Forget 527s - It's MEDIA CONTROL...

[Junkdrawer]

527s could end tomorrow and the RW sliming will continue. The Swift Boat Veterans for Bush is NOT a story about 527 groups.

Their "media buys" had NOTHING to do with how they made it into the media. Using Drudge, Talk Radio and the Cable News, the book alone would have been sufficient to get them into the mainstream.

The big story this election is how fringe groups spouting demonstrable lies can command hundreds of hours of free press using RW Radio and Cable News. The left has no such counter channel and MUST raise big bucks to BUY media time.

[Junkdrawer]

1. Kick

:kick:

[Skidmore]

2. Remember, this is stuff is the media's bread and butter

so they have no reason to report faithfully news of any sort. This regime is good for their bottom line as long as they play according to the rules set for them. Remember also, the FCC is controlled by the Rs as well. There is no incentive for the media to do otherwise. The owners are just as corrupt as the politicians.

[Triana]

3. Exactly...

...and I have to wonder if the MEDIA charges the Left orgs twice as much for airtime, too...

the PROBLEM isn't 527s. The PROBLEM is the f*cking MEDIA.

[Karenina]

4. Feed the "contoversy"

Fatten the Ratings!

It's all part of the "Jerry Springerization" of public discourse.

[Junkdrawer]

5. If all they had was "media buys" about 0.01% of voters would have seen...

the ad and their "book" would be fertilizing Richard Scaife's roses.

The 527 "media buys" are both a fig leaf to cover biased reporting, RW editorial control, and an attempt to close off the 527 channel for liberals.

[ItsMyParty]

6. This is how the media is leveling the playing field of the huge

Dem 527's and piddly Repuke 527's. They are taking any repuke 527 and giving it a billion dollars worth of free publicity, treating it like the gospel truth, and starting weeks of debates over lying slop. Then they laugh all the way to the bank with their big salaries. We never can buy enough ad time nor schedule enough press conferences to outdo the 'favors' they are bestowing in the Bush's. It's not the 527's, it's the media using them to promote Bush.

[Junkdrawer]

10. Exactly....

If they gave the Swifties any more money, that would have been the story.

[PA Democrat]

7. I wonder how many times these swiftboat ads were shown by the media as

"news" coverage as opposed to the number of times they run as actual commercials paid for by the swiftboats veterans 527 group.

I live in a swing state and never saw these ads on TV except in "news" coverage.

[Junkdrawer]

8. I believe it was three states...

and I'd be surprised if they were shown more than 10 times in any state.

Compare that with probably thousands of showings on FOX, CNN, MSNBC and now ABC, NBC and CBS.

As they say, you can't buy that kind of coverage.

[Junkdrawer]

12. Check this OpenSecrets link...

http://www.opensecrets.org/527s/527events.asp?orgid=61

[PA Democrat]

13. Swiftboat Vets have spent only $60,000

and yet have gotten MILLIONS of dollars of free air time under the pretext of "news".

Thanks for the link Junkdrawer.

[LizW]

9. Profound post

You speak the truth, Junkdrawer.

:kick:

[Junkdrawer]

11. Thanks

:kick:

[Junkdrawer]

14. Kick

:kick:

[KoKo]

15. Absolutely! It's about "ratings, advertising bucks and approval from the

corporate masters. They are no more interested in "journalism" BWAHAAAAAAAH...than...well as far as their "back wallet" can throw them.

:puke:

[tom22]

16. Every Kerry spokesman who goes on the air

should be saying just one thing: Take down the swift boat ads Mr. Bush. for once in your life show some personal integrity. Take down the swift boat ads!

[Junkdrawer]

17. I think it's beyond that. I think this story had a trajectory...

that was planned months in advance.

Book will be written on this one.

Doctoral thesis in journalism will track this one.

This smear is one for the ages.

[KoKo]

19. Are you saying that books will be written that Dems were blindsided on

this? How could they have been "blindsided." Kerry DID make the Dem Campaign about "I am a War Hero...I can lead America better than Bush."

When it imploded on his "Campaign Op's Heads" what did they do? They pulled a "Daschle." Wringing hands and saying: "No FAIR! Bush is a DODGER...We don't need to answer these attacks because we have the "high road."

Kerry walked into this...and his "Ops" let him. They let Kerry down and don't deserve the money for their salaries that those of us who donated to Kerry gave them to fritter away on their "misguided strategy." These folks didn't serve us...or Kerry by their...well IMHO...HEINOUS actions that allowed their candidate to be trashed just as Gore...who used many of the same "Ops" got TRASHED and VILLIFIED...And yet with millions of Americans and DU'ers thrown out on the streets with "Downsizing, Outsourcing" and "all the rest" ....Kerry's "Ops" get a pass...because the Bushies are using "corrupt stuff to get around the laws and trashing them on this "Swift Boat" thingy?" GIVE ME A BREAk! If Kerry "Ops" didn't see this coming then they are dumb, stupid...fucking out of touch idiots...and just come over to DU and hire some of us... We could make mincemeat of Malkin and Coulter and the rest of those "Androgenous" who keep spreading their lies, disinformation and work for the "Shadow Government."

:puke:

[Junkdrawer]

21. I think we agree, more than we disagree...

Yes: This was planned since Kerry won Iowa.

- and -

Yes: Kerry should have seen it coming.

The "books" I'm think of would be about: "How did a group of RW vets get to control the political dialog for an election 24x7?" And that book would mostly examine the RW editorial control of the media.

Now, as for what to do, Let me just say: The best defense is a good offense.

[KoKo]

22. Agree....yes, indeed...the best defense is a good Offense...sort of rule

#1 and in this age of Campaigns as Sports Events...one would think the "Big Guys" would have sorted that out on the Dem side.

Hey...I really don't get into sports...but even I hear enough to figure if the Sports Guys say that...then how can I argue...it must be truth..
:shrug:

[depakid]

18. Actually- that's only 1/2 true

yes, the left does have to make media buys- and the campaigns themselves on every level, local, state and national do too.

However, just as important, as you imply, is that the left needs to be media savvy. They need to understand the nature of controversy (however crass) and use it to piggyback their messages- both logical ones AND emotional ones.

I'll give you all an example of something I notice right here on DU. Whenever there's a PETA post- you'll be certain of at least 2 things.

1. Many if not most people will be polarized on their opinion of PETA and/or their methods;

2. The thread will almost have tons of replies.

And you know what? People do end up reading about the issues and (speaking only for myself) finding things that they might not have thought about before. Not that it changes anyone's views on PETA- or necessarily even the issue at hand.

But that's not the point....

To counter the obvious bias in the broadcast media- to even get coverage, it's a given these days that controversy is as good as currency- and media savvy people know that coverage- and repetition, however superficial- is more important to wide segments of the audience than depth of thought. Hell, if the last 4 years have taught us anything, it's that a complete idiot can say the most nonsensical things- and his surrogates can bluster, distort & lie and yet still hold sway among TV people in multiple demographics.

Before I get an overdose of cynicism, I'll close with another example- reality shows. The networks believe that they are popular. I'm inclined to disagree, but only because I can imagine more interesting programming that would be much MORE popular. But for now, the game is the way it is- so it makes sense to play it better, win, and then change the rules once we deal the hand.

[BeFree]

23. Heard on ABC

The talking heads say "This is a long way from over". You're correct depakote_kid, they milk controversy til it's dry.

However, this whole mess, will, in the end, turn out to be a major plus for Kerry. The pukes will be shown to have taken the low road - just as Kerry claimed they would - and Kerry's requests to the * to disclaim the ads and have them stopped, will make the pukes look bad. The * is in the hole no matter how ya look at it, and I have a sneaking suspiscion that the networks will milk it for all it's worth.

An added point is that Kerry has been getting attention from the press and his story is being told, one truth at a time. Maybe Kerry's people had this planned all along?

[Eric J in MN]

20. Good point (nt)

nt

[Junkdrawer]

24. Thomas Oliphant sums it up...

...
Discerning voters will notice that the more reputable organs of the national press have not cast doubt on Kerry's Vietnam service. That is because political attacks on it don't pass the smell test. We are influenced by eyewitnesses, not by people whose stories keep changing or are contradicted by official records. We are used to arguments over things like war records, but the burden of proof is with the accuser and Kerry's accusers cannot shoulder it with the credible evidence required of credible stories.

But there's another way in now. Raise some Bush buddy Texas money, create a TV ad, hire a right-wing loony to put together a smear book, and cable TV producers desperate for shouting matches are happy to oblige. The result then gets recycled into the serious press because "questions" have been raised about Kerry's record that couldn't survive a minute under traditional standards.

....
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/08/22/smear_by_veterans_may_hurt_bush?pg=2

[Junkdrawer]

25. Morning Kick

:kick:

[KoKo]

27. And, this snip from the Oliphant article goes to the heart of DU arguments

we constantly have on whether Kerry should attack or should have attacked more... Seems Oliphant concludes that Kerry should ramp it up? :shrug:

snip...

Kerry may have been nicked some at the margins by all this while he was responding via surrogates the last few weeks. Raising the profile of the smear, as well as confronting it directly and putting it at Bush's door, is overdue in the view of some Democratic Party operatives, a risk in the view of others. My own guess is that the higher the profile of this mess the more it looks like the smear it is, and the more it risks boomeranging on the president.

As happened to O'Neill in 1971, the best counter to him today is the serious press attention that his group fears most.

[Triana]

26. that's what I been sayin...

...all along