Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

Maobama!?

[See more at tealeafnation.com]

Maobama
In a public speech on Constitution Avenue, President Obama has praised the benefits of Chairman Mao’s firm hand in managing China’s domestic politics and foreign relations. Rush Limbaugh should be working up a lather. Only, apparently, he has never heard of this speech, probably because he does not read Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter.

This curious news item, entitled “American President Obama’s Surprising Opinion of Chairman Mao” was posted on January 18 on the website of the Academy of Marxism at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), China’s premier social sciences research organization, and tweeted by Zhu Jidong, a verified personality on Sina Weibo whose profile says that he is a long-time reporter for Xinhua News Agency who studied for a Ph.D. in Marxism at CASS.

The alleged speech was given on the afternoon of January 1 in preparation for the 2012 elections and reads, in part:

“As a politician who did not often leave his country, after [Mao] won absolute support in China he made China’s presence felt on the world stage. For a period of time, Mao Zedong was not afraid to oppose America. If the ruling party can obtain unwavering support at home, with the citizenry feeling responsible for their country and, in certain circumstances, be willing to make sacrifices in order to protect their country and its future, then a country will have the foundations for strong foreign relations. People power is power in foreign relations; this is the most basic principle of foreign relations. This is my deepest feeling about Mao’s foreign relations policy.”

A small but vocal group of presumed Maoists has come out in support of this dubious news item, tweeting comments such as “Mao is a great person,” “He is a hero after all,” and “This is a slap in the face of all the so-called experts and professors who attack Mao!”

However, for most Chinese netizens, the post seems to be stretching the limits of credulity. Skeptical netizens are calling for the post to “please provide the English link [to the speech]” and for the “American embassy in China to please come out to refute this.” Netizens tweeted: “The Maoist left cannot survive if they don’t manufacture falsehood,” “Nobody would use Mao’s policies for governing a country now” and “I am against Maoists, so I am going to stop following you [Zhu Jidong]. Anyone who eulogizes a monster does not deserve respect!” One netizen simply advises Zhu, “My dear, it’s time to go home and take your medication.”

The White House website shows that President Obama did not make a speech on January 1, 2012. Neither did he make a speech on January 1, 2011 or 2010.  On January 1, 2009 he was not yet inaugurated. A search of the website for references to Mao in Obama’s speeches turned up one remark given by President Obama at his acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 2009, which reads in part:

“In light of the Cultural Revolution’s horrors, Nixon’s meeting with Mao appeared inexcusable — and yet it surely helped set China on a path where millions of its citizens have been lifted from poverty and connected to open societies.”