Obama attracted more and broader conspiracy theories than prior presidents

Evidence

The 9/11 attacks were surely one catalyst of these developments. Another was the election of Barack Obama, the fi rst African-American president. While conspiracy theories have almost always been woven around chief executives, including Bill Clinton and both Bushes, the Obama theories stand out for their number, their variety, and their spread into the general society, particularly in the case of the so-called “birther” theories that for a while became part of the wider political conversation. — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 41

Categorization

• QUESTION: What specifically made Obama-era theories spread into mainstream political conversation while earlier presidential conspiracies stayed fringe? Birtherism’s path into general discourse is worth probing.
• XREF: Connects to other literature on how racial anxiety about a first Black president reshaped political fringe narratives — plausibly echoes the authors’ broader work on Islamophobia and manufactured enemies. — connects to: Belief that Obama was Muslim rose during his presidency and tracked with disapproval; Sustained media smears convinced a large minority that Obama was secretly Muslim

Broader Connections

• Belief that Obama was Muslim rose during his presidency and tracked with disapproval #exemplifies (0.85)
• Sustained media smears convinced a large minority that Obama was secretly Muslim #exemplifies (0.85)