McCain Astroturfing: To Depress Turnout of Democratic Demographics

[tishaLA]

From Wikileaks--they cannot attest to its veracity, but you can read their analysis of it at this link

The document, dated May 15, 2008, and denied by the McCain campaign team, presents a memorandum written "S. Schmidt", possibly Steven Schmidt, a senior McCain campaign advisor. The document details strategy designed to covertly exploit and increase rivalry between followers of the Democratic Party candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. If genuine it appears that it was sent to a wider McCain campaign team group which focussed on internet based campaigning.

According to the memo, conflict between Clinton and Obama has created a possibility, on the event of an Obama nomination, to "depress the turnout of key Democratic demographics in November".

To reach voters consisting mainly of "white, female voters over the age of 40", a strategy has been worked out, based on newly tested "lines of attack through independent pro-Clinton communities on the Internet", "local 'meet-ups", and similar means.

The document identifies three points believed to "resonate well" with the demographic and which it hopes will weaken Obama's growth following Clinton's loss of the nomination.

1. Sen. Obama’s connection to Rev. Wright
2. His inexperience
3. His links to the corrupt Chicago political machine ...

Please read the entire document in .pdf form, here

[FrenchieCat]

1. Thank you.

McSame is more of the same, isn't he?

In other words, he's a great big phony!

Can't believe anything he says.....just like the rest.

But I knew that.

[cliffordu]

2. Yep. Me too.

[slinkerwink]

3. Now that's interesting!

[AllentownJake]

4. So confused

Are they getting off a Clinton conference call or a McCain conference call. So hard to tell which troll it is when they appear. Two types of trolls same goal.

[FrenchieCat]

5. Meaning Zero tolerance....

IT if types like a troll, it is a troll. just use the good ol' (((((FREEPER ALERT!))))) as your alert comment, when you sniff one out.

[Elspeth]

6. McCain's campaign isn't stupid. If he picks a moderate female VP (Snow)

he could take a lot of older white women with him. This is why I am telling you Obama folks to make nice. You need the votes of women Dems. You can't win without them. It's not a threat, folks, it's a reality.

[slinkerwink]

7. Exactly, and it's why Clinton has been working hard to blame Obama for FL and MI

to antagonize her supporters to go over to McCain.

[Elspeth]

9. That's not why she's doing it. She wants those votes, that's all.

And Dean was unwise to count them out.

[slinkerwink]

12. I'd have to disagree with you on that. She only wanted the votes when they mattered.

She said that it was clear the MI primary didn't count for anything, and she signed the pledge not to campaign in Florida because it was an illegal primary.

[Warren DeMontague]

24. Was he more or less unwise than Terry "The Rules Are The Rules" McAuliffe, in 2003, when he

enforced the same rules around primary scheduling?

[eagertolearn]

26. I seem to remember a recording of her agreeing to those rules...n/t

[AllentownJake]

8. This idea

that Obama supporters are not playing nice outside of the internet boards I don't understand where its coming from.

Its a new talking point suddenly. Obama nixxed the idea of a counter protest to the MI & FL protest on Saturday outside the DNC how much nicer do you want?

[Elspeth]

10. Jake, you're a nice guy

But I have to tell you that just seeing the Obama supporters on this board has been an eye-opening experience. I am not including you in this, but look around. And it's not just limited to this board.

I have seen some nice, reasonable Obama supporters, but most of them seem so overly emotional, almost non-thinking at times. It quite frankly scares me. It's too close to demagoguery.

However, as a good Dem, I will vote Dem. But you may lose a lot of women thanks to the behavior of Obama's followers.

[Spazito]

15. deleted my original question after seeing your thread...

it tells me I already know where you are coming from and it isn't pretty.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6153647#6153665

[FrenchieCat]

13. Grown ups have to vote for their interest or vote for vengence....if they feel so compeled.....

I won't give a damn.

Just as long as they don't cry later when those RW judges are seated on the bench.

If they love Hillary to the extent of being martyrs, then they actually deserve to become Anti-Choice Neoconservatives.

[Bread and Circus]

16. Do you honestly think what we "Obama supporters" say and do here makes a wit bit of difference?

I agree with the "being nice" part, but it goes both ways. And honestly, the Democratic party working class needs us eggheads more than we need them. After all a lot of the elite liberals really don't need the programs that we seek to enact for the benefit of all, however the working class and poor folks do, especially older working class poor, women, and children. But somehow Hillary got this all twisted around so that we are somehow not "real Americans" nor do us "activists" count.

But hey, if McCain overturns Roe v. Wade, it's going to affect poor women the hardest and folks like me the least.

Don't bite your nose off to spite your face.

[Warren DeMontague]

23. The day the GOP puts someone pro-choice, like Olympia Snowe, on the ticket

is the DAY I EAT MY FUCKING HAT.

No, really. I will eat it, and post a picture of myself eating the hat.

I don't even have a hat- I'll go buy the biggest fuckin' hat I can find, some Bobby Seale Barbecue Sauce, cook and eat that sucker.

Because it won't happen. NOT GONNA HAPPEN.

You're deluded if you think Hillary is going to get the nomination, you're deluded if you think she's more "electable" than Obama, but you're REALLY, REALLY, REALLY deluded if you're so out of touch with who-controls the GOP as to think that they would ever let anyone remotely friendly to Roe v. Wade within 50 light-years of that ticket.

[Thrill]

11. Fall for it if you want. They're laughing at your ass

[Duke Newcombe]

14. Is it just me...or does this "memo" have that faint aroma...

...of the "Willie Lynch" memo regarding subduing the black race?

If anyone is capable of putting this memo out, it would be our friends on the right of the aisle, but has this been verified/authenticated?

Duke

[tishaLA]

18. I addressed this at the top of my posting

It has not been verified and wikileaks posts both the pro and con sides about its possible veracity.

[Duke Newcombe]

19. Thanks for the answer. n/t

Duke

[woolldog]

17. So basically GOP operatives

are using places like Hillaryis44 and Hillaryclintonforum as places to seed GOP propoganda to weaken Obama?

[DangerousRhythm]

25. Yep, and they're falling for it, hook, line and sinker.

It's a damn shame. We need to work together to stop McBush from winning.

[Warren DeMontague]

20. Are they paying people to post, too?

Maybe McCain's checks don't bounce. :shrug:

[Warren DeMontague]

21. Pay no attention to the fact that John McCain will appoint judges who will outlaw the pill.

Looky! Over there! Obama hates Women!

:eyes:

[highplainsdem]

22. I've been a Democrat all my life, and a member of DU for several years.

I couldn't care less about Reverend Wright, but I am concerned about Obama's lack of experience and his links to the Chicago machine.

And I believe this alleged memo allegedly from the McCain camp is simply intended to create more divisiveness among Dems by encouraging them to believe that anyone who does have doubts about Obama has to be a GOP operative.

Of course the GOP is trying to exploit divisiveness. And it's why a unity ticket is more important than ever. Even though the more extreme partisans on both sides can't stand each other.

I'd like to win a GE for a change, not waste time sniping at each other.

But I won't pretend I'm not worried about what the GOP might use from Obama's background. And I won't pretend that I believe Obama is the stronger candidate. I think the GOP wanted to run against him.

But it looks as though he'll be the nominee, and I'm planning to vote for him. I just hope he's really aware how much support HRC has, and why she should be on the ticket.