How The Media Slimes John Kerry

[Presstitutes]

http://www.presstitutes.com/presstitutes/2005/09/how_the_media_s.html

The media's mistreatment of Gore in 2000, well-chronicled by the Daily Howler, is a sad chapter in the rise of George W. Bush.

An even greater travesty, in our view, is the maligning of John Kerry, a genuine war hero, by the rightwing slime machine, aided and abetted by a rabid herd of mainstream reporters and pundits. A brave, thoughtful, centered man, Kerry was - and still is - the antidote to the catastrophic misleadership of Bush. But the flip-flop narrative was driven like a stake through his candidacy by a craven group of opinion-makers, pundits, analysts, reporters, the so-called 'legitimate' press, those whose words, written and spoken, create the nation's conventional wisdom.

These cowards gave voice to Kerry's detractors, rammed GOP talking points down our throats, and fabricated an Orwellian storyline that painted Kerry as the wishy-washy weakling and Bush as the bold, steadfast leader. So impossibly removed from reality, that storyline would be hysterically funny were it not of such momentous consequence.

We've said this time and again, it's not the Limbaughs and Coulters, it's the Russerts and Gergens and Mitchells and Blitzers who shape Americans' views. The former spew the filth, but the latter legitimize it....

[knowbody0]

1. i will never believe

that his campaign advisors were not paid off by the GOP

[LittleClarkie]

3. Led by the head advisor, Shrum

Many of the decisions he made were just bizarre. Not to tell people about the DA who never lost a case, or BCCI, or Iran/Contra. I mean, good GOD!

[Ferret Annica]

14. JFK

I still don't understand why he didn't do an preemptive strike on the Swift boat liars club that managed to work their slanderous poison into the consciousnesses of so many people.

If John Kerry hopes to run in 2008 and out compete zeros like Hillary Clinton, now is the time he should be inoculating himself from this poison and taking them on with long term tactics that neutralize and dishearten them by 2008.

Kerry is a good and competent man who would be moving the U.S. forward instead of this frightening drift into fascism Bush is responsible for. He needs to have his people keep their ears to the rails, because the people who promoted and nurtured these conservative agenda before truth veterans of swift boats are always trolling for new angles to minimize his chances for 2008

[LittleClarkie]

15. Signing the 180 helped I reckon

Bless his obsessive/compulsive heart, it was said that first he listened to Cahill, and then when it became obvious that what had worked in May wasn't working in August, he reamed her out, and then set about putting together his defense. Further delays ensued as he wanted irreputable evidence that the Smear vets were talking out their butts.

I also remember reports that Kerry was livid at the attacks and wanted to come out swinging at, I think it was, a VFW event. However Shrum and Cahill shouted to the aides "Restrain the candidate!!"

No, DON'T restrain the candidate! He's ever so much better when he's pissed. I hope both those folks are retired now. Cahill helped Kerry out a bad situation in the primaries, but she was near disasterous in the general election.

I don't know what will happen in 2008. I know what I want. I don't know if campaigning will go any better. And sometimes I think I would settle for a cabinet position. All I know is there is WAY too much potential and expertise there not to be used in SOME way. Why is it the most qualified folks seem to be at a disadvantage to the politically savy. The best folks to run for prez are not necessarily the best folks to BE the prez.

Sucks swamp water through a straw, it does.

[Ferret Annica]

16. Kerry should have trusted his instincts...

...and swing fast and hard. It was perplexing to veterans like myself who watched him try to do the Teflon act concerning them, as unfortunately, the lies stick in some of the pointy headed minds listening.

And Café Paranoia/FR was right there amplifying and reinforcing the message all along the way.

Just as they had poisoned the Klamath Water rights issue and many other things they have stuck their filthy fingers into.

Kerry actually needs to be out there way before 2008 scouting out new land mines these cretins are planting and taking out the old ones like these Swiftie boat of fools.

You are absolutely 100 percent correct in your observation that we do not get the best women and men running for the presidency. I would have preferred Wayne Morse to Kennedy in 1960, Eugene McCarthy to Humphrey in 1968, Shirley Chisholm to McGovern in 1972, and even these alternatives that were bypassed by the process are often lacking in comparison to others who are way too wise to subject themselves to the process of running.

Which is why I'll settle for merely a competent policy maker and halfway decent leader. That doesn't make me happy, but it would be far better then the incubation of fascism in America we are witnessing under Bush.

[LittleClarkie]

31. He's more velcro than teflon

And I see what you mean about folks running, but I was talking about Kerry. He was chosen, and the better man, but he's no Clinton. Political savy doesn't mean you're competent to be President, but apparently without it, you get nowhere.

[second edition]

21. I hold out hopes for another run. We need someone like Kerry

who really knows what is going on, to straighten things out. I've had it with Texans and Southern "Good Old Boys". Give me a real President, edgy,commanding, complex and knowledgeable. Someone I can take seriously, who wants to be President because they really love this country and aren't just running to boost their ego. Sometimes I can help but think the media and their games are going to be responsible for the ruin of the US . I am tired of them telling us who should be President and playing up their favorites or promoting the camera eaters.

[ginnyinWI]

26. I agree

Kerry is exactly what our country needs right now. He was what we have needed for several years, actually. We the people have no president at all now, by the looks of it. Corporate American has one looking out for them. I'm heartened by the fact that Kerry is out there now doing everything he can to be the leader we need.

[second edition]

19. Good post! I agree, he needs to be a very public person and he

needs to be able to very quickly address the slim they heap on him. I some instances though,IMO, it may help him to be more media friendly.

[FreedomAngel82]

10. It makes one wonder anyways

I wouldn't be surprised if there were some moles. Wasn't one of his lawyers for election night a republican? I remember reading about that.

[The Backlash Cometh]

27. There's the source of all that is wrong with the Democrat's

decision-making. They have to stop thinking that they can play nice with the right-wingers and get a fair shake. It's simply not going to happen.

[seabeyond]

2. here here. i couldnt agree more. i wish they could

actually hear this. i dont htink they care. or they actively do. they know they shape and create the stories and they like the power

[bobbieinok]

4. Cokie Roberts said after Nov 2000 in answer to a question

about why she/press didn't write some certain thing about Gore

'Oh, there was a story line for each candidate and that didn't fit the story line'......she apparently found NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS

[seabeyond]

8. gore was amazing, the liar. bush the honest one.

over and over and over. i watched bush lie all over the place, and they couldnt find a gore lie. but.... they kept saying it

kinda like the kerry flip flop. kerry was not flip flopping on anything and bush calling him a flip flopper was a flippin and floppin all over the place

ya

even had a lie a meter on the two in a debate. gore got three exagerations and bush got 11 lies.

[ginnyinWI]

29. it's a very good way to read the GOP talking points

Whatever problem on their side they are concerned with, they start calling our side on it. This is classic Rove. Right now they are saying two things: 1) Dems aren't unified and 2) Dems have no message. So what do you think--Bingo--they must be worried about their OWN unity and ability to express a message!

[seabeyond]

30. you are right. saw it often and consistant. attack kerry military n/t

[Presstitutes]

25. That about sums it up

Cokie, the queen of Pre$$titutes

[glitch]

28. My dad loves her - she reminds him of an old time whorehouse madam

or at least as he imagines one to be.
However, he doesn't believe a word she says.

[Montauk6]

5. PRESSTITUTES! That's perfect! More clever than "media whore" IMHO

[Presstitutes]

18. Thanks!

.

[DanCa]

6. Trash war heroes support our crooks

John Kerry a silver star war hero they trashed him and the media let it go. Tom Delay the devil incaranate and he is treated with kid gloves. Go figure.

[FreedomAngel82]

11. Don't forget

the purple heart bandaids. Ugh.

[kerrygoddess]

36. Good points! N/T

[opihimoimoi]

7. To FOOL is to RULE....

The GOP is no different with other ass hole scammers/rip offs....

They LIE CHEAT STEAL.....

[wisteria]

9. Wonderful post! I agree entirely with you.

I actually wrote Howard Fineman today and mentioned how they discredit Democrats and don't treat them with any respect. I brought up John kerry as an example and suggested that many people were tired of reading their negative catty comments on Kerry, when in fact many people were interested in what he had to say and considered him to be smart, articulate and well informed and a very interesting individual.I am tired of them putting our leaders down and making them out to be ridiculous.

[loyalsister]

12. I agree about the role that MSM played

however the hyperpolic worship of Kerry as "antidote" to Bush does not lend any credibility to this analysis. Just the opposite. It is the flip side of those who worship another MAN who does not deserve it because he is from a particular family.
No one is worthy of such idoltry. "He doesn't deserve to be smeared because he had the misfortune to get hurt, dammit!" Please listen to yourself!
It is by bestowing that upon our politicians that we wind up with people with a sense of entitlement. People who think they do not think they have to be held accountable to anyone because of one thing or another.
Our politicians aren't here to save us. They are here to create policy for pity sake!

[karynnj]

32. No one deserves to be dishonestly smeared

Kerry's war records were what they were for 35 years. Senator Warner actually said that he had looked at them for Nixon when he was Secretary of the Navy. The Nixon tapes show they knew he was squeaky clean. Given that all the official records are on his side - including many excellent fitness reviews signed by people now in SBVT, there was NO reason for the media to have given equal weight to the SBVT.

Note that when 2 documents on the Bush TANG story were shown to POSSIBLY be frauds, the entire story disappeared and 5 people were ultimately fired because they covered this story. The SBVT people had no proof, made contradictory charges, and contradicted the official records. Kerry's team did get an editor from the conservative Chicago Tribune, who was the lt on one of the other boats (the 3rd lt - who was Kerry's friend, was killed a few months later) to write an op-ed that described what he remembered of the mission on which Kerry got his silver star. His view was consistent with Kerry's and the official view (and by far the easiest account to follow). Kerry's team proved the SBVT lied in many instances, but non of the media reacted as they did on the TANG story.

Summary
Tang basically true Media declared dead
SBVT many proven lies Media declares maybe truth on both sides

Also consider the burden of proof in TANG placed on Rather. For the SBVT, not only did they have to prove nothing, the official records that back Kerry were not considered sufficient poof to defend Kerry. He had about 120 pages of records on his web site - his fitness reports spanning the whole 3 1/2 or so years he was in the service, with no unexplainable gaps. In all these reports, there is nothing that the SBVT can point to as verification to prove their stories.

The press that so readily refers to McCain as a hero, refuses to accord Kerry, whose service record is far more heroic, the same status. Possibly because he then showed the same heroism in fighting to end the war as a very honorable, polite protester in a manner well within the American form of government. The problem may be that they didn't want their America is always right mentality played with.

[loyalsister]

34. I SAID I agree

If you reread my post, you will find that my point was that we should not place him on such a high a pedestal.
A healthy respect for a person is one thing, excessive idoltry is the exact opposite extreme of smearing.
I think respect is more fitting and definitely more dignified.

[WildEyedLiberal]

13. Absolutely true. Thanks for posting.

Welcome to DU!! :hi:

[MikeNY]

17. Kerry acted morally... and lost.

As others pointed out Kerry could have replied very quickly to all of these accusations and started making many of his own against this admin. He could have become an attack dog and brought up how the Vice President and half of the administration were huge reasons we became quagmired in Vietnam. These guys were practically running the Defense Department at that point in time. The corrupt background of the people starring in this administration is almost mind-blowing, but I don't see John Kerry as an attack horse. He's a man with alot of honor and basically fought the good fight; it just wasn't in his character to bring out the past in such a manner. And yes at the DNC the "I'm reporting for duty thing" was somewhat corny, but I thought that his vision and message of scientific advancement was inspiring, something I have not heard from a politician

The problem is people do not seem to want to hear common sense. They seem to like this rugged cowboy "bring em on" John Wayne-style attitude that Bush represents. John Kerry: too honest for his own good?

[seabeyond]

20. my repug father last night. he just doesnt understand.

kerry acted moral...... and he lost.

that is why, i cannot diss kerry, in his perfectly imperfect campaign. the essence of what he was giving to the nation was there. and that takes a real honest man to be able to be in a position of power, and still, give honesty.

so often, people, dems said we have to do it like repugs. we will never win otherwise. what does that say. it says, we musst lie, attack the person, be corrupt and evil? dont makes us do it repugs. dont. 50% of the nation is already there. we dont want to add to that. we want to grow. honesty. or else we will never have it. simplicity 101. and this is the world i am giving to my kids. not good enough. no productive. not successful

at some point the "my fathers, and brothers and inlaws" have just got to get tired of making excuses for our president of this here united states. they have to understand they dont want us to get a bunch of liberals that are rush limbaughs. they cannot want our party to become this corrupt and liars and divisive

we cannot become the repug. we wont be able to anyway. it doesnt matter what our candidate says.... media only allows it to be presented in their storyline. and the storyline for dems is disjointed, nuance, wishywashy....yada yada. if we do anything that kinda appears wrong or mistaken or incorrect the media jumps on it. even if we became the corrupt and liars, we would fail. our asses would be in jail

[second edition]

22. I just keep on praying that the public gets past this need for

the cowboy- good old boy types- and realizes that Presidents aren't one size fits all.

[seabeyond]

23. this goes with talking to father last night. he says brother so far

right, he just doesnt talk to him about this. and i am the other way.

i live conservative
i am pro business
personally dont like adortion, but not mine to say
dont go for any of the i am gonna take care of you cause you are too stupid liberal laws. fight em all

tell me how fuckin left i am

my father is the one that taught me morality, eithics, honesty. his fault. he showed me how to be in power and not abuse but use in a ways where it benefitted all. that is who he is.

i dont give a fuck if it is a dem or a repug being corrupt i want their ass. dems cant be. the repug and nation and media hold dems toes to fire. we couldnt hire a bunch of people in our adminstration that have been indicted, convicted of crimes. we couldnt put someone in an agency or the highest position in the courts of our land, with two years expereince. we just dont get away with it


on edit: why talking this,s till the repug in power, has all the power and brother and father take our woes to democrat. dems arent in power, decision making places. gotta focus on the repug. they are the one doing. and that means our democratic party. quit blaming dems for laws passing and appointees. they arent the ones in power. give it to the bushco, repugs. when dems are in power, we will then address them, and hold their toes to the fire. we are really really good at it. we have had a while to practice

[sandnsea]

33. Dems didn't help him fight the moral fight

It's just like the Obama diary over at Kos right now. It's one of the most brilliant things I've seen come out of the Dem Party in a very long time. It's the path to a national party. Yet it appears the "grassroots" just don't get it, based on some reponse diaries including Markos' blog. Just like with Ronnie Earle. You don't fight about whether he is or isn't a partisan, you keep the focus on Tom Delay. That's what Kerry tried to get Democrats to do last year, but the "grassroots" just refused. They wanted to get into spitting matches and dirt throwing contests which only serves to keep the attention on the dirt the right throws around. The "grassroots" are the ones who let the debate be about shit instead of issues. Kerry did quickly respond to every attack launched, and tried to get the debate back on the issues. The "grassroots" played into their hands by keeping the focus on the attacks AND by repeating the lie that Kerry hadn't responded. My own sister lives in Little Rock and is repeating the lie that Clinton didn't campaign for Kerry, despite the fact that Clinton was in her own city the day before the election. That's the help the "grassroots" give the Dem Party.

[confludemocrat]

40. Dem grassroots to blame for swiftboat gutting of Kerry? WTF

He let them walk all over him in the swift boat affair that followed on from his disastrous grand canyon press conference. he left 15 million unspent at the end of campaign. He conceded early and didn't call Repubs on ohio mess. His pro-war stance mixed with ambiguities during campaigbn and since. And you're not going to get those people back with the types of smears kerry worshippers exhibit here: Rovian attacks on critics calling them freepers, etc and now blaming the base for his failures and inadequacies as a candidate.

[sandnsea]

42. Those are LIES

I bet you were one of the henny-pennies spreading those lies last year instead of the truth, like you should have been doing.

August 2004 - The Way It WAS

"From the moment John Kerry became the clear winner of the Democratic primary, he led in the polls. He led in the polls in the early spring, through the selection of John Edwards as Vice President, through the convention, and through most of the month of August. Despite the media’s incessant claim that there was no convention bounce, Kerry was ahead in the polls in August from 1 to 8 points, across the board. Don’t believe me? It’s on the internets, take a look. Be sure and take a look at the Bush bounce as well, outside of the Time/Newsweek poll, Bush had the same 1 to 8 point lead after the RNC convention.

So what happened to that consistent lead? With the signing of Form 180 and the release of Kerry’s Navy records, many are giving credit to the lies and smears of the Swift Boat Vets. Despite the fact that John O’Neill hasn’t stopped making these outlandish statements since 1971, somehow people think that the release of the exact same Navy records that Kerry had on his web site would have appeased these weasels. Just today, the Boston Globe (Kerry's Vietnam, see Ron's post above) has repeated the canard that “Kerry’s failure to respond” damaged the campaign.

But is Kerry’s “failure to respond” any more accurate than the lack of a convention bounce? I don’t see it.

On August 4, the Swift Boat Vets released a new ad, after having been knocked down by the campaign in May. From Media Matters, “in an August 5 interview with the Associated Press, Senator John McCain (R-AZ), "a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, called the ad criticizing John Kerry's military service 'dishonest and dishonorable' and urged the White House on Thursday to condemn it as well."

Between August 4 and August 19, Cutter said the campaign relied on the news media, surrogates and 700 letters to the editor to discredit the charges, including Carville taking on O’Neill on Crossfire on August 12.

On August 19 at the IAFF convention, Kerry stated "They're a front for the Bush campaign. And the fact that the president won't denounce what they're up to tells you everything you need to know: he wants them to do his dirty work.” After noting the Navy records that awarded him his medals, he added "Thirty years ago, this was the plain truth. It still is. And I still carry the shrapnel in my leg from a wound in Vietnam.”

The campaign releases Rassmann ad, "All these Viet Cong were shooting at me. I expected I'd be shot. When he pulled me out of the river, he risked his life to save mine."

On August 21, the campaign released the internet ad “Old Tricks” along with this statement: “A front group for the Bush campaign called "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" is continuing to spread their lies about John Kerry's military record. Their statements have been contradicted by official Navy records, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune and every man who served under John Kerry -- yet George Bush refuses to condemn their tactics. Through his silence, George Bush is approving their action. And Bush campaign officials in Florida are even promoting events for this front group.

Enough is enough. No matter what these Bush campaign shills now say, John Kerry's commanders remarked in 1969 that, "In a combat environment often requiring independent, decisive action, LTJG Kerry was unsurpassed." In fact, all of John Kerry's performance reports (available on our website) display an absolutely heroic record of service.”

On August 25, Max Cleland attempted to deliver a letter to George Bush asking “where is his shame to attack a fellow veteran who has distinguished himself in combat?"

So, why did Senator Kerry’s numbers begin to fall AFTER he launched his attack against the Swift Boat Vets. Interestingly, The American Enterprise magazine has this opinion “The media establishment finally took notice when Senator Kerry attacked you publicly on August 19.” O’Neill agreed.

I don’t know whether that’s true or not. I do know one thing though. As I was going through liberal blogs to find the references for this post, two things were noticeably missing. One was any reference to the agenda Kerry was laying out, which is a story for another day.

But the most important thing that was missing was gut level righteous indignation. What I should have seen was “We have sunk so low in this country that we are willing to denigrate a man’s war service, simply because he is a Democrat. Anybody who would do that isn’t worth the shrapnel in John Kerry’s ass.”

That’s all we should have heard then, that’s all we ought to hear now. Some things are sacred and a soldier’s honorable war service to our country is one of them.

http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?view=plink&id=1055

[blm]

43. Did Bush fight charges or did the RW media machine do it for him?

NOPE. Bush didn't have to lift a finger.

Kerry bested Bush easily in all 3 man to man matchups with Bush.

The RW media machine chewed up the left leaning and objective media on a daily basis. They showed discipline and stayed on message even when the message was a complete fabrication. The left journos were squashed daily because they didn't know how to get the truth out to overcome the lie machine, so they blamed Kerry.

The RNC's spokespeople did the same thing to the DNC.

And still Kerry won.

[whometense]

38. I still believe the

democratic party let him down. They left him out there alone to fight on his own. One man can only do so much, especially if he's trying to bring a message of hope. How was he supposed to do that and take doen those cheap thugs at the same time? He needed a democratic hit posse on the case striking back - and watching his. He didn't get that.

[seabeyond]

41. i was surprised more dems werent helping him out. n/t

[madokie]

24. If It can be said better I want to hear it.

[kerrygoddess]

35. Wading Through the River of Republican Corruption

Thank you Presstitutes for speaking up!

Here's the response from the Democratic Daily - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=728

[whometense]

37. Would it be inappropriate

if I said I love you??

Just posted it at my blog too: http://toughenough.org/2005/09/its-about-time-someone-said-this.html

Just wanted to add that as a Bostonian Patrick Healy made me tear my hair out all through the campaign. You could also add Joan Vennochi to your list of shame. And I'd go one step further and maybe commit liberal heresy by saying Maureen Dowd and Frank Rich belong there too. Writing the "right line" while sticking a shiv between Kerry's ribs.

[EVDebs]

39. Call it by name: Operation Mockingbird

http://www.mediareviewnet.com/Operation%20Mockingbird%20CIA%20Media%20Manipulation.htm

My favorite quote from this article is ""A high-level source told Bernstein, "One journalist is worth twenty agents.""

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

45. That is a great idea!

Thank heavens for media matters, crooks and liars, and the like.
But Operation Mockingbird is a real-life actual plan for using the media to corrupt the perceptions of the American public and keep them ignorant and uniformed.

I wish someone somewhere, and it could be a TV person,or a website, who could just record consistently all the various instances when they all chirp the Talking Points in unison on the same day or over several days. They look so foolish when you see six people who have never used the phrase "blame-game" use it on the same day.

[k j]

44. Sing it (eom)

[k j]

46. Tell me I'm not the only one....

who finds this information interesting, positive and helpful, as well as in part, an affirmation of the power of internet(s), and those of us here, to spread CORRECT and factual information, quickly.

Not to mention, create the narrative that is translated.

http://www.leichtmanresearch.com/press/081705release.html

Broadband Penetration Divided Into “Red States and Blue States”
37.5 Million Nationwide Subscribe to Broadband from Top Cable and DSL Providers

Durham, NH – August 17, 2005 – Leichtman Research Group, Inc. (LRG) found that at the beginning of 2005 broadband penetration of households in the US stood at close to 29% nationwide. Significant state-by-state disparities in broadband penetration remain, however. While these disparities are largely related to variations in household income across the states, these differences are strikingly similar to the state-by-state splits in the 2004 presidential election.

* Eight states had broadband penetration over 35% – all voted for John Kerry in 2004
* Eleven states had broadband penetration at or below 20% – all voted for George Bush in 2004
* Cumulative broadband penetration in states that voted for Kerry was 33% -– compared to 25% in states that voted for Bush

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