Chin Up DU! The Bark Is Worse Than The Bite. Don't Be Fooled.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

Let me start off by saying that this has been one of the most mentally exhausting days I've ever had. This Kerry debacle has had me outraged all day. Normally I can contain my anger on issues in a healthy way, but today for some reason I was mad; really really mad. It is blatantly obvious to anyone with at least half a brain that Kerry meant the comments towards Bush and not the troops. It is blatantly obvious. But to see it on news report after news report and website after website as if he truly must've meant it towards the troops had me in outrage mode all day. All of the sites and mouthpieces know damn fucking well what he meant. They know damn fucking well.

When I saw CNN's front page earlier with the picture of Kerry and the intro paragraph containing a part stating "His 'botched joke' about uneducated troops being stuck in Iraq", I was filled with outrage. I called CNN and gave them a piece of my mind. I'm normally not so livid, but this time I admittedly was. I told them that I'm absolutely appalled at their front page. That they know damn well what he meant and how dare they, on a national news website, insinuate in a factual manner that the joke was meant towards the troops. I repeated that they know damn well what he meant, and to intentionally deceive the American people on their front page was disgraceful. I was at least minimally pleased when I saw the wording changed within an hour. But I still see so many more sites that have the utterly disgraceful lack of integrity required to keep propagating such obvious deceit.

But here's the inspiration for my OP title. Though I was outraged today at the absolutely deceitful and shocking portrayal of false reality by the media, I was pleasantly surprised in other ways. I spoke about this today to as many people as I could. What I found when doing so is that every single person I spoke to, EVERY SINGLE ONE, knew he wasn't really talking about the troops and that the GOP is just trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill. The people I talked to were not the passionately political types. They were everyday American voters who are not completely committed to a particular party. These were basically the all important undecideds I spoke with today. I want to say this as strongly as I can: The undecideds WERE NOT fooled by any of this. Each one of them dismissed it as a GOP ploy and well understood what the real comment meant. Though I still carried anger with me all day for the portrayal of this in the media, I was at least somewhat relieved to know that not ONE person I spoke to put any weight into this issue.

So having that said, this story has a HUGE bark, but I'm fairly convinced it isn't going to have all that much bite. The voters know why they're voting next week. They already know what the issues are and why we need change and a new direction. They aren't so uneducated that some misrepresented folly in the media is going to wipe away years of GOP failures. They ain't buyin it folks, and you need to have confidence in that.

Remember: 6 more days to go. This Kerry story WILL NOT be taking up the entire 6 days. When it passes, it will be back to reality. That reality is that the public is awakening to the failures of the GOP and the realization that we need checks and balances in congress. They will continue to cast their vote for the Democrat next week, and this story will turn out to be a non-event. 6 more days to go. This story will not last that entire time. Let this do nothing more than motivate you like you haven't been motivated yet to get out there and get the voters to the polls. Do some phone banking. Talk to every person you can about getting out next week and voting. Don't be overly distracted by this story. The bark sounds really really loud, I know. It sounds like a big mean dog that can attack and ravish. But I'm telling you all, the undecideds aren't scared of the dog. They're going to walk right past it, and the dog ain't gonna bite.

Remember, this isn't a game. Remind yourself of all the reasons why next Tuesday is so important. Keep your chin up. We've got all sorts of work to do.

Now let's go get these disgracefully deceitful lying motherfuckers.

[C_U_L8R]

1. it's just one day of squirming

but every day from now til tuesday
will be action packed with glorious
republican blowback

they wanna talk Iraq ?? well here it comes !!!!!!!!!!!

[Hugin]

2. I agree with you OMC...

I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. ;)

Rec'd!

[wryter2000]

3. I'll give you a little more to be happy about

ABC Evening News last night...Gibson asked Stephenopolous "Does anyone at the White House really believe Kerry was talking about the troops?" His emphasis. Steph answered something lame (when does he not?) but added, "I don't think they want to be talking about Iraq right now." (See Newsweek link on home page.)

My fence-sitting coworker (was for the war) was very concerned that this might cost the Dems the election. We know where she stands.

[pretzel4gore]

4. the water's rising, a big storm is on the horizon

and there's a lifeboat which can zip away at over 200 miles/hour, with safety just over the opposite horizon from the storm....and you fear the scared passengers of the sinking ship are gonna 'stay the course' with capt crunch and his silly crew?
let them! (by rights, they should be forced to suffer through bushism until they really understand what they've done)

[roamer65]

5. I know exactly what Kerry was trying to say.

It was a poorly articulated reference to the Vietnam-era "student deferment". He was trying to tell them, "Work hard, stay in school, get good grades and you won't get DRAFTED for Iraq". How do I know this? I listened to an excerpt of his Imus thing from today. He almost referred to Iraq as "Vietnam". He started with the "V" of Vietnam, then caught himself and said Iraq.
I personally know one Vietnam vet who told me that he and his buddies are having "the dreams" much worse right now, and some are having PTSD symptoms again. John may be having the same problems.
Here is why Imus is such a shitty interviewer and lousy talk host. He didn't catch the "V". I would have immediately asked, "Senator, you almost said Vietnam. Do you think this is similar to Vietnam?" Stern, for instance, would have caught it and asked it. Stern repeatedly compares Iraq to Vietnam on his show. Imus is just a dumbass.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

6. Not In A Million Years What He Was Trying To Say.

It is blatantly obvious what it was he was trying to portray, which is that due to the sheer stupidity of *, we are now stuck in the quagmire that is Iraq. There is no further parsing of his statement necessary in order to determine meaning. We need to look no deeper into the statement than that. That is what it was, obviously so.

[roamer65]

7. However it is interpreted...

Kerry flubbed a line.
Bush flubbed a war.

This is what I will use to smack down any flying monkeys. This statement reduces it down to a 5 second Rovian soundbite.

[DaveT]

8. Remember the Wellstone Funeral?

Same old bullshit. I would hope that DUers would be at least as savvy as your non-political friends. Some are. Some aren't.

And that's the way it is.

[SammyWinstonJack]

10. Exactly!

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

13. Personally, I Just Can't Wait For The Next Full Round Of Polls To Come Out.

Hopefully they'll shut everybody up.

[FightingIrish]

9. No matter how much they try to milk this

they are demonstrating that the truth means nothing to them. People with IQs above 60 have to be able to see this for what it is.

[Beetwasher]

11. Terrific Post!

Confirming (albeit anectdotally) what I already intuited would be the case. :thumbsup:

[yellowdogmi]

12. Thanks for the inspiration!

A great piece of preaching to the choir that we desperately needed here. Thanks OMC.
:patriot:

[carolinayellowdog]

14. Joe Scarborough just said this is sound and fury signifying

NOTHING. Your words are a healing balm to many of us who have seen DU at its absolute worst today.

[G_Leo_Criley]

15. thanks -- needed that!

"Remember, this isn't a game. Remind yourself of all the reasons why next Tuesday is so important. Keep your chin up. We've got all sorts of work to do."

Thanks OPERATIONMINDCRIME.

Let's do it. Let's take back the house and Senate!

glc