Kerry Launches Obama-Helping Anti-Smear Website

No stranger to being submarined by attack ads and smear campaigns, Sen. John Kerry is set to launch an online effort that will work to protect Barack Obama from suffering the same fate.

On Wednesday, the Massachusetts Democrat's political action committee will launch TruthFightsBack.com, a website that encourages voters to flag and counterattack smears when they see them.

The site, in its nascent stages, signals a recognition that character and political attacks -- even the most outrageous -- all contain an inherent capacity to go viral and cause electoral ripples. Already, the Obama campaign has launched a counter-smear site of its own, titled "Fight The Smears."

Kerry's effort will be slightly different. The Senator won't print "the attack" directly alongside "the truth." But he will, according to Kerry's Internet Director Brian Young, put more emphasis on the attacker and allow the site's directors to decided how best to combat the attack.

Much of the campaign is drawn from Kerry's own experience in 2004 and the parallels he sees to the current campaign. As a media advisory notes: "From the hard negative turn of the McCain campaign to the return of fringe author and smear merchant Jerome Corsi, from the millions of dollars of attack ads promised by the rightwing group Freedom's Watch to the emergence of many organizations focused on attacking Democrats in individual races, we've got our work cut out for us to make sure 2008 is not a replay of 2004."

Comments

[moonwatcher]

I received an email from a relative in the Midwest informing me that Obama is a Muslim who was going to take away all citizen's guns. I wrote back and told her that this was untrue. She is a Republican but I doubt if she believed me. I told her I was an Obama supporter. My mother also received a similar email from an Idaho relative. I doubt that these people would have voted for a Democrat anyway but I think that Obama should address these lies head on with perhaps an interview. It would also be nice if some of
his childhood friends and teachers as well as colleagues in the Senate refute these lies.

[nellie]

People can be so willing to believe these extreme ideas, while the truth has a hard time getting through. Thanks for helping to let the light shine in.

[Saxton]

A web site is not enough, we are talking about the low information voter who will not go to a web site to get the facts. What has to be done is that the info has to be in their face and the best way is through hard hitting ads and the media. Ads the democrats can do, but getting the media to be more objective is where we have an uphill battle.

[nellie]

You're spot on. Television is the real battleground. And that's a tough one. Usually, liberal and progressive voices can't even get on television. And even when they do, they're overwhelmed by the corporate voices pushing lies 24/7.

CNN was such an amazing network when it first started. We need a new CNN, on that has a mission. The Real News (http://therealnews.com/t/) is working on a cable news station that is subscriber supported. That's the way we need to go. But it's a long road. And it's expensive.

For now, ads seem to be the only recourse.

[joeyp404]

Isn't this like asking the kid who got beat up in the school yard to defend you in a fight? It's all about image.

[NYC07]

No this is like the kid who was beat up in the school yard , who then went and took the Charles Atlas approach , became a body builder and went back to the school yard to kick some serious A$$.

[nellie]

Kerry has learned. And he is taking the lesson to heart. Good for him. Good for us, too.

[wendynyc]

The Repulsicans have character assassination down to an art form.

Between Rush and Sean and Billo and Mary M and Laura and Ann and Karl etc etc -then there is Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman and John Fund and all the rest - they get their talking points from the RNC and then their team just gets into action - where do the democrats stand a chance.

Unless they start playing dirty as well - they are not going to win elections. This is too important an election for the Republicans - what with two - three Supreme Court justices coming up - do you think they are going to let it get away.

No way - this is just the start -
Everyone get ready to work really hard if you want to take back your country!!

[justwaitandsee]

Isn"t Jerome Corsi the same man who was caught up in sexual affair with Mark Foley, seriously Google it.

And Mary Joe Matalin, the woman that James Carville said you had to get drunk so you didn"t have to focus on how ugly she was when having sex with her.

And Karl Rove and the never talked about secret relationship with Scooter Libby; have you seen Karl Rove wife.

The Hypocrisy of these Rethuglicans and their private secrete affairs; if they want to write a book that will sale you could start with these three things. The truth is always a greater story than the pack of lies they print.

[kellygrrrl]

is there really anyone left who hasn't made up their mind?
I'm sure some people are saying they haven't decided yet, but honestly, I cannot imagine that is true

[cminri]

I wonder that myself. How can anyone be undecided at this point? The candidate are so vastly different in every single way. Makes no sense.

[RedKnuckles]

Believe it. There are many that are undecided. I talked with a friend today who is undecided, but I think I have her seriously leaning toward 0 bama.. Let's not assume...

[polaris12]

I wonder if anyone is doing opposition research on this slime master, Jerome R. Corsi who has published a book with Mary Maitlin called Obama Nation. He claims to have a Ph.D. from Harvard. I wonder how he got it, by mail order? Are we going to have another season of neocon lies spread by the lowest scum in the Republican party? When will the Democrats really fight back?

[obiter]

Please visit:
http://www.amazon.com/review/product/1416598065/ref=cm_cr_pr_hist_1?_encoding=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar

"Recommend" the 1 star ratings for the book "Obama Nation" by Jerome R Corsi. Add your own review too. Let customers really know what this book is really about.

[boogygran]

Thanks for the suggestion, I added my 2 cents worth

[bish66]

Nice gesture, but absolutely useless. Who cares about a website? People who want to read the smear will not look for arguments against it. People who do not believe the smear will not believe the smear.

=> waste of time and money. But still a nice gesture

[polaris12]

You are right. A website by itself will do nothing. There has to be serious opposition research to expose the frauds like Corsi and to destroy their credibility, if they have any.

[justwaitandsee]

I am sorry to say but John Kerry has been great for Senator O. He shut down Liebermann on MTP; he also shut down a Rethuglicans on Race to the White, which would means they probably won"t invite him back being that he doesn"t fit into their propagandas driven format.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPwSvHDvWi0>

[Tulka2]

It is impossible to be this effective about on's own fight. Obama needs good men like Kerry. This clip makes me wonder, "Where were John Kerry's surgates?"

[Tulka2]

Alas, in this campaign it shall be necessary to attack as well as defend.

McCain is not an honorable man in his personal life nor in his professional life. The American people are not going to hear it from MSNBC, CNN, FOX nor from any network news source. Why is an interesting question, but more immediate is the need for jerry-rigged, home-made, information attacks. It's up to us, partisians! At least till they close down the internet. Keep it cool, keep it true.

[missjabez]

Good for John Kerry. He's a loyal Democrat.

[liseworks]

He's doing what Bill should be -
B owes the Democratic Party just as much as it owes him for the "yacyac 8 yrs. etc." -
The aftermath of his job is to make sure we get our Dem nominee in the WH -

I give him an F for effort.
I'd like to see him expelled for poor, disruptive attitude.

[Destin]

I agree with your statement too, and a shame the Clinton's did NOTHING to help Gore, or even come to Gore's defense during the contentious Florida recount days, hehe. They did nothing to help Kerry, or say anything about the Swift Boaters. It's as if the Clinton's only cared about themselves, and that was it. Other than Bill thinking of Bush Sr as his dad, instead of say, someone like a Carter. ;)

[pakaal]

Let's hope he has more success fighting smears against Obama than he did defending himself....

[TrooAmerican]

Barack is suffering the same problems that plagued Kerry during his run.

Kerry's reaction to personal, baseless attacks was to smugly dismiss as trivial, immature
(but he didnt realize much of the US populace is trivial & immature and dismissed them assuming the "intelligent" americans would just see through the attacks & not believe them) = lost.

Barack - same thing. He's repeatedly refused to acknowledge the attacks, dismissing them in the assumption that people wont listen to such things. He's wrong. The evidence has been piling up while the republicans have "Defined " barack in terrible terms to independants that were not paying attention until the GOP launched these childish attacks.

The problem is that both these guys are Smart. They ARE our nation's Elite. They SHOULD be running our country. And they surround themselves with similar people...why wouldnt they?

The problem is that much of the nation is a bunch of Obnoxious Racist, Beer drinkin drunk binging, pot smoking weed heads, sucking down 4 bratwursts, a bag of doritos & getting online to their favorite Cam-girl.

Unlike Kerry and Obama, those Americans, dont enjoy an afternoon in the library of Congress reading up on the legal history of constitutional powers of the President.
Neither does Bush, he hired GOP versions of Kerry & Obama to do it for him.

So thats why much of america thinks they're "elitist" & "out of touch". Americans give a huge Backlash against Highly qualified, Intelligent, thoughtful, polite, considerate, gentlemen with a penchant

[bish66]

Ain't it nice to have a large set of clichés and prejudices about your fellow Americans?

I don't think that Obama has ever been in the library of Congress since his student days. Maybe on an official guided tour.

For me, he is elitist and out of touch, because, for the second time this year, he is off to an exotic location for fun and relaxation. First a week over Easter on the Virgin Islands, now 9 days on Hawaii. I had my last vacation last September and gas prices really hit me hard. If I had my own campaign air plane...

[Stace]

HELLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOO MCFLY! What the fruck is so exotic about HAWAII??? Especially when you're FROM THERE??? He was born there for heaven's sake. His grandmother still lives there. So because he went back to his home town to vacation and not to mention to visit his aging grandmother he's an elitist? GET A CLUE - seriously!

[obiter]

Do you have a 3rd strand on the 23rd chromosome?

No offense to people with d0wn syndr0me, but it is McSame that owns a private jet - and was recently at an exclusive country club, with Bush I and his $520 Ferragamo loafers.

And if McSame wins, I can't wait to see how petrol prices weigh down on you. Your ilk deserve it.

[grumpygranny66]

Bish66:

Perhaps' you would be able to take a vacation in an exotic place, if you cut back on some
of the things TrooAmerican mention in the previous post and stop whining.

Barack can't help if he was born in Hawaii and have relatives there.

Why didn't you get upset, when McFool takes off and go on a vacation at one of his seven homes. Now there's an elitists. In-case you are not aware Barack has only ONE home.

So don't envy him for taking a vacation he deserves it. He ran a brutal Primary for (18) months without a vacation so, if he wants to go to the moon and back he is entitled to.

If you want to go on vacation in a campaign plane run for Prez. If McFool can run for Prez. so can you.

[acharles]

What good is a website ? Smear only work for stupid people who probably don't use the internet. They should put fliers in packs of Bud. A website is just preaching to the choir. These other people who haven't decided yet are basically lazy & are not going online to find answers. Put up posters at strip clubs, you'd have better luck.

[liseworks]

I don't quite agree as I think he gets an "A" for trying - but what you wrote is funny LOL !!

[snobama]

loser kerry -- hoping to be the vicarious president ...

[whatt]

let me guess, you voted for bush and will vote for mcbush, way to go stupid,