Kerik debacle a major underrated victory and a model for activism

[NAO]

The Kerik debacle embarrassed, frustrated and derailed Bush. His pick for an appointment was forced to withdraw to avoid exposure of further scandal.

This made Bush look stupid (more stupid?), incompetent, etc. It also slowed down the consolidation of his second term cabinet. I'm sure it made him angry and unfocused as well.

I think the progressive community missed what a major victory the Kerick debacle really was. If we could take that model and apply it to other Bush appointees, it could delay, derail, and minimize the effectiveness of Bush's second term.

****

Defeating Gonzales was given a modest effort, but I think it could be a lot better.

Imagine MoveOn.org ads showing the most horrific photos from Abu Ghraib, while someone reads the text of Gonzales' memos and the side of the screen shows a photo of Gonzales at the top and a picture of the memo at the bottom. THAT would really incite public outrage against Gonzales.

Get some high ranking retired military to speak out against Gonzales' dismissal of the Geneva conventions, and you could also influence those who worship the military.

You could also ask "why are our troops taking the fall for this corrupt, evil torture justifying bureaucrat? We should be supporting the troops and punishing the men in power who put them in the position to have committed these acts". "Support our troops - acquit the soldiers, convict Gonzales."

***

Condi Rice. Imagine how furious Bush would be - and how lost he would be - if somehow Condi's appointment was blocked. Here's the TV ad I envision: footage of Rice making her stupid "no one could have imagined" claim, cut to "the title of the memo was". Then the "mushroom cloud" gibber, cut to the "final no WMD" footage. Also show the OIL TANKER "Chevron Condolessa Rice" and talk about the oil industry influence on the Bush administration. Show instances of her shilling for the war, and ask how she could possibly be Secretary of State.

***

Without exception, each of Bush's picks to replace the people who have resigned in disgust from his cabinet are poor choices and are vulnerable to this type of public opinion campaign.

Even if most of them still got confirmed, Bush would have been distracted, frustrated, and angered, and those people would always be seen in a more negative (albeit realistic) light, which would further undermine the Bushies and their destructive agenda.

[blm]

1. We acted TOO quickly, imo. I would have loved a hearing on Kerik.

That way, Bush gets smeared more along with him.

I also think we moved too quickly on outing Jerome Corsi as an antiCatholic racist. The public didn't have the chance to make him the face of the Swift Vet Liars. If they had, his downfall would have had a greater impact.

Sometimes, it's best to keep your powder dry.

[robbedvoter]

2. It wasn't so much activism with Kerik - as local politics/media

The Ny Daily news had a Kerrik scandal a day on its front page for weeks.
The Condi debate was definitely the result of activism - with special credit to Boxer who spearheaded it.

[KoKo]

3. Gotta Love the NYC Newspaper...."Newsday," etc. They knew the dirt

on Kerik and they were the ones who brought him down. I was so proud of them for letting loose what they knew on him.. NYT's and WAPO and others know what Rice and Gonzalez have done. But, they won't put it in a context that makes them look like the evil they are for lying us into a war and allowing us to behave like Nazi's using torture and inhumane practices.

I wish we Dems had a "Media Machine" which could roll out ads against Gonzales and Rice. To do to them what the "Swift Boat Liars" and Repug Machine threw against Kerry and Gore and Clinton. We need to create a sense of Moral Outrage against these Bushies. To change the focus from the RW's hatred of women, gays, Democrats and anyone who doesn't believe in "their" idea of Christianity.

But, here we are, many years later, and we still don't have a "Dem Media War Room" which can roll out ads to get the message out about what they did. Without a strong media on our side we have to do the grassroots "phone/fax/e-mail" against Gonzalez and Rice.

To be fair, though, when Move On. or anyone else tries to buy time to run ads..if the MSM finds them offensive the Bushies they refuse to run them. So, we are stuck...

[blm]

5. Amazing how the RW gets all the press they need for the BULLSHIT

and the media throws up roadblocks to the real facts the Dems need to get out to counter the GOP lies.

[President Jesus]

4. Thank you. Everybody around here bitches about 'the media', but it was...

'the media' (mainstream nonetheless) that destroyed Kerik. Not progressive activism.

Both Time magazine (who faxed Kerik's arrest warrant to the White House at 7pm...Berni withdraws within the hour) and the NY Daily News with its relentless digging afer the withdrawal, made this event happen.

No one on the left should be patting themselves on the back for making this happen.

And how do you credit the Condi debate to liberal activism? I see absolutely no evidence for that.

[NAO]

6. The Media only destroys who they are allowed/directed to destroy

How do you explain that Bush has not been UTTERLY DECIMATED by the media? If they were truly free they would have been reporting on his scandals, deceptions, crimes and misdeeds starting with the fact that he LOST THE 2000 ELECTION, PERIOD.

When the votes were counted, HE LOST. Everyone who whined about Gore trying to 'steal the election' were just WRONG. Gore won it, Bush stole it.

But that is only the smallest, initial beginning of the crimes and lies Bush has been getting a free press on since he 'took' office.

There is NO WAY he would have won - even if the Dems had run Sponge Bob Square Pants - and even if Sponge Bob had been open about his gayness - Bush still would have lost in a landslide if the press had been doing their job all along.

[robbedvoter]

7. Occasionally, the local media is not 100% RNC controlled.

Please note "occasionally" and "not 100%.
here's WaPo for perspective:
The Post: You used partial privatization yourself last year, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes?
The Post: Yes, three times in one sentence. We had to figure this out, because we're in an argument with the RNC about how we should actually word this.

Let's face it, if the media would have printed what they KNOW to be true on BFEE - the way they did with Kerrik, they would have been ran out of US , tarred and feathered not "reselected"