Sock Obama

I've thought for awhile that Barack Obama is little more than a sockpuppet for some powerful lefty players who were looking for a way to take over the Dem party and maybe the country by using him as a front man. Not exactly "Wizard of Oz man-behind-the-curtain" stuff, but certainly there are some people backing Obama who can put him in contact with people and situations that no other freshman senator would be able to do. They see him as the vessel for their power plays.

A company in Utah has taken that whole sockpuppet thing one step further:

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - A toy being sold over the internet by a Utah couple is causing an uproar from supporters of democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. It’s a sock monkey wearing a suit with a lapel pin for Obama.

Supporters of Obama have been filling online forums and blogs with angry words over what they see as the degrading depiction of a black man as a monkey.

Such portrayals are a throw back to the days of “Jim Crow” laws in southern states. The depictions were designed to make one man appear inferior, less than human, for no other reason than the color of his skin. From different blogs, one writer puts it simply: “The 'Sock Obama' is disgusting.” Others say its makers are racists.

With such a reaction, it is ironic that the toy was being marketed to Obama supporters. The sales pitch on the website reads:

“We don’t get enough of him at his public speaking events. Now you can have your very own TheSockObama™ 24/7! Fall in love with your chosen candidate all over again.”

Representatives of the Simian-American community are also upset that their race is being used to depict a Dem politician. I think they have the better complaint.