Attacks

When candidates are attacked unfairly, it makes me much, much more supportive of them.  By the end of the 2004 campaign Dean was like a god to me, thanks to all the ridiculous smears peddled by the other campaigns and usually repeated verbatim by the media.  This time around, it looks like Obama is heading down that track.

In addition to the factually wrong smear from the previous post here, Obama is getting attacked for not being black enough (because he hasn’t suffered the drawbacks of slavery, having instead benefited from his father’s privileged life as a Kenyan goat farmer).  Or for apparently not being black at all.  Or for changing names and combining characters in his first book, after he said he was doing exactly that in the introduction to said book.

The main thrusts of these articles are all insulting, but it’s the tone of the last two and the throwaway lines that bother me the most.  One example:

And then there’s his support for ethanol, which, strangely enough, comes mainly from corn-rich Iowa — site of the first presidential caucus, if I’m not mistaken.

Or it could be that he’s from Illinois, which is 2nd in overall corn production in the country.  These people don’t know a damn thing about the guy and still feel qualified to attack him.  Well fuck em, it only makes me like him more.

About the Author(s)

Drew Miller

  • Thanks for keeping em honest.

  • Well

    When candidates are attacked unfairly, it makes me much, much more supportive of them.

    At this rate then, by the end of the campaign we’ll adore Obama, and worship Hillary.

  • unfortunate confluence of trends

    Journalists are always looking for a scandal and resort to non-issues such as Obama’s memoir or that absurd story recently about Edwards selling his DC home to some guy who doesn’t like labor unions.

    Campaigns are getting more sophisticated at placing oppo research in traditional media as well.

    Bob Somerby has documented at length at The Daily Howler blog how the media report falsehoods that reinforce “scripts” or “narratives” about politicians. The two-year “War against Gore” is the best example, but Dean was also a victim of this.

    Ultimately, though, the fact that Obama (or Hillary) may be unfairly attacked in the media does not make me supportive of their candidacies.

  • Obama supports Ethanol? Oh NOOOO!

    Curse us midwesterners who would rather subsidize corn farmers than subsidize the Saudis.  How selfish of us.

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