Diary will be off list soon given polling news, Nobel Prize, etc. Take a sec to read and act? Thx.
Politifact.com has given the Ayres smear a Pants on Fire rating. This is a well done examination of the Ayres "issue." It even shows how the same information could be spun in a way that could alarm Kossacks! Taking on the article by Kurtz (Kurtz Attack Article), PolitiFACT.com does it's own spin by way of example:
Had Kurtz chosen to accuse Obama of carrying water for the conservative Annenberg, he might have written: "CAC disbursed money to various business-friendly entities, such as the Museum of Science and Industry and the Commercial Club of Chicago."
See how easy it is?
Truth-o-meter conclusion? This attack is false, but it's more than that – it's malicious.
Given the promised video about Ayres coming out, pls:
- Send emails with the PolitiFACT.com link to ALL family and friends, TODAY.
- Send a THANK YOU email to the author Alexander Lane, so his email is not just filled with hate mail.
Links and my thank you email below the fold.
Here is the link for the PolitiFACT.com Truth-o-meter article:
Ayres Truth-o-meter
Do not underestimate the power of Swiftboating. With the Ayres email coming out, IMHO we need to innoculate people with the truth on a direct basis as quickly and far and wide as possible. How better to fight whisper campaigns than to send out the truth via the same channel?
1. Here was my quick email to friends and family.
Hey there,
Just ran across Politifact's Truth-o-meter regarding the Ayres/ domestic terrorist stuff that Palin and McCain have been talking about all week. Truth-o-meter is giving the whole thing a "Pants on Fire" lie rating.
Take a read and let me know what you think:
http://www.politifact.com/...
Also, they have found out where the "Obama is a Muslim" stuff came from. You will NOT believe the idiot who started that one.
http://www.nytimes.com/...
Hope you're hanging in there with the economic news we're hearing about.
I believe we have a role and duty to play in supporting real journalism. It is not enough to decry and lament the MSM not having the courage to be objective. We also need to enCOURAGE them to do so and express our appreciation when they do. Please, take some time to email your support to PolitiFACT and Alexander Lane, today.
2. My thank you email letter:
Thank you.
I have a feeling that your email is about to become clogged with some nasty emails. I just wanted to make sure you found at least one big THANK YOU for carefully researching and clarifying this controversy. It is quite clear that people in the McCain campaign are trying to mislead people regarding Senator Obama, which is extremely disappointing. It is one thing to attack and disagree with policy positions; it is quite another to try to make a “malicious” and untrue case against someone’s character. I am saddened that Senator McCain has chosen to make this obviously nonsense whisper campaign the centerpiece of his campaign. My biggest fear is that this has already planted a poisonous pill that will serve to unnecessarily divide and further frighten Americans just when we will need to pull together to address a trifecta of the greatest threats we have ever faced – climate change, economic meltdown, and a massive energy system transformation.
You may be in for a rough three weeks for researching and writing the truth. IMHO you have done a courageous thing, and as an American History and government teacher, I thank you for this act in the finest tradition of Zenger. Hang in there if the hot winds of hate start to blow your way. You are not alone. There are indeed millions of Americans who will appreciate your article and who will use your research to help them make sense of this situation for themselves.
To send Alexander Lane a similar Thank you:
truthometer@politifact.com
UPDATE: dmmteacher aslo has diary re: Ayres debunking Go to: Diary: Give it Up McCain, Ayers Ad Addlepated