So, I'm informed John Kerry "lies out his ass"

[sandnsea]

Someone who I thought could be a good friend and fellow local activist told me that today. I don't even know what to do with that. She was complaining about Jim Rassmann always saying "he might have been saved by John Kerry", and who cares, and then let that little bomb drop. I just felt like, wow, there went that friendship.

Do you have friends who believe the swiftboaters? Family is one thing, there are off-limit topics because they're your family. But do you intentionally choose friends who believe such stupidity?

I'm convinced the only sane people in the world are in the JK group.

:(

[fedupinBushcountry]

1. Sounds like

she was probably a Deaniac in '04, some of them really hated JK.

[karynnj]

2. Trippi deserves the major blame on that - though Dean's PUMA actions in February

as he was imploding really hurt. I have met Dean people who still believe the corporatism DLC/lobbyist/pro-war lies, but not many. I have no real connection to anyone who believed the swiftboaters - because the lies are pretty unbelievable (I suspect the main thing that caused anyone to believe was that there were so many in his line of command who were in the SBVT - I actually wonder now if Kerry should have had an ad attacking them directly with the difference in what they wrote in official Navy documents (including a request that he get a higher clearance for the Brooklyn job.) Lying then would have been corrupt and there was no logical reason to do so - if they simply wanted to preserve an upper class kid's record, a mediocre record works fine. Certainly not two very prestigious awards. Not to mention, Nixon would have learned about it 2 years later in 1971. Now, in 2004, there were MANY reasons for them to lie- hurt pride concerning the Tour of Duty book, money, and politics.

If the lies were the comments before the SFRC - they were a list of things people had claimed to have done - just as he said. It was the SFRC or the military that had the power and ability to evaluate their truth. I do have one relative who still has a problem with this - not because he thinks it a lie, but because he gave more attention to it having happened.

I have noticed that on any neutral site a Kerry article appears the lies are still always there - and they themselves have become confused and distorted from the original lies. Some are completely made up - including that Kerry should have been court marshaled after 6 people died on his boat - which of course never happened.

I suspect that many really could not accept the idea that a liberal Democrat - from MA, who (according to them) speaks like a Kennedy really is a very brave, skillful, war hero. It was easier to believe that it was all made up.

[sandnsea]

4. "it was all made up"

That's the impression I get. She is very active with homeless veterans and veterans issues. She was the homeless coordinator for a while and made some very real improvements that she didn't have to go out of her way to advocate for. We really didn't have anything here except a meal once a week. Now there are warming stations in the winter, sandwich delivery, noon meals almost every day, lots of things. But somewhere along the line her work with veterans must have gotten her hooked up with some swiftboaters. I'm just stunned by the whole thing. And she doesn't like Jim Rassmann either, at all. After that comment I think it's more because he respects JK than anything about him personally. Gaaa. Disappointment.

[sandnsea]

3. Could be, or Kucinich

I never thought of that. She's very far left. She bought into the attacks from the left on Kennedy's health care bill. I think she's not happy with Obama either. I think she just likes being too clever to believe a politician. She was volunteering for our very local state rep for a while and got to know him personally. She commented that she thought he might a genuinely decent politician. I told her I think most are, if you can get past the mudslinging. She disagreed. Well fine, I can put all that aside. But I don't think I can ignore that she believes the swift boat lies. That is just too much.

[Inuca]

5. About your last sentence

I am sure there are a few elsewhere as well :-)