I'm seeing a common thread in many diaries where people are scared to death about the power of the media to distort the truth and push forward lies that are potentially very damaging to our candidates. There is a ring of legitimacy to this worry. In addition, I believe we're seeing the real danger that is showing its ugly head where deranged loonies are taking the messages and acting out violently.
This is not a concern diary wanting Barack Obama's campaign to change its tactics to deal with this. I like his way of doing things.
This is about more than one campaign. We need to get the backs of all honest people that are struggling in politics. I think I have a plan.
Years back, a relative of mine went through a horrific divorce. His now ex-wife turned out to be the ultimate in evil, a mother that forced her children to tell lies against their father in order to paint him as abusive. Now this guy is the perfect father. At parties we'd find him off in the "kid's room" playing video games with the youngsters. He is soft-spoken, responsible, and would never lift a finger against a child or woman in anger.
She set him up with a carefully staged stunt where she jumped on his back and, as he tried to get her off, she began screaming about him hitting her. She told the kids that if they didn't back up her story, they'd never see her again. He was arrested and forbidden to see the chidren. She'd come to divorce court with a neck brace on claiming he'd injured her severely and yet lots of people saw her without it when she was alone. I could go on and on about the games she played. Just trust me that this is not a one-sided story.
He got the "nice" lawyer, the guy that compromised and did the bare minimum and he lost his children for a number of years. By the time the courts figured out this woman was a charlatan the damage was done. The kids were really warped by it all.
During his fight, we offered to help him get a private detective to tail her. She had a history with drugs and alcohol and we knew it would be easy to catch her in her lies. He refused because he's this somewhat naive nice guy that doesn't play that way. I kick myself because I didn't just do it behind his back.
I think it's time to take this concept and apply it to the people behind our unethical media. We've seen the tremendous fund raising ability this and other net entities can attain and if we could get a non-profit organization started and financed by our contributions that had as its purpose to expose the powerful human beings behind the scenes to the spotlight of intense scrutiny, we'd see the slander stopped or slowed significantly.
The organization would have to be run by "Boy Scouts", people with as few skeletons in their closet as possible so they were immune to counter-attacks. (That probably rules me out.) Whenever a news organization or celebrity begins using their power to lie and distort, the group hires private detectives and investigative reporters to start tailing the people at the top. If the AP allows their message to become partisan, the PI's go after not the reporters or lowly staff but the Board of Directors and CEO's. If Rush Limbaugh steps over the edge (which would be daily) you sic the investigators not just on him but on every radio station administration member that employs him.
Nothing makes the rich and powerful more nervous than a team of folks following them around with Nikons and huge telephoto lenses that, instead of giving their photos to some rag tabloid magazine that nobody reads, sends them onto true investigators that are combing through public records where they are turned into presentations that are sent to YouTube and blog sites throughout the world.
A few rules. There can never be any impression of blackmail. No demands are ever put forward. All the information must be confirmed with multiple sources under the guidelines of true news reporting. The information if found (both good and bad) is always released once the hounds begin. A publicly announced grace time might even follow an announcement of a new "target" organization. No names would have to be mentioned, simply that the organization was suspected to be deceitful in its news coverage and that investigations would begin soon into the source. In many cases, once the reputation of this non-profit were established, just that step might cure the problem.
The humans that would fall under the microscope would be the ones with the most to gain from the partisan messages, the CEO's, the boards, the presidents and staff of the largest sponsors.
Imagine Rupert Murdoch in the intense spotlight day after day. Picture a board member who lives in relative obscurity suddenly finding their lives splayed out on YouTube. I can't see a downside to this. These people bully because we're the good guys, the compromisers, the "turn the other cheek" crowd. Well, not all of us are. There's a good block of us that grew up in the mean streets, that have battled bullies all our life. People on here are right that we shouldn't be dictating national campaigns but we can do some enforcing behind the scenes.
I have no idea how to begin a movement like this. Maybe this diary will be the impetus for some wealthy progressives to setup the infrastructure. I know we have incredible legal minds on here that could tell us the pluses and minuses involved in such an endeavor.
I've had enough of the barrage of stuff we're getting from the other side. Let's give them a taste of their own medicine.
Updated: Per suggestions I changed the title from "sleazy divorce lawyer" to "tougher divorce lawyer". No offense to lawyers. Was just a goofy analogy.