument from Personal Incredulity is so irresistibly attractive to you folks?

Oct 10, 2009 - 4:22 pm 29. zion gadol:

and your point is?…outside of the (by now) predictably mean-spirited & sour put-downs of obama by the right, do you have anything of real value to write about? doesn’t seem so

Oct 10, 2009 - 5:17 pm 30. CD:

Oh, you are so right about Ayers being the ghost writer! Please expose this!

Plus, I wish you could expose the truth about the crop circle in Africa where baby Obama was dropped by the meteorite, only to be picked up by missionaries and placed with a good White family in Kansas. And I think the flying saucer people were involved too!

Oct 10, 2009 - 5:28 pm 31. passing through:

David Thomson, you don’t actually know what an editor of a law review does, do you? Here is a hint: they rarely publish their own articles, and if they do it is almost always as a student comment, since law review editors are law students and usually serve for one calendar year.

Oct 10, 2009 - 6:34 pm 32. Nano:

Who cares who wrote to Mr. Obama’s books. Both are insipid and dull. If I were Willy A., I wouldn’t own up to them either.

Oct 10, 2009 - 6:36 pm 33. Fergal Monton:

“Where is the evidence that Barack Obama did a lot of writing before publishing his first book—or since then?”

Oh, I don’t know, the people who work with him, the people who edit his drafts and work as his speechwriters, the people who he’s worked with over the years. Perhaps also, there’s the group of colleagues at the HLR who speak highly of him, across all political boundaries. In other words, there are witnesses. In general, we trust such people, when the evidence is consistent, and overwhelmingly so.

Also, you can check the record, and Obama wrote Dreams of My Father entirely on his own, with an editor assisting as all editors always do. So please, drop the issue. You’re simply wrong. It’s a little sad to observe. Move on to matters that matter, would you? This is a waste of time.

Oct 10, 2009 - 7:16 pm 34. Jorsh:

Such a sad life David Thomson must lead, obsessing over trivia.

Oct 10, 2009 - 9:17 pm 35. Jeff Fecke:

Human beings do not become overnight sensations. It simply doesn’t happen.

Really? Because Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is on line two, and he would like to disagree.

Just because you find it unlikely that a black man could be a good writer, that doesn’t make it so.

Oct 11, 2009 - 3:57 am 36. asdf:

“No, you are the one compelled to provide the evidence. The burden of proof is on your shoulders.”

That’s bull, David Thompson. He who accuses must prove.

Don’t be a coward.

Oct 11, 2009 - 5:58 am 37. focofundido:

“It is the Left that seems obsessed with the possibility that Bill Ayers may have been Barack Obama’s ghostwriter. I personally remain agnostic regarding the matter.”

No and no, respectively.

Oct 11, 2009 - 6:15 am 38. Recruiting Animal:

Ron Radosh is obviously a passionate anti-Communist. However, that does not stop him from criticizing Joe McCarthy for making wild, unsubtantiated accusations.

You guys are doing the same here.

Kennedy lied about his authorship of Profiles of Courage so it’s possible that another president can lie about his books, too.

If he had no public record of writing ability, it’s fair to suspect a ghost writer but to jump to the conclusion that there was one and that it was Bill Ayers is unfair and unfounded.

Oct 11, 2009 - 7:55 am 39. Larry Wilcoxx:

Good grief…Obama could cure cancer and you morons would bitch about.

Oct 11, 2009 - 4:22 pm 40. David Thomson:

“If he had no public record of writing ability, it’s fair to suspect a ghost writer but to jump to the conclusion that there was one and that it was Bill Ayers is unfair and unfounded.”

The possibility that Bill Ayers is Barack Obama’s ghostwriter is merely an interesting theory. Logically speaking, however, it is simply not that important. The main thing is that Obama has zilch writings to show the world other than his two allegedly self authored books. This does not make a bit of sense. It is therefore rational to assert the overwhelming probability is that the works were ghostwritten. If one were to go to Las Vegas and place a bet the bookies would probably declare the odds are no better than five percent—and likely closer to one percent that Obama was the sole author.

Oct 11, 2009 - 4:27 pm 41. forked tongue:

“It is the Left that seems obsessed with the possibility that Bill Ayers may have been Barack Obama’s ghostwriter.”

I would like to nominate this as the funniest post ever written in the history of the Internet.

Oct 11, 2009 - 5:30 pm 42. Professor Guvinoff:

The only thing that will kill 100% of the ball’s bounce in the rethorical ping-pong between Recruiting animal and David Thomson is the smoking gun, which we don’t have, yet.

In the meantime, the topic of plausibility is all we have to play with, so the examination and discussion of probabilities is quite reasonable. In my view, the farthest-fetched theory so far is the spontaneous generation of literary genius.

The other conceivable theories are disturbing, because they have a conspirational dimension: Even if the selected ghostwriter was not a leading practitioner of dynamite-enhanced nihilism, he was still an advocate of the internal subversion variety.

Those who profess the benevolence of our president have still plenty of explaining to do: Why can’t we see any of his academic records? Why did he gather more than a half-billion dollars of campaign money, some of which from abroad? Has a president even been so deeply beholden to stealthy and unidentified actors (with the exception of George Soros) ever before? Why is he professing to have received his Christian inspiration from a volcanic pastor of black liberation theology? If all these questions have good answers, why have we not seen them, yet?

So the ball continues to bounce, and the definite answer still awaits revelation, and the tea partiers continue to discover new partners in the effort to derail the gathering train wreck.

Oct 12, 2009 - 11:06 am 43. Martin Pal:

Thank you, Nobel Prize Committee. You have offered up another occasion for Obama haters to spew their geysers of vitriol and shout the word “idiot” again. It does give them something to do. And I wonder why teleprompters have suddenly become an enemy of theirs. When I heard the news I couldn’t wait to hear the sounds of all those popping heads–sounded something like–gop!

Oct 12, 2009 - 12:07 pm 44. Martin Pal:

“No, you are the one compelled to provide the evidence. The burden of proof is on your shoulders.”

DT, just because YOU shout “fire” or “cry wolf” does not mean the rest of us are required to go find out whether there’s a fire or not. Or a wolf.

And really what is all of this speech designed to do? It’s all designed to bring down someone who’s on a pedestal that you somehow don’t feel is deserved or justified. So making up unsubstantiated hypotheses or hypotheticals is your way of dealing with something you can’t accept. Okay. I can accept that, but you must have better and more productive things to do with your time. Really, don’t you?

Oct 12, 2009 - 12:24 pm 45. Martin Pal:

P.S. to Mr. Radosh:

What is “The Nobel ‘Digrace’ “?

Oct 12, 2009 - 12:27 pm 46. Paul:

This Ayers obsession has gone too far….that’s a pretty tenuous connection to Ayers:

Obama wins award…
…award winners give a speech…
…speech will be written by…the guy that only the insane think wrote Obama’s book.

Give your heads a shake, or get out of the basement, folks.

Oct 13, 2009 - 5:31 am

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