Is the NYT Smear Boat expose' going to accomplish anything?

[Jackpine Radical]

Will the "letter" networks pick up on it? Will anybody care?

I spent much of the afternoon with a bunch of Vets for Kerry guys & we were kicking the whole thing around, how to counterattack, etc. A couple of the guys were swift boat vets & said they had either been phoned or emailed about getting behind the smearboat bunch. We thought about getting the Swiftboat Vets Assoc list & tracking down people who refused to join the smear gang, hoping to recruit them for a counter-ad, etc.

Is all that moot now? Did the double whammy of the Kerry firefighters speech & the NYT story blow the Smearboat out of the water?

Your opinions please.

[oldhat]

1. Yes

The NYT usually sets the tone that the national news media take.

I think the Swifties screwed the pooch. That article was negative and highly relevatory. The Washington Post basically called bullshit on the Swifties, too, along with Tweety. They're 0 for 3 so far.

Let's see what the lead or second NYT editorial says tomorrow. I have a feeling it will have something to do with the Swift boat liars.

[Leilani]

2. I think it will make a big difference...

It is a very long & detailed Piece.

Lots of info for lazy TV reporters. (I say reporters, not journalists)

And the NY Times is the most influential paper in the country.

[Ruffhowse]

3. My concern is

these liars have just recently gotten a large infusion of cash to continue spewing out their filth. I'm afraid they will still be making loud and unpleasant noises for quite a while yet. I think we need to continue to counter this and not just hope things quiet down.

[olddem43]

4. Local RW rags really tout this crap and won't refute it.

The Cincinnati Enquirer has been spreading this garbage and implying that it's true. At the same time saying that rumors of Bush's AWOL were "bogus" The worst liar for the Enquirer, a fish wrap for the county Repugs, is Peter Bronson, who was once the editor but later demoted to editorial columnist. He has been a cheerleader for the cheerleader for many years.

[msmcghee]

5. The message that is being sent and recieved . .

. . is that a bunch of Swift Boat Veterans think that Kerry is a liar and a coward and they hate his guts.

Most voters will not give a damn about the he said, she said. They know all politicians lie. Kerry is a politician. The vets are not.

And Kerry's numbers have already dropped.

Fuckers.

[newdealer]

6. the issue will fade away

I don't think this is going to have any long term effect on the campaign. The NYT graphic is fantastic, especially the one that shows previous quotes that praise Kerry from the men who are now critisizing him.

I think this whole flimsy issue has no legs, and by next week it will start to fade away. It may even backfire if the hypocracy is exposed in the media.

[DeepModem Mom]

7. PLEASE GIVE THE NYT POSITIVE FEEDBACK -- Contact info:

NYT reader rep, Daniel Okrent: [e-mail]

Kate Zernike: [e-mail]

Also:
[e-mail]

Toll-free messages:
888-NYT-NEWS