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A Progressive Political Playground |
From the monthly archives:
That’s question (and a good one) that Jonathan Chait asks:
Obama’s strategy seems predicated on convincing voters that they really, really like the inexperienced black guy with the foreign-sounding name. Convincing them not to vote for the other guy, the one who embraces the least popular president in modern history, sounds like a better bet to me.
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Not surprising from this disingenuous bunch. He did NOT visit troops at Landstuhl, so they attacked. If he HAD visited them, guess what?
What the McCain campaign doesn’t want people to know, according to one GOP strategist I spoke with over the weekend, is that they had an ad script ready to go if Obama had visited the wounded troops saying that Obama was…wait for it…using wounded troops as campaign props. So, no matter which way Obama turned, McCain had an Obama bashing ad ready to launch. I guess that’s political hardball. But another word for it is the one word that most politicians are loathe to use about their opponents—a lie.
Duh. I’ll say it again:
John McCain, the GOP, and Ohio wingnut blogger attacks against Barack Obama using the troops as a wedge are shameful and un-American.
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So I got put in a pickle. Let me illustrate:
[rock] [eric] [hard place]
You see. I made it known how we were gonna fight anonymous email smears of Barack Obama:
1. Reply to everyone who got the email that you can tell (you may need to copy addresses from a quoted email that was forwarded). Tell them the truth.
2. Forward it to watchdog@barackobama.com
3. Forward it to me eric@plunderbund.com and I’ll blog it (include the entire message including original sender/recipients)
All well and good until you get one from your own mother. This is how insidious this thing is. It’s like a hyperactive viral form of cancer. So now what, right? Post mom’s email? Post her friends who sent it to you?
Hell no I’m not posting my mom’s email address.
The object of this exercise has always been to fight the anonymity. To draw out into the open those who would hide behind an email address and a false attack smear sent to their entire address book. My mom is not anonymous to me. I can answer these smears directly by emailing or even picking up the phone. What I DID do that is consistent with the strategy is to answer her and the others who were copied along with her:
Hi everyone. I’m Eric Vessels, son of Judy and George. I received a forwarded email that contained your addresses as well.
The information in that email that you received about Barack Obama blowing off the troops in Afghanistan is false. It has been thoroughly debunked by the Army Times and the author, Capt. Jeffrey S. Porter, has recanted his story:
“I am writing this to ask that you delete my e-mail and not forward it, after checking my sources some of the information that was put out in my e-mail was wrong. This e-mail was meant only for my family. Please respect my wishes and delete the e-mail and if there are any blogs you have my e-mail portrayed on I would ask if you would take it down too.â€
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/military_blog_obama_072508w/
The Army refuted the accuracy of the account of the Obama visit.
“These comments are inappropriate and factually incorrect,†Bagram spokesman Lt. Col. Rumi Nielson-Green told the New York Daily News.
Obama didn’t play basketball at Bagram or visit the Clamshell, she said.
“We were a bit delayed … as he took time to shake hands, speak to troops and pose for photographs,†Nielson-Green said.
You can find out more information about this particular smear here:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/troopssmear
I’ve been in or around the military for the better part of my life. I grew up on Fort Knox, where I met at least one of you on this list as a kid. I have fond memories of it all. I know from this experience that there are a range of cultural, political, racial, and ethnic experiences within the military life. These diversities are a large part of what formed the person I am today.
Let’s have political debate. Let’s exercise our American right to vote for the person we think best represents us. But let’s not propagate lies, innuendo, and false attacks against those we have decided not to support.
It belittles us as Americans and certainly is beneath a code I first learned on a rock at West Point.
So my request is that you don’t accept receiving nor allow yourself to send these types of false email smears, no matter which candidate for POTUS you support.
Thanks for your time and I wish you all well.
Eric Vessels
This is what makes these kinds of attacks so pervasive and dangerous. Long after they have been debunked they float around and get forwarded by people who take them at face value and that lie spreads. This is why we fight.
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This one I actually like- mainly because it doesn’t look like a monkey. Also, the creators promise to donate a dollar from every purchase to the campaign.
According to the ad this Obama action figure is 6″ tall and has eight points of articulation so you can “pose him presidentially”.
No word yet on whether they will also offer additional accessories like his Blackberry or a removable flag pin.
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Just in time, we have LowRoadExpress.com. Yet another site dedicated to answer McCain campaign false attacks and low road methods to try and beat Barack Obama. You’d think someone that promised to have a “respectful campaign focused on issues” wouldn’t cause his opponent to dedicated an entire new site to exposing his negative strategy.
Like FightTheSmears.com, this is another excellent effort to fight off what will only be lower gutter level politics tossed at the Senator.
It’s only going to get worse the more desperate they get. There has always been an exponential correlation to those two things. Factor of 2 or 3.
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Barack Obama assassinated, age 46.
That’s what was written down.
It was envisioned. It was contemplated. Then it was written down.
I completely understand controversial and catchy headlines – being a fan of them myself – but this seems to cross a line even with me. I understand the point that Tim is trying to make and it’s no secret he and I are friends and I think he does some of the best stuff around when he’s on.
But it made me sad that he decided to go here. To take what you and I once railed against even for hinting at and turn it into a headline for a post of your own doesn’t sit right with me. There are other ways to make your point and the rest of the post is really very good despite the headline. People will still read it. I’ll still link to it. You’ll still get your point across.
We do all have to be more diligent in calling this shit out and banging away on those who would whisper and insinuate. Whether it be blogger, campaign, surrogate, or candidate, the bigotry and passive racism being whispered and winked is something that we must be diligent about. I don’t really think calling out a big group of bloggers on the left is fair either. We all decide for various reasons what we think is important enough to blog on and that’s an individual decision. We’ve been down this road of “why didn’t you think this important enough to post on” and it always ends badly.
I have no problem with you making your point about the toxic nature of the narrative building on the right.
Just don’t say the “A word”.
Please.
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As far as Republican Senators go, Arlen Specter is certainly one of the better ones.
He’s a moderate who supports women’s reproductive rights and, in a lot of cases, LGBT rights. This quickly brings him out of the wingnut category in my book.
He’s also a Yale Law grad and a former DA (from Philly) who recognizes the immense power entrusted to the Supreme Court and the importance of keeping the court balanced.
Which is pretty damn important given that he is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee i.e. he’s one of the people entrusted to approve judicial nominations made by the President.
I mention all of this because Mr. Specter just introduced a bill that would finally “permit the televising of Supreme Court proceedings”.
Wow? Really? Transparency? In the Supreme Court? The highest judicial body in the United States?
It’s about fucking time. TV has only been available since the 1930s- right around the time Mr. Specter was born.
I just hope we aren’t going to have to wait another 70 years before those proceedings are available via the internet.
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I mean, seriously. Do they smoke crack in meetings? First they criticize Obama for ditching troops in an ad that contains video of him visiting troops, now they put out an ad that when you watch it all you can think is:
“Fuck alot of people come out for Barack Obama”
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“He’s the biggest celebrity in the world”
Damn, that’s a HUGE concession that I wouldn’t be willing to make. Joe America is probably going to at least ask “well, if he’s that popular something must be up”. The beginning of this ad almost looks like it could be an Obama ad and the enduring message of it makes you completely ignore the ending. Hell, by the time they are talking about higher gas prices, taxes, and foreign oil I’m still thinking:
“Fuck alot of people come out for Barack Obama”
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Which is it? Is he too inexperienced?
Columbus, OH — Taking dead aim at the Democratic frontrunner, Sen. John McCain rebuked Barack Obama as an “inexperienced candidate†who is making empty promises to the American people of a “holiday from history.â€
or too Presidential and popular?
“Barack Obama is the biggest celebrity in the world, comparable to Tom Cruise, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton,†Rick Davis, Sen. John McCain’s campaign manager, wrote in an e-mail addressed to interested parties after throwing out a similar line on a conference call with reporters.
Yes, because we all know full well that Americans don’t like their President to be popular (see Bush, Georage W.)
They even flip flop on their damned narratives these guys!
Update: No, wait! I think they found a consistent narrative!
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So the House officially apologized for slavery. Hella late and worth getting on the record. I’d also add that it took a Democratic House to do it. But one anonymous wingnut coward (unless his name really is Gordon Gekko) continues to equate his getting taxed with the slavery years in the United States. The illogic being that since he works and has money “taken away” from him in the form of taxes, this is the same as being shackled and working in the fields at the masters plantation:
When is the House going to apologize to me for stealing my money and giving it to Sam Donaldson under the guise of mohair subsidies?
I’d hate to have such a skewed view of my country and community and the investments I make in it.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — A House panel Wednesday voted to cite former top White House aide Karl Rove for contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena to answer questions about the dismissals of several federal prosecutors as its Senate counterpart explored punishments for an array of alleged Bush administration misdeeds.
Step two:
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Send this traitorous un-American wingnut asshat to jail! It’ll never happen, but one can wish.
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Tim posted this in response to the uppity negro narrative that the right wants to use to discredit Obama. Very powerful way to make this point, Tim! Well done:
How dare a black man say he has “good odds†to win the presidency.
How dare a black man say he has good odds, period.
How dare a black man presume to be a major party’s nominee.
How dare a black man criticize a white man running for president.
How dare a black man call that white man’s lies “unfortunateâ€.
How dare a black man speak to 200,000 foreigners.
How dare a black man raise money.
How dare a black man pretend to lead.
How dare a black man speak intelligently.
How dare a black man inspire white people.
How dare a black man have his own campaign plane.
How dare a black man speak truth to power.
How dare a black man get good media coverage.
How dare a black man get bad media coverage.
How dare a black man get media coverage, period.
How dare a black man travel.
How dare a black man meet congressmen.
How dare a black man meet congresswomen.
How dare a black man put ads on television.
How dare a black man have this much money.
How dare a black man become President.
Of the United States.
Of America.
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