Bush's Surrogate Tactics- *Fortunate Son*

[liveoaktx]

Reading this book now which has been out for a few years, but finding it very interesting. In the chapter discussing his run against Ann Richards, the strategy of drawing the opponent into a negative campaign and then attempting to use it againt him or her is described.

"Many nervous and influential Republicans were questioning why Bush (stilll six to 10 percentage points behind in the polls) rarely attempted to engage Richards directly, using surrogate speakers or news releases in political campaign attacks on his opponent.
The advantage of speaking through a surrogate," claimed one Bush campaign staff insider "was that we could say sulfurous things about our opponent and put that on record without our candidate taking personal responsibility for it." (p 126)

What did Bush do when Ann Richards fought back in a negative way? He LIED
" When Bush complained that the ads were false and Richards was trying 'to demean me personally' by referring to him as 'that young Bush boy' the governor told the press 'I expect my campaign to respond strongly any time my opponent engages in negative campaigning. To do anyting less would allow the Bush campaign to distort the positive strides that have been made in Texas' p 133

*****
Two things about this. One is that Kerry may be letting 'George Bush-I approved this ad' be the one that is shown to be Negative Campaigner while he runs a clean and positive campaign. Does this mean that we could not act, on our own, as surrogates in our own local communities, through newspaper articles, ads, letters, etc to get out the truth? Yes, just as Bush does, as his strategy.

[Momof1]

1. I just got done reading Bush's Brain

And they had a commercial in the can, ready as soon as Ann Richards said anything even slightly negative.

They also started rumors that she was a lesbian. And that she was appointing lesbians to State jobs.

Rove is disgusting.

Maybe that is why Kerry seems so afraid to say or do the wrong thing.

Either way Rove will pull something really disgusting out of his ass.
He is evil incarnate.

[liveoaktx]

3. I don't think Kerry is afraid-instead, I think he is rising above those

slimy tactics. Consider if he sticks to the issues and hammers them home while letting the country know him better. He would then be able to show how Bush condoned those practices and ran a negative campaign and Bush could say NOTHING against him in that respect. In the Texas campaign, people were sick and tired of all the negative crap.

However, does that mean OTHERS than Kerry cannot point out all the BS? Of course.

[Momof1]

4. I was listening to Guy James earlier

And he wants Kerry to be screaming "LIAR" at the top of his lungs. I just don't think that would work either. I am hoping that he picks Wes, and Wes can scream it from the rooftops.

I remember a few weeks ago listening to Randi & she was comparing Vietnam & Iraq. Saying that torture wouldn't of happened if they had a war plan. It just seems so weird that she mentions that and now the pictures happened. I don't know if Kerry really has to say or do anything until the convention. To overtly attack *. I think Bush/Cheney have alot of rope right now, to do it all by themselves.

[rebellious woman]

5. Don't underestimate John Forbes Kerry.....we know him well

he too can be a dirty fighter when called upon and
when the times comes. Don't ever count him out or
down. He's a lot like Kennedy.

[malatesta1137]

2. funny how

author J. H. Hatfield committed 'suicide' after publishing such hit book. I heard him on WBAI in NY once and he didn't sound like the suicidal type to me.