DU project: proposed Activist Corps action - need your ideas

[EarlG]

Over the weekend we received http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=106x32155">some suggestions for the first DU Activist Corps action of 2008. I think most practical suggestions were the ones about going after McCain's credibility - highlighting stuff about him that the MSM barely wants to touch - and spreading this information on a grass-roots level. The simplest method of delivery would probably be a viral email that members of the DU Activist Corps can send to their friends, family, co-workers, email lists, etc.

Note that UNLIKE the Obama smear emails, everything in our email should be true and verifiable. Also, I think it would be counter-productive to include stuff about McCain's military service (for example, the number of planes he crashed) so please don't bother with those.

So here are my first suggestions for the email - please chime in with your own, and I'll compile the best suggestions before we do the announcement tomorrow.

DID YOU KNOW? John McCain came back from Vietnam and cheated on his disabled wife before leaving her (and his three children) and marrying a rich heiress 17 years his junior. McCain obtained a marriage license for his second marriage while he was still married to his first wife.

DID YOU KNOW? The McCains own ten homes, valued at more than $13 million, including TWO beachfront condos in a swanky California town.

DID YOU KNOW? The McCains regularly charge hundreds of thousands of dollars a MONTH on their credit cards.

DID YOU KNOW? John McCain's chief economic adviser, rich Swiss Bank lobbyist Phil Gramm, recently told the Washington Times that the current economic crisis is a "mental recession" and said that America is a "nation of whiners."

DID YOU KNOW? John McCain has repeatedly stated that he needs to be "educated" about the economy, and that "The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should." Unfortunately the man responsible for educating him is Phil Gramm.

DID YOU KNOW? John McCain recently called Social Security "an absolute disgrace." McCain was a big supporter of President Bush's unpopular plan to ditch Social Security and replace it with private accounts.

DID YOU KNOW? American taxpayers spend $340 million EVERY SINGLE DAY in Iraq. Yet John McCain thinks it would be okay to keep our brave troops there for up to "one hundred years."

Okay, let's have your ideas!

(Crossposted from the http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=106x32191">Activist HQ.)

[berni_mccoy]

1. Did You Know John McCain has been failing to support Veterans with his votes...

Disabled Veterans of America gave John McCain a D rating on his voting record for Veterans; Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America give him a 20% approval rating; Obama gets a B+ and an 80% from the same organizations.

[EarlG]

2. Nice one

:thumbsup:

[tbyg52]

27. And did you know that he's been lying about it. nt

[berni_mccoy]

37. Good point. Straight to a fellow Vietnam veterans face at that!

We could provide a link to the video...

[L0oniX]

51. Did you know John Mc Lame says the most stupidest things just like Bush?

"I disagree with what the majority of the American people want." --John McCain (...and I disagree that you are not senile.)

"I 'Don't See How It Matters' That I Don't Know The Price Of Gas." --John McCain (Elite anyone?)

"Only the most deluded of us could doubt the necessity of this war." --John McCain (Well I am deluded then.)

"Thank God for our form of government. The media won't let there be any cover-up." --John McCain (Someone lied to us? What? Valerie Plame who?)

"We must win in Iraq. If we withdraw, there will be chaos; there will be genocide; and they will follow us home." --John McCain (Glad I still have that fallout shelter in muh back yard.)

"I am fully prepared to be commander in chief... I don't need on-the-job training." --John McCain (Who does these days?)

"Remember the words of Chairman Mao: 'It's always darkest before it's totally black.'." --John McCain (I noticed that the other day when the sun went down it got dark.)

"I will veto every single beer, um, bill with earmarks." --speaking at the National Small Business Summit, Washington, D.C., June 10, 2008 (Damn those sneaky beers trying to slip those dirty earmarks in.)

"We should be able to deliver bottled hot water to dehydrated babies." --Kenner, Louisiana, June 3, 2008 (My baby is hot!)

"I'm going to be honest: I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated." --John McCain (Well I am happy that he decided to be honest for a change.)

"I am a illiterate that has to rely on my wife for all of the assistance I can get." -after being asked whether us uses a Mac or a PC (Ok I am going to donate my Atari 800XL to the poor old fuck.)

"It's not social issues I care about." --John McCain (Geeze ..could have fooled me.)

"F**k you! I know more about this than anyone else in the room." --to Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), during a testy exchange about immigration legislation (Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.)

"No, I'm calling you a fucking jerk." --to fellow Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, when Grassley asked "Are you calling me stupid?" (Glad we got that one cleared up. Wouldn't want to send the wrong message.)

"I said, 'The nice thing about Alzheimer's is you get to hide your own Easter eggs.'" --John McCain (I can only hope he forgets why he is running for president.)

"Do you know why Chelsea Clinton is so ugly? Because Janet Reno is her father." --at a 1998 Republican fundraiser (So you're saying you had a 3 way?)

"I will conduct a respectful debate. Now, it will be dispirited -- it will be spirited -- because there are stark differences. I am a proud conservative, liberal Republica-- conservative Republican...Hello? Easy there." --John McCain (The spirits are about to speak.)

“I think I am becoming incapable of being too surprised. But it just makes me sad and sick.” --John McCain quote (Bingo ..yes you are sad and sick.)

"I would vote for a Muslim if he or she was the best candidate able to lead the country and defend our political values." --John McCain (I'd even vote for a Nazi.)

"I hate the gooks. I will hate them as long as I live." --John McCain (Gee I hope no one here is a gook.)

:evilgrin:

[berni_mccoy]

3. Did you know John McCain can't even remember how he voted on Health Care Coverage of Birth Control?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x156339

[berni_mccoy]

4. DID YOU KNOW? John McCain lied to the people of Pittsburgh about being tortured...

when he said he listed off the names of the Steeler's front-linemen as his squad-mates to his captors. Up until then, McCain had said it was the front-line of the Green Bay Packers. I guess that's only when he's in Green Bay.

[berni_mccoy]

5. DID YOU KNOW? John McCain failed to pay taxes on his home for over four years?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/28/mccains-failed-to-pay-tax_n_109785.html

[nc4bo]

6. Did you know about Mcbush and his gambling problem?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-mitchell/john-mccains-gambling-pro_b_111203.html

[EarlG]

7. Lol

:thumbsup:

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

8. And they both lied about their ages.

I think I read somewhere that neither found out the truth until they got the marriage license. Nice way to start married life. NOT.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

9. Did you know that mccain called his wife an incredibly vile name?

(that I won't post and I hope no one else does either.)

[berni_mccoy]

10. DID YOU KNOW? Cindy McCain was found to have stolen drugs (percocet and vicodin) ...

from her own charity organization in order to feed her drug addiction. And when the DEA was about to press charges, John McCain's lawyer cut a plea bargain with the prosecuting attorney for financial restitutiona and rehab (http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/1999/07/02/hillary/index2.html).

Did you also know?... the lawyer that cut this deal, John Dowd, was the same lawyer that got John McCain out of trouble during the Keating Five scandal which lead to the Savings and Loan disaster of the 80's. Funny thing that... with John McCain coming to power we are now seeing a new kind of savings and loan crisis...

[nc4bo]

11. K&R n/t

[nc4bo]

12. what's the last running total of McSame's flipflops? 61-62?

Not sure how you can word this better but here goes:

Did you know that Sen. John McLame has flipflopped at least 61 times?

http://www.alternet.org/election08/90956/?page=entire

[unhappycamper]

13. DID YOU KNOW that the 2009 military budget is now at $897,700,000,000?

DID YOU KNOW that 25% of the homeless population in the US are veterans?

[kevinmc]

14. I think we need to Challenge the Media whenever they use mis-information..

I use Media Matter's and the contacts they have on the bottom of the articles that Media Matters posts during he day. I do it the lazy way ... I just cut and paste the whole article in the email I send to who Media Matters has as the Contact. I think if these people had more emails complaining about them, it might help in slowing down the amount of mis-information they put out.

[1Hippiechick]

64. that would be a 24/7 job since the role of MSM is to confuse and keep the masses divided n/t

[nam78_two]

15. John McCain claims to care about the environment but DID YOU KNOW

He Voted YES on confirming Gale Norton as Secretary of Interior.
He would repeal Clinton's executive order banning roads in more than 50 million acres of pristine wilderness.
He Voted NO on reducing funds for road-building in National Forests.
He Voted NO on continuing desert protection in California.
He received a 0% rating (the lowest rated among all 535 members of Congress) from the League of Conservation Voters in 2007. (He skipped every crucial vote:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/02/22/group_ranks_mccain_last_on_env.html)

[kevinmc]

16. John McCain -- 61 Flip-Flops and Counting

http://www.alternet.org/election08/90956/


Editor's Note: Writer Steve Benen has graciously compiled a comprehensive tally of John McCain's flip-flops on issues ranging from national security to energy. The following is Benen's list of 61 clear 180-degree switches by McCain on the biggest issues of the day.


I am not hearing or reading enough on McCains flip flops .... I hear and read plenty on Obama.


The full list is here:

http://www.alternet.org/election08/90956/

[druidity33]

17. i think it's a mistake

to let him slide on his military service. Tactically speaking, isn't that how the Republicans always seem to beat us? We need to attack McCain's strength. His service record IS NOT what he makes it out to be.

DID YOU KNOW? John McCain has been awarded over 20 medals by the US Gov't for roughly 20 combat hours in a plane, when some pilots have logged over 2,000 combat flight hours (without getting shot down) and not received ANY medals?


DID YOU KNOW? John McCain graduated near the bottom of his class at the Academy?

DID YOU KNOW? John McCain was integral in forwarding Legislation that ended the search for MIA/POWs and closed the record books so that family members and concerned citizens no longer have access to the MIA/POWs files and records?


There's much more pertaining to his service record.

Are you suggesting we don't bring up the downed planes? Or his service record in its entirety?

:shrug:

[berni_mccoy]

18. On your Academy point...

The attrition rate at the Military Academies is quite high. Of the 1000's of applicants a year, fewer than 3% are granted admission. Of those 3%, fewer than 25% actually make it to graduation. Even the bottom of the class who graduate is still a significant accomplishment. Even those who drop have gone onto successes. Edger Allen Poe was a West Point drop-out. There are quite a few famous USMA drop-outs as well.

However, on your third point, and on his record of voting for Veterans, I wholeheartedly agree. His lack of support for Military Personnel, especially Veterans, is despicable and is his Achilles heel.

[druidity33]

22. wow...

i didn't know the numbers narrowed that much. Was it that crazy even when JM was schooled there? Is it still like that?

What with his father and grandfather both being admirals i wonder how much that had to do with his being able to graduate. I can't seem to find out how many were in his graduating class and where he ranked. Just have a vague attribution from a not so reliable source saying he "graduated at the bottom of his class". I'd be curious to know whether he was truly at the very bottom. In his defense, i think ranking people and graduates like that sucks, but hey...


I think it's important to note (as repectfully as possible, of course) that JM is just not as well credentialed as he purports to be. He leans on his service record as if it's unimpeachable... and everyone just lets it slide. It's a crutch he'll use as a cudgel.

:(

[berni_mccoy]

33. I know those were the rates about 20 years ago.. and they were consistent prior to that and

shortly after that. I do not know what the current rates are but they are probably comparable. The Military Academies are an extremely tough place to be. And yes, if both his Dad and his Grandfather were admirals, there would be massive pressure on him to not drop out. One of the things the Academies do when you say you no longer want to be there is they call your parents to try to convince you to change your mind. I'm also sure they would have reduced pressures on cadets like McCain. If he expressed any interest in leaving at any point, they separate those cadets from the rest until at some later point they either drop out completely or are reconditioned to go back.

I agree however, that his creds are fair game if he's using them politically or using his status with Veterans organizations. He deserves to take a beating on his disgraceful support of Veterans and his stance on Torture.

[berni_mccoy]

19. DID YOU KNOW? That John McCain knows Big Oil has been sending our Oil overseas...

as he's touting Big-Oil's message that we need to drill off our coasts? Shipping U.S. drilled Oil overseas has increased 33% from 2007 to 2008 as gas prices at home skyrocket.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3612752

[1Hippiechick]

65. Aren't we shipping oil to Iraq for our troops to use?

[CTyankee]

20. My suggestion: the "I have waited patiently to see (fill in blank) covered in this newspaper

or TV news" opening sentence in a LTTE. Then lay out the outrage not covered to make sure that the readers see it. This accomplishes two things: it spotlights the outrage not covered about McCain AND the media's unwillingness to let the public know the truth.

LTTE are nice, stand alone pieces that people like to read in their paper each day.

[EarlG]

21. UPDATED VERSION

Here's the updated version with the addition of suggestions from nam78_two, World Citizen, WakingLife, nc4bo, berni_mccoy.

DID YOU KNOW? John McCain came back from Vietnam and cheated on his disabled wife before leaving her (and his three children) and marrying a rich heiress 17 years his junior. McCain obtained a marriage license for his second marriage while he was still married to his first wife.

DID YOU KNOW? The McCains own ten homes, valued at more than $13 million, including TWO swanky beachfront condos in California. The McCains failed to pay taxes on one of those beach homes for the past four years.

DID YOU KNOW? The McCains regularly charge hundreds of thousands of dollars a MONTH on their credit cards.

DID YOU KNOW? John McCain's chief economic adviser, rich Swiss Bank lobbyist Phil Gramm, recently told the Washington Times that the current economic crisis is a "mental recession" and said that America is a "nation of whiners."

DID YOU KNOW? John McCain has repeatedly stated that he needs to be "educated" about the economy, and that "The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should." Unfortunately the man responsible for educating him is Phil Gramm.

DID YOU KNOW? John McCain regularly plays craps for "a few thousand dollars at a time." He loves to gamble and is very superstitious.

DID YOU KNOW? John McCain recently called Social Security "an absolute disgrace." McCain was a big supporter of President Bush's unpopular plan to ditch Social Security and replace it with private accounts.

DID YOU KNOW? American taxpayers spend $340 million EVERY SINGLE DAY in Iraq. Yet John McCain thinks it would be okay to keep our brave troops there for up to "one hundred years."

DID YOU KNOW? Disabled Veterans of America give John McCain a D rating on his voting record for Veterans; Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America give him a 20% approval rating.

DID YOU KNOW? John McCain says he wants to save the environmnent, but the League of Conservation Voters ranks him DEAD LAST among all 535 members of Congress, with a 0% rating.

DID YOU KNOW? McCain has failed to vote on the last 19 environmental bills in the Senate, dating back to 2005.

DID YOU KNOW? Every single day for the first four months of this year, 1.6 million barrels of U.S. oil were exported to foreign countries - up 33% from last year. Instead of putting a stop to this, John McCain and George W. Bush agree that we should give the oil companies more opportunities to pollute our pristine coastlines and drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

DID YOU KNOW? The Department of Energy estimates that if we start the McCain/Bush offshore drilling plan today, we could lower gas prices by 6 cents - but not until the year 2025.

DID YOU KNOW? John McCain, like George W. Bush, supports using the form of torture known as waterboarding.

DID YOU KNOW? John McCain promised to use public financing for his campaign, then he used those promises as collateral to take out large private loans. Once he'd secured the money he needed, he decided to opt out of public financing after all.

DID YOU KNOW? John McCain will continue George W. Bush's "rich get richer, poor get poorer" fiscal policies. If you make under $112,000 per year you will pay higher taxes under John McCain than under Barack Obama.

What do you think so far? Anyone want to do some fact double-checking?

[berni_mccoy]

24. Looking Good! How about this: DID YOU KNOW? Even though John McCain clinched the GOP nomination...

back in March, he hasn't voted on a single issue in the Senate since April! http://thinkprogress.org/2008/07/08/mccain-congress/

In fact, he's the most absent member of the Senate, even more absent than Ted Kennedy who is undergoing chemotherapy for an inoperable brain tumor.

[kevinmc]

25. Ok ..... I am using this and already started putting it out........n/t

[EarlG]

28. Lol

Hold on, it's not finished yet :D

I mean, go ahead if you want to, we'll probably be adding more before tomorrow though.

[kevinmc]

34. Hey ..... I can put out more 8-)

I am just posting it on sites and blogs right now .... I can add more later. I just want something out there now. :D

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

26. just a petty quibble:

DID YOU KNOW? Every single day for the first four months of this year, 1.6 million barrels of U.S. oil were exported to foreign countries - up 33% from last year. Instead of putting a stop to this, John McCain and George W. Bush agree that we should give the oil companies more opportunities to pollute our pristine coastlines and drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

sadly, i don't think we have any pristine coastlines left.

other than that, i think it looks great.

[EarlG]

30. I think there are some

Maybe not for much longer though.

[ulysses]

32. looks good from here.

:thumbsup:

[berni_mccoy]

35. We should maintain citations with this list... similar to the way wiki does it.

At the end of each DID YOU KNOW have a citation reference like <1>, <2>, etc...

Then at the end of the email, provide links to each one. I know it's a pain in the keister, but I've provided links for most of my DID YOU KNOWs... it wouldn't be hard to find links for all of them.

[EarlG]

40. Someone mentioned this in the other thread

I'm not sure if it's a good idea. I wrote:

I think that by including sources people might be more likely to think of the email as an academic document, which could be an immediate turn-off. I believe it would be more effective if it came across as conversational, with a sort of friendly-but-concerned tone. I think it's more likely to be read and forwarded if stikes an emotional chord, and sources might spoil that effect.

I want to make sure that we know all the facts are true and verified before it goes out. That way if someone receives the email, reads an item and thinks "that can't possibly be true," they can, if they want, choose to take a more active role and Google it. This makes them more involved in the process, so when they get their Google results and discover that it IS true, maybe it will have more of an impact on them. I don't know if this would be the case or not, it's just a thought.

I feel like as long as we know that the facts in the email are correct, our consciences are clear. I plan to add at the end something like, "This email is 100% TRUE and VERIFIABLE. If you don't believe it, check Google or Snopes."

[berni_mccoy]

42. Ah, ok, cool. LOL... always have to consider the target.

And if it gets them to do some digging of their own, even better.

[nc4bo]

23. Did you know that mcbush considers Social Security and Medicare...

to be wasteful spending and in need of reform?

Mcsame, in a New Hampshire townhall meeting argued with a man who said that he (mcsame) voted to privatize social security, mcsame denied it.

But in Nov. 2004, March 2005 and in March, 2008 he was in full agreement with bush's privatization plans.
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/06/13/mccain-denies-his-record-of-supporting-social-security-privatization/
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/Wire/050322f.aspx


Gee, this should be flipflop #62 for the latest and greatest list.

[Overseas]

29. Did you know his full name is JOHN SIDNEY McCAIN III ?

I keep trying to popularize JSM III's full name. I think that in and of itself undercuts his ability to call anyone else an elitist.

[EarlG]

31. Maybe that should be the title

"The truth about John Sidney McCain III."

:)

[berni_mccoy]

36. *lol* I like it.

[pinto]

38. I like that.

:kick:

[tkmorris]

39. I'd like to see something about the S&L scandal in here

I just can't seem to get anything about McCain being one of the Keating Five down to "sound bite" form while still having it resonate with someone who has never heard of it.

[Twist_U_Up]

41. Did you know John Mccains Lobbyists flew out the Saudis Royals after 911

http://www.madcowprod.com/02272008.html

The lavishly-furnished custom Boeing 727 airliner (727PX) which ferried Senator John McCain on four occasions during his Presidential run in 2000 also flew Saudi Royals out of the U.S. right after 9/11, carrying an entourage of Saudi Royals from Las Vegas to London six days after the 9/11 attack in a controversial operation later scrutinized by the 9/11 Commission.

The 727 figures in the current tempest over his relationship with female lobbyist Vicki Iseman, who provided and flew with McCain on the plane.

With hundreds of air charter companies and airliners to choose from, the Saudis chose a company that owns “Worship Ministries” and Christian Network, Inc., turning to Paxson Communications, a “Christian broadcaster” which owned the plane, to make its corporate jet available to spirit the Saudi princes and their entourage out of the U.S. six days after 9/11.

The Saudi Royal party made good their escape from Las Vegas on an airliner sporting a Christian symbol of peace, a dove, on it’s tail, an intriguing detail and compelling human interest story—Muslims flying Air Jesus—that has to date been reported nowhere but in the MadCowMorningNews.

Go figure.

[Twist_U_Up]

43. McCain also wrote the foreward to the Popular Mechanics book that claims to debunk 9/11

McCain also wrote the foreward to the Popular Mechanics book that claims to "debunk 9/11 conspiracy theories" but fails miserably. see "Debunking 9/11 Debunking" by David Ray Griffin or see Google for other deconstructions of the Popular Mechanics propaganda on this subject. McCain is truly pathetic. Dare I say even a traitor for going the extra mile in this horrific cover-up of 9/11.

[WheelWalker]

44. Just thinking out loud here, but maybe it'd be

more effective to take the higher road and inform people about our candidate, and nurture positives, rather than give the old goat so much attention and internet energy? Maybe?

[nc4bo]

46. NanceGreggs did a really good one...........

here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6467258

[EarlG]

47. That's a fine idea, but...

...I started the discussion of what we should be doing last Thursday, with a view to taking action tomorrow (Tuesday). There weren't many responses so I picked this as the best option.

However, as I said initially, we plan to run an Activist Corps action every week so please put your idea forward for next week's action. Check the Activist HQ for more information. I'll start another thread in there for new ideas on Thursday.

[nc4bo]

62. ok, np. I think you're doing a marvelous thing here. Thank-you! nt

[berni_mccoy]

58. He's already getting too much positive attention by the MSM while his negatives are overlooked

And this is something the Obama camp would never do. But it doesn't mean a group like us can't be effective at spreading a completely truthful, yet completely controversial piece on McCain. We all know how effective the Obama is a Muslim emails were. This, completely truthful and accurate email can be just as effective.

[1Hippiechick]

66. Not in DU at the present. For whatever reason, the positive pieces don't get read - seems the DUers

--at least the ones posting regularly--are more interested in the "sensational" forum titles...... (nance Greggs and several others who journal are an exception, but by the same token there are "old timers" in here who do nothing but rant and rave like a Johnny one-note.)

We need a forum dedicated to an exchange of ideas regarding registering voters, tips and suggestions for what works, what doesn't work, getting involved with the local Dem party and checking out state regs regarding precinct set up including the rules and regs for reporting problems at the precinct ON THE SPOT...there are a LOT of things that all of us can do to be involved at the grassroots level. Getting people registered to vote is critical, IMHO. And for those who haven't tried it, it's fun and rewarding!

[babylonsister]

69. The old goat has received hardly any (negative) attention from the

corporate media despite all the discrepancies in his stances, despite all the flippin' and afloppin' he's been doing. This is one way to try to get the truth out there. I'm all for it.

[World Citizen]

45. oh, is this the active thread now? nt

[EarlG]

48. They're both active

I figured we'd get more responses if I posted here as well.

[ms liberty]

49. Did you know...

That John McCain once said "Americans wouldn't pick lettuce for $50 an hour?"

[me b zola]

61. I strongly agree with putting that out there...but it must be handled with finesse

The context that McCain made that statement was to give reason to having migrant workers here to work. If not handled just right, it could hurt the Latino vote.

How it needs to be handled is to say how out of touch McCain is to not know that there is no job that citizens and immigrants alike, who are struggling with 2 or more jobs just to put food on the table, would pass up if they could earn $50/hour. That would be a powerful ad/meme if handled correctly.

[Barack_America]

50. Can we really verify that they "regularly" charge so much to their credit cards?

Rather than just the recent activity that we're all aware of?

[EarlG]

54. Fair point

I'll reword that.

[nc4bo]

52. The list looks great and i'd be happy to pass it on. nt

[rasputin1952]

53. These are all good suggestions, and as time goes by, McCain will

exposed as the fraud he is.

It has been said that McCain "refused early release from the Hanoi Hilton". However, it was Admiral, (then Captain), Stockade as the ranking officer that made it a standing order that there would be no acceptance of an "early release" for any POW. If McCain could/would have accepted said "early release", (supposedly because of family heritage), he would have faced Court Martial for violating a standing order from a superior officer. His career and life would have been in tatters...oh, wait a second, it already is...;)

[pinto]

55. DID YOU KNOW? John Sidney McCain III graduated #894 out of 899 at West Point.

[berni_mccoy]

57. I believe it was The Naval Academy. But see my response #18 above

As to why I think we should avoid this criticism. Here's a link to my response above.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=6499008&mesg_id=6499769

[pinto]

63. Thanks and thanks.

Duh...

[Coexist]

56. I think it should include links in it for verification, that said

if its too long, people may not read that entire thing, and some good tidbits may be lost. That one on his D from Veteran's is a killer - but its lost in the big email. Maybe do one on Iraq and Foreign Policy, one on his obscene wealth, like a Did You Also Know... More then Did You Know III, something like that.

Here's one from me:

http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/07/14/wisconsin-union-members-mccains-record-a-disaster-for-women/

Did you know... John McCain claims to support equal pay for women—when, in fact, he opposed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.


Also, here's a link to a cool ebooklet that has lots of ammo for you
http://www.aflcio.org/issues/politics/mccain.cfm?source=mccainrevealed

[Robeson]

60. I agree, it should include links...

...instead of being just a typical chain-mail like the repugs send out. Let's have them stew on verifiable facts.

[Sweet Freedom]

59. Suggestion

There seems to be plenty of information to share. It might be effective to divide the information by category and create separate e-mails. For example, an e-mail about veterans, one about healthcare, one about his character, etc. Then, each week, you could have another "Did you Know" about a new subcategory. Activists could then disseminate based on people's interest. (For example, his voting record on the military will strike a chord with some people I know, but those same people may not be interested in McCain's wealth.) Categorized e-mails could even be used in response to propaganda (For example, use the first fact to counter the ever-popular "All-democrats-are-evil-because-Clinton-got-a blowjob" defense.)

Also, I recommend removing the parenthesis from the first comment. The kids are as important as the wife is, and parenthesis imply (to me) that they are not.

[1Hippiechick]

67. Good stuff in Wikipedia: to check out: 4/1/81 McBomb retired and designated as disabled, awarded

disability pension. What are the requirements for disability pension?

McCain retired from the Navy on April 1, 1981<67> as a captain.<68> He was designated as disabled and awarded a disability pension.<[br />

Good project for someone who is interested in checking out disability compensation and retirement benefits to see if McBomb Illegally received benefits?


Veteran Disability Compensation
http://www.military.com/benefits/military-pay/va-disability-compensation


Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) Overview
http://www.military.com/benefits/military-pay/retired-pay/retired-concurrent-receipt-overview

A lot of wiggle room in here, it seems to me. Would be great to find out if McBomb "double-dipped" illegally or is drawing full benefits now (with the money he and Sindy have)

[Time for change]

68. A few things

The huge gap between McCain's rhetoric and his actions on global warming and energy policy:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3515923

Many other McCain assorted lies:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6284355

McCain's hypocritical use of his military record to deflect criticism
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3564804

[Forkboy]

70. Kick back to the top.

:kick:

[EarlG]

71. The action has been posted

See here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=106x32240

Thank you to everyone who contributed ideas for the email! Sorry if I didn't use your suggestion. If this action seems successful, we can do a "Part 2" in a few weeks with more John McCain facts.