My republican co-worker has been talking about this movie (which he hasn't seen yet...beside the point I guess) and said I should go see it because it would "open my eyes to Obama".

Obviously my friend will be disappointed when he sees it. First off D'Souza (known in this diary as "DD") gave the impression that Obama was born in Hawaii. No audible boos or sighs from the audience, but maybe the audience was asleep? But there was still plenty of conspiracy theory and intrigue. But back to the start of this movie/smear.

The film starts with some exposition from DD about how DD is like Obama because DD was born in India and Obama is the son of a guy he barely knew who was born in Kenya. Totally the same!

Seriously DD was also born in the same year, graduated college in the same year, was Ivy League, and married in the same years. They're practically brothers. Except DD loves America while Obama hates America. Random dot connecting followed. I liked the film up until this point as I do find it inspiring that D'Souza and Obama were able to rise to great heights in America from humble beginnings. But the film was all downhill after about ten minutes.

The basic point of the film was that DD was going to construct Obama's worldview from the viewpoints of people Obama knew. The most important worldview according to DD was Obama's dad, from whom Obama's anti colonialism stems. Obama was also effected by various other mentors and professors. Imagine that, a college professor influencing his students. Anyway Obama isn't a Muslim according to DD. Not going to rehash every point since a lot of the conspiracy theories about Obama and his "League of Conspiratory Gentlemen" is well known.

What he is, according to DD, is (in so many words) an anti-American anti-colonial who wants to redistribute the wealth of America to the third world. He also wants to bankrupt America for revenge...for something. He also wants to weaken the American military. DD ignores that American defense spending continued to grow under Obama and instead focused on the reduction in nuclear arms under the New START treaty of 2010 from 5,000 to 1,500 nuclear weapons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/...

DD did what he did throughout the film by ignoring the numerous other nuclear reduction treaties the US has entered. But half truths are what this film is constructed from.

The budget deficits are a major tong in the trident DD tries to stick Obama with (besides anti-colonial redistribution of wealth and the weakening of the American military). DD ignores the recession and the Bush tax cuts which are major reasons the deficit exploded.

That's a brief review, I'm tired and couldn't take through notes since I saw the film in the theater. DD also brought up that stupid Winston Churchill bust as evidence of Obama's anti colonialism. Other tropes, including walking stupid Daniel Pipes, were evident throughout the film. Dog-whistles were subtle as DD tried to maintain some semblance of neutrality and journalistic rigor but he was largely failed to keep his bias out of his documentary.

Otherwise the film should be noted for the extremely melodramatic nature. I half expected Young-Obama-actor to cut his hand and swear a blood oath at the foot of his father's grave in Kenya. The true villain in my opinion were colonial exploiters, both British and American. The dark parts of American history such as the annexation of Hawaii against the native's will were the most interesting and compelling parts for me. Perhaps Native Americans would say the same if they weren't, you know, mostly dead and assimilated. The real heart of the film for me wasn't the right-wing pundits DD lined up to attack Obama but African men, especially Obama's half-brother George, talking about colonial oppression.

George provided perhaps the best conservative opinion I've seen articulated. When DD tried to get George to say something bad because Obama wouldn't help him out of poverty, George replied "he has a family of his own. I'm a grown man and can care for myself" [paraphrasing]. No complaint, just he would handle his business. Obama has more important things to do.

Most people will have more important things to do than see this film. It is as advertised. An Obama attack piece which trots out every negative trope short of birtherism. It will confirm for Republicans that Obama is an evil anti-American intent on undoing American from the bastion of American power. Democrats will confirm that Dinesh D'Souza is a conservative.