Posted on 01/23/2008 9:50:36 AM PST by SpinyNorman
Sen. John Kerry is calling on Democrats to help presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama avoid the fate he endured in the 2004 election -- "swiftboating" by political foes.
In an e-mail sent out Tuesday to Obama's supporters, Kerry wrote:
"I support Barack Obama because he doesn't seek to perfect the politics of Swiftboating -- he seeks to end it.
"This is personal for me, and for a whole lot of Americans who lived through the 2004 election.
As a veteran, it disgusts me that the Swift Boats we loved while we were in uniform on the Mekong Delta have been rendered, in Karl Rove's twisted politics, an ugly verb meaning to lie about someone's character just to win an election. But as someone who cares about winning this election and changing the country I love, I know it's not enough to complain about a past we can't change when our challenge is to win the future -- which is why we must stop the Swiftboating, stop the push-polling, stop the front groups, and stop the email chain smears.
"The truth matters, but how you fight the lies matters even more. We must be determined never again to lose any election to a lie.
"This year, the attacks are already starting. Some of you may have heard about the disgusting lies about Barack Obama that are being circulated by email. These attacks smear Barack's Christian faith and deep patriotism, and they distort his record of more than two decades of public service. They are nothing short of "Swiftboat" style anonymous attacks.
"These are the same tactics the right has used again and again, and as we've learned, these attacks, no matter how bogus, can spread and take root if they go unchecked.
"But not this time -- we're fighting back.
"And when I say 'we,' I mean that literally. I know Barack is committed to fighting every smear every time. He'll fight hard and stand up for the truth. But he can't do it alone.
"We need you to email the truth to your address books. Print it out and post it at work. Talk to your neighbors. Call your local radio station. Write a letter to the editor. If lies can be spread virally, let's prove to the cynics that the truth can be every bit as persuasive as it is powerful. ...
"Barack Obama is committed to bringing our country together to meet the challenges we face, but he knows that power gives up nothing without a struggle -- and to win the chance to change America, we must first defeat the hateful tactics that have been used to tear us apart for too long. ...
"The fight is just heating up -- we won't let them steal this election with lies and distortions."
© 2008 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
To wit:
"As a veteran, it disgusts me that the Swift Boats we loved while we were in uniform on the Mekong Delta have been rendered, in Karl Rove's twisted politics, an ugly verb meaning to lie about someone's character just to win an election."
Only you and the MSM have made Swiftboating into an "ugly verb meaning to lie about someone's character just to win an election." Everyone else sees the exact opposite: revealing the truth about a dishonest politician in order to keep him from winning an election.
Kerry gets it right, but for the wrong people! Here is the true definition of the Swifties: "The truth matters, but how you fight the lies matters even more. We must be determined never again to lose any election to a lie." Or a liar.
"These attacks smear Barack's Christian faith and deep patriotism, and they distort his record of more than two decades of public service. They are nothing short of "Swiftboat" style anonymous attacks."
I don't recall the Swifties being anonymous in any way. In fact, they proudly revealed their identities to confirm the validity of their claims against Kerry.
To this day, Kerry has yet to fulfill his promise to sign Standard Form 180, releasing his military records to the public.
Obama is better off without this lying buffoon on his team.
I thought I already read this thread earlier today.
John Effing Kerry served in Vietnam you know? He was a war hero you know?
Kerry: Swiftboating is the use of truth to counter my lies about my past. It should not be allowed.
With supporters like Kerry, who needs Swiftboats? ROFL!
Kerry might come across as a deranged, self-obsessed sore loser, but just you watch. If history is any guide, he’ll make a documentary which will win him an Oscar and springboard it into a Nobel Peace Prize.
Maybe it was deja vu, or then again maybe it was seared - SEARED into your mind.
Notice Lurch is talking about what Hillery is doing but as if it’s the Republicans.
I wasn’t aware that Obama had an “embellished” war record or that he turned against his comrades in arms.
Perhaps you read it before you read it?
I'm betting he actually has signed the form.
He just hasn't submitted it.
Kerry's endorsement is sort of the equivalent of walking around with your fly open, and no one will tell you.
I think it's delicious; he snubs Hillary! and attaches himself like a carbuncle to Obama.
In my lexicon “swiftboating” means telling the truth about someone.
By all means Obama should be “swiftboated”...along with all the other candidates.
I didn't even know Obama had a military record.
Obama met with the enemy in France to “negotiate the peace” in an unpopular war???
The correct term is “BORKING”. Barak is being BORKED.
As one who was in Vietnam when you called us all war criminals for your own political opportunism, your defeat in 2004 wasn't political, it was personal.
Now go away, you annoy me.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.