why isn't kerry hitting the rw back over the swift boat lie?

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

shouldn't we have ads denouncing it and demanding that bush disavow these tactics and ask that the ads be taken off?

why aren't liberal groups going after bush'd (lack of a ) military record?

i feel that we're on the verge of a mike dukakis moment if they don't act fast

[Media_Lies_Daily]

1. Oh, please. The rightwingers are shooting themselves in the foot over....

...this issue. People are getting very tired of the negative ads, and most people know they're not true.

[Born Free]

3. negative ads work

negative ads do work especially if the individual being attacked appears to be avoiding it rather than throwing it back in their faces. Al Gore took the high road, you saw where that led.

[Laura_B_manslaughter]

11. Dems should be using the AWOL issue

It's just crazy that kerry is on the defensive over his military service. Dems should go on the attack against awol bush and STOP complaining about the repubs low tactics cause that looks like whining.

[prolesunited]

13. I don't agree

Perhaps this is too narrow of an experience upon which to be basing my assessment, but I was doing some phone banking on a tight race in a neighboring district. The GOP candidate started negative campaigning and the Dem fired back in kind.

The majority of the responses I got were that people simply weren't going to vote. By the time they both got done trashing one another, the voters hated them both and thought it was a waste of time to vote.

And actually, Gore DID win the election and the popular vote. W was handed an SC decision.

[Ducks In A Row]

2. hey, the rw is pulling this stuff straight out of their asses

kerry could spend 24/7 answering back and never keep up.

anyways, this topic is so boring. I wish we could rate posts.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

6. BINGO. You address this smear, then comes the next Alex Polier/Swifty/

whatever smear, then the next. You are stuck in the mode of answering their smears right up until NOV. No effing way.

[Laura_B_manslaughter]

12. Don't answer the smears. Use your own smears

Kerry should start referring to Bush as President AWOL. Or the deserter-in-chief or the chicken-in-chief. Bush is extremely vulnerable on this military service issue.

[devilgrrl]

4. Perhaps they are and the whore media isn't paying attention.

Just a thought. :shrug:

[CBHagman]

17. The whore media is trying to give the smear crowd credibility.

I noticed it this week. First Robert Novak writes a column that presents John O'Neill as a nonpartisan, concerned person who has genuine questions about Kerry's fitness to command -- all without mentioning that O'Neill was a Nixon shill 30 years ago.

Then the cable shows give a platform to these attack dogs, giving them credibility they don't deserve.

They get the story out there, regardless of how valid it is and how suspect the proponents are.

Result: spin.

[LisaM]

5. The ads aren't working....

why should they bother? They know the Swift-Boat Veterans' story is as as full of holes as a leaky barge. The talking heads are all fussed and bothered and in the meantime, Kerry is drawing larger and larger crowds all across the country.

[gristy]

7. The issue was covered on Kerry's web site two days ago

Sixth entry down: http://blog.johnkerry.com/rapidresponse
The news services need to pick this up.

[seabeyond]

8. i dont think kerry can immediately come back and refute

then it sounds so pity and takes him and service to petty. i think this has to play out, adn hopefully media and people get the sense it is lie, yet i am hoping in time, something will come up and kerry can send a zinger to the people who did this. all the way thru the last 6 months this has happened for kerry. he has been more clever, yet he does it in wait the right time and we are all thrilled when he does it. i just feel he does have a plan and will deliver accordingly

[Warpy]

9. "give them enough rope, they'll hang themselves"

I think letting McCain speak out against them instead was the best tactic to use. After all, McCain reminded people that the Bush team had done the same to him in 2000 and the same to Max Cleland in 2002. There were many more Vietnam vets in VVAW than there were with their shorts in a wad over that organization denying that they were fighing some great moral war. This is going to backfire bigtime among every veteran of any war.

The dirtier this bunch gets, the more people are turned off. It's happeing here in NM, a battleground state, where Kerry has pulled ahead despite having his ads hugely outnumbered by nasty, negative Bush ads. That the Bush ads are now pushing touchy-feely lies about what a great guy might be is too little too late.

[jpgray]

10. The Kerry camp has put out several line-by-line debunkings

They just don't get play, or they aren't effectively handed out to spokespeople for the cable talk shows.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

14. it's running nonstop here in wv

on sinclair stations and i keep hearing people in gas stations talking about it

[HEyHEY]

15. They have to address it somehow

Even if that means knocking down Bushes record in a negative way....plus it will really piss off RW

[gumby]

16. Josh Marshall sez

I just saw a preview of a study that finds the Swift Boat ads quite effective among independents in raising doubts about John Kerry's war record. And that suggests that Karl Rove will want to send more money toward the group running the ad.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_08_08.php#003266

[WVfrank]

18. Kerry hitting back on military record

Exactly! There is a great article today about Bush and his AWOL
shenanigans, which the mainstream media basically ignored. Let's
help get the truth out there-the trurh from Paul Lukasiak who
bothered to drag through the military records to understand what
really went on. Where is the outrage!?}(