Your best rec for how Obama should respond to being swiftboated - ASAP!

[RiverStone]

We all remember how John Kerry's civil and delayed response to the swiftboat propaganda campaign cost him in 2004. It's happening again, and with the Citizen United decision in the books - dollars to spread the lies will be pouring in from the likes of mega-donor wingnuts like the Koch brothers.

Evidence of this swiftboat reBOOT can be found in this CNN story (8/30/12) - "Sense and nonsense about Obama and Osama"

It's a damn good thing the DEM convention is next week; I'm just hoping that even before then, Obama's media advisers come out with an aggressive and widespread response. Ideally, get high ranking military advisers to speak out "on the record" to denounce the tactic, lies, and methods used by the swiftboat authors referenced in the CNN story.

What counter punch advice would you give to the Obama team to quickly derail the opposition's tactic? All I know is it has to fast, decisive, and fuck being polite about it!

[louis-t]

1. He needs to take back the $712 bil thing right now!

"We SAVED Medicare $712 billion by eliminating overpayments, waste and fraud without touching anyone's benefits." He needs to say it every day so anytime Rumnuts says it, he will be confirming what the president says. I promise repugs will stop saying it.Otherwise, they will beat him over the head with it until the election.

[cthulu2016]

2. Glad you asked! The key is

The key is to stop thinking that someone being a liar is, in itself, a powerful political argument. It isn't. Swing voters assume that all politicians are liars.

The implications of lying must be made into something decisive by creating a framework as to what being a liar means.

I have laid this out at length here:


http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021230980

[RiverStone]

6. Thanks cthulu2016

Good tactic --- as long as we keep the language at a 7th grade level (explaining the lies) so folks who don't pay attention and believe everything they are told "get it".

[uponit7771]

3. Should go after knowledge authority in face of overt lies, make them look uninformed or stupid...

...and tie them to another person who public thinks is just as stupid and bang they stop

rMoney doesn't want to lose knowledge authority about business etc...it's what he's running on.

[uponit7771]

4. Reducing Exepenses is NOT Cutting Benefits. Liberals ALL OVER are STILL using the word "cut" when...

...that's now what Obama did!!

[Mponti]

5. Go after romney as draft vietnam draft dodger

he was pro war but dodged by going to France as missionary and then returned to college as divinity student. And he will be commander in chief -- a chickenhawk. Show him in add speaking French with his logo in background....the logo is a french flag.

If Obama campaign doesnt swiftboat Romney, it will be unforgiveable

[1-Old-Man]

7. President Obama can not be "Swift boated". He did not serve

he may be the brunt of dirty politics but "Swift boating" is very specific, it applies to a Veteran who's honorable service is being besmirched unfairly and in the most vile of manners. Barrack Obama is not a Veteran. He served on no 'swift boats' he has never been shot at in combat nor has he ever returned fire in combat, he has won no medals and is in fact not eligible to receive any medals. He has no service to be misrepresented, no one can lie about his military deeds, no one can say 'they were there". I doubt very seriously that the President has ever set foot on a Navy 'swift boat' let alone been shot off of one or shot anyone off of one.

It is simply completely inappropriate to call what is happening to the President, which is plain and simple dirty politics, can be called 'swift boating' simply because the term came into existence to describe a very particular and peculiar set of circumstance, none of which apply to the President.

[RiverStone]

8. I think people get it's general implications - wiki agrees

Per wiki:

The word swiftboating is an American neologism used pejoratively to describe an unfair or untrue political attack. The term is derived from the Swift Vets and POWs for Truth (formerly "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth," or SBVT) widely publicized,[1] then discredited, campaign against 2004 US Presidential candidate John Kerry.[2][3]

Since the political smear campaign[2][4][5][6][7][8] conducted by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth against John Kerry, the term "swiftboating" (or "Swift-boating", or "Swift Boating&quot commonly refers to a harsh attack by a political opponent that is dishonest, personal and unfair.[9][10] The Swift Boat Veterans and media pundits objected to this use of the term to define a smear campaign.

link

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Really, the semantics are secondary to the point of the OP. How best to respond to an aggressive campaign of dirty politics based on lies?

[HopeHoops]

9. Invite rMoney out for a beer and then talk up the fact that rMoney wouldn't meet with him.