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Fight the Smears

Cello Man said:
I think this site is a good idea, personally. As flawed of a candidate as Kerry was, I think his biggest mistake is that he took a lot of crap lying down. The right wing would throw some accusations here and there, and it would take weeks before Kerry or someone on his campaign would address it in watered down terms.

I say kudos to Obama for being proactive about fighting disinformation.
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He definitely should have showed some fire in his belly over the swift boat ads. When he went on Jon Stewart and Jon basically prodded him over, he did a poor schtick instead of using the time wisely.

He should have acted how McCain would have reacted in the same situation. A few f-bombs and a thousand yard stare.
 
corplinx said:
He definitely should have showed some fire in his belly over the swift boat ads.
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Perhaps I shouldn't say it of Kerry, but I don't think he had any fire in the belly on the issue, and I think that is why the swift boat ads worked against him. Kerry trumpeted his war veteran past, and I would not dream of berating the quality of his service. I thought the swift boat ads were quite disgusting. However, they worked precisely because Kerry didn't know how to respond to them. He was portraying himself as a war hero who had proudly served his country, risking life and limb in service, even in a war he had opposed. Be that as it may, he didn't really believe that in his gut. When people questioned him on it, he didn't know how to respond because there simply wasn't the moral outrage that you might expect from someone who portrayed himself as he did.

That's what Obama must watch out for in his response to current and future smears. He has to show not just that the smears are false, but that he cares about them. For example, the Republicans will try to paint him as an elitist. That will be hard to counter because he is an elitist. I've seen politicians, including Kerry, fail to realize the true nature of the charges against them, and in the process, affirm them instead of denying them.
 
DaChew said:
I agree. I mean, who cares what his brother OR his cousin, Raila Odinga http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7176683.stm, get up to?
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You think that link has any substance to it at all? The first sentence is:

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga has said he is a cousin of US presidential hopeful Barack Obama.
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Basically, that's it. Oh, and maybe a few phone calls. Maybe.

I've heard DaChew is a cousin of Idi Amin. So clearly, DaChew is a butcher.

Nice post, DaChew. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
 
Meadmaker said:
I was never taught to put my hand over my heart during the National Anthem, much less salute. I stood for it, but the hand on heart thing was to signify that you were taking a pledge, not singing a song.
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I always stand and take my hat off as a sign of respect. It's one of the few times my hat will leave my head; that and when I sleep. It's a symbol of what America stands for, or if you'd prefer due to present administration should stand for, to a lot of people.
 
Ignoring rumors and smears in the hopes they would pass did John Kerry absolutely no good, in fact it may have cost him the election. I'm glad Obama isn't making the same mistake but I hope the campaign is prudent in how far they go with it. Anyone who has used the internet is well aware that an entire lifetime wouldn't be enough to dispel a fraction of the ridiculous crap that gets circulated.
 
SezMe said:
You think that link has any substance to it at all? The first sentence is:



Basically, that's it. Oh, and maybe a few phone calls. Maybe.

I've heard DaChew is a cousin of Idi Amin. So clearly, DaChew is a butcher.

Nice post, DaChew. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
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Gee, I think I said "who cares". And actually, it's not "maybe", it's at least once:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1574963/I'm-Barack-Obama's-cousin-says-Raila-Odinga.html

If you had heard from Idi Amin himself that I was his cousin, you might have a basis for comparison. I'll need to see a link though just as I provided. Otherwise, your post, while it is a very, very nice post, is nothing more than a personal attack. Isn't it SezMe?
 
varwoche said:
Seeing as the snippet (can't really call it an article) doesn't actually quote the brother, nope.
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Well, I guess you'll just have to listen to the entire interview to find out exactly whether the J Post's portrayal of what Malik said is factual. Let me know how that goes.
 
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SezMe said:
Nope. It is, however, a rather harsh criticism of a rather idiotic post.
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No, actually, your comparison is what is idiotic. Raila Odinga said he was Obama's cousin. That's the link I posted. If you don't like what Raila Odinga said, I invite you to contact the BBC and the Telegraph and let them know. You should probably also let Robert Gibbs know how disappointed you are that he confirmed Raila's phone call with Obama which proved you have no idea what you are talking about. Maybe ?

I'm still waiting to see the link, like the one I provided, that shows that Idi Amin called me his cousin. You know, the one that might make your stupid comparison at least a little relevant?
 
DaChew said:
So you recognize that your hearing a rumor (or making one up) doesn't even begin to compare to the Prime Minister of Kenya stating that he is the cousin of Barack Obama.
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Idi Amin, President of Uganda, stated that he was "Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas". However, his claims of suzeranity may not have been entirely accurate. Politicians, eh?

Why are you arguing that Odinga is Obama's cousin anyway? He may be, for all I know, but what do you hope to achieve?
 
Dr Adequate said:
Why are you arguing that Odinga is Obama's cousin anyway?
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I'm not. I'm arguing that that's what Odinga said.

He may be, for all I know, but what do you hope to achieve?
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This thread is about the site that Obama's campaign has established to fight smears. I've pointed out two (if you read all my posts you'll see this) involving Malik Obama and Odinga that they may want to look into.

My posting of these two news items seems to have ignited some odd visceral response from some people. You'd have to ask them why that is.
 
DaChew said:
I'm not. I'm arguing that that's what Odinga said.
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And what is your motivation for doing so?

This thread is about the site that Obama's campaign has established to fight smears. I've pointed out two (if you read all my posts you'll see this) involving Malik Obama and Odinga that they may want to look into.
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Where are the smears? None of the articles you've posted contains anything derogatory to Obama.

My posting of these two news items seems to have ignited some odd visceral response from some people. You'd have to ask them why that is.
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Perhaps they are as irritated by your pusillanimous vacuity as I am.

Where's the darn smears? Why should it bring eternal shame on Obama that his brother (or, quite probably, the Jerusalem Post) says that he has a Muslim background (something that I believe we knew) or that the Prime Minister of Kenya claims to be his cousin?
 
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Dr Adequate said:
Where are the smears? None of the articles you've posted contains anything derogatory to Obama.
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Malik reportedly said that Obama would be good for the Jews. Some people might think that's a smear. (not me, of course) And if Malik or Odinga are not actually related to Obama, well, lying about someone also can be considered a smear.

Why should it bring eternal shame on Obama that his brother (or, quite probably, the Jerusalem Post) says that he has a Muslim background (something that I believe we knew) or that the Prime Minister of Kenya claims to be his cousin?
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As I posted: "Who cares what his brother or his cousin get up to?" My posting of those two news items really has touched a nerve.
 
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