ATTENTION: The Right Wingnuts don't need a reason to smear our candidate. They'll make one up.

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

If you're naively basing your decision upon which candidate is more immune to right wing 527s and ad hominem attacks, you've forgotten the lesson of swiftboating. The swiftboaters attacked unfairly and without any basis in fact. There is no such thing as being immune from this shit--or less vulnerable to it--simply because of a candidate's personal history.

The right wing smears will be merciless, sexist if necessary or racist if necessary. They'll portray Clinton as a "crazy bitch" or Obama as a "crazy n-word." They'll attack Clinton's record and Obama's record with full intent to distort. They'll bring up Clinton's "shady" associates and Obama's "shady" associates. There'll be NO actual truth from which to depart on these attacks.

If you're interested in what form these attacks will come, you should also look beyond these pre-vetted "revelations" from the democratic primary and look at your candidate's absolute strengths. John Kerry was a war hero, so that's what they swiftboated.

The smears we've seen already are nothing compared to what's coming and will have nothing to do with reality. Those coming smears reside in the Machiavellian imaginations of the far right. I believe those imaginations are completely capable of concocting equally sinister smears for either candidate.

I'm an Obama supporter, but I'm fully aware that his ability to transcend the trash will be put to the test. I also know Clinton's history is pre-made to plug-in new smears from the Right. They've been peppering their own constituency with Clinton-bashing for years. But I don't think much of what we blog or even what our candidates or their campaigns say about each other now will be nearly as relevant later this summer when the attackers won't be concerned with standing even on the smallest particle of truth before launching their missiles. For a number of reasons I believe my candidate can emerge from that barrage as president--but he won't emerge unscathed. Nor would Clinton. I also think there are a number of other issues which hold Clinton down--but of course I would think that; I support Obama. The point is, though, that nothing we know of our candidate's personal histories or record can predict attacks that will have nothing to do with reality.

[anonymous171]

1. Just remember how we chose Kerry b/c he was "untouchable"

How wrong that turned out to be.

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

10. zactly

[theredpen]

2. Hear, hear

K&R

[TwilightGardener]

3. Our candidate will never be bulletproof. The only way we'll win is if

the candidate AND a unified party fights back more effectively in the general election. That means taking control of the media and the message, not allowing the GOP to define our candidate, and DEFENDING our candidate vigorously, instead of acting timid.

[Nitrogenica]

4. Exactly. If you say, for example, that someone is angry and unhinged enough, everyone will believe

Then the target of the attack, who was not angry, gets angry about the unfair assault, and everyone points and says SEE...HE'S ANGRY. TOLD YOU SO!!

It is childish, every bit of it.

It is amazing to me the discourse we have had with the righties over the last several years. It's completely juvenile behavior that gets everyone acting like 8 year olds, even those who are delivering our news.

[mrcheerful]

5. Thats just how wing nuts and conservatives act normally

childish. They are jealous of someone who is getting something they feel entitled to, they hate anyone who knows more then they do and its all boils down to their belief that the world revolves around them like a kid. If you ever make the mistake of debating one, when facts come out that they can't spin it resorts to attacks on a personal level, thats childish. They are so busy trying to find faults in others they neglect to see their own faults or simplely say they have no faults. Again child like thinking.

[BenDavid]

6. Kinda like the lies spread by the Obigot08 campaign about

HRC......

[Nitrogenica]

7. There are freepers on both sides name calling to get us to fight with each other.

FYI

Try to be objective, please.

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

8. did you say something? what's that buzzing noise? SNIPER BULLETS!

[Arkansas Granny]

9. You are exactly right. The test will be how our candidate stands up to these attacks,

because we know they are coming. I think the effect the SBVT had on John Kerry's campaign has only shown them the efficiency of such attacks.