Atrios/Daily Howler urge for better Kerry surrogates to debunk RW lies

[frank frankly]

http://atrios.blogspot.com/

posted under the title Better

<snip>

Basically, the campaign needs more and better surrogates.

You need people who do nothing but immerse themselves in the world of right wing media. As the Mighty one suggests elsewhere in his post, Blogs provide a handy Reader's Digest version of what's being thrown around talk radio, etc. Watch Fox. Listen to Sean Hannity's radio show. Frequently, you can get a 24 hour or more heads up about what's going to show up on Inside Politics soon.

I don't know how they organize who is on deck for media appearances, but they just have to be better prepared. It doesn't even matter if they have a fancy title, or are recognizable, or whatever -- they just have to be good. Train them. Drill them. Look, there are some various dem bigwigs who I like very much, and who in some contexts are very effective, but that doesn't mean they're effective media spokespeople in all contexts.

Quality comprehensive media training exists. Have a stable of professional coaches around to help people.

Sure, the media deck is stacked, but there's no use whining about it now. Every single issue needs to be distilled down to one sentence. Every single right wing charge needs to have a bullet-point rebuttal and countercharge, at everyone's fingertips - at least everyone who's going to go in front of the cameras.

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For the record, I think the Kerry campaign is doing a great job and I agree with Atrios/Daily Howler on this.

[bambo53]

1. Kerry campaign rope-a-dope

Kerry handler's might win the moral high ground by saying nothing and being nice, but WE will lose the election to these ruthless bastards unless someone speaks up pretty soon.

The republicans are framing the issues faster than Kerry can rebut them, and it's hard to change common folks first impressions. Not everyone follows politics like we do you know.

[ochazuke]

2. Late last year...

Kerry was being written off by the media and annointing Howard Dean the title of Presumptive Nominee. Kerry fired his campaign manager and turned his campaign around in a few weeks.

So, it's not like he's married to his team if they don't perform (unlike the other guy.)

[John_H]

3. It's troubling that the campaign seems to be blaming the media.

Nobody hates media whores more than me but it's unsettling to hear the Kerry campaign operatives blaming the media since implicit in those statements is the notion that they're doing everything they can, effectively as they can to get the message out.

The media is not going to change between now and November. Second, Dems do have surrogates on every show--outnumbered perhaps, but they still have more than enough presence to stand up to the attacks, stay on message, and call the talking heads on their bias real time, on air.

Need proof? A few of our surrogates do all of the above, and they are extremely effective. We need more of them, and they need to be even more disciplined.

Add atrios and Sommersby to a growing list of Dem insiders and observers that are growing increasingly concerned that the Kerry campaign, staffed largely by the very same people that brough us the Gore Campaign, are repeating history.

[Lex]

4. I agree and it seems like they are too professorial about it.

The news media likes a sassy and snappy comebacks or refutations. This is not a secret.

Not a blah . . . blah . . . blah, overexplanation thing.

And plus, why do we have to always play defense? Find a sassy and snappy way to get soundbites out there that put us on the *offensive*.