One Virginian helped swing Kerry's defeat [One Virginian with powerful 'friends']

Roanoke.com ^ | November 30, 2004 | By Ed Lynch

[johnny7]

A few weeks ago in this space I commented on the unlikelihood of Virginia turning into a “swing state” in the 2004 election. Back in August, as the Democrats dreamed of a landslide, they even went so far as to send vice presidential candidate John Edwards to Roanoke. Even persistent polling data showing President George W. Bush with a comfortable lead in the state failed to kill the dream of a “blue” Virginia.

In the end, of course, Virginia stayed in the “red” Republican column. Although the election was closer here than anywhere else in the South except Florida, Bush did better in Virginia in 2004 than he did in 2000. In the myriad analyses of Election 2004, there is one area of broad agreement: Kerry started to lose in August when thetelevision ads from the “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” started appearing. The ads targeted Kerry’s Vietnam War record, and called attention to his actions after he returned from Vietnam. While the pundits disagree on what Kerry should have done about these ads when they appeared, they are in agreement that they became a weight around the Kerry campaign. Many of those who commented on the Swift Boat ads many not have known the key role that a Virginia political operative had in getting the ads on the air.

The 2004 Swift Boat story began at the National Press Club in May, when the anti-Kerry veterans held a press conference. Except for a short and snide article on the inside pages of the New York Times, the event was completely ignored by the mainstream media. If the media’s intention was to assist Kerry by ignoring his critics, the strategy backfired in an historic fashion.

Soon after the press conference, according to the conservative National Review, some of the Swift Boat veterans met with Chris LaCivita, whose political résumé includes running George Allen’s successful Senate campaign in 2000. LaCivita is a veteran himself, and the winner of a Purple Heart for wounds received in Kuwait in 1991. As he spoke to the Swift Boat veterans, frustrated by their lack of press coverage, LaCivita got the idea to turn the veterans’ story into a series of political ads. As he told National Review, “the mainstream media can ignore a press conference, but they can’t ignore an ad.” He planned a series of ads in which the Swifties would speak directly to the camera. In July, about 30 of the veterans met at the Key Bridge Marriott in Rosslyn to talk about their first-hand knowledge of Kerry’s actual Vietnam activities. The following day, the first of the ads was recorded in Washington.

Since the Swift Boat Veterans had not planned for a national ad campaign, money was tight and the original ads ran only in medium-sized markets in Ohio, West Virginia and Wisconsin. (Even by the end of the campaign, the Swift Boat veterans spent less than $20 million of the nearly $1 billion spent on political advertising in 2004.) But LaCivita had made an additional contribution that helped insure that the Swift Boat ads would become a media phenomenon. He advised the group to buy time on national cable news channels, which is relatively inexpensive, but likely to attract the attention of the reporters and editors of those same cable stations. LaCivita’s prediction came true as the ads became news stories in themselves. Indeed, late in the campaign, polls showed millions of Americans insisting they had seen the ads, even if they didn't live in any of the markets in which the ads actually ran. The ads came out within days of John Kerry’s acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention in which he saluted and announced that he was “reporting for duty.” It would be hard to imagine a better prelude to the Swift Boat ads. Pundits will be arguing for years over whether the ad with John Kerry’s 1971 testimony was more or less effective than the testimony of the wives and widows of former POWs testifying to the pain that Kerry’s antiwar activities had caused their husbands. The last Swift Boat ad, which LaCivita also designed, featured a camera on wheels filming a long line of Swift Boat veterans, all of whom knew of Kerry’s Vietnam service and doubted his ability to be commander-in-chief.

In a relatively close election, any mistake or miscue naturally looms larger than it would in a less competitive contest. Many factors went into Kerry’s defeat, or Bush’s victory, depending on one’s point of view. But certainly the Swift Boat veterans, and the ads they ran on a shoestring budget, will always remain one of the enduring images of the 2004 presidential campaign. But for the sympathy and efforts of one Virginian, the ads might never have appeared.

So, in a way, perhaps Virginia was a “swing state” after all.

[johnny7]

Chris LaCivita heads Progress for America, a 501c4 organisation founded in 2001 by Republican consultant, Tony Feather.

Tony Feather is a partner in Feather Larson & Synhorst DCI and served as political director for Bush/Cheney 2000. Considered a Washington power broker, thanks to some friends named Karl Rove, Joe M. Allbaugh, Ken Mehlman, Donald L. Evans and Jack Oliver, Feather has been on the cutting edge of a major shift in GOP tactics.

Out of the billion dollars spent by the dem 501's... the $27 million the Swifties spent was guided by men in very high places.

[AppyPappy]

Spin.

Kerry lost Virginia because Virginians liked Bush better than Kerry. That's the bottom line.

[Ace's Dad]

Kerry lost Virginia because Virginians liked Bush better than Kerry. That's the bottom line.

Kerry lost Virginia, in part because veterans liked Bush over Kerry, as well.

[SFC Chromey]

Kerry lost because more people nationwide did not want Frankenstien for President.

[ORECON]

I believe we would have President Elect Kerry right now if it hadn’t been for the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth ads. Thanks Swifties, you saved us from a communist president.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

Chris LaCivita heads Progress for America, a 501c4 organisation founded in 2001 by Republican consultant, Tony Feather.

Tony Feather is a partner in Feather Larson & Synhorst DCI and served as political director for Bush/Cheney 2000. Considered a Washington power broker, thanks to some friends named Karl Rove, Joe M. Allbaugh, Ken Mehlman, Donald L. Evans and Jack Oliver, Feather has been on the cutting edge of a major shift in GOP tactics.

Thank you for posting this.

Swiftees had two degrees of seperation to Karl Rove.

I recall being excoriated for theorizing that although not directly connected to the BC04 campaign, the Swiftees were getting very good advice from closely connected people who knew just what to do.

This confirms that. I'm glad our side isn't stupid.

[Coldwater Creek]

Kerry lost Virginia because it always was a red state, and the military voting officers did a bang up job of registering and shaming their people into voting.

[stainlessbanner]

over here Tonk

[KoRn]

VA is a solid Bush State winning by 9% points isn't close, that's a comfortable win. Bush did better in 2004 than he did in 2000. In 2000 Bush only carried VA by 7% points.

This is just spin from a liberal paper to create a non news story. The Roanoke Times is a liberal news paper located in the most pro Bush part of the state, SW VA (where I live). Sometimes that paper is good for a few laughs.

[twigs]

I agree. They did a great job of placing a seed of doubt that began to grow. My husband is a dem who voted for Bush and the Swifties helped him along. While I think that he would have voted for him anyway, their ads helped him to solidify his choice. He simply believed them over Kerry. And because of that, really began to see Kerry as the worst kind of liar. And because of Unfit for Command, saw Kerry as a communist still supporting their cause.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

"...The 2004 Swift Boat story began at the National Press Club in May, when the anti-Kerry veterans held a press conference. Except for a short and snide article on the inside pages of the New York Times, the event was completely ignored by the mainstream media. If the media’s intention was to assist Kerry by ignoring his critics, the strategy backfired in an historic fashion..."

FReepers followed this story since May.

Both right wing and left wing media "discovered" this story in August.

LIVE THREAD: Swift Boat Veterans for Truth Press Conference on C-SPAN
www.freerepublic.com | May 4, 2004

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1129629/posts

Posted on 05/04/2004 4:58:36 PM PDT by Howlin

Q) What's the difference between mainstream left and right media?

A) Neither side would know a real story.

BUT if it's anti Bush or anti military they will let you know.

[JehngisKahn]

"Out of the billion dollars spent by the dem 501's... the $27 million the Swifties spent was guided by men in very high places."

The billions spent by the Dems was carefully guided too. Kerry's former campaign manager was in charge of the operation (Thunder Road) which was put together for that sole purpose.

[Defiant]

Don't be too secure. California used to elect Reagan and Bush I by comfortable margins. Southern California used to have enough conservatives in San Diego and Orange County to overcome San Francisco. LA was always a wash, with the valley voting GOP and the city voting Dim. Now, changing demographics have made LA completely lib, while Orange County and San Diego are far less conservative than before. Northern California has gone from 55 percent lib to about 75 percent lib. The GOP has written off the state since 1996.

Keep your eye on Northern Virginia, and don't let libs moving there change the character of the state.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!

[international american]

BUMP

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[windchime]

Bump!

[Valin]

Bump.

As an aside
http://www.powerlineblog.com/
Paypal for Steve Gardner (corrected)

Tony Snow has provided us the information that so many of you have been asking for in order to help Steve Gardner:

Here's the info I have from Steve. He has a paypal account through his email: sgardner5@carolina.rr.com; there's also a snail-mail address: P.O. Box 908; Clover, SC 29710.
P.S. Tony has made me a hero at home. He's coming through on the autographed photo for Mrs. Trunk.

UPDATE: We have corrected the email address above; we had originally omitted the "s" in "sgardner5@carolina.rr.com." It now reads correctly.


Posted by The Big Trunk at 09:50 AM | Permalink | TrackBack (7)
Tony Snow to the rescue

Today's day brightener comes via Tony Snow and Griff Jenkins, the producer of the Tony Snow Show on Fox News Radio. Griff writes:

KUDOS to you guys on Steve [Gardner]! We've made it our goal to help Steve in some significant way this way by encouraging conservatives to commit acts of compassion and get Steve a job!!

Steve's on Tony right now - 09:35a ET - he's doing very well! You can listen to it live or hear the highlight recap later this afternoon at www.tonysnow.com!

Tony is singing your praises and will get powerline some plugs too!

Thanks.

Griff

Griff Jenkins
Producer
The Tony Snow Show
Fox News Radio

Any chance we can get the editorial staff over at the New York Post to pick up the ball?

Tony Snow writes:

Thanks for the great work on Steve Gardner. He told me off-air that he was down to $400 in savings before the story ran -- and still has about $900 in bills to pay. I'm urging listeners to practice compassionate conservatism by writing checks. I'm also directing them to your site via the Tony Snow Show website and my nascent blog, tonysnow.blogspot.com (those posts probably won't get up until the afternoon because I have to fly to NY as soon as I get off the air). Again, keep up the sensational work!

Best,

Tony Snow

Tony, is there any chance we could get an autographed photo for Mrs. Trunk?

Posted by The Big Trunk at 08:46 AM | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

Spread the word.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Good read, thanks!

[johnny7]

That's right we followed it since May... but it took off with the TV ads. The story was being talked about only on the web.

FOXNews aired part of the first commercial for news purposes when the MSM refused to even mention the Swift vets opposition to Kerry.

However they became involved with LaCivita and PFA, the bottom line is the word got out... and it hit hard!