So today the RNC pushed out a press release falseley claiming that the DNC had used Iraq footage from Fahrenheit 9/11. The funny thing is, that was the more sedate of the charges as the first round insinuated that Dems had received it from terrorists (from Michelle Malkin, naturally). RNC Chairman of the moment Mike Duncan:
As you are already aware, and as has been widely reported, the DNC’s ad is troubling for at least two reasons. First, its message is factually false; the DNC is deliberately misleading American voters. Second, it constitutes an illegal excessive in-kind contribution from the DNC to its presidential candidates. Now the Republican National Committee has learned that the ad features footage from Michael Moore’s 2004 conspiracy theory, “Fahrenheit 9/11.”
Of course, the footage isn’t from terrorists or (even worse in conservative minds) Michael Moore. The footage is from an AP report purchased from Getty Images.
The funny/sad thing is the RNC and the con bloggers are more upset over where the footage may or may have not have come from than they are about the people and the party who have put our soldiers in harm’s way in the first place.
Again, here is the ad they don’t want you to see, from the folks at the DNC.
Note the ‘RNC has learned that. . .’ parallels the language in the Niger Uranium report ‘We have learned from the British that . . .’
It’s a way to launder any untruth into a talking point.
Nice work on tracking down the source of the clip, Oliver. How did you manage that?
In fairness, it does appear that Michael Moore must have used the same clip in the trailer for F9/11. If you can believe LGF, I mean.
Yeah, I know. That asks a lot.
I am absolutely delighted how wigged out the wingnuts are getting. It shows the “100 years” thing is sticking, and they’re afraid of it. Maybe we actually have a chance this time.
those idiots can work themselves into a rage over anything at all. They have nothing else.
Merl:
That is why we need to hammer back, and hard. The right wing has that echo chamber known as talk radio, we don’t. That is why groups like the DNC and the like need to counter this bullshit. Sadly, there are a lot of gullible people out there.
WOW! When the RNC has to twist itself into a pathetic pretzel like this, you know that ad had to HURT. Yayyyy Howard Dean!!
One of the Rethugs’ strategies this season is going to be to create as much media stir as possible so that George W. McCain can benefit from free media time. So they are going to use even the most retarded arguments out there just to get some exposure.
They know the Rethugs will believe anything they hear on FOX or Limbaugh.
But do we know where the AP got it? Maybe it’s all fake!!!1! Bilal Hussein!1! ZOMG!!
Note, of course, that the main response of the RNC is NOT attacking the basic message of the piece. Instead, they have to set up a distraction and go after that.
The DNC should respond to this by doing what Democrats are repeatedly pathetic at doing: Dismissing the RNC as foolish and Hammering on getting their own message out in front.
This kind of misleading ads are disgusting on both sides and will only backfire:
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/smear_or_be_smeared.html
These ads don’t effect the partisans on either side but when an undecided independent voter sees this ad and then hears what John Mcain really said they will turn away from the DNC. Use your brains!
“The funny/sad thing is the RNC and the con bloggers are more upset over where the footage may or may have not have come from than they are about the people and the party who have put our soldiers in harm’s way in the first place.”
Sorry for quibling details, but almost 40% of the Democrats in the House voted in favor of the Iraq Resolution. Over half of the Democrats in the Senate voted in favor of the Iraq Resolution. If your conviction is that someone who was a member of the Republican Party is responsible, or partly responsible for the Iraq War then you would be moving away from devisive commentary, and on toward something which makes more sense. After all, there are white Democrats, but I don’t blame whitey for slowly taking away my freedoms in return for supposed safety. Oh, and just a small point which should be made. Not all Republicans voted for that resolution, and for that matter none of the Independant reps voted in favor…something some dems were probably shocked by seeing as how being Independant or Libertarian is sometimes confused with being a member of the NRA. Those who support guns support war?
My Senator (at the time), Chaffee, was the only Republican to vote against it.
He has since left the GOP.
Soo.. Vinnny, you are claiming that Bush, the titular and de facto head of the GOP at the time was NOT the person most responsible for the illegal invasion and continuing occupation of Iraq?
That the GOP did not run cover for him after they gained control of the COngress in 2002 aND EFFECTIVELY SHUT DOWN EVERY ATTEMPT by Democrats to enforce the terms of the Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq??
Wow.
The Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of Military Force was not a Declaration of War. If it was a declaration of war, then it was/is illegal.
Your sincere concern is noted, Mark. The ad claims McCain said, “Make it a hundred. That’s fine with me.”
Now what was it he “really” said?
I’m with Sean on this one: The GOP has been playing these games for so long, and so successfully, and to such detriment to our country, that we have no choice but to fight fire with fire. And hammering on a out-of-context clip is but a small part of that. If it works, and it is, judging by the pissing and moaning, then I say keep it up.
To that end, who loves the new MoveOn ad? As much as I do, I mean?
Quaker in a basement, did you click on the factcheck.org link I provided and read it? These spin ads are ridiculous and counter productive on both sides. It would be different if it were an honest add that attacked his actual and complete statement. For example an honest ad would have played his whole statement and then said “John Mcain is delusional if he thinks Iraq can be like Japan or South korea….” The ad is implying that Mcain is “fine” with our troups dieing in Iraq which is just another example of harmful disingenuous spin politics.
Mark, did you answer my question? What did John McCain “really” say?
Ok Apparently you refuse to click on the link of factcheck.org that I provided above. So here is a excerpt:
DNC: We can’t afford four more years with a President who fights an endless war in Iraq. … On the war, McCain scoffed at Bush’s call to leave troops in Iraq for 50 years, saying “Make it a hundred!”
That of course is a serious distortion of what McCain actually said to a town-hall meeting in New Hampshire back on Jan. 3. His actual words are posted in a video on YouTube. Far from advocating “endless war,” he said the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq would be “fine with me” provided that they’re not being killed or wounded. Here’s the full quote:
You can read the full quote or watch the whole video. If the ad attacked his thinking that Iraq can become as peaceful as Japan or South Korea where we have had troops for over 50 years then it would be honest instead it’s a deceitful lie.
Yes, yes, yes, we’ve all seen the full thing, we know the context. It’s still batshit stupid. So, he’s not advocating “endless war”, just endless occupation. And said occupation would be “fine” with him if US troops are not getting killed. But is it fine with him if US troops ARE getting killed? We await his position on that, apparently.
If the ad attacked his thinking that Iraq can become as peaceful as Japan or South Korea where we have had troops for over 50 years then it would be honest instead it’s a deceitful lie.
It’s only a 30 second ad. Hard to delve.
Listen, I’m not a “wingnut”, I fact check ads from both sides and rarely are they even remotely honest and it’s tiring. Deceitful ads take away from real debate on real issues. Also:
“But is it fine with him if US troops ARE getting killed? We await his position on that, apparently.”
You are joking right? You are either very young or are so partisan you only hear what you want to hear. That’s like hearing someone say “I will only eat chocolate when it has nuts” and you say “ya but you haven’t said if you eat chocolate without nuts. …….Huh???
Dems do it once. Repubs do it 1,000,000,000 times.
Mark says they are both bad.
NO. It’s a matter of degree. If you fall into the “a pox on both their houses” mindset, you have just turned into the republicans best friend - an apathetic non-voter.
Laura Bush killed one person. Jeffrey Dahmer killed 17. Pol Pot is responsible for a few million killed. Are they all the same evil? Would you treat all three the same?
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As others have already noted, when the rethugs got nothin’ they aim to shoot the messenger!
“Dems do it once. Repubs do it 1,000,000,000 times.”
Wow was that insightful! I have news for you, they both do it almost everytime. The next ad you see on tv from either side go and fact check it. You should ignore these ads from both sides and by doing that does not make you an “apathetic voter”. These ads are made for the ignorant sheep (which is most of the electorate) that don’t take the time to actually look up the voting records and history of the candidates to see what they are really about. You should put a pox on all the special interest groups that produce these ads on both sides. Ignore them, stay off the extreme partisan websites and do your research. Look up the bills that the candidates voted for and decide which one voted more closely to how you would have voted. One of the “changes” the candidates are touting is crossing the aisle and working with the other side to get things done. Look up and see which candidates if any have any history of doing that in the past. If they haven’t done it in the past I dought they will do as president.