New Wingnut Hoax: Obama Hates Christmas Trees

Look at that! Obama among the Christmas trees last year

Update Nov. 28: Watch Michelle, Malia and Sasha receive the White House Christmas Tree

Update Nov. 24: The White House CHRISTMAS TREE is scheduled to arrive Nov. 26.

The Obama girls talk about Christmas.

Obama talks to kids about the spirit of Christmas.

White House Christmas photos.

This year's Capitol Christmas tree is from Arizona. The White House tree to light up the Blue Room is from West Virginia.

I'm betting my mother got this email (insert sad face) that says Obama hates Christmas. It's similar to the lobster hoax in that it's a viral email that's just not true.

The White House Historical Association has been receiving calls and emails about an alleged Obama decree that the Christmas trees in the White House would now be known as "holiday trees." And artists submitting designs for ornaments on the Blue Room tree were not allowed to depict Christian themes.

"It's strange," said Maria Downs, the historical association's spokeswoman. "They're almost saying, 'Are you aware of this?'"

One of the chain emails circulating around in-boxes claims that "a friend at church who is a very talented artist" got a letter from the White House saying not to send any ornaments painted with a religious theme. Politico

Here's the email hoax:

White House will not do Christmas
Thought you might be interested in this information from the White House. This isn’t a rumor; this is a fact.
We have a friend at church who is a very talented artist. For several years she, among many others, has painted ornaments to be hung on the various White House Christmas trees. The WH usually sends out an invitation to send an ornament and informs the artists of the theme for the year.
She got her letter from the WH recently. It said that they would not be called Christmas trees this year. They will be called Holiday trees. And, to please not send any ornaments painted with a religious theme.
She was very upset at this development and sent back a reply telling them that she only painted the ornaments for Christmas trees and would not be sending any for display that left Christ out of Christmas.
Just thought you should know what the new residents in the WH plan for the future of America . If you missed his statement that "we do not consider ourselves a Christian Nation" this should confirm that he plans to take us away from our religious foundation as quickly as possible.

PolitiFact checked in with the White House and it's just not true:

For the current administration's part, White House spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield says the tree tradition isn't changing.

"There is no truth to this, and the letter referenced in the e-mail does not exist," she said. "No letter has gone out yet from the White House pertaining to Christmas tree ornaments."

She added, "The trees in the White House will be called Christmas trees, and the tree on the Ellipse will be called the National Christmas Tree. There will be no name changes."

So all this chain e-mail deserves is a lump of coal and a Pants on Fire!

FactCheck weighed in as well, calling it hooey.

Debunking Palin's Bridge to Nowhere Lie

I'm not sure if anyone really cares about candidates lying.

Anyway, I imagine Ms. Mooseburger will either prove or disprove herself in the upcoming debates. On NPR this morning, Juan Williams said she's spending a lot of face time with McCain, getting to know what he believes. She's also boning up quickly on foreign affairs. Don't count on ABC to bring a hard-hitting interview, especially while she's on her turf in Alaska. All she has to do is pat Trig or hunt a moose or make a mooseburger, maybe event take aim from a helicopter, and everyone will be happy. Because those are the important things.
Here's the debunking part. Note she got the money for the bridge to nowhere because she originally supported it and after she stopped supporting it, she kept the money, using it for other things. Her bridge to nowhere is a bold lie. Another attempt on the part of the republicans that if you say something enough times it becomes truth:

Though Palin recently came out against the completion of the Gravina Island Bridge, she initially supported the project as governor before it became a national symbol of wasteful pork barrel spending. In 2007, Palin’s office cancelled work on the bridge, but Alaska still kept the federal funds that were allocated for state transportation projects.

:

NUMEROUS INDEPENDENT SOURCES HAVE DEBUNKED GOVERNOR PALIN'S CLAIMS

Wall Street Journal Headline: "Record Contradicts Palin's 'Bridge' Claims." "The Bridge to Nowhere argument isn't going much of anywhere. Despite significant evidence to the contrary, the McCain campaign continues to assert that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin told the federal government 'thanks but no thanks' to the now-famous bridge to an island in her home state… But Gov. Palin's claim comes with a serious caveat. She endorsed the multimillion dollar project during her gubernatorial race in 2006. And while she did take part in stopping the project after it became a national scandal, she did not return the federal money. She just allocated it elsewhere." [Wall Street Journal, 9/9/08]

Chicago Tribune Blog: "The McCain-Palin Campaign Keeps Up the Misleading Line That She Was the Main Palyer in Taking Out the Bridge." "Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin keeps saying she stopped the infamous 'Bridge to Nowhere' in an attempt to burnish her credentials as a pork-fighting reformer. And reporters keep pointing out that her claim is exaggerated. Still, the McCain-Palin campaign keeps up the misleading line that she was the main player in taking out the bridge. And still reporters keep shedding light on the inexactness, to put it politely, of that claim. One of the latest journalistic efforts to separate fact from fiction comes from PolitFact, a service of the St. Pete Times and CQ. Yet, the McCain campaign has cut a TV ad that pushes the line that Palin stopped the bridge. It's as if they've decided to go with that first two parts of that famous Lincoln quote: 'You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time...'" [Chicago Tribune Blog, 9/9/08]

Factcheck.org: Congress Had All But Killed Bridge to Nowhere When Palin Killed It, Was Sharp Turnaround From Position During Gubernatorial Campaign. "Palin may have said "Thanks, but no thanks" on the Bridge to Nowhere, though not until Congress had pretty much killed it already. But that was a sharp turnaround from the position she took during her gubernatorial campaign, and the town where she was mayor received lots of earmarks during her tenure." [Factcheck.org, 9/4/08]

Politifact: Palin's Stance On "The Bridge To Nowhere" Is "A Full Flop." Politfact, a service of CQ and the St. Petersburg Times wrote, "McCain said Palin has 'stopped government from wasting taxpayers' money on things they don't want or need. And when we in Congress decided to build a bridge in Alaska to nowhere for $233-million of yours, she said, we don't want it. If we need it, we'll build our own in Alaska. She's the one that stood up to them.' Nevermind that Alaska didn't give the money back. It spent the money on other transportation projects. The context of Palin's and McCain's recent statements suggest Palin flagged the so-called Bridge to Nowhere project as wasteful spending. But that's not the tune she was singing when she was running for governor, particularly not when she was standing before the Ketchikan Chamber of Commerce asking for their vote. And so, we rate Palin's position a Full Flop." [Politifact] More