Who benefits from a campaign focused on Vietnam?

[BurtWorm]

[BurtWorm]

1. Do you know WHY Kerry/Edwards doesn't benefit?

It's because Kerry gets lost in the fog. People don't know who he is. The Bushists have defined him. Even if the Vietnam news about Bush is "bad" (as it should be, considering what the piece of shit did during the war), it doesn't help clarify who Kerry is in voters' minds.

Kerry is getting lost, smaller than life.

[YNGW]

2. The election is 50 days away.

>People don't know who he is.

If that's the case, he's in major trouble. I suppose time will tell.

[LSK]

7. because Bush has no real issues to stand on???

He is toast if this election was actually about:

- Iraq
- economy
- health care
- deficits
- jobs

[BurtWorm]

9. Prezackly!

:toast:

[liberal N proud]

3. The GOP smear campaign works

It worked against Ann Richards
It worked against John McCain
It workded against Max Cleland
It is working against John Kerry

[BurtWorm]

5. It nearly worked against Al Gore, as well.

And it worked against the process of manually recounting votes. The bastids! :grr:

[Dob Bole]

4. Nobody.

This is something I actually agree with McCain on. We're not going to bring anybody back from the dead by refighting the Vietnam war. It's better for us if we get to talk about the last 4 years.

[WiseMen]

6. Rove feared it would be KERRY. Why else the investment in VetSmear??

[bigpathpaul]

8. No Matter Who Benefits, the GOP + Media Set The Rules

The Republicans and an all too willing conservative media, have been allowed to frame the debate. The GOP knows that fighting dirty has always worked for them. And we're all victims of having to play on their field if we limit the contest to TV and talk radio.

However, the internet -- this very chat room -- will be at least as powerful as cable news and Rush Limbaugh if we succeed in getting out the facts over and over and over again... It's so frigging tedious that at times it seems not to be worthwhile. But it's all we've got and, although I'm new in these forums, I'm very impressed by the number and level of commitment of people willing to fight this battle.

The big question is: how long will it take to turn things around -- for the Left to be powerful enough to have our voices heard over the Noise from the GOP bottom-feeders in government, news and business?

There's good chance we'll only be mildly successful between now and November 2nd. But, if we're successful enough to get Kerry/Edwards into the White House, out job will only be half as difficult, because then we can fight the constant stream of smear, lies and more lies knowing that at least we have people in the White House who will immediately overturn some of the damage the dwinks in the White House have done. While they're doing that, we're bombarding the media with the truth, I guess.

So, I think that for now we need to be doing double duty: countering every false charge from the GOP and making it clear that we know what real issues are and talking about solutions.

[Jacobin]

10. It distracts voters from the diasterous four years past

We need to focus on Bush*s record. That is what the disaster is.