To all those who need reminding about how long the GOP playbook has been in use: Swiftboating

[Hekate]

Senator John Kerry is a war hero who came back from the war to oppose it, and entered public office at a young age. He was an excellent Senator.

By the time the GOP was done with him, half the country believed he was a cowardly liar.

Anyone want to help with the list? Take that person's strength and twist it beyond recognition. Keep pounding away until even Dems start to believe it. (Gore's brilliant mind = boring)

VP Al Gore

Gov Howard Dean, MD

Pres Bill Clinton

Sec of State Hillary Clinton

Pres Jimmy Carter

C'mon, I know you can do it. Just remember all the negative memes that have gotten lodged in your brain -- and how by now you are willing to believe "that's why they lost."

Stop peddling RW memes and start having the backs of our Dems.

[guillaumeb]

1. Recommended.

Very well said.

The GOP would not use this tactic if it did not work. It worked as recently as 2016, and quickly reversed a very favorable opinion to unfavorable for an experienced politician who was running for President.

We know that many voters admit that they do not pay much attention to politics until late in an election year. And these voters are the ones Trump and the GOP seek to influence.

Edited to add: this was my piece dealing with the same topic:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287295506

[bobbieinok]

2. Remember the constant lies about Gore

Even yrs later a student referred to Gore as a serial liar!!

[catrose]

3. Gary Hart. He didn't even know the young woman in the photo with him.

And now we have President Puss Grabber, whose base doesn't care.

[Hekate]

4. Ouch. I just read the whole story this year, I think. That was a more elaborate take-down than...

...the one that got us VP Pence, though it also involved a "malfunctioning motor."

I liked Gary Hart. I ended up thinking he was a damn fool, for years -- then finally the story comes out: a proposed day-trip on a boat not named Monkey Business. A last minute change to the boat named Monkey Business. An unplanned trip to an island. Girls, girls. "Broken" motor -- spend night on island. Girl he didn't even know plopped in his lap for a photo. Result, end of promising presidential run.

[MustLoveBeagles]

7. So it was a set up?

I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

[Hekate]

8. Yes, it was. And the media loved it. And we fell for it.

It made me sick when I learned the real story.

[Beartracks]

9. Wow, I have *never* heard this before!!

I thought Republican cheating started with Newt and the impeachment circus in the 90s.

Edited to add: But maybe that's just when I started paying attention.

=======

[MustLoveBeagles]

11. The Gary Hart thing is a suprise to me too

I knew about Lee Attwater and his rat fucking during the 80's but I didn't know until today that he planned the Monkey Business debacle.

[MustLoveBeagles]

10. I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to it at the time

I was a kid then. The story I heard is that he had an open marriage (at least on his end) and that his wife was okay with it, so I didn't see what the big deal was. I thought it was no one else's business but theirs. It turns out that wasn't the case at all. What grave injustice to a good man.

I'm so infuriated by what's happened to our candidates. I put the lion's share of blame on the media for what happened to Howard Dean.

[CTyankee]

5. I just saw a tv made movie about that whole thing...

his downfall was daring the press to "follow him around."

It was a sad story. What a waste of talent.

[catrose]

6. I think it was Lee Atwater who set the whole thing up.

When he was dying, he went to Gary and apologized. Gary was kinder than I would have been.

[yaesu]

12. and all of that with the help of network news pushing the propaganda. nt

[mountain grammy]

15. Yep, corporate network news..

in it for the ratings.. They've made a fortune off trump.

[ritapria]

13. You are a very good writer

[Hekate]

16. Thank you -- very kind

[ProudProgressiveNow]

14. KR NT

[not_the_one]

17. Unfortunately we democrats don't have a plan..

other than reach across the aisle to a party that spits in our face, "compromise" away the basic tenets of the party platform (big tent philosophy of it being ok for red state democrats to be anti-choice, anti-gay, anti-immigration, etc)...

Yes, I understand the realities of trying to get elected in a state of knuckle-dragging neanderthals, but maybe we should concentrate more on running democrats who can make the case and convince the k.d.'s to vote in their own best interest.

The republicans have been focused for decades, starting locally, electing the dog catcher, the school board member, ALL local races. They concentrated on state offices so they could control state legislatures, which allowed them to draw the district boundaries that allowed the gross gerrymandering that now allows them to control the legislatures even when the democrats receive way more votes the they do.

Howard Dean had a 50 state strategy. The democratic party allowed him to be, literally, run out of the party by one enthusiastic scream, which was just an attempt to be heard over a the din of an auditorium full of exuberant supporters.

Our game plan doesn't need to use lies, distortions, conspiracies. We have the truth, which in this case is WORSE than the lies, distortions and conspiracies.

But that plan can't come from the ground up, it must come from the party leadership.

THEY are the ones that have failed us.

THEY need to provide us the path (OTHER than more of the same..., and that is NOT a dig at Biden).

WE will do our part by voting.

[liberalla]

18. I always remember the brooks brothers 'riot' as a dirty trick

which worked beautifully for bush/cheney... kavanaugh was one of the rioters.

[Peacetrain]

19. Amen to that!!