Joho the Blog
An Entry from the Archives

I also do not find the adds effective. I think the last few weeks in this race have taught us that it's time to fight fire with fire. I've had enough.

Now more than ever we need Moveon to attack the very foundation of Bush's campaign. Take the gloves off.

Some ideas:

Use Bush's own words agaist him - the various statements that Bush admin used in leading us up to the war about wmd - we know where they are, etc.. he lied

Uniter not a divider - now he has even managed to divide Vietnam am Vetrans.

Really explain the My Pet Goat case. I still think most Americans do not know that the Country under attack comment was for the second plane.

Use vetrans who oppose Bush to counter the Swift Boat slime - Let them speak about the difference between volunteering for 2 duties in Vietnam and the Texas Air National Guard - not even finihing his term

Oil prices and the fact that Bush continues to fill the Strategic Oil Reserve - I believe 100K barrels per day - talk about the US tax payers getting ripped off and paying too much to support his friends in big oil.

Talk about what will happen in the next 4 year if Bush is re-elected - America less respected - less cooperation in the war on Terror - no heathcare - Supreme Court packing - environmental degradation - stem cell ban - an even more divided nation - can we really afford it?

Compare the feelings of unity the world felt after 911 with the world today - it takes a great deal of ignorance and stupidity to have pissed all that away.

Have real Americans who have lost their jobs or thier insurance speak about what the Bush policies are doing to all of us...

I don't think there is any shortage of ideas here. It's time to take the gloves off!

Just run an ad with Bush reading "My pet goat"with no sound or comment..just the date and time let the talking heads do the rest.

I was a little disappointed, after seeing just one or two. But as I watched more, the cumulative effect they have is quite powerful. Just to say “I voted for George Bush and I feel betrayed” is an awfully compelling comment. The problem of course is that it’s difficult to distinguish the voices of “real” Americans from actors these days.

But I think the underlying concept of the ads is powerful. And it’s just possible that a campaign that airs many of them will be effective.

It’s not a substitute for fighting fire with fire – for using Ronald Reagan’s line against Bush. How many people in this country genuinely feel they’re better off today than they were 4 years ago? What kind of record does this man have to run on? I believe that still has to be the foundation of Kerry’s campaign.

I am a lifelong Massachusetts resident... To think that Kerry is the answer to this country's problems is totally foolish. I am unenrolled, but can't help but roll my eyes at who the Democrats have put forward Kerry as their candidate. What a joke... Its like Dukakis all over again...

I'm sure this link will be blocked, but if it comes thru, this will show how Kerry has voted over the past year... Can you see???? He hasn't!!! (well.. according to yahoo he made voted 12% of the time as of 07/22/04) My tax money at work... Thanks for nothing! If my attendance was like this, I'd be fired instantly...

No big surprise...

He also missed 38 of the 49 public hearings on the Intelligence Committee that he has been a member on for the past 8 years (give or take). I haven't heard that one mentioned too much. Big deal... who cares about intelligence anyways???

Well... maybe Kerry cares after all... He did criticized Bush about intelligence failures in Iraq in July. huh?

He also voted for the No Child Left Behind Act, which he and Edwards both criticized, but both voted in favor of... huh??? (flip flop central!) I'm going to have to send my kids to private school because of crap like this.

oh... ps - Bush voted for this crap too...

Thanks to our great politicians across the nation, schools across the nation will be lowering their standards to comply with this bill. Yipee!!!

Kerry voted in favor of the war on Iraq, and stated a few weeks ago that he would have still been in favor of using force against Saddam even if he had known at the time that WMD did not exist in Iraq... How does this jive with all you Bush haters who keep saying that Bush lied about the WMD's. Don't you get that the CIA was to blame???? Don't you get that if Kerry was in power the same thing would happen??? Duh!

Put the blinders on you Bush haters!

Now I see the pressure on Bush to denounce all these Swiftvets for Truth ads. What about the ads comparing Bush to Hitler? Talk about obscene... Can't seem to find these on the Moveon.org site anymore. Coincidence? hmm...

Ok, I'll say it right now, I am a Kerry basher. I've lived here my whole life, and I can't think of a single thing he's done for our state. (Except evacuate the city of Boston for the DNC)

In short... both candidates are awful. Kerry is not the answer!!! Bush is not the answer!!!

I can't advise you on how to vote, but in my mind, the man so many look to as the promise for the future is no better than the man you all hate soooooooo much.

ps - the public debt / baby boomer entitlement program will kill us all... germany 192x = usa 201x

Tsongas '96!

cioa!
-o185x

First of all, there was no link in the text you posted. As far as I can tell, it wasn't stripped out (because I see the full original text). You just didn't put it in.

As for MoveOn.org: Puhlease! They had a contest, inviting anyone to submit an ad. One person out of 1500 submitted an ad that compared Bush's Big Lie to Hitler's Big Lies. It wasn't a MoveOn ad. It's called free speech.

As for No Child Left Behind: They voted for it and then W didn't fund it. It's W's flip flop.

As for the rest: You're welcome to your opinions. Thanks.

I agree that we must fight fire with fire. if Kerry continues to take the high road, Bush will bury him. While I am sure that he wants to maintain his dignity, that is impossible against these guys. they always conduct a dirty campaign. It is much easier to just have a few insulting catch phrases than to try and defend an indefensible position. I like the idea about the book and the seven minutes. It was really powerful in Michael Moore's movie. Someone needs to take the gloves off and tell the truth about George W Bush. The man is a coward and the opeople need to know that.

DEAR MOVE ON.ORG  I ATTENDED A MONEY RAISER IN LAKE OSWEGO. OR FOR MOVE ON LAST NIGHT AND HAD A FEW IDEAS I WANT TO SEND YOU.      THE SWIFT BOAT ADS HAVE SHOWN THAN NEGATIVE ADS DO WORK.    I THINK THERE IS A LOT OF AMMUNITION FOR SOME NEGATIVE ADS AGAINST BUSH.   THE RASH OF RECENT BOOKS IS FULL OF FACTUAL INCIDENTS WHICH CAN BE GLEANED FOR SOME EFFECTIVE ADS.

THESE BOOKS ARE MOSTLY BOUGHT BY THOSE OF US WHO ARE ALREADY CONVINCED BUSH HAS TO GO.     THE BUSH BACKERS DON'T BUY THEM, AS I DON'T BUY THE PRO-BUSH, ANTI-KERRY BOOKS.

BUSH IS REPORTEDLY QUITE TESTY RE HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH KEN LAY----AND PROBABLY OTHER THINGS,  LIKE HIS HARKEN SALE.   IF ADS COULD GET SOME MEDIA NOTICE,   THEN RESPONSE FROM BUSH AND THE WHITE HOUSE IT MIGHT GET NOTICED BY PEOPLE WHO ARE ON THE FENCE...

HERE ARE A FEW SCENARIOS FOR SHORT TV ADS, FEATURING TWO ACTORS IN CONVERSATION---ALSO USING CLIPS OF BUSH ANSWERING QUESTIONS, IF AVAILABLE, AND MAYBE SOME FLASHES OF HEADLINES EMPHASIZING POINTS.
RE: HARKEN STOCK SALE

JOE:   YOU KNOW I ALWAYS DID THINK IT WAS A STRETCH TO THINK THAT BUSH DIDN'T KNOW HARKEN WAS HAVING MONEY TROUBLES WHEN HE SOLD ALL THAT STOCK AND MADE A BUNDLE.

BOB:   WHAT STOCK?

JOE:   YOU REMEMBER--HARKEN ENERGY.   HE WAS NOT ONLY A DIRECTOR, BUT ON THE AUDIT COMITTEEL

BOB:  NO KIDDING,   AREN'T THOSE PEOPLE SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHAT'S  HAPPENING IN A COMPANY.

JOE:    THAT'S WHT I ALWAYS THOUGHT, AND I READ THAT THE TROUBLES WERE BROUGHT UP AT A MEETING.

BOB:   YOU MEAN BUSH SOLD THAT STOCK KNOWING THE BAD NEWS ABOUT THE COMPANY-----ISN'T THAT WHAT THEY CALL INSIDER TRADING?

JOE:   SURE IS----AND THERE WERE QUESTIONS ABOUT BUSH AND INSIDER TRADING GOING AROUND ABOUT THIS DEAL AT THE TIME?

BOB:    WELL WHY DIDN'T THE GOVERNMENT LOOK INTO IT--- THERE ARE LAWS AGAINST INSIDER TRADING AREN'T THERE?

JOE:   THEY DID, BUT THE GUY WHO RULED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING TO IT WAS APPOINTED TO HIS JOB BY BUSH'S FATHER.

BOB:    MAN----IT  SOUNDS EVEN FISHIER.

JOE:   THAT'S WHAT I THINK----HOW CAN YOU TRUST A GUY LIKE THAT?

BOB:   SURE SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.    SAY  HOW MUCH MONEY DID HE MAKE ON THAT SALE

JOE:   I THINK IT WAS ABOUT $800,000

BOB:   NO SMALL CHANGE FOR MOST OF US

JOE:    MAKES YOU WONDER ABOUT ALL THOSE BILLIONS HE TALKS ABOUT BEING “OUR MONEY”---IS HE THE GUY TO BE RUNNING THINGS---TAKING CARE OF “OUR MONEY”

BOB:   SURE DOES

TWO ACTORS IN A CONVERSATION ABOUT BUSH’S ANSWER TO A QUESTION ABOUT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH KEN LAY

KEVIN:   LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE GOING TO NAIL THAT GUY WHOSE COMPANY TANKED AND TOOK ALL THOSE EMPLOYEES, AND STOCKHOLDERS TO THE CLEANERS

CARL:   YOU MEAN KEN LAY,   THE GUY RUNNING ENRON?

KEVIN:    YEAH, THAT ONE.   THEY OUGHT TO THROW THE BOOK AT HIM.

CARL:     I THOUGHT HE WAS A FRIEND OF BUSH'S.

KEVIN:   I THOUGHT SO, BUT WHEN THEY ASKED BUSH ABOUT YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT HE WAS HAVING TROUBLE REMBERING WHO IT WAS, AND AFTER HE ANSWERED YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT HE BARELY KNEW THE GUY---SAID HE WAS A SUPPORTER OF ANN RICHARDS IN THE RUN FOR GOVERNOR OF TEXAS.

CARL:    MAYBE THEY WEREN'T SO CLOSE AS WE THOUGHT, BUT I HEARD BUSH CALLED HIM KENNY BOY.

KEVIN:    THAT;S RIGHT. THERE WAS A LOT GOING ON WAY BACK IN THE 80'S,  A LOT WHEN BUSH WAS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS,   AND HE AND HIS COMPANY WERE THE BIGGEST CONTRIBUTORS TO BUSH IN HIS FIRST ELECTION----AND AS FAR AS LAY SUPPORTING ANN RICHARDS, WHAT HE DIDN’T MENTION IS THAT LAY GAVE HIM SEVERAL TIMES AS MUCH AS HE GAVE RICHARDS. WOULDN'T SURPRISE ME TO LEARN HE HAD EVEN VISITED THE WHITE HOUSE.

CARL:   NO KIDDING, AND HE REALLY GAVE THE IMPRESSION HE HARDLY KNEW HIM?

KEVIN:  SURE DID.  IT'S PROBABLY BECAUSE OF ALL THAT BAD  STUFF THAT  ENRON DID,    THE CALIFORNIA POWER MESS AND ALL,     BESIDES HE PROBABLY WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE CHENEY USED ON HIS ENERGY TASK FORCE.

CARL:     NO KIDDING---MAYBE THAT'S WHY HE REFUSED TO TELL US WHOSE ADICE HE USED TO MAKE THE ENERGY POLICY.

KEVIN:    NOT MUCH DOUBT IN MY MIND,  BUT WE'LL NEVER KNOW----EVEN THE SUPREME COURT SAYS THEY CAN KEEP THIS A SECRET.

CARL:    DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A VERY OPEN, ABOVE-BOARD SITUATION TO ME.

KEVIN:   ME NEITHER

SHOW CLIP OF BUSH LOOKING PUZZLED ABOUT WHO LAY IS AND HIS ANSWSERS.

TWO ACTORS DISCUSSING THE DEFICIT

JAKE:    YOU KNOW I JUST CAN'T HELP GOING BACK TO THE WAY THIS THING HAS FLIP FLOPPED---GOING FROM A PROJECTED SURPLUS TO A PROJECTED DEFICIT---BOTH PRETTY HEFTY NUMBERS.     DOESN'T SOUND GOOD
-----ISN'T THAT JUST A BIG DEBT AND DEBTS HAVE TO BE PAID BACK?

BILL:   SURE IS.    YOU KNOW----ACCORDING TO OFFICIAL ESTIMATES WE ARE LOOKING AT A 4 TRILLION DOLLAR DEFICIT OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS,  AMD THAT IS WITHOUT MAKING THE TAX CUTS PERMANENT.  IT'S WORSE THAN THAT-----THERE ISN'T ANYTHING FIGURED IN FOR SPENDING IN IRAQ.

JAKE:    WELL THEY SURE SHOULD FIGURE IN A BUNDLE FOR THAT.  HELL, WE STILL HAVE LOTS OF TROOPS IN EUROPE----THAT'S NEARLY SIXTY YEAR AFTER THE WAR, TROOPS WILL PROBABLY BE IN IRAQ FIFTY YEARS FROM NOW. REMEMBER THE OIL UNDER ALL THAT SAND.

BILL:     THE NMBERS ARE REALLY SCARY.    WE HAVE A DEBT RIGHT NOW OF OVER $5 TRILLION, AND AND WITH THE $4 TRILLION THEY "SAY" IS GOING TO BE ADDED TO IT MAKES ABOUT 9 TRILLION DOLLARS. I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE SUCH BIG NUMBERS---ALL THOSE ZEROS.    AND WE WILL HAVE TO BE PAYING INTEREST ON ALL THAT MONEY

JAKE:   THAT'S RIGHT  WE HAVE TO SELL A LOT OF BONDS TO SOMEBODY TO KEEP THAT DEBT FLOATING, AND  THOSE PEOPLE WILL HAVE TO BE PAID INTEREST.     TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT THE INTEREST ON 9 TRILLION WOULD RUN.    AT 6% IT WOULD BE 54 BILLION.

BILL:    NO KIDDING.   THAT'S EVERY YEAR

JAKE:   SURE IS,   IT SOON GETS TO BE THE BIGGEST ITEM IN THE BUDGET.

BILL:   SO,  JUST TO PAY INTEREST ON WHAT WE ALREADY OWE , WE HAVE TO BORROW ANOTHER 54 BILLION.

JAKE:   THAT'S IT--IT JUST GOES ON AND ON.

BILL:    SOUNDS BAD FOR OUR KIDS AND GRANDKIDS"

JAKE:    SURE DOES TO ME---AND TO THINK THAT BUSH TOLD HE HE WASN'T GOING TO PASS TODAY'S PROBLEMS DOWN TO OUR KIDS.

BILL:   MAKES ONE STOP AND THINK DOESN'T IT?

ALONG WITH THESE----SHOW CLIPS OF BUSH----IN ONE ABOUT LAY---FROM THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION ABOUT HIS RELATIONSHIP.  SHOWING HIM, LOOKING LIKE HE WAS TRYING TO THINK WHO LAY IS:

RE THE DEFICIT-----SHOW HIM PROMISING NOT TO PASS OUR PROBLEMS TO FUTURE GENERATIONS

TWO WOMEN GETTING READY FOR A POTLUCK IN A CHURCH KITCHEN

SARAH:    ANN,   WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS BUSINESS OF GOD PLACING BUSH HERE TO RUN OUR COUNTRY AND TO FIGHT THIS WAR.

ANN:    WELL,   WHO KNOWS?  BUT WHAT WORRIES ME IS THAT WE AND THE PEOPLE OVER THERE IN THE MIDDLE EAST HAVE THE SAME GOD WE HAVE,  EVEN IF THEY BELIEVE IN MOHAMMED AND WE BELIEVE IN JESUS.   BUT WAY BACK TO THE ROOTS OF OUR BELIEFS AND THEIRS IT IS THE SAME GOD.

SARAH:   THATS RIGHT----AND THEY BELIEVE GOD PLACED THEIR LEADERS THERE TO FIGHT THE WAR AGAINST US.

ANN;     SURE DO----SOUNDS LIKE A RELIGIOUS WAR TO ME.  AND THAT'S THE WORST KIND OF WAR.

SAHAH:   ANOTHER THING THAT BOTHERS ME IS THAT THOSE OF US WHO DON'T SUPPORT BUSH ARE SORT OF MADE TO BELIEVE WE ARE GOING AGAINST THE WILL OF GOD TO NOT SUPPORT THE PERSON GOD CHOSE TO LEAD US.      IT'S GETS REAL SCARY TO ME.

ANN:  IT SURE DOES.     MAKES YOU THINK THE PEOPLE WHO CAME OVER FROM EUROPE AND FOUNDED OUR COUNTRY HAD THE RIGHT IDEA TO KEEP RELIGION OUT OF GOVERNMENT.

SARAH:   WELL, THEY WERE PRETTY SMART---HAD A LOT OF COMMON SENSE.  HEY, MAYBE THEY WERE PLACED HERE BY GOD TO START US OUT RIGHT.

ANN: COULD BE.  GETS A KINDA CONFUSING DOESN'T IT WHEN YOU   START THINKING GOD SENT DIFFEENT PEOPLE HERE TO DO DIFFERENT THINGS..

TWO ACTORS TALKING ABOUT SADDAM HUSSEIN---WHY WE WENT TO WAR AGAINST HIM.

JACK:   I THOUGHT WE WENT TO WAR BECAUSE OF THE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION  HE HAD.

JIM;    WELL,  THEY SORT OF CHANGED THINGS UP--YOU KNOW, SINCE IT HAS COME OUT THAT THERE WEREN'T ANY WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION,  NOW IT IS BECAUSE SADDAM IS A BAD---EVIL MAN---HE EVEN USED GAS ON HIS OWN PEOPLE.

JACK:   THAT WAS A REALLY  BAD THING.  I REMEMBER SEEING SOME PICTURES OF BODIES LYING IN THE STREETS    AFTER THEY HAD BEEN GASSED.

JIM:    YEAH, THAT'S SURE RIGHT, BUT THE FUNNY THING IS THAT THAT WAS A GOOD WHILE BACK, AND YOU KNOW,     BUSH'S DADDY KNEW THIS AND SOMEHOW IT DIDN'T SEEM TO MATTER AS MUCH THEN.  WHY HE WAS EVEN GIVING AID TO SADDAM ALMOST TO THE VERY DAY SADDAM INVADED IRAQ.

JACK:   NO KIDDING,      WHY DIDN'T THEY FEEL THE SAME WAY THEN ABOUT WHAT THAT EVIL MAN WAS DOING.

JIM:   DOES MAKE YOU WONDER DOESN'T IT

Being very upset at the elder Bush's laissez-faire about the Swift-Boat for "so-called" truth veterans, during his last interview with Paula Zahn, I sent the following to Paula.

Dear Paula,

When the elder President Bush was counseling potential truth in the Swift-Boat detractors scam, seeming so only due to their numbers and their stature; I was hoping it might occur to you to ask him if he might think it worthwhile to personally contact them. He has the stature to do so, if only he, from the calling of a most senior civil servant, felt the responsibility to be adamant that truth be served and not trampled in the interest of politics.

I remember the oft repeated special you aired about the elder President Bush’s World War II escape from a burning plane he piloted. I remember, a long time ago, discussions where it was being intimated by others that he abandoned the plane prematurely – thus leaving the other two crew members to an almost certain death. It would be almost impossible for them to parachute from an aircraft that was out of control. Could the intense remorse that he expresses in the special have originated from guilt pangs? This may have precipitated a syndrome of avoidance, where its simply better not to know.

Eugene S. Yankura
East Hanover, NJ

Why did we not see a Kerry ad or a Moveon ad on the battle ground states..Denver, Col- Cinncinatti, Ohio Monday night football game tonite??