Since they couldn't challenge the facts, they pretended that these former US Navy officers and enlisted men were universally partisan, spewing hatred and lies while being paid a fortune to do so by shadowy businessmen.
The the left and their MSM accomplices decided to create a verb of derision, "swiftboating", as an abbreviation of all their libels of these former officers and enlisted men; figuring that the public would forget the truth and only remember their lies. And then they would popularize this nonsense verb by applying it to totally unrelated situations.
So the proper response is that, when they use the term, they should be confronted with pretend confusion. For example:
"Are you suggesting that honorable, US Navy veteran Officers and enlisted men are calling Mitt Romney a lying, deceitful traitor to the United States, who faked military commendations, and traitorously slandered his former comrades before congress, calling them war criminals, in an effort to undermine the war effort, for his own political ambitions?"
"That's what 'Swiftboating' means, don't you know?"
What this accomplishes is to snatch this new verb out of their hands and redefine it as the legitimate criticism of John Kerry for his crimes.
BINGO! Ding! Ding! Ding! WE HAVE A WINNER!
These “journalists” using this term are trying to soil Romney, while throwing out the meme “Switft-boating” as if it was all about lies!
They are trying to sink Romney, cast aspersions on the “verb” Swift-boating and RAISE the Titanic (Kerry) with a single pulley lift attached to a dingy!
It also helps change the subject to something more useful, viz., that the Left lies. Reflexively, congenitally, uncontrollably, instinctually. And, it's a marker of their character.