The Swiftboat Factor

[LiberalEsto]

I wonder which of the three major Democratic contenders carries the most baggage to be used as ammo by the Swiftboaters.

The rethugs will blather on and on about John Edwards' haircut until the cows come home. But what other ammo do they have in store for him? It seems to me the Swiftboat nasties didn't seem have much to throw at Edwards when he ran for VP on the Kerry ticket. Is there anything on him?

Hillary has been through the rethug grinder many times since 1992. They will continue to savage her about Whitewater (even though the millions spent on a special prosecutor's investigation turned up nothing) and Vincent Foster even though all this stuff is old, old business.

My concern about Obama is whether he is going to have problems with the Rezsko issue. I know almost nothing about it, but I'm worried that it will be turned into a Swiftboat weapon if he is the nominee.

Your thoughts,please.

[Tarc]

1. Bush/Cheney got a lot of mileage out of the "trial lawyers" thing in `04

so probably more of the same of that, unfortunately.

[napi21]

2. If they can't find anything on him, they'll make some up!

Remember, the stuff the swiftboaters were pushing about Kerry wasn't true!

[TheDebbieDee]

4. Of course, you are right!

If there is no dirt with which to smear the Dem candidate, the repukes will just invent the dirt. They've done it before and they will do it again.

[featherman]

3. By its definition, swift boating involve made up falsehoods

So it doesn't matter what somebody has in their past. It is what can be made up about them by RW crazies that then gets spread virally through the MSM

[Big Blue Marble]

5. Remember Swiftboating is making something out of nothing.

That is why it is so dangerous. There was absolutely nothing to the charges made against
Kerry. That is why he did not understand that he needed to respond to them.

His team thought the charges were so weak, they would just go away.

So everyone of our candidates is at hugh risk of Swiftboating.
The better question to ask is whom do you think will be better at responding to them.

[Benhurst]

6. As the economy continues to worsen, I'm not sure the trial lawyer

attack on Edwards will work this time around, especially with his record of helping the little guy fight the big corporations. But I'm sure Rove and company are pouring over the records of every trial, looking for one they can twist and spin to their advantage.

I don't think they'll dare frontally attack Hillary as a woman; but they will stress terror! terror! terror! in hopes the public will gravitate to a man in their panic. And of course all the same old same old will be trotted out once again.

As for Obama, I think they will not raise the race issue, but will milk it behind the scenes. Actually, I don't think they'll have to do much work there, since those who are racists won't need any encouragement, and there is no way to convert those who aren't. They may very well try to use Rezsko for Swift-boating. Kerry was, after all a legitimate Vietnam war hero, and they were able to use his good war record against him. By comparison, using Rezsko as a weapon should be a cake walk. Then there is Obama's admitted drug use as a youth. He has given us his version and the press has so far ignored it. Undoubtedly the Republicans will be looking under every rock to see if there is more to the story than Obama has revealed. If there is, they will run with it. And, while youthful marijuana use is generally accepted now (just think not long ago a man lost a Supreme Court seat over it!) harder drugs are viewed differently. I would not be surprised if this is already being fleshed out for Swift-boating in the fall.

Also don't underestimate the Republicans' ability to look for a candidates greatest strength and turn it against him or her. Al Gore's strong points were turned against him, just as Kerry's exemplary war record was used against him. So think of the big three's strongest points, then try to figure out how they might be flipped against them.

[beachmom]

7. I just wrote a diary on the smear e-mails against Obama, that now include Rezko:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/1/29/10247/6527/124/445340

Lots of links in there about Rezko. Obama did nothing illegal or unethical. That is the bottom line.

[yardwork]

8. It doesn't matter who has the most baggage. The Republicans will invent lies.

Who could have predicted that the Republicans and media would turn John Kerry - war hero, the son of a wealth man who volunteered to serve in country not once but twice, on the front lines, in combat, recipient of Purple Hearts and other medals - into a coward?

If they can do that, they can and will do anything to anyone. It doesn't matter who you are. If you interfere with the Republican-corporate plans for the country, you are expendable and they will make up mud and make it stick.