A true story about negative campaigning

[Bluzmann57]

As some of you know, I live in Iowa, a state which has been blessed with some pretty good lawmakers and a couple of good Governors. This story was related to me by an older gentleman, friend of the family, who was in the Iowa legislature when this took place. In 1962, a guy named Harold Hughes, whose only other public service experience was with the Iowa Commerce Commission, decided to run for Governor. Mr. Hughes was a "regular guy" who served as a combat rifleman in WW2, who was a truck driver, who was known to get in a bar fight or two in his life, and who realized he had a problem with said bar fights and drinking in general. So he went to AA, and was a recovering alcoholic. During the gubernatorial campaign, his opponent, I think his name was Erbe, got very nasty about Mr. Hughes' past drinking problem and tried to hammer it home to Iowa voters. It backfired on him and Hughes went on to serve two terms as Governor, and then was a Senator for six years before retiring in 1975. He also founded an organization for recovering alcoholics, which exists to this day. Anyway, the point I am trying to make is that candidates should be very careful about bringing up certain things in a mans past. I say DO NOT bring up bush's bouts with the bottle, although the missing years in his National Guard record should be, as well as his rationale for getting us into Iraq and many other things. The swift boat crap seems to have back fired somewhat on the bush campaign, so the Kerry campaign, as I have stated, better be careful about getting too negative.

[rucky]

1. yep. we're inviting hypocricy by doing this.

and we should be discussing ISSUES

[toddzilla]

2. how has the swift boat thing backfired exactly?

many people now believe it that never knew anything about it.

[NMDemDist2]

3. the difference is that the ex Governor had actively worked to

recover from his disease. Chimpy claims the church (Jesus) saved him.

As a 12+ year member of AA, I can tell you the only thing scarier than a drinking drunk is a dry drunk without a program to deal with alcoholism

Anne Richards is a recovered alky, George Bush is not

[Paradise]

4. I happen to agree! n/t

[jwirr]

5. Talking with the ladies in

my building about being confused about what to believe I clearly stated that I knew one thing for sure: that John Kerry was a hero as compared to AWOL bush. All of them smiled and emphatically agreed. That is how the LIARS backfired.

[question everything]

6. Times have changed. In those days we were still expected to be polite

at least in public and in "mixed company." Today the in-your-face is the rule. Look in the streets, read Internet message boards, even watch TV program and read newspapers - and you can see that anything goes.

Also, the Internet has allowed the fast transfer of info - lies included - and to stay competitive very few outlets double check their facts.

Read the Hunting of the President to see how simple lies from disgruntled losers in Arkansas drew reporters of the NY Times and the LA Times into spreading rumors and innuendos. (Yes, at one point the NYT reported apologized, but it was too late).

Read the report from Susan Estrich - posted on several threads here - to see how Dukakis went from a 12 points lead to losing the elections because they did not respond to the lies and innuendos.

I say we need to attack back, but we need to choose them on our terms. We cannot let them dictate the time and place of the fight. We need to reply with one terse sentence to, say, the Swift Boat attackers and then to add our own, and to end by saying that we want to concentrate on the issues.

Mostly get James Garville and other Clinton people on board. They were expert in rapid fire. If Clinton won in spite of the "bimbo eruptions," Kerry should be able to overcome all the lies spread about him.

[cally]

7. I would vote for Bush because of the Swift Boat charges!

and the Kerry flip flops. That's what one of my daughter's 17 year old friends said. Luckily she won't vote. I went ballistic (in a calm, rational way ;-)) I brought up all the lies, the ties to the campaign, the financial ties, and if you question awards given to one veteran, you should question every veteran's awards. You are saying the process is wrong. I then brought up * AWOL and she said but has he used his service in the campaign. She hangs around Repubs and had never heard any rebuttals to all the nonsense about Kerry. She told me that she wants to call me occasionally to hear the other side.

My point is that the Swift Boat Liars worked well for them. Kerry has not done enough to counter it.

[mitchum]

9. Ask that stupid little bimbo how she feels about Georgie's desire...

to take away her reproductive rights

[cally]

11. Well, she's not a bimbo by any means

but I'm working on her. I do appreciate that she asked me about the charges. It's obvious I'm a huge Kerry supporter so by bringing up the campaign she was asking for the other side. I'll keep up with the information campaign.

[OneBlueSky]

8. Kerry's dilemma . . .

if he simply tells the truth about the Bush administration, he will be accused of "going negative" . . . if he doesn't tell the truth about the Bush administration, he will be accused of being a wimp . . . I'd go with the former and risk it . . .

[peacetalksforall]

10. Kerry and Edwards should stay away from it - but it doesn't mean that we

should zip it because old-fashioned niceties and respect are taken advantage of by these truth and decency sewer devouring aliens. We should not let anyone forget their slimey acts. There is a difference between attacking the person and slimey actions and attacks.

Yes, it is a waste of time to talk about the frailities of a human being when it's from the past, but I think it is perfectly correct to yell out and expose hypocrisy in every form.

If there is one hint of hypocrisy in anyone's claim about their candidate or even an atom of hypocrisy in an attack on Kerry or Edwards - we should respond with almighty force by exposure and condemnation. We should shout it out every chance we have - just as thousands and thousands of clever and original protest sign writers have done.

Because there may be a tiny possibility that exposure might work for a few unclosed minds who are out there.

The religious right seemed to have agreed to close their minds when they were born again. It is essential not to let them live their lives contentedly in their fantasy when you can fight back and tell them over and over again - Bush is not a saint, but become an expert in his policy first.

What is the Medicare increase - 17% - two months before the election?