Digby: time to act like ratf*ckers

[Teaser]

link

It's time to recognize and put to use the ugly truth that not only do people respond to smears and dirty tricks --- they actually enjoy and respect them. "By any means necessary" is no longer a revolutionary concept. To many people, it is an All American ideal. It means that you believe that winning is the only option and you will do anything to achieve that. Apply that belief to terrorism and you can see why people respond to talk radio eliminationist rants and George W. Bush's Rambo rhetoric.

People did not recoil at the Republican convention's ugliness as they did in 1992 because that rhetoric was aimed at parochial culture war issues alone. This is about a much bigger, nationalist grievance at the entire world. People believe that it's us against them, good against evil and they want our leaders to sound like movie heroes, not politicians, because in the movies the good guys always win.

God, I want to see some serious smear from our side and soon.

[demgrrrll]

1. I love Digby. eom.

.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

2. It's all spelled out in the book "Dress For Success"

The author, John Malloy, discusses a behavioral test conducted with two groups of people.

One group was told to go into a room full of people and socially interact in a "confident" manner.

The other was sent in and told to behave "arrogantly."

The arrogant group received more positive feedback.

The Democrats need to think like Tina Turner singing "Proud Mary." There is a time to sing it nice...and there is a time to get rough.

Two months left. "Get rough" time has arrived. Only the nice guy who finishes last knows how nice it is to BE nice.

[Bread and Circus]

3. Digby and Rich are spot on.

[Union Thug]

4. Yep, it's attack and smear time..

and it needs to be mean, it needs to be cruel, and it needs to be unrelenting so that the microcephalic chimp can do nothing but respond.

[gumby]

5. Digby is correct

We now live in a culture of uber. From uber-capitalism to uber-Christianity.

The new politics is in fact the new fascism.

Mumbling about Social Security or other non-uber subjects is a non-starter. See the 2000, 2002 elections for a clue.

Yep, this country is firmly in the grip of something very bad. Why else would PigBoy be allowed to become so powerful? Why else would FauxNews even exist?

This started a long time ago. Remember the "reality" shows with the police arresting hordes of dark-skinned people for our entertainment? Like Digby enjoined, it's the spectacle enjoyed by a culture soaked to their bones in the superiority of their righteousness.

This is the kind of culture that kills because it can never be satisfied. Eventually it destroyes itself. That's about where we are right now.

[goodwalt]

6. Rat F*ing and the Latest Poll Numbers

I absolutely agree that we need to start getting just as nasty and low-down as the Republicans. This isn't a high-school debate. It's a public relations war to shift the opinions of millions of people that think Brittany Spears is an artist, Ronald Reagan won the cold war by exploding the deficit, and the "Thigh Master" can make you look like a centerfold. This is a big, stupid, boat that we have to make shift course- and the subtleties of truth are best left ignored at the moment for the greater good of keeping us from running ashore.

And now for an observation that is RELATED, but a little off the thrust of the leading post. I think the Repugs are somehow- someway- playing with the poll numbers that have just recently been sprung on the American people.

I know this is going to read like paranoid conspiracy theory- but I think I can back up the voices that got through my tin-foil hat with a reasoned argument.

For the last couple months, I have taken refuge in the numbers coming out of a site called electoral-vote.com. This is a site that takes the latest available poll numbers from each of the states- factors in the electoral votes of each state, and gives a running count. As of about a month ago- Kerry had a- check this- 100 point margin of victory. That number dwindled- realistically I might add, based on how close some of the swing states were, to about 50 two weeks ago. Then something strange happened about a week ago. New numbers began to appear from some polling group called "strategic vision", and all of a sudden- Bush made a DRAMATIC comeback in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and some other blue states, to take the lead. The controller of the site responsibly noted that "strategic vision" was a Republican polling outfit, and should be taken with a grain of salt- but just as responsibly- they stuck to their premise of taking the latest poll results- whatever the source.

Then, I saw something on MSNBC that blew my mind. This is my home-page at work- and they have a very unscientific weekly poll each week about who you think should be president- with around half a million entries each week. For the last several MONTHS, Kerry has been kicking Bush's ass by unrealistic 15 to 20 point numbers. This last week- and ONLY this last week- Bush was projected with a lead of 51 to 47 %.

NOW I hear that Newsweek shows Bush ahead in their new poll with an 11 point bump. I'm sorry people, but this is bull-shit of the first order-and it has really, really sinister overtones. At this stage of the game-with no new developments other that name calling at the Republican convention- I'm supposed to believe an eleven point shift from a non-existent "undecided" electorate. Bullshit.

The lead post was on the topic of ratf*ing. I am of the belief that Rove and company are engaging in a little ratf*ing of their own in the form of the latest polls.

Stand firm my brothers and sisters, and keep your courage. Until I hear better from Gallup and Zogby, me thinks this latest round of poll numbers is so much Nixon style ratf*ing

[Teaser]

7. bump

because it's important.

[roseBudd]

8. use guerilla marketing techniques

create an issue that brings the media to us using guerilla & viral marketing techniques.

please help me get the word out:

most people have not read the 8/6/2001 PDB. I created a postcard size version.



Please print and distribute the image above. High res version for printing available below. Put them on car windows. Hand them out on street corners. We don't need TV buys to get some attention on this issue. We have to undermine Bush's perceived strength. We all are potential disseminators of printed media. We do not need a newspapers permission or lots of money for TV commercials. We need viral grass roots marketing. We need to create a buzz. If we create a buzz with massive distribution of printed ads we will get media coverage. If these start miraculously appearing and no one knows where they are coming from it will start to get media attention. Now someone create a Condi ad and an Ashcroft. I think a whole series of True/False juxtapositions. We must utilize mockery to appeal to the limbic brain.

There word is UNFIT ours should be INCOMPETENCE

high resolution version for printing here:
http://somnamblst.tripod.com /

[Teaser]

9. Quite Nice.

Find a nice, swing voter neighborhood and mail it to everyone there! :)

We should take up a collection to do it.

[roseBudd]

10. It would be even better if it just appeared overnight

on car windshields and on front porches

That's guerilla marketing