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Me#1You#10
Site Admin
Joined: 06 May 2004
Posts: 6503
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 Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2004 6:24 am Post subject: Yet Another "Head Full Of Mush" |
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Simply another product of the hallowed halls of Academe, but prima facie evidence that the "Big Lie" persists. What young Mr. Goodman seems oblivious to is the judicial remedy for false and defamatory accusations, the libel suit. John O'Neill INVITED His Fraudulency to initiate such an action. Pity young Mr. Goodman didn't use some of the non-productive time between the doors of his door to door canvassing to ask himself...why?
| Quote: | Hold parties accountable for 527 organizations
Beating the Curve
By Zach Goodman
The Johns-Hopkins Newsletter
November 05, 2004
Two days after Halloween, on Election Day, most of the suburban families in Pennsylvania hadn't taken down their decorations yet. I found it fitting that I was walking door-to-door in costume. I volunteered for the 527 group America Coming Together (ACT), agreeing to remove my Kerry/Edwards sticker and play the part of a nonpartisan voting activist.
I went to people's homes and told them that I was part of a non-partisan voting drive called "America Votes 2004," going from house to house to make sure everyone makes it to the polls.
I didn't tell them that "America Votes 2004" was part of the partisan ACT and that the only houses I was going to were Democrat or Democrat-leaning.
A "527 group" is named after a section of the US tax code and refers to a tax-exempt organization designed to support the nomination, election or defeat of a political candidate. Because the groups are not officially affiliated with a party or candidate and do not donate directly to either, they are not regulated by the Federal Election Commission.
Although under the McCain-Feingold Act hard money contributions cannot exceed $2000, donations to 527s are unlimited.
Without a party affiliation, these groups do their own campaigning, often with television advertisements (most famously by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth) or voting drives like the one I was a part of.
These groups are by their definition partisan and thus supporting one candidate or another, but their lack of formal affiliation means that the candidate is not accountable for anything the group says or does on his behalf.
The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, for instance, were able to claim that Kerry did not deserve the Purple Hearts that he won in Vietnam. Of course, these awards and Kerry"s performance in Vietnam were a matter of public record and these claims were not even being investigated. Bush himself came out against them.
But what the 527 loophole allows these groups to do is make claims such as that, true or false, and have them work toward their candidate's advantage.
What the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth were able to do was bring to the public a contrary opinion of Kerry's war record, albeit a false opinion.
Bush can even repudiate it, but he knows that what has been said is already out there for the public to think about, therefore already working for him.
It's like the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth squeezed the toothpaste out of the tube: Bush can condemn it, but it's already more than enough that it's there for the public to see, and he cannot and does not want to put it back in. In this way Bush benefited from false allegations, allegations that if he made himself, he would have been burned by the media and by the American people. Fallout from uncovering false information falls harmlessly on technically unaffiliated 527s, not on the candidate who reaps the benefits.
This loophole not only removes candidate accountability, but also promotes increased dishonesty, as groups have demonstrated an ability to get away with it.
While volunteering, I was encouraged not to be forthcoming about my political sentiments, as the people I was talking to would be more inclined to vote (and vote the way I wanted them to) if they were under the impression that I was going to every house only concerned with everyone's equal participation in our democracy.
I spoke to a couple of the "America Votes" organizers about this apparent dishonesty. Before the election results were known, I talked to Charlie Finch, a volunteer like myself who was probably only a few years older than I am.
He agreed that we were actively withholding our true intentions from the voters. "Do I hope that Kerry will close the 527 loophole as soon as he's elected? Yes. Am I happy they exist? No. But the Republicans will be using them, so we have to as well," he said. "You use the vehicle you can in the most important election of our lives."
Certainly the ends justifying the means is an argument coming from both camps. Both the Democrats and Republicans were trying to win, and in such a close election neither side could afford to take a moral high ground while the other side was being unscrupulous.
Even I, while feeling sleazy and untruthful, volunteered for one of the groups that I'm now speaking out against. But with the election over, both sides need to take a step back, see the damage these dishonest and often slanderous groups do, and agree to close the 527 loophole as the next step in campaign finance reform.
I have trouble, though, advocating action that limits the free speech of groups that legitimately raise money with the intention of supporting a candidate. But I contend that by making slanderous speech and other deceitful action, these 527s are marginalizing the free speech of the affected candidate.
He has to spend his time rebutting and defending himself against unjust claims and actions. That loss of time gives an unfair advantage to his opponent.
To me, this unjust marginalization is reason alone to do away with the 527 loophole in favor of a system that promotes candidate accountability, and therefore more honesty.
When I go door-to-door in 2008, I hope to wear my allegiance proudly, instead of covering it with a costume a few days too late.
- Zachary Goodman is a sophomore.
The Johns-Hopkins Newsletter |
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Navy_Navy_Navy
Admin
Joined: 07 May 2004
Posts: 5777
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| Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2004 6:32 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | He agreed that we were actively withholding our true intentions from the voters. "Do I hope that Kerry will close the 527 loophole as soon as he's elected? Yes. Am I happy they exist? No. But the Republicans will be using them, so we have to as well," he said. "You use the vehicle you can in the most important election of our lives." |
This is RICH - the liberal and leftist 527's outspent the conservative and rightist 527's by four or five TIMES the amount of money.
He's just got the taste of sour grapes in his mouth because even without a George Soros, the little 527 that could effectively beat out ALL the liberal 527's COMBINED. 
Whiny-butts - all of them. Pathetically twisted logic.
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Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
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LewWaters
Admin
Joined: 18 May 2004
Posts: 4042
Location: Washington State
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| Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2004 6:48 am Post subject: |
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Maybe he'll learn more as he progresses from Sophmore to Senior 
It would seem that money wasn't the deciding factor. After the hundreds of millions of dollars spent supporting anti-Bush 527s, the Swiftees, with a single $150,000 ad, brought them to their knees.
Maybe truth really is more valuable than mere cash? 
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Beatrice1000
Resource Specialist
Joined: 10 Aug 2004
Posts: 1179
Location: Minneapolis, MN
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| Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2004 8:05 am Post subject: Re: Yet Another "Head Full Of Mush" |
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| Me#1You#10 wrote: | By Zach Goodman..The Johns-Hopkins Newsletter
November 05, 2004
I didn't tell them that "America Votes 2004" was part of the partisan ACT and that the only houses I was going to were Democrat or Democrat-leaning..... I spoke to a couple of the "America Votes" organizers about this apparent dishonesty..... Even I, while feeling sleazy and untruthful, volunteered for one of the groups that I'm now speaking out against. |
Because he becomes part of a lie that he knows is a lie it must be someone else's fault ... the devil made me do it, ma!! Because he affiliates himself with dishonesty in campaigning then everyone else must be dishonest, too -- how else can he redeem himself? I wonder if this "confession/accusation" would have been made if kerry won... |
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Stevie
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
Joined: 25 Aug 2004
Posts: 1451
Location: Queen Creek, Arizona
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| Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2004 10:24 pm Post subject: |
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Truth is definitely more valuabe than cash. (you know that!)
and this young man will hopefully have learned a lesson to live by the rest of his life. He needs to do a research paper.... on the Swiftties and Kerry's record. I'll send an email.... boy, I'm staying so busy with emails just keeping up with all these idiots coming out ot the closet now....
heard one pollsters say last night that the democrats needed to go to Bible school and learn the language of values. duh? How about just getting some values to LIVE BY....the 'language' will come naturally!
Guess most of them don't want to bother with real values. To me, that really showed thru in Kerry. It was obvious he wasn't a Christian, but when I heard he hired someone to coach them on 'religion', I still couldn't believe what I was hearing. His attempts to quote a scripture were sad.
Spending 40 min. (or whatever time for a speech) lying then quoting a scripture is sacrilegious to me.
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Stevie
Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage
morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should
be arrested, exiled or hanged. |
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coldwarvet
Admiral
Joined: 03 Jun 2004
Posts: 1125
Location: Minnetonka, MN
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| Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2004 10:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Navy_Navy_Navy wrote: |
This is RICH - the liberal and leftist 527's outspent the conservative and rightist 527's by four or five TIMES the amount of money. |
The reason Bush won is that TRUTH is six times more powerful then empty lies.
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carpro
Admin
Joined: 10 May 2004
Posts: 1176
Location: Texas
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| Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2004 11:32 pm Post subject: |
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He will not be a very productive graduate until and unless he learns to recognize truth when it spits in his eye.
Another waste of good money spent on a college education.
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"If he believes his 1971 indictment of his country and his fellow veterans was true, then he couldn't possibly be proud of his Vietnam service." |
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Tom Poole
Vice Admiral
Joined: 07 Aug 2004
Posts: 914
Location: America
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| Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2004 12:17 am Post subject: |
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| Zach Goodman wrote: | | ...Even I, while feeling sleazy and untruthful... |
Zach, you, yes even one as pure and principled as you, felt sleazy and untruthful because you KNOWINGLY lied, a dirty and sleazy thing. We don't feel dirty and sleazy because we represent, TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE, the truth.
If, by some miracle, this group stays together, I fully expect the Swiftee story to be completely proven. I also hope to see Brinkley's Tour of Duty disproven in a kazillion places such as recommended by "pwcarter" in this Swift Posting exposing a lie about the USS Gridley.
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