What Obama does not understand is that he is being Swift-boated. The term does not apply to a mere smear. It is bolder, more outrageous than that. It means going straight at your opponent's strength and maligning it. This is what was done in 2004 to John Kerry, who had commanded a Swift boat in Vietnam. Kerry had won three Purple Hearts, a Silver Star and a Bronze Star and emerged from the war a certified hero. It was that record that his opponents attacked, a tactic Kerry thought so ludicrous that he at first ignored it. The record shows that he lost the election.
Now Obama's opponents are going straight for his strength. At least twice at the GOP convention, speakers mocked Obama's service as a community organizer. "He worked as a community organizer," Rudy Giuliani said. "He immersed himself in Chicago machine politics."
Submitted by CathyMcCaughan on Tue, 2008/09/09 - 5:43pm.
Bloggers who earn money off their blogs know that it doesn't matter if your audience is there to agree or disagree. It's all about the hits. Every time we type the Republican VP's name, we are giving her more attention. If we don't write Obama's name twice for every time we type she-who-must-not-be-named, we are playing into the hands of the Republicans' "Look, something shiny" campaign strategy.
Submitted by Free legal advice (not verified) on Wed, 2008/09/10 - 6:32pm.
Regarding Obama being "swiftboated" if he doesn't immediately and forcefully respond...some said the same would happen to him during the primary, but his measured responses seemed to work well then. Of course, it's arguable that the general election is a different ballgame. Personally, I don't think the threat to Obama is as big as some are making it out to be right now. Palin is still enjoying the wave of hype since her debut, but as the election nears, she and McCain are going to lose a lot of their shine as the issues start to take precedence. However, if they succeed in framing this election as a Rove-esque culture battle, then Obama may be screwed.
Bloggers who earn money off their blogs know that it doesn't matter if your audience is there to agree or disagree. It's all about the hits. Every time we type the Republican VP's name, we are giving her more attention. If we don't write Obama's name twice for every time we type she-who-must-not-be-named, we are playing into the hands of the Republicans' "Look, something shiny" campaign strategy.
What does this have to do with Obama being swiftboated?
-Sugarfatpie (AKA Alex Pulsipher)
"X-Rays are a hoax."-Lord Kelvin
The "ignore-it-and-it-will-go-away" stratagem worked wonders for Kerry, didn't it?
____________________________
the distance between black & white is much further than i would like until now i never noticed that fascism has many disguises -d. boon, 1981
Regarding Obama being "swiftboated" if he doesn't immediately and forcefully respond...some said the same would happen to him during the primary, but his measured responses seemed to work well then. Of course, it's arguable that the general election is a different ballgame. Personally, I don't think the threat to Obama is as big as some are making it out to be right now. Palin is still enjoying the wave of hype since her debut, but as the election nears, she and McCain are going to lose a lot of their shine as the issues start to take precedence. However, if they succeed in framing this election as a Rove-esque culture battle, then Obama may be screwed.
Nick from Avvo
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