The Truth Behind The 'Obama Phone' Video
Conservatives are in full-on freak out mode over the "Obama Phone" lady, who is obviously representative of all Democratic voters. The video depicts a possibly (well, probably - and shame on them for exploiting her) mentally ill black woman endorsing her favorite presidential candidate, Barack Obama, because, she says, he gave her a free phone. Rush Limbaugh has got this woman's number:
So these are the people that don’t like Romney because of what he said about 47%? No, these are the 47%! She knows. She knows how to get this free Obama phone. She knows everything about it. She may not know who George Washington is or Abraham Lincoln, but she knows how to get an Obama phone.
But what, pray tell, is this magical Obama Phone and how do we get one?
#ObamaPhone is like the iPhone 5. Promised a lot of change but it's the exact same it was before.
— Tim Tebow (@TheTimmyTebow) September 27, 2012
#ObamaPhone app registers one of your dead relatives to vote each time you make a call.
— James Madison (@SpiritOfMadison) September 27, 2012
Close, James Madison's Ghost, but no.
The "Obama Phone" was actually created by George W. Bush, expanding a program that started under Reagan thkpr.gs/Qs5i3T #obamaphone
— ThinkProgress (@thinkprogress) September 27, 2012
Ah, there it is. It's not a thing. Think Progress reports:
The idea of providing low-income individuals with subsidized phone service was originated in the Reagan administration following the break-up of AT&T in 1984. (It was expanded and formalized by the Telecommunications Act of 1996.) The program is paid for by telecommunications companies through an independent non-profit, not through tax revenue.
It's a shame conservatives aren't concerned with "facts."