Barack Obama/Controversies

2005 investments
On March 7, 2007, the New York Times reported that Obama had invested more than $50,000 worth of stock in two "speculative" companies whose major investors included some of his largest political donors. One of the companies was a biotech concern that was starting to develop a drug to treat avian flu. In March 2005, two weeks after buying about $5,000 of its shares, Mr. Obama took the lead in a legislative push for more federal spending to battle the disease. The most recent financial disclosure form for Obama also shows that his blind trust bought more than $50,000 in stock in a satellite communications business whose principal backers include four friends and donors who had raised more than $150,000 for his political committees.

On March 6, 2007, Bill Burton, a spokesman for Obama, stated that the senator "did not know that he had invested in either company until fall 2005, when he learned of it and decided to sell the stocks... He sold them at a net loss of $13,000." Burton further explained that "Obama’s broker bought the stocks without consulting the senator, under the terms of a blind trust that was being set up for the senator at that time but was not finalized until several months after the investments were made."

57 States controversy
During Obama's campaign through Oregon, Senator Obama was quoted as saying he had visited 57 states, not including Hawaii and Alaska.

"It is wonderful to be back in Oregon," Obama said. "Over the last 15 months, we’ve traveled to every corner of the United States. I’ve now been in 57 states? I think one left to go. Alaska and Hawaii, I was not allowed to go to even though I really wanted to visit, but my staff would not justify it."

Allegations of links to socialism
Various right-wing groups and anti-Obama individuals have made a variety of claims that supposedly a "far-leftist" anti-American "nexus" helped Barack Obama become president. Such allegations make the absurd claim that the American president is anti-American, but despite the implausibility of such claims they have found a receptive audience in some conspiracy theorists and others who dislike Obama for numerous reasons. SourceWatch has documented how propagandists rely on a variety of techniques, such as guilt-by-association, smears, and name-calling.

A recent book by Aaron Klein and Brenda J. Elliott sets forth the authors' claims that the president is an anti-American, socialist, communist etc. The book purports to document supposed mysteries about President Obama's college years and the people he has met or known during his lifetime and draws the conclusions evinced in the book's title.

External resources

 * Project Vote Smart's database of Obama's interest group ratings, Obama's important votes, McCain's important votes and McCain's interest group ratings.