A new video ad, seen on MSNBC, has a bit of the old and a bit of the new "Swiftboat" style.  It is from a 527 group called Let Freedom Ring.  AOL has kindly displayed the ad with very little content or rebuttal.  You will notice the similarities to attacks on Senator Kerry's campaign.

Update on:  Let Freedom Ring from noweasels

The urge to speak no ill of the dead is a powerful one.  And it was on full display this week as former Senator Jesse Helms was laid to rest.  

The media glossed over almost all of Helms' ugly history as the last unapologetically racist politician of the segregation era.  Largely ignored was how Helms stirred the pot of bigotry and hatred to win elections and further his political goals.  The people Helms hurt throughout his career deserve better.

More after the jump.

Jesse Helms’ death comes as no surprise, since his health had rapidly declined after he retired from the U.S. Senate in 2002. Yet it’s fitting that he died on the Fourth of July.

Helms was a disgrace to North Carolina and the nation, and what better time to celebrate our independence from the bigoted, hate-filled politics he stood for.

During Helms’ heyday, the question on many people’s minds about North Carolina was how could its citizens keep re-electing an extreme right wing, unrepentant segregationist, self-proclaimed "redneck" like Helms? The perception was that the state was filled with racists, or that Helms’ voters were ignorant and uneducated. The reality is more complex.

More below the fold.

Consider this a call on Hillary supporters to stop for a second, and try to understand why many of us do not support her being chosen as VP. And it’s also a call on you Obama supporters to start trying to use more reasoned, logical excuses for opposing Hillary as VP. "We don’t like her", or even, "We don't like her policy stances," aren’t good enough reasons.

And lest anyone have any doubt, I think it’s now pretty clear that is what Hillary and her campaign are angling for... pushing for the VP spot. She’s not stupid. She understands that it’s impossible to catch up in the delegate count. She understands that it’s impossible to catch up in the popular vote count -- unless, that is, they include Florida and Michigan (based on the original results), and exclude some of the caucuses. Yet Hillary continues to push on, saying "This thing is far from over." So what’s up? Is she delusional or what?

Nope. She’s just trying to make the case for this being "so close" that Obama has to pick her as his running mate.

(cross-posted at BlueNC)

As most of you know, the North Carolina Republican Party managed to persuade four television stations to air its despicable ad attacking Barack Obama.  Unfortunately, we didn't know who they were.  Well, now we do, courtesy of the Charlotte Observer.  

Roll credits:

*WLOS in Asheville (ABC affiliate)
*WXII in Winston-Salem (NBC affiliate)
*WCTI in New Bern (ABC affiliate)
*WECT in Wilmington (NBC affiliate)

Those of you who live in these areas--pester these stations, or if possible their owners.  Now.  Be sure to stress that in light of Obama's unequivocal rejections of Wright's comments (especially yesterday), running this ad is particularly irresponsible.

It is the same old game; the Okie-Doke.  Yes, Republican 527s are now attacking Obama.  If this latest example is any indication of what they have, well, we are going to enjoy this November!

To see an example of the same old game, follow me below the fold:

It's really becoming the campaign of desperation....in the last hour, Clinton's campaign has pulled out all the stops.  First there was a memo outlining the red-baiting campaign Republicans might run against Obama (while failing to highlight Hillary's unusual vulnerabilities in this area).

Now her campaign has released an ad that claims Obama prefers to attack Clinton than answering the "more and more questions" raised about himself.  This is, of course, straight-up Karl Rove bullshit.  She attacks him personally with guilt-by-association smears that don't pass any reasonable smell test and then accuses him of attacking her when he responds with an issue-oriented ad.  

See for yourself.

Obama's Response after the jump...

I saw a diary here a couple of weeks ago that argued it was 'time that Barack got angry' in order to let Americans know that he has conviction and is not afraid to show his strength.  At the time I thought that was a bit overstated and that it might only play on defense.

But today Barack fought back hard at an AP press annual meeting.  This is I think exactly what the doctor ordered to put 'Bittergate' in perspective:  more after the fold:

So Hillary is going to try her hand at another attack ad.  Check the front page or here in case you somehow missed it.

This will backfire.

There is a rising chorus of voices big and small clamoring for ending the Democratic nomination fight. Plenty of valid reasons for that are being given, but the reality is it's not gonna happen. The Democratic primary fight is going to be with us for at least six to twelve more weeks, if not (the nightmare scenario) through the summer.

I don't think it's such a bad idea, either. Constantly, here and there, you hear surprised voices describing how the Democratic primary is rebuiding the Democratic organization in places like Texas, North Dakota and elsewhere in areas where no Democrat has gone in decades. In fact, I would suggest that both Democratic candidates turn their campaign to as vicious and incisive tone as they can - but aim it where such tone really belongs - on McCain.

Jump!

Many of you have commented upon the fact that the attacks coming from the Clinton campaign are increasingly nasty and increasing sound like John McCain talking points.  

It is also pretty clear that if Barack Obama wins the general election in November, it is highly unlikely that Hillary Clinton will ever be President.  However, if Obama loses in November, Hillary Clinton would again be the Democratic front runner headed into 2012, and she will make the case that it was a mistake to deny her the nomination the first time.  

I believe that this is an important discussion for the progressive community to be engaging in because winning in November isn't just the ultimate goal, it's the only goal.  If Obama's supporters believe that Hillary Clinton is intentionally  sabotaging Obama's general election campaign, there is an increased chance that they will not vote for Hillary Clinton if she is the party's nominee, which we cannot afford.  

Since Hillary's 3AM ad premiered, Obama's numbers have started to decline and Hillary's have started to go up.  Voters are responding to these types of ads like never before.  It is certainly not beneath politicians to play to voter's fears and insecurities.  That is how Bush won reelection in 2004 and this is something we as Democrats need to consider moving forward.  What works vs. what doesn't.   Penn is claiming that it is because of this ad that voters are switching to Clinton at the last minute, and IMHO, he is totally correct.  More after the link.  

http://www.cbsnews.com/...

I don't think I've ever seen him got a crowd as excited as he did in this talk recently in Beaumont. Polls are looking favorable in Texas and hopefully those who haven't voted already will do so Tuesday. How big would an Obama win in Texas be. Still some work to do in Ohio. They sealed the deal for Bushie in 2004 and I got a feeling they may do the same for Barack on Tuesday.

Obama has the details of his education policy at http://www.barackobama.com/...

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Backup link if video fails to load

One reason that the Obama campaign is winning is because of their excellent rapid response system. It wasn't always this way, in actuality, the campaign began their rapid response "War Room" in October. Not coincidentally, about then was when he began to rise in the polls in Iowa.

Let's say we are the right-wing attack machine and our target is John McCain. What shall we say about him? Here's a sampler:

• How can we trust a person for President when his own staff question his fidelity?


• Can we believe in anything Sen. McCain promises when he says he's against lobbyists but he surrounds himself with lobbyist advisers?


• How can McCain run for President--he's not even a natural-born American--he was born in the Panama Canal not in one of the 50 states.

Defense of Democracies attacks House Democrats

I woke up this past Sunday half awake to find the following attack ad mixed in with my morning news broadcast. To say the least, I almost choked on my breakfast.

This intelligence scarefest is appearing in seventeen media markets around the country. And are targeting specific members of the U.S. House of Representatives that are trying to hold fast against the passing of the Senate Version of the PAA. The one I saw was directed at Rep. Carol Shea-Porter D-NH.

This tactic of scaring the member's constituents is the hallmark of the GOP and we need to counter it by calling our representatives in the House and heaping praise on their work to fight this bill. They need our reassurance that their constituents are behind them!

Please call your Represenatives today and tell them to stand firm against these fear tactics!

Hillary Clinton has started running attack ads against Barack Obama in Wisconsin, stating that he won't debate her and implying that he's afraid to talk about the issues.

In my opinion, what Obama should do is the following:

With a small ad buy in the cheapest media market that covers part of Wisconsin, put out an ad that states something along the following lines:
         
      "I'm Barack Obama.  Hillary Clinton is trying to fool you into thinking that I won't debate her.  What she doesn't want you to know is that we've already debated 18 times!  With the time before the primary so short, I'd rather spend my time talking to the good people of Wisconsin instead of to the same group of reporters for a nineteenth time.

      "For those of you who did not get a chance to see the previous debates, you can watch them on my website.  Just point your web browser to debates.barackobama.com, or go and see them on YouTube.  In fact, I encourage you to do so!  Don't be bamboozled.  Get the facts.  That's debates.barackobama.com .  I'm Barack Obama, and I approved this message."

I've been a Barack Obama supporter since the fall of '06, when I was privileged enough to join with the good folks running DraftObama.org. But I've never been "against" the other candidates.  I like Edwards, and was even fortunate enough to work with him on his first podcast (and of course, like everyone, I love Elizabeth).

And I've never been a Hillary hater at all.  I think she's sharp as hell, and I think she's gotten way too much grief from Republicans -- and many Democrats.

Well, that changed today.  The Clinton campaign just released an ad in South Carolina that is frankly such a heaving pile of bull, such an obvious falsehood, that I'm responding the only way I can:

I am donating more money to Obama today, and I am urging everyone else who supports him to do the same

I've set up an "Obama Hope Chest"page on ActBlue.  If you want to make a statement with me, and be part of this "bull fighting" effort, donate there.  But frankly, wherever you do it, just do it.