IT HAS HAPPENED.
We knew Sen. George Allen (R) ("Georgie") hired Chris LaCivita for a reason. You remember Chris. He, along with Bush New England campaign chair James Tobin, engineered the jamming of GOTV phones operated by New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D) in her 2002 senatorial bid. One person is already in jail. Tobin will follow soon. But no matter. Sen. John Sununu (R) won a close race. And winning is all that matters.
Chris was also involved with the Swiftboat Veterans for the Truth. Yes, those Swiftboat Veterans. My use of Swiftboating here is not just an attempt to rile people up to call you to action. It actually is Swiftboating by a Swiftboater.
There is a reason Sen. Georgie (R) hired Dick Wadhams. You remember Dick. He is Karl Rove's heir apparent. He dragged then Rep. John Thune (R) over the finish line against South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle (D) using every smear in the book. Osama. Saddam. Obstructionist. BTW, Sen. Daschle's (D) PAC, DASHPAC, is a supporter of Jim Webb's (D). Is there any wonder why?
There is a reason Sen. Georgie (R) hired Scott Howell. You remember Scott. He helped Dick in South Dakota. He also produced the Hitler ad (yes, that Hitler) for Attorney General Jerry Kilgore (R) in his campaign against then Lt. Gov., now Gov. Tim Kaine (D). The ad was so nasty, it turned a six point Kilgore lead into a six point Kaine victory.
That, and much more, on the trio are here courtesy of Jim Webb (D). Jim Webb (D) also expounds the danger of this trio here in a rally with Illinois Sen. Barack Obama (D).
For weeks now, Sen. Georgie (R) has been rightfully pummeled by the media. For that Dick cried foul. According to Dick, it's not like Sen. Georgie (R) used the N-word in a derogatory manner. Except... that... he... did... alot. According to Dick, it's not like Sen. Georgie (R) made an ethnic joke at the expense of an Indian-American. Except... that... he... did. According to Dick, it's not like Sen. Georgie (R) hangs out with the Klan. Except... that... he... does. According to Dick, it's not like he spits on people. Except... that... he... did... several... times.. And finally, according to Dick, it's not like he killed a deer, sawed off it's head, and then stuffed it in a mailbox of a black family. Except... oh... my... God... he... did.
Yet, during all this, with opportunity to pile on, Jim Webb (D) did nothing of the sort. Don't believe me? Let's see what Jim Webb (D) has been up to the past week shall we? On Sunday, he had a fundraiser with fellow "fiction" writers John Grisham and Stephen King emceed by Gov. Tim Kaine (D). You can listen to it here. My hearing is going, but I didn't hear any Macaca jokes. On Tuesday, Jim Webb (D) held a rally with former Sen. John Edwards (D) at Mary Washington University. Nope, no mention of n***. On Wednesday, the focus was on Iraq. You know. That war. And veterans. Sorry, the Klan didn't make the agenda. And yesterday, the focus was on Sen. Georgie's (R) support from Enron. Indeed, the only mention of any of these incidents by Jim Webb (D) was to (1) demand an apology for Siddarth, his volunteer, and (2) to show Sen. Georgie (R) has foot-in-mouth disease. Heck, Chris Matthews left him an opening THIS BIG on Hardball to pile on, but Jim Webb (D) refused. Don't believe me? Watch it here.
So, despite Dick's complaints, Jim Webb (D) has tried to run a painfully clean, issue based campaign. Just look at his agenda here. Even in Jim Webb's (D) ads, the focus has been on his background and criticisms on Iraq, only the most important issue of our day.
Yet, Dick doesn't care. He knows that Sen. Georgie (R) is watching his presidential, and even his senatorial, aspirations slip away. He got manhandled on Meet the Press. So what does Chris/Dick/Scott do when their back are against the wall? Simple. Like a cornered wild beast, they go negative, and go negative hard. Which has resulted in this truly despicable ad that completely distorts Jim Webb's (D) views on women in the military.
For past Democratic campaigns using "consultants," this would have been the end. As noted by kos, however, Jim Webb (D) is not your ordinary Democrat. No, as detailed in his book Born Fighting, for every punch thrown, he will throw two back at you. And throw back the campaign has. From their website:
George Allen's campaign continued their pattern of "slash and burn" campaign tactics distorting Jim Webb's record of accomplishment. The most recent ads, filmed at the behest of the notoriously negative campaign consultants of George Allen, contains "testimonials" given by three women, all with extensive political ties to the Republican Party. Jim Webb served honorably as a combat Marine, Assistant Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Navy. Jim has opposed the invasion of Iraq since before it started, he wants to help middle and lower class Americans achieve their dreams and force accountability on the Bush Administration.
This is partisan politics. Republicans attacking Jim Webb. Virginians are smarter than this, they will see through the distortions and Jim will win because he is right on the issues," said Webb campaign spokesperson Kristian Denny Todd. "I would expect Republicans to attack Jim Webb, their attacks are not news. This is a fight from 30 years ago that George Allen is determined to re-fight because he refuses to run on the issues. George Allen is a career politician who was a dude ranch cowboy while Jim Webb fought in Vietnam and he supports President Bush 97% of the time. George Allen knows he cannot win this campaign on the issues so his henchmen have resorted to smear tactics to steal an election."
Jim Webb tripled the number of billets available to women as Secretary of the Navy, the most in history. Jim Webb cracked down on sexual harassment as Secretary of the Navy. Nearly two decades after Jim Webb wrote his article, George Allen opposed the entry of women into VMI as Governor of Virginia. In his race for the Senate in 2000, George Allen opposed women in combat positions. In fact, George Allen's respect for Women is suspect, he was accused by his sister of hanging her over the railing at Niagara Falls instilling a permanent fear of heights, and dragging her up the stairs by her hair as a child. Jennifer Allen also has recounted stories of Allen hitting her boyfriend on the forehead with a pool cue, and Allen once spit tobacco on a female reporter. (Fifth Quarter, by Jennifer Allen, pgs. 22, 43, 178, Smyth County News & Messenger)
"Actions speak louder than words. Jim Webb's life is marked by service to his country. George Allen's life is marked by a pattern of bullying tactics that includes, but is not limited to the women in his life. He disrespected his sister, he hit her boyfriend and he spit on a reporter. This is not old news with George Allen, he continued his bullying last month when he bullied Sidarth," according to Denny Todd. "George Allen is desperately trying to distract attention from his record of outbursts."
The campaign then goes on to give a point by point refutation of everything said in the ad, including this:
Jim released a statement on September 13, 2006 outlining his continuing remorse for the tone of this 27 year-old article:
"I did not anticipate the widespread reaction to this magazine article, and to the extent that my writing subjected women at the Academy or the active Armed Forces to undue hardship, I remain profoundly sorry.< On the first occasion that I was invited back to the Academy in 1983, among my comments was a strong call for harmony among male and female midshipmen."
As Democrats, and as Kossacks, we cannot let another one of us be Swiftboated, especially one like Jim Webb (D) who is willing to fight back. However, Jim Webb (D) is not a natural fundraiser. Jim Webb (D) does not have the years in politics building up favors and bank accounts like Sen. Georgie (R). Jim Webb (D) does have a secret weapon, however. Jim Webb (D) has us. And we have done a great job, bringing in over 1 million dollars in September to counter exactly this. So, this is my pimping for Jim Webb (D) at the end of the month fundraising drive. Donate. Volunteer. Tell Sen. Georgie (R) that we're not going to take it anymore.