Well it seems that ever since The Bush Campaign had Success with their Lying Swift Boat Veterans for Truth Smear and Lie Machine; other Republicans are copying that methodology. I am hoping this loses its impact on the Electorate and that when Swift Boating no longer packs a punch or yields results, it will cease to be used so regularly and across the board. We can hope. And in the meantime, we can work towards debunking the lies and denouncing the methodology. And we have to be sure to link ALL Republicans in Office on the local, state and federal level with the Right Wing Special Interests and Groups. Link all the GOP with these Swift Boat Style groups!
Now Swift Boating from Wingnuts supporting Santorum is on the horizon....more below the fold...
From the Robert Casey Campaign.
"Remember Swift Boat Veterans for "Truth?"
This week we saw a similar group with an equally ironic name jump into the Senate race here in Pennsylvania. We are now less than a year away from the election but already Americans for Job Security (AJS) has spent close to half a million dollars on a new TV ad to help Rick Santorum climb out of the cellar.
AJS is a shadowy special interest group that hides their donors and engages in Karl Rove-style politics. We can only imagine who is funding them and what they will do next."
The media certainly does not help as they:
- Give Air time to Swift Boating type groups and individuals and allow them to drone on without doing any fact checking
- Media Pundits echo these groups' claims and then interrupt and refute those lies and decry those tactics
Everytime we hear one of these lies repeated, we have to find a way to refute them and open the eyes of those who are gullible. Granted, the hardcore Kool Aid consumers will cover their ears and sing like a small child, while we speak to truth.
But there are loads of Independents and Moderates who will listen if they hear another side of the story other than what they hear from Squeaky, Fox News, and Rush.
On a related note, Democrats have to find a way to reach those people who are thoroughly disgusted with the Right, pissed off at Bush and Republicans in Congress but cannot support Democrats. It is like they are afraid of being Personally Swiftboated by Friends, Neighbors, Family, and Coworkers. They shun the thought of voting for Liberals or Democrats as somehow that would be Too Extreme. I think Democrats can reach those people by showing that Our Ideas ARE Mainstream, Not Radical, and Quite Normal.
UPDATE: This is the first time I have done a Diary with the Tag system so forgive me if it does not come out as intended with the Tags. I will correct that ASAP.