Swiftboating the Swiftboaters

[WilliamPitt]

Swiftboating the Swiftboaters
By William Rivers Pitt
t r u t h o u t | Perspective

Wednesday 20 September 2006

The Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth were back in the news last week, brought up by Massachusetts senator and former presidential candidate John Kerry. Asked in an interview with the Examiner about the effect of the Swift Boat group on his campaign, Kerry was blunt.

"Kerry says the only reason he didn't compete in more states in 2004," read the article, "was that he ran out of money. He says this was also the reason he did not adequately respond to a series of devastating TV ads by Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth, a group that questioned Kerry's service in Vietnam and criticized his later opposition to the war. 'They had money behind the lies, and we did not have sufficient money behind the truth,' Kerry laments."

It all sounds like something from the dim and distant past, but in fact, the Swiftboaters are still out in force today. More specifically, the money behind the Swiftboaters is out in force, attempting to swing close elections in several states over to the GOP.

A 527 organization called the Economic Freedom Fund (EFF) has been formed in California to do just that. According to its FEC filing, the Economic Freedom Fund was formed to "promote policies and issues favoring economic freedom, growth and prosperity of the economy." The group's sole donor is a man named Bob J. Perry from Texas. Recently, Perry gave $5 million to the EFF, one of the largest single donations to any 527 organization this year, an amount that exceeds the $4.5 million Perry gave to the Swift Boat Veterans in 2004.

In short, Mr. Perry was the main force behind the Swift Boat Veterans, and is today the main force behind the Economic Freedom Fund. The EFF just made the largest media buy to date in a close Iowa race, to the tune of $446,850, for ads seeking to undercut Democratic incumbent Leonard Boswell. Huge expenditures by EFF for television ads, direct mailings and robo-calls have also been made to affect races in Georgia, West Virginia and Indiana.

This time, however, the Swiftboaters are not going unanswered. James Boyce, a fifteen-year marketing and advertising veteran who served as a senior advisor to Kerry's presidential campaign, has organized a watchdog group called The Patriot Project. Its mission, according to Boyce, is to "defend any man or woman, regardless of party or affiliation, who is attacked or defamed and whose patriotism is questioned simply because they exercise their rights as Americans. The primary way we do this is to expose and make transparent front groups so that voters who hear their advertising and charges can make an informed decision about those claims.

More: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/092006J.shtml

[xchrom]

1. so when do we start a 527 that does nothing but go after

the swiftboat people?

[Coexist]

2. Okay - I tried to reword it after following all the links,

but lost the thought - just consider this a kick, I guess.

[ComerPerro]

4. And, honestly, we can say whatever we want about them

we can call them mass murderers and serial rapists if we want.

Apparently its no longer illegal to slander others.

[WilliamPitt]

3. Did you miss this?

http://www.patriotproject.com/

Linked in the article.

[xchrom]

8. thank you, mr pitt.

i'll give them some money.

i want to see their stuff get on the air.

[DemReadingDU]

10. I am familiar with Baron Hill

Grew up in that area of Indiana. My family still resides there, and working on his campaign. It is sickening to see Baron Hill swiftboated. Have sent my family the link to the Patriot Project. I'd like to see Bob Perry swiftboated.

[me b zola]

5. About the term "swiftboating"

I define the term swiftboating as a campaign to cut the legs out from someone using outragious lies. IMO, when we associate swiftboating with an honest campaign to expose/bring down a candidate, we are diluting the rancidity of the gop swiftboat liars, ignoring the fact that their entire campaign was built upon egregious lies.

Will, I love your writing and I like this article, but I cringe when I hear our side use the term swiftboating to describe an honest attack on a bad person.

[blm]

7. Interesting point - on a dkos thread, Kerry said he loved those swiftboats

and so did his crew, and the fact that the term has been turned into a verb with such a heinous meaning is painful for all of them.

I also think this is why alot of veterans who watched what went on in 2004, are now speaking out and vow not to remain silent any longer on their own opinions about what the swiftliars did. There will be a book out soon detailing THEIR views about what the swifts claimed, not just about Kerry but every vet with Kerry at the time of the battles and during his protests, and they'll be using actual documentation to back it up.

[MissMillie]

6. I just made a donation to the Patriot Project.

I encourage others to do the same.

[Old and In the Way]

9. Interesting, I just got this e-mail from Kerrry's organization-

Looks like they have a fund developing to nuetralize these liars. I gave him $25.00-



Thanks to a special matching fund, your response to Republican "Swiftboat-style" attacks can have triple the impact.
MAKE A MATCHING GIFT NOW!

Dear OAITW,

Like clockwork, here they come again. According to news reports, Bob Perry, the Texas millionaire who bankrolled the so-called "Swiftboat Veterans for Truth" is up to his old tricks. He's spending $5 million dollars under the radar screen to launch a new GOP attack group called the "Economic Freedom Fund."

Their first attack ads against Democratic House candidates are already on the air. They hope they've caught you sleeping. We have to respond quickly and in force. You have stood up and helped fend off these attacks in the past, and today, the DCCC needs your help once again. Help the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) stand behind Democratic candidates under attack.

Contribute $25, $50, or more right now and your gift goes three times further with the DCCC's Matching Fund.

The Republicans think their attack ads can make America forget their disastrous policy in Iraq. They think their tough-guy posturing can make us forget that their "cut and run" policies in Afghanistan have left Osama bin Laden at large. But, the American people know, deep down in their guts, that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the rest have failed our nation with their stunning incompetence and their willingness to act in ways that undermine our values.

All the political attacks in the world can't save them. Not if we're willing to stand firmly behind our candidates. If you contribute now, your gift will be matched three-to-one, tripling the impact of your determination to win.

Contribute $25, $50, or more right now and your gift goes three times further with the DCCC's Matching Fund.

Thanks to the commitment of Democratic leaders in the House, your contribution will be matched three-to-one, tripling the impact of your response to Republican attempts to overwhelm our candidates with vicious attacks in the final weeks of this campaign.

I've been campaigning with Democratic candidates all across the country. Believe me, the American people are hearing our message. They want an end to the Bush Administration's failed policies in Iraq. They want to fire the incompetents, end the corruption, and stop the alarming abuses of power.

It's time - way past time - to move America in a new, more promising direction. And you and I have to refuse to let the desperate, deceitful campaign tactics of the Republican front groups get in our way.

Contribute $25, $50, or more right now and your gift goes three times further with the DCCC's Matching Fund.

Believe me, I know what our candidates are going through. And I know how much it will mean to them to know that we're absolutely determined to pull them through to victory. You have supported the DCCC in the past and they need your support once again today.

Sincerely,

John Kerry

https://www.dccc.org/contribute/eoq3_kerry_3/?id=20060920_jk