February 09, 2004
See no evil...
Political Consultant Moby has some ideas on how to make sure Bush loses in 04:
"No one's talking about how to keep the other side home on Election Day," Moby tells us. "It's a lot easier than you think and it doesn't cost that much. This election can be won by 200,000 votes."
Moby suggests that it's possible to seed doubt among Bush's far-right supporters on the Web.
"You target his natural constituencies," says the Grammy-nominated techno-wizard. "For example, you can go on all the pro-life chat rooms and say you're an outraged right-wing voter and that you know that George Bush drove an ex-girlfriend to an abortion clinic and paid for her to get an abortion.
"Then you go to an anti-immigration Web site chat room and ask, 'What's all this about George Bush proposing amnesty for illegal aliens?'"
Meanwhile, John Kerry's spokewoman, Stephanie Cutter, has her hands firmly over her ears:
'I doubt that Moby was suggesting anybody suppress the vote', she said, despite the fact that that is exactly what Moby is suggesting. What a populist! Let's make sure some opinions don't get heard, then maybe our guy can win.
Via The Note
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Oh, so Moby can't say that, yet conservative pundits can use similar tactics all over network and cable tv?
Posted by: PAUL at February 9, 2004 12:12 PMPaul, I know I'm going to ask you for an example and then you're going to backpedal and end up taking back what you said, so, this time, I'm not even going to bother.
Posted by: Kashei at February 9, 2004 12:15 PMI'd like an example.
Posted by: scott at February 9, 2004 12:29 PMI will watch some TV and see what i can come up with.
Posted by: PAUL at February 9, 2004 12:36 PMDid you know John Kerry joined a rock-n-roll band to get women? On Fox News.
The Christian conservatives, the moralist and feminist are now poisoned toward Kerry.
It's not the greatest example but it took 10 seconds to find.
Give me a couple of hours and a pen and I could do better.
This is one I have been seeing a lot on TV lately about Kerrys stance on the Vietnam War.
Did you know John Kerry was openly anti-war during the Vietnam War? How dare he be against the war while our boys were still over there dying?
How are my examples any different than what Moby said?
Posted by: PAUL at February 9, 2004 12:50 PMNo matter how often Moby gets beaten up, it's never enough.
Finish the job!
Posted by: Radical Redneck at February 9, 2004 12:51 PMPaul, I'm sorry, I've got to run to a meeting so I won't be able to explain to you how LYING about Bush getting a girl an abortion is different from Kerry actually protesting (proudly!) the Vietnam war. Maybe someone else can jump in (and also explain how Christian Conservatives can't really be described as Kerry's base).
Posted by: Kashei at February 9, 2004 01:40 PMOh you didn't say Moby was lying. That changes everything. So Bush didn't drive a girl to get an abortion?
Okay my posts are as stupid as I originally thought your Mobys posts were. (if Moby is lying)
Posted by: PAUL at February 9, 2004 01:59 PMI'm gonna have to disagree on this one. Discouraging the other side's base is a completely valid tactic, and it's already used by both parties. When Republicans target ads at black voters, ideally obviously they're hoping to sway people, but more pragmatically the goal is to keep blacks who couldn't stomach voting for the GOP from voting at all. I've definitely read about this, I could find a link if need be... alright, here's one. Of course, lying is no good. But Mr. Melville isn't expressing anything truly outrageous.
Posted by: Yaron at February 9, 2004 02:03 PMBesides the abortion thing, that is.
Posted by: Yaron at February 9, 2004 02:07 PMMoby reeks with the kind of zealotry that can be found on all sides of the political debate. This kind of negative campaigning is bullsh*t, but I am pretty sure that the left don't have a monopoly on it.
Posted by: Bobby at February 10, 2004 08:27 AMYou want examples? Karl Rove, who called McCain "reprehensible" and "shameless" for having paid for calls made to voters during the 2000 campaign criticizing Bush for his connections with Bob Jones University, would put Moby to shame:
During the 2000 campaign, he and his operation used "push polls" to spread false stories inclidng that McCain cooperated with his Vietnamese captors, that McCain fathered a black daughter out of wedlock, that his wife abused drugs, and that he was a homosexual.
"Hello, ma'am. Would you be more or less likely to vote for Senator McCain if you knew he [was a homosexual/fathered a black child out of wedlock/was married ot a drug abuser/was a narc for the VC]?"
Moby is just a whiny little boy. Rove uses his power for evil.
Posted by: Rick Blaine at February 10, 2004 09:02 AMYeah, like the Democrats in the last election in Louisiana calling people and telling them that Bobby Jindal is a hardcore Muslim with terrorist ties (despite him being American born to Indian parents).
The McCain stories were never proven nor corroborated by the McCain campaign. It's just part of the insanity that the left lives in when it comes to Bush.
For fucks sake. Can't you just accept that an arsehole is an arsehole, and that no side has a monopoly on them. The story about Jindal is believable enough, but is no less corroborated than the McCain one. Furthermore, could you tell me straight that no one in the Republican party would look a "gift horse" of an Indian, and therefore Muslim looking candidate in the mouth ? Of course not ! Some zealots would do all manner of disgraceful things in the name of the candidate and the party ! It is the nature of politics to attract a fringe of uptight dogmatic weirdos.
Posted by: Bobby at February 10, 2004 12:21 PMPeople who are absolutely convinced of the righteousness of their cause scare the hell out of me, because the tempation to do "whatever it taks" can be overwhelming.
Posted by: mark at February 10, 2004 12:32 PMBobby, the difference is that if Republicans did it, it would be front page news and wouldn't leave the CNN cycle for a week.
Posted by: Kashei at February 10, 2004 12:52 PMA Republican with a persecution complex ? The world is turning upside down ! Gotta get out of this weird place for now.
Posted by: Bobby at February 10, 2004 01:00 PMRelax, it's all parody.
Posted by: Rick Blaine at February 11, 2004 12:38 PM
