Nuts About Obama
Precisely on schedule, the usual assortment of right-wing operatives is preparing its expected assault on the Democratic presidential nominee. While this unwholesome phase of the election cycle is known universally as “Swift-boating”—named after the defamatory media blitz against John Kerry four years ago—the style and some of the personnel date back at least two decades. So does the winking charade of separation between the official Republican presidential campaign and the dirty business conducted on its behalf.
The only notable difference this year is that neither the money nor the message has crystallized yet behind any “independent” effort to destroy the candidacy of Barack Obama. Whether such a campaign against him can be mounted effectively remains to be seen, but it will not fail for lack of trying.
Back in 2004, the Swift Boat group’s attack on Mr. Kerry commenced in earnest with the August publication of Unfit for Command, a book purporting to prove that the Democratic nominee’s decorations for courage as a Navy officer in Vietnam were undeserved and that he had fabricated his sterling military record. Those sensational charges won immense publicity for the authors and were soon augmented by a wave of national advertising, with millions in seed money provided by a group of wealthy Bush supporters based in Texas. Of course the fingerprints of Karl Rove, then the president’s top political strategist, were all over that ugly episode.
This August will mark the publication of the first book-length screed against Mr. Obama, courtesy of Regnery Publishing, the house responsible for the scurrilous smearing of Mr. Kerry between hard covers. At work on the Obama tome is David Freddoso, a young writer from the stable of the National Review, whose byline has also appeared in the ultra-right-wing magazine Human Events and who was reportedly trained by Robert Novak, the conservative “prince of darkness.” His straightforward title is The Case Against Barack Obama.
Competing with Mr. Freddoso’s book for talk radio promotion and cable airtime will be a similar product by Jerome Corsi, one of the authors of Unfit for Command, who has migrated from Regnery to a Simon & Schuster imprint. With somewhat labored cleverness, his book will be titled The Obama Nation, and is likely to posit, among many other implausible claims, that the Illinois senator is under the influence of the defunct Communist Party USA.
Aside from such far-fetched theorizing, which excites only the hard-core fringe, what canards will the anti-Obama campaign exploit? Several themes have undergone pretesting in recent days, with mixed results.
Evangelical leader James Dobson has suggested that Mr. Obama is deliberately distorting the meaning of the Bible, which is an unsubtle method of questioning the Democratic candidate’s Christian commitment and raising fears (again) that he is really a Muslim. “I think he’s deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview, his own confused theology,” said Mr. Dobson on his popular radio broadcast, adding that Mr. Obama “is dragging biblical understanding through the gutter.” Describing Mr. Obama’s interpretation of the Constitution, he used the word “fruitcake,” a term that must be very familiar to him.
Meanwhile Floyd Brown, a right-wing huckster and unabashed promoter of racial fear dating back to the notorious Willie Horton ad of 1988, is back pushing the Muslim theme against Mr. Obama. This, too, is an obvious attempt to inflame anxieties over race and ethnicity. For too many Americans, Muslim wrongly means foreign and nonwhite.
And this week the world heard again from Mr. Rove, who raised the old “elitist” trope against Mr. Obama, much as the Republicans used envy and resentment against Mr. Kerry for his wealth and status. “Even if you never met him, you know this guy,” sneered Mr. Rove during a breakfast at the Capitol Hill Club. “He’s the guy at the country club with the beautiful date, holding a martini and a cigarette that stands against the wall and makes snide comments about everyone who passes by.” Insecure and pathetic as that makes Mr. Rove sound, he surely knows how to provoke envy and resentment among voters, especially white males. That was one of the most important messages used by the Republicans against Mr. Kerry in 2004 with the famous windsurfing ad.
So perhaps Mr. Obama will be portrayed as a Muslim Marxist who hangs out at the country club, sipping cocktails and sneering at the common folk. The true message in that kind of crude, contradictory propaganda is utter contempt for the target audience—in other words, for you.
jconason@observer.com
the irony of Dodson accusing Obama of "..deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview, his own confused theology" is, frankly, beyond belief.
Who has done this more than Dobson and his pathetic ilk?
Dragging the Bible through the gutter?...What about prostituting the Church out to politicans..Mr Dobson?..You don't seem to have a problem with that!!
"The true message in that kind of crude, contradictory propaganda is utter contempt for the target audience—in other words, for you."
Of course the right wing hacks prompting this garbage have the perfect rejoinder to those who challenge them: Anyone who thinks the American people would actually be fooled by the rubbish the right wing is peddling are just a bunch of liberal elitist snobs who think average "real" Americans are idiots. Wonderful little racket they've got going for them.
Just deny everything and label all criticism as "Swift-Boating" and/or "racism."
The Swiftboaters (Rove & company) worked hard to get their man to be the Democratic nominee. There is no doubt in my mind that there were many things done by Rove behind the scenes to help Obama win the nomination so they could use the GOP echo machine to help spread lies. The corporate owned media will not have a problem making any make right-wing lies "newsworthy". The Democratic party turned a blind eye to that. I know the polls show Obama ahead of McSame, but the war is just beginning. Hopefully Obama,with the help of the Clinton's can negate the lies. Maybe the perfect storm of the War, the gas prices, and the economy will help us turn to tide.
Yes, oh mighty sage Conason. Tell us about "swift boating." Please explain the dirty trick of having people who served with someone combat the candidate's clear lies about his own service. Christmas in Cambodia? Yes, we have now fallen to the Orwellian double-speak of leftist media whores who describe truth telling by eye witnesses to be out of bounds. By the way, Joe, just what is the description of a major member of the left wing media fabricating documents and securing far left wing nuts to try to bring down a president, via a slander, just weeks before an election? Oh, I forgot. It is only dirty tricks if it hurts a lefty.
I'm sure we can all agree The Bush Family has much more time logged in country clubs than that of Senator Obama and his family!!
The Swift Boat book has been totally debunked as far as Sen. Kerry's actual service goes, although Kerry's Christmas in Cambodia story doesn't really hold up. As for Dan Rather's documents, the truth of what they say is not in dispute. Their absolute authenticity is doubtful, though they could be copies of real documents. The bottom line: Kerry served honorably and deserved his medals, and he had the guts to come back and say the war was wrong. Those who smeared his war record are the worst kind of bruised-ego liars. Bush used his daddy's connections to avoid serving in Vietnam and went AWOL from the reserve and cheated the American people who paid for his flight training. After Vietnam, he defrauded the investors in his Texas companies and escaped prison for insider trading because he was "cleared" by "investigators" from a law firm run by his daddy's friends. He used Rovian smears to defeat Gov. Richards in Texas where, as governor, he enacted bogus school "reforms" to enrich cronies in the schoolbook business and distorted the results of those "reforms" to say he had improved education in Texas. He lied about tax cuts ("by far the majority go to the poor and middle class") that enriched the rich. He lied about going into Iraq, saying dozens of times AFTER his decision to go in was made that war was a last resort and that he had not made his decision yet.
Sir, there is no such thing as a leftist media whore. Name ONE, and the source of funding, and the falsehood he has put forward. You can't do it. On the right, however, their name is legion and their funding sources include ExxonMobile and News Corp. Their output consists of hour upon hour of air pollution on AM radio, nearly all of which is filled with lies and distortions.
I love the way Unitarian Patriot attacks the Swift Boat Veterans who co-authored "Unfit For Command". These supposed smear merchants include each and every one of Senator Kerry's commanding officers in Vietnam. Also in the group of authors is a Medal of Honor winner and several Annapolis graduates. Of course, if Senator Kerry would just sign an unrestricted Form 180, allowing the release of all his military records at all locations (in 2005 Senator Kerry signed a Form 180 for the release of all his military records, but only from one storage location and only to the Boston Globe), like President Bush did, this whole thing would be over.
And don't you just admire the "false but true" statements about the Rather hit piece right before the 2004 election? Kind of like, "I voted before it before I voted against it." No empirical evidence, just a lot of villifying diatribe.
Please - a little more intellectual rigor and honesty in posting a reply.
Oh, please. Who let this nut job have his very on column?
Excse me but James Dobson assures me that nothing he says has not been preapproved by God herself before it trips off his lips. Jimmy Boy loves god and has her rewrite any of his speeches before they are delivered so as to avoid giving offense to the creator of the universe. He would never come up with any original thoughts since he is wary of committing an unoriginal sin.
Speaking of exxon mobile the labor unions have
their pension funds loaded with oil stocks so
they should be in good shape to donate trainloads
of money to the oil hating hippocrate dems.
Barry the emty suit says he's been in 57 states,
there are 57 islamic states,but i'm sure that's
not what he meant??????
Those people never served with him and at least he WAS there. Your man, rich boy Bush was AWOL
When you say "with him", do you mean with him on Christmas in Cambodia?
Or was that "with him" when he threw his medals over the wall? Oh, that's right; I forgot. He threw someone else's medals over the wall.
Or was that "with him" when he villified all of his fellow soldiers before Congress?
Or was that "with him" when he didn't receive an Honorable Discharge until during the Carter administration, some seven years after his mustering out of the service, leading many to believe he was drummed out of the army?
No, I don't imagine any of his accusers were "with him" during those episodes.
Of course, he could resolve all the disputes by signing an unrestricted Form 180, authorizing a complete release of all his military records - just like President Bush has done.
And are you saying none of his commanding officers in Vietnam, all of whom condemned him, were "with him"?
Please.
The documents about Bush that were "forgeries" were probably released by Rove and company in the most brilliant political move ever.
The real problem we have is that people, such as Bill08, pay much more attention to rumor and innuendo than they do to the harsh reality in front of them. That, combined with the inability to critically examine information, is the real threat that our democracy faces. Personally, I consider it a travesty of the educational system. This country will succumb to our collective stupidity before it succumbs to any deadly terrorist attack.
This is the part of the campaign when the radical left, and their henchmen in the media begin to circle the wagons and demonize Republicans.
Look at how they have turned the name "Karl Rove" into an epithet. They have made Dick Cheney into Darh Vader. This is very predictable, as made clear by Conason's column. He seems to believe that any move to raise doubts about a Dem are unfair, ie Willie Horton (Racist!!!!), Swiftboating (Kerry is Hero!!!!), etc.
But the media and the left wing sink to the gutter to Demonize their foes. They cannot simply disagree, for if one disagrees they are evil and must be destroyed.
The NAACP sought to link Governor George Bush to the dragging death of a black man in Texas. Dan Rather used manufactured evidence to besmirch the military service of President Bush. Moveon.org described the commander in Iraq as General Betray Us.
So how will these radicals demonize John McCain? Here is my predictions:
Racism will be charged at any attempt to criticize Barack Obama. (The first ad featuring Reverend Wright will send these radicals into orbit crying "Racism!!!!!!")
In the world of keith Olbermann, Joe Conason, and Moveon.org, those who disagree with liberal policies are the enemy, and must be destroyed. Let the games begin, because it is going to get ugly.
No need to "circle the wagons" to demonize Republicans..they've done a good enough job of demonizing themselves!
To ned:..Unions have not been allowed to dip into pension funds since 1976...too bad "employer controlled" pension funds got "deregulated" so they could pull an ENRON on their pension funds! ENRON was on the verge of bankruptsy when they donated millions to the Bush/Cheney campaign!
Reading these comments brings me in mind to a schoolyard name-calling match where the dumb bullys taunt the smart kids in hopes of starting a food-fight or a brawl. With Bushco's popularity down in the mid-twenties and 83% of the population thinking the country is headed in the wrong direction the verdict on Republican leadership is in: Guilty of incompetence, corruption, lying, profiteering, shameless mendacity, fear mongering, and bankrupting the treasury. Name-calling and smoke screens won't change the record of Republican control over the past eight years.
As far as 2008 is concerned both John Kerry's and Sonny Bush's military record are essentially irrelevant. John McCain's is not, however, although it probably should be. It is highly doubtful that McCain will be Swift-Boated by a thinly disguised Democratic hit squad as Kerry was in 2004. But we can be certain that a well-funded and coordinated right-wing smear compaign will be mounted against Obama by 527 groups, and designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator.
All I know is that Barack Obama will be our next President and I am utterly thrilled!!!!
What part of "rumor and innuendo" is it about Kerry throwing his medals over the wall?
What part of "rumor and innuendo" is it about Kerry's quote about his sojourn in Cambodia?
What part of "rumor and innuendo" is it about Kerry not receiving an honorable discharge until seven years after his service?
What part of "rumor and innuendo" is Kerry's "razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan"? (Other than his own defaming of his brothers in arms.)
What part of "rumor and innuendo" is it about Kerry's entire command staff saying he was unfit for command?
What part of "rumor and innuendo" is it that Kerry still refuses to release all of his military records?
No, the rumor and innuendo is that the 'forgeries' (at least we can all admit they were forgeries) were released by Rove. And you have what proof to support that rumor and innuendo? For that matter, you have what proof other than the word of a senile anchor whose greatest achievement was standing in a hurricane forty-seven years ago? Oh, that's right - the "false but true" forgeries.
No, my friend, I believe you are engaging in what the psychologists call projection. A little more rigorous syllogistic reasoning on your part, if you please.
The day that Obama and Rove are members of the same country club will show that we have, indeed, overcome.
Bravo Bill08 and Richmond! Notice Conason and his syncophants refuse to engage in factual deliberate debate and instead refer derisively refer to opponents as "right wing hucksters," "hard core fringe," "unabashed promoters of racial fear," "Swiftboaters." Conason does not claim the Swiftboat stories were untrue, he just calls them smear tactics. What he calls a "smear" was truly a revelation into the deficient soul and bloated ego of an incompetent soldier.
If there are Hanoi Hilton American prisoners who, en masse, claim John McCain was a liar who kissed up to the North Vietnamese to gain favor, do you think for one minute the Democrats wouldn't use it against him. The Swiftboat story came out because there were eyewitnesses(pluaral)who went public with their disgust for Kerry and his trumped up service to his country. If that's not newsworthy, what is?
Rather than engaging with authors of a new upcoming book about Barack Obama (The Obama Nation), the book is called a "screed." All Conason does with this shallow and shameless criticism is to alert his syncophants not be taken in by the beguiling logic and well documented proof behind the facts in the book and just "name call" instead.
John Kerry and George Bush are not running. Get over it.
We're in a new election now. Anybody who doesn't like the heat can get out of the kitchen. I expect some swift-boat style attacks, and I expect them to get little traction, as the technique is no longer new.
Wow -- sounds like you need a pill.
It is just amazing how the on the AM conservatively controlled radio (could it be that intelligent people support it), that when liberals call in to debate the intelligent right, the liberals are always getting a schooling and can never match the intellect and the truth that the right has to give them! All that the liberals have is name calling and half truths. They keep saying "swift boating" like it was a bad thing, when in truth, it exposed John Kerry for who he really was. So if Obama is going to get "swift boated", then the truth will come out. McCain has yet to be dogged about his valor and service.
The simplest means for debunking Unfit for command is to note the dates on the endnotes. EVERY critical source was dated 2003-4. When the same sources were contemporaneous to the events in question they were neutral or positive. It's a short book. No need to buy it. Takes about half an hour paging through it in the bookstore.
B.O. says he agrees with the courts decision on
gun rights,to bad he voted against the two justices
that made it possible.
He also voted against a law to provide care to
survivors of abortions in the state senate.So much
for standing up for the little guy!!!!!
John McCain is not a heroic man. Few from his past admire his actions. In his youth, he behaves very similarly to a young GW Bush. He was a drinker, a womanizer, an incompetent compared to his extremely successful father. He finished near the bottom of his class, his flying years weren't stellar. In Vietnam, he wasn't a hero as much as he was an unlucky captive. His arms and leg were broken in the plane crash and as much as he was tortured, he was also brought back to health. I think the weakest part of John McCain's story comes after his return to the U.S. when he abandons his wife Carol, crippled in a car crash just before his return, for the much younger, richer Cindy McCain. It is also said that before he met Cindy he was very overtly playing the field. Deserting your wife when she needs you most is sad and selfish and the woman who allows his to courtship while he is still married is also not admirable in my opinion. I understand that people have flaws, love happens, etc. but I want a President of the United States of America to be above overt selfishness, to have lived something of an exemplary life. I don't know why the Republican Party insists on offering up immature, underdeveloped, ill-spoken men as leaders-- They're not. Those of you who are still proud to be Republicans(the once great party of Lincoln has much to be proud of) should insist on better quality candidates instead of promoting closeted gays, crooks and pathetic alcoholic party boys and wasting precious energy trying to rip the better men they stand against, down.
Is this the same John McCain that was so loved
by the media and the rest of you libs,when he
was poking his finger in the eye of concervatives?
The same guy Kerry wanted for his vp???
You know you made a BIG mistake with B.O.
Every time he speaks off the cuff he steps in it.
Your stuck with a losser.