This is WAR. Dems Must Discredit the Bush Commander. No Holds Barred!

[WiseMen]

The new Vets against Kerry attack AD is both a wake-up call, and a great opportunity. The attack goes after Kerry's honor, honesty and credibility as Commander-In-Chief.

The Kerry campaign breathed a sigh of relief, having survived the flood of Bush attack Ads going into the Convention.

Now we have a wake-up call that the “dirty war” has only just begun. We can expect character assassination, scare tactics and manufactured news from here till November.

The right-wing operations use NEGATIVE ATTACK Ads for one simple reason: IT WORKS. Research has shown that voters remember negative information, even if the source is later discredited. It the Dems don’t immediately refute the Republican attacks they will stick.

The President’s solid support in his base insulates him from the typical backlash from negative advertising. His campaign will “disavow” the really nasty stuff. His moderate following, who feel we should all trust our President, cannot be moved without strong contrary information being put before them.

The “Swift Attack” from the Bushies is also a HUGE OPPORTUNTY. It opens the door to a “Swift Response.” Kerry supporters can counter-attack with righteous indignation. Three month before voting day, the Republicans have opened the door for renewed focus on the contrast between John Kerry’s record of service and George Bush’s record of disservice.

It will be a huge mistake if the DNC and independent pro-Kerry fail to grasp the opportunity to begin as massive media campaign that focuses on the peril to the nation posed by GW’s lack of the “necessities” for the job of Commander In Chief of U.S. Armed
Forces.

From his Vietnam dodging, to his National Guard “missing in inaction” mystery, to the “deer-in-the-headlights” reaction to 9/11, to his sending men into war on the basis of falsehoods, it is time for the “truth about Bush” to be put in the face of his supporters.

Time is up for reasonable discussion. This is War. For the sake of the nation, Democrats must counter-attack NOW.

[OMGBearisDriving]

1. hit em where it counts

bring out the bush nazi connections

[Warpy]

Do a search on Bob Perry

This guy is a real piece of work, does shoddy work in his Houston homebuilding company, gets sued a lot, takes his money and supports Delay, Bush, and Asscrack, along with other fascists. He made the largest contribution to the group, $100,000 of a $137,000 budget. The head of the group is John O'Neil, soembody the Nixon dirty tricks people dredged up to try to counter Kerry in the early 70s.

Both these jokers are big Bush supporters.

I think that this may be the big blunder we've all been waiting for, the failure of the Bush gang to repudiate this stuff. McCain has worked hard to overcome the resentment over the 2000 campaign smear in SC, and this has brought it all right back. I don't think he's a great enemy to have.

The wild card is whether or not the major networks will accept the ad, and if they run it on the news, will let people know that not one of those guys served with Kerry and that the doctor is a FAKE.

[louis c]

17. What do you mean

when you say "the Doctor is a fake"

please explain, the facts are what I need.

[blondeatlast]

32. He wasn't an MD when he said he treated Kerry. nt

[WiseMen]

30. Heard they are SUING them! Hope this is not Edward's influence.

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. chimp does a world class job himself everyday

Iraq war, economy, environment ....

[Raya]

20. But his campaign is quite good obscuring the issues with

an endless serving of other "News."

Scotty at the WH press office basically threw down the gauntlet saying
that these slimeballs are equivalent to MoveOn.

[Malva Zebrina]

3. I'm all for it--it is war--it needs someone to defend us and not abandon

us. How come none of the Democrats are willing to do so?

[NMDemDist2]

4. someone needs to highlight the connection to the BFEE of each

and everyone of these swiftboat dudes

[shraby]

5. Moveon should make an

ad with Bush in the classroom. Just show the time running and state that it was on 9/11.

[Raya]

19. Great to have ALL those fellow Guardsmen in Alabama saying

that they never saw him on duty.

[blondeatlast]

33. If only the ad could be 7 AGONIZING minutes long, no music, no vo,

just watching as the President of the United States sits on his brain while innocent citizens of the greatest nation on earth (I still believe) is attacked.

[shivaji]

40. Wrong approach...the 7 minutes can be refuted easily by repugs..

because that was after the planes hit the twin towers,
no one was sure if it was accident or a completely new
mode of attack by terrorists. This is exactly why the
911 commission was put in place to determine why the
authorities were so fricking confused for hours on end.
It was not until the pentagon was hit they determined
it was a terrorist attack.

Nope, the 7 minutes deer in the head lights stuff will
backfire bigtime.

The better way to attack * is by relentlessly repeating
what a bungled mess is Iraq. That shows lack of leadership,
and lack of vision.

[AirAmFan]

37. And find out how many live in "Perry Homes", and how much they've paid

for those homes.

On "Crossfire" today, John O'Neill said, "None of us has made a dime on this".

But that statement does not rule out having received housing subsidies from Bob J. Perry. At least one of the "Swift Boat Vets" has admitted (on "Hannity and Colmes August 4th") that he "bought" his home form Bob Perry.

[zbird]

6. How about an ad with all the reservists who can attest to * serving

in Alabama during the AWOL time. They can show a blank screen.

[madfloridian]

7. I agree. Dean on again tonight trying to fight. Capital Report at 7.

It is going to get ugly, and they will not be nice to us. We can share our toys and be friendly, and they will go after us anyway.

I am starting to think that in the absence of any other Democrats speaking out, Dean may have to be silenced to survive. Is it true that Granholm has distanced herself as well?

He will be on CNBC's Capital Report tonight at 7 and 10.

Yep, we can be nice now, and it will not matter. I called Nelson and Graham's offices today, as well my GOP congressman, Putnam. I told them I was sick to death of the government keeping us so afraid. And more.

Nelson's office said he is in the Dominican Republic on business, Graham's office said he supported the Democratic party (what ever that means). Putnam's office was deadly silent as they do like all the letters to the editors I have written about Putnam's voting record.

[Pepperbelly]

8. Kerry can't spend the $$ right now ...

Until the gopcon in ny, Bush can steadily raise and spend money to run his vicious shit on the airwaves. Kerry, however, since the DEMCON has already occurred and he has accepted the nomination, he is stuck at $75 million, which is what Bush will be stuck with AFTER his con job. Until then, Kerry is going to have to depend on the free press, such as it is.

I agree that groups supporting Kerry should step into the breach but if the Kerry camp approaches them, it is a campaign finance law violation.

[DaveinMD]

10. the DNC

is filling the gap during this time by running ads.

[kerrykat2004]

9. Agreed

But I also think it's time to say a big f*ck you to the "swing voters." If they're so stupid that they can't tell the huge differences between Bush and Kerry, then we don't want them in our camp anyway.

Instead, Kerry should work on strengthening his Democratic base, just as Howard Dean did during the primaries. Hold massive voter registration drives in Democratic strongholds in battleground states. Employ huge armies of volunteers to drive elderly, disabled or poor Democratic voters to the polls on a scale never before seen. Have volunteers contact every single registered Democrat in battleground states and ensure that they have a way to the polls on November 2nd.

Kerry should bring all of his primary opponents actively into the campaign. Howard Dean would do wonders in re-energizing the younger Democratic voters, and he'd also pull away a lot of Ralph Nader's supporters. Dennis Kucinich has huge appeal amongst Greens, peaceniks and antiwar activists. Wesley Clark would almost certainly throw Arkansas into the blue column. The same goes for Dick Gephardt in Missouri and Bob Graham in Florida. Al Sharpton has the potential to energize the black community in potential battleground states. John Edwards, of course, has the small-town appeal that can potentially turn the tide in Iowa, Ohio and North Carolina.

Something else that is critically important is to have as many teams of pollwatchers and lawyers for the Kerry campaign at the polls as possible on November 2nd. It is imperative that NO Democratic voters be intimidated or scared away from the polls, as they were in 2000. Recruit as many attorneys as you can who are Kerry supporters and make sure they're watching the polls on November 2nd. They will help ensure that every registered Democrat actually gets a chance to vote in 2004. We must all stand together against voter fraud. Pollwatchers must check the voting machines to make sure they are not rigged as the Bush campaign recently tried to do in Florida. Don't trust ANYBODY. Remember, we don't know how many election officials are being paid off by the Bush campaign, or otherwise working as secret operatives for the GOP. This is not paranoia -- it's the reality of the new world in which we live. It happened in 2000 and unless we stop it -- it's gonna happen again in 2004.

[Pepperbelly]

11. I think his base is a solid as it's going to get right now.

Bush has done more to united the Democratic base than any Democratic candidate could do. Very little will be gained from playing to the base except maybe small gain at the margins in turnout.

I think that the middle of the country, to those people who have been duped by the media, is where we have to win. We have to make them see the difference and how dangerous Bush really is.

Maybe it's possible to do both.

[kerrykat2004]

13. Pepperbelly

There is a large number of registered Democrats and would-be Kerry voters who -- for one reason or another -- cannot or will not go to the polls on November 2nd. Many of these people are elderly, disabled or very poor, or live in rural areas with no transportation.

It will surprise you that, on average, 40-50% of registered Democrats do not vote regularly. Many of these folks haven't voted in years, but would vote this year if we motivated them enough to go to the polls. This is why armies of Kerry volunteers should phone every single registered Democrat in swing states and make sure that they can get to the polls on Election Day.

The number of so-called "swing voters" is very, very small compared to the number of registered Democrats who don't usually vote. Most polls indicate that only 2-5% of the electorate is truly undecided, and most of them will vote for Shrub anyway (the "don't change horses in the middle of a stream" idea).

We need massive voter registration drives in Democratic strongholds -- black communities in Florida; blue-collar towns in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Iowa; environmentally-minded towns in Nevada and Colorado.

We need to make sure that every person in the United States who wants to vote for Kerry has the opportunity to vote for Kerry. If they're not registered to vote - let's register them. If they have no way to get to the polls - let's have volunteers drive them there. If they're intimidated by Republican hecklers at the polls - let's have lawyers and pollwatchers there to guarantee them their right to vote.

The Democratic Party may be "united," but it's not energized. Bush plans to win by energizing his base. We need to do the same.

[Pepperbelly]

14. ya see ...

the elderly and the infirm are more of a logistics operation rather than one of being energized. Remember, the highest turnout is almost always among the elderly.

Labor is quite good at this sort of thing, to the gops' chagrin. AFLCIO endorsements carry not just money but money tagged to facilitate turnout, including rides to the polls, etc. The biggest problem is identifying those in need. No matter how widely it's publicized, some will no doubt fall through the cracks. Figure out how to do this and I predict a bright future for you in politics. :D

[CarolynEC]

12. At the very least, "out" these phony swifties

I think everyone assumes that the whole gang of these slimy creatures served literally alongside JK, when in fact none of them (or just one?) did. I've even heard that the doctor or medic they've got is not the one who treated Kerry's wound. But, again, the assumption is that he did.

At the very least, the Kerry campaign has to inject into the news coverage, and into the public dialogue, the fact that these guys never even MET Kerry.

Just that much, and I'll consider it a success for the Kerry "war room."

[Pepperbelly]

15. Clinton proved that ...

the gop smear machine can be whipped at the voting booth if the response to their lies and distortions is immediate and aggressive. The War Room idea is exactly what has to be done to turn the whole dishonorable, lie-at-the-drop-of-a-hat gop crowd aside into history's shitcan.

[WiseMen]

16. Now I wish Kerry had Wes Clark at his side.

[Leilani]

38. A Ha!!!!

I have been wishing that since Kerry made his choice...

I knew the Repukes would do this to Kerry & Wes Clark could have made such a difference.

Edwards has not been at all effective, & now when needed, is on vacation.

[Raya]

18. Answering this Attack is not the issue. I hope the just go after Bush Hard

and call him out on his B.S. "I know nothing," line.

[WiseMen]

26. The regular media will critique the attack. Dems need to counter-attack

to stomp the smear into oblivion and make sure credit for
this slime campaign is firmly pined on Bush.

[gauguin57]

21. If they're gonna slam Kerry as a commander, here's some clever

DU-er's comment about BUSH as a commander ... (I got this off another thread, but can't remember where)

[WiseMen]

41. I like it.

[Fleshdancer]

22. Do you want his address?

See, Bob's problem is that he doesn't have any literature about Kerry or the Democratic cause. Maybe if he was added to a few mailing lists, he would reconsider.

http://www.fundrace.org/neighbors.php?search=1&type=loc&addr=18630+BARBUDA+LANE&zip=77058

Name, Occupation, Employer Contribution Address

MR. BOB J PERRY
EXECUTIVE
SELF-EMPLOYED George W. Bush
$2,000
18630 BARBUDA LANE
HOUSTON, TX 77058

MRS. DOYLENE PERRY
PROFESSOR
SAN JACINTO COLLEGE George W. Bush
$2,000
18630 BARBUDA LANE
HOUSTON, TX 77058

It's easy to know you have the right Bob Perry in Houston when his wife has a f*cked up name. Really, Doylene???

[cyclezealot]

23. I just don't expect Kerry will hit back that hard.

Please prove me wrong..One of the reasons I did not support Kerry...I think him too wosy...God, do we have enough to hit back hard. national guard. Various scandals such as Funeralgate and what Bush investors did with The Texas Ranger stadium to Arlington taxpayers...
When attacked don't turn the other cheek...The stakes are too high..The chimp set the tone...He will have to live with what he has done...If Kerry has $80 million in funds for ads,that is a lot of slander.All well founded too..Bush wants to play dirty,is he up to it..But does Kerry have the moxy...

[WiseMen]

25. True. Kerry has not in the past. Independent group has to a Tough Ad

Or it likely will not be done. This is a STRENGTH of Kerry as
a President (he is not petty) but is a WEAKNESS as a candidate against
GW.

McCain would be President if his people had really blasted Bush
for their HIT operation rather than asking him to denounce it.

[defoliant]

24. counter-attack -- Bush was AWOL from the Guard

www.rawstory.com -- If we can get this story covered, no one is going to pay attention to this swift boat nonsense. What do we have to do -- buy an attack ad ourselves?

[whistle]

27. The Ad is funded by PAC money and a few rich Texans are....

...behind it. That's who needs to be exposed as to their special interest behind smearing Kerry. One of the contributors to the PAC behind the ad is Robert Perry, a Houston billionaire homebuilder fighting numerous law suits by new homeowners claiming his construction company has violated numerous building codes is of course fighting for tort reform. Who else is behind these and other PACs out to create disinformation among voters and what are their motivations?

[WiseMen]

28. Your Funding Data is a little out of date: Ton of money now flowing in

to this group to buy ADS in battleground states from many Republican
sources. Of course Bush disavows all knowledge.

[WiseMen]

29. Niteline Showed that Dems can't depend on media to discreding the Liars.

Good show, but still left the impression that "good men
can differ" on whether Kerry is a cheat and liar.

Dem have to take opportunity to roll out a major campaign with
Vets for Kerry.

[Sensitivity]

31. Sad to say, the Swift story has become a real pain- actually spreading

to common gossip rather than dying down.

[WiseMen]

34. Need to get funding to NotSoSwiftVets for counter-ad t

http://www.notsoswiftvets.com

[AirAmFan]

35. Dubya's bizarre military dress-up fetish is a weakness PERFECT

for exploitation in negative ads. For example, imagine a split screen, with one side labeled "real heros" and the other labeled "pretend hero".

On the "real heros" side, imagine videos of Kerry, John Kennedy, Cleland, Dole, McCain, Daddy Bush, etc.

On the "pretend" side, imagine a jump-cut every second or two from one of Dubya's many phoney military photo-ops to the next.

Ian Williams, UN correspondent for the Nation, has a new book out called "Deserter: Bush's War on Military Families, Veterans, and His Past". He points out that Dubya has been dressed in military garb for more photo-ops than any recent world leader save Fidel Castro and Saddam Hussein. A hard-hitting narration would include the gist of the following book excerpt:

From http://www.theprescotian.co.uk/williamsplug2.htm :

'(T)here are deeply personal reasons why George Bush has wrapped himself in quasi-uniform, which he wears with the same grin of a six-year-old presented with a cowboy suit for Christmas. fired in anger....{He's} been trying to emulate his genuinely heroic father -- without actually risking his life. Bush's Freudian self-delusion is apparent in Bob Woodward's friendly account, "Bush at War." In the days after September 11, Bush tells Rove, "just like my father's generation was called in World War II, now our generation is being called ... I'm here for a reason."

Bush the Elder, however, was a genuine war hero who left school at 18 and used his family connections to become the youngest pilot in the Navy. But when the government was drafting his contemporaries and sending them to Vietnam, his son joined the Air National Guard in Texas, and TICKED THE BOX SAYING "NO" TO OVERSEAS SERVICE: a choice denied most of his contemporaries then, who did not have the Ivy League connections to enter such units. More importantly, such choices are denied now to the National Guardsmen who were not only called up for service in Iraq, but have found their terms extended while they were out in the desert."

The tagline could be something like, "George W. Bush--HAD ENOUGH?"

[PROGRESSIVE1]

36. That's right! Discredit the Hitler, boycott KKKonservative Artists...

demolish the Grand Ole' Opry and CUT THEIR BALLS OFF!!!

[Name removed]

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