Lee Atwater is the spiritual father of the "cult" attack currently

[chieftain]

being waged against those of us who support Barack. Lee taught the RW the value of attacking an opponent at his/her point of strength thereby turning an asset into a liability. Gore is a man of profound intellectual curiosity, so the RW noise machine whispers about how odd it is for a grown man to actually believe that the earth is heating up. Poppy calls Al "Ozone Man" to underscore how ridiculous it is to care about global warming. John Kerry is a certified war hero. Not a problem for the twisted minds of the GOP. Bush's people fund a group to spew lies that John is really a coward who deserted his comrades. It matters not a whit that there is no truth to the memes, because the corporate media will run with anything without the most rudimentary fact checking.
So now there is a new phenomenon in American politics. A brilliant, young liberal Senator emerges to paint a vision of our nation that excites the young, intrigues independents and reinvigorates those who hoped in the past , only to see our leaders taken from us too soon and too violently. The entrenched interests know that this new movement must be blunted and the weapon to be used is to characterize Obama as a new age Svengali and those of us who support him as mindless kool-aid drinkers who must be dismissed as a force because we are too young, or too impressionable or proto-fascists waiting for a leader.
I don't know whether this bullshit has been spawned by the GOP because they would prefer to face Hillary or whether Mark Penn is the source. But I do know a swift boat attack when I see it. Let me say this to my fellow Obama supporters. Call us a cult if you will. Belittle our motives and suggest we are naifs. We don't care. We will help Obama reclaim America from the thugs and fools who have besmirched our great nation for the past years. I for one am proud to be an Obama Cultist. Who is with me?

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. No Obama is the "spiritual father " of this one I'm afraid.

[AX10]

4. As you said!

:thumbsup:

[rpannier]

2. Fascinating

I've been alive for 45 years and this was around long before Atwater.

[BeatleBoot]

3. Brilliant?

A $ 25 Billion dollar give away to Big Oil is Brilliant?

Voting FOR Dick Cheney's Energy Bill is Brilliant?

I don't think so, sunshine.

[chieftain]

10. Why the " sunshine" ?

[alphafemale]

5. I'm thinking Rove is probably behind it. There is no doubt the repugs want to face Hillary.

We've already seen they have no same. I just never thought that so many Dems would join so eagerly in the echo chamber.

[mitchum]

6. It's the same tactic that was used against Edwards...

a now rich man concerned about the poor = phony
articulate = slick talkin' lawyer
good looking = fop

turning a strength into a perceived liability is indeed a tried-and-true gop tactic

[newmajority]

7. Lee Atwater and Satan are the parents of Mark Penn

and Karl Rove is his fraternal twin brother.

[Yossariant]

8. Yeah, TIME's Joe Klein = GOP's Lee Atwater. Brilliant analysis.

:rofl:

[chieftain]

12. Glad you got a laugh. My point is that the MSM is a willing

conveyor belt for this nonsense. But if you want to be part of a Joe Klein cult, have at it.

[Yossariant]

15. Yeah, he's such a Clinton fan.

:rofl:

[chieftain]

17. Damn, you are easily amused. Most of the lies about Gore

came from the liberal media. Its a recurring pattern. The current day practitioners of pseudo-journalists don't dig up stories they print what their sources tell them. Klein is a prime example of the state of news today. But if you want to defend him so be it.

[Yossariant]

18. And if you think the media has been hard on Obama and easy on Clinton, you're delusional

like a cultist, like Obama's wall-eyed fans.

As in fanatics.

[chieftain]

19. And when did I say that? I think the media is biased against

all progressives and the boys locker room atmosphere at MSNBC where Hillary is concerned is both sophmoric and stupid.

[Yossariant]

22. Look, if you're going to start being rational, there's nothing further to discuss.

BUT :) the media is just looking for a close race between the Democrats and Republicans for ratings purposes. They don't give a damn who wins --whether it's a D or an R.

And, truth be told, looking at the Democratic primary turnout, it's going to be a blowout.

So they attack the Democrats to make it appear to be a horse race.

McCain is Bob Dole, finally getting his turn at the nomination.

[chieftain]

25. I've been rational all along. We just happen to disagree

on who ought to lead the Democratic Party in 2008. The tendency of either side of this argument to question the motivation, intelligence or emotional stability of opponents has led to the significant diminution of civility on this Board.

[Dogmudgeon]

9. The Obama team is REALLY upset over the "cult" criticism

I think it's safe to add "thin-skinned" to the list. Just like William Donohue, and the Church of Scientology.

When you get a couple thousand people in one place chanting slogans, it makes some people a little nervous, not because it's some kind of golden future in the making, but because it resembles part of a bloodstained past.

"Obamania" has only been on the Salvation Train for a few weeks. Get off that train while there is still time.

--p!

[elixir]

11. Swiftboating doesn't look anything like this. Obama isn't ready for primetime.

[Mojorabbit]

13. I think you might have a point

Obama does have policy positions well described on his website and he has articulated them in debates to some extent(at least as far as can be done in that kind of venue). This does smack of political bashing. I realize many like me are pretty cynical these days but he does have a way of inspiring people and that is a great power. If he uses it for the good of the people he has potential of being one our best presidents. If he squanders it, well...
I think both would be fine presidents but he does have the advantage of not having a lot of baggage.
We will see what happens. I like it that people feel they can believe. I am not able to do it for any politician. I am too old and jaded but I did feel that way about JFK once upon a time.

[Clintonista2]

14. Obamanation went cultish the day Obama supporters created the term "Obamanation"

to describe themselves.

[Whisp]

16. how the spirit of democracy and feeling like you are being counted...

that there may be some meaning to your vote and support to change the corruptness....
has turned into a kool aid cult?

:rofl:
yes, irobot, I will vote for the same old Ministry of Keeping Things The Same. - the Bush/Clinton sameness. I will adore the dynasty, I will give up the questions, I will submit.

[faithfulcitizen]

20. Really, and I thought it was "Bidenista"?

:)

[MirrorAshes]

21. well, it is awfully good kool-aid

lets not discount the level of refreshment being offered here. its a new day in america, with new flavors you can really get excited about. who's got my official Obama "members only" jacket? then it will all be complete.

[MirrorAshes]

23. to be serious though

my snark undermines an important point i actually want to make... I think what you are seeing here is the pre-emptive strike on not a cultist, but an ICON. That is perhaps what the right fears most--a true movement, a revolution, a generational shift that could last for decades. Think about what they'd have done to FDR, JFK, or RFK in a modern context. And, of course, lets not ignore how they have deified Reagan. If there is a cult in politics today it is clearly the Reagan worship. They want him to remain the defining political figure of our era, and Obama is knocking at the door, as Mercury Morris might put it. He's in the neighborhood, and its got to scare them to death. Not a cult, just a movement led by a modern icon. Its the right's worst nightmare.

[Hieronymus]

24. Excellent post. Mark Penn has followed in the footsteps of Lee Atwater ..

and Karl Rove.
Lee Atwater, as he lay dying, begged forgiveness and even became a Catholic.

[chieftain]

26. We Catholics believe in Redemption , but there may well be

an extended stint in Purgatory for Lee.

[Samantha]

27. You and I are thinking exactly alike on this subject with one minor

exception. The minor exception involves the second to last line in your last paragraph. I believe we should entirely rebuff the "cult" label, even when used lightly. I think the impact of the cult meme being spread through the South to the Southern Baptists will be devastating. Many of them rejected Romney simply because he is a Mormon. A person with "cult" connotations will totally be repelled by the Religious Right, particularly the Bible Belt.

As you were posting this last evening, I was drafting something very similar into the night. I waited to post it until this morning because I knew I had to clean out some of the more provocative lines. I hope you might take a minute out and read my thoughts on the subject and let me know what you think:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4478860#top

One of the thoughts I omitted was to ask to whose benefit will this derive if the "cult" stamp is permanently affixed to the Obama campaign, and who is low enough to conceive of such a vile ploy. I definitely had a specific person in mind but did not name him since I have no evidence. It is true, however, that the Penn is mightier than the sword!

Sam

[chieftain]

29. I just recommended your post and will post there as well.

I take your point and think there is much merit to your suggestion. I focused on the tactic of attacking an opponents strength but not the power of the accusation of cult like behavior. Your post definitely explains how devastating the meme could become if not refuted or defused. My idea was to rob the attack of its power by embracing it, there by trivializing it. I still think that is the better approach but you have made me rethink the proposition. Thanks for your reply and thank you for your thoughtful and important contribution to this discussion.

[K Gardner]

28. Excellent post.

[ShortnFiery]

30. Wake up people: The machine that Bill Clinton built (DLC) is Republican-lite FILTH for CRONIES!

:thumbsdown: