Why negative attacks against Obama are risky

Among many pundits and street level supporters alike, there are those who believe that conservatives will subject Barack Obama to a massive assault of negative ads similar to the "swiftboating" campaign used against John Kerry.

However, there are some indications out there that Obama's supporters may not be that certain about the effectiveness of swiftboat attacks against the Illinois senator. Already, there have been at least several widespread anti-Obama 'whisper campaigns' over the internet, and yet Obama is still leading in the most swing states according to the polls.

In 2004, we did not have the social networking sites and YouTube as we do today. These networks allow politicos to test what will or will not work against a candidate, and what might be worth spending TV ad money on. In fact, these internet networks alone can often sink a candidate as we saw during the congressional races of 2006.

Another thing about Obama is that he does not let negative attacks shape his own campaign. Kerry, while often refusing to respond directly to the swiftboaters, began appearing frequently with his old swift boat crew and with supporting military flag officers in apparent reaction to the attacks. These supporters acted as Kerry's surrogates and soon the bickering between them and the swiftboaters began to dominate news cycles.

Obama's ability to keep the focus on change in Washington makes it difficult for his opponents to come up with a workable negative attack strategy.

Swiftboating attacks will tend to erode Obama's support among conservative members of his own party. Therefore, it's important that the keeps his progressive base of supporters strongly behind him.

Sen. John Kerry asks supporters to fight swiftboating

Sen. John Kerry sent out an email today for the Obama campaign asking supporters to combat "swiftboating" email and other attacks using the official website's Fact Check Action Center.

Dear Paul,

I support Barack Obama because he doesn't seek to perfect the politics of Swiftboating -- he seeks to end it.

This is personal for me, and for a whole lot of Americans who lived through the 2004 election.

As a veteran, it disgusts me that the Swift Boats we loved while we were in uniform on the Mekong Delta have been rendered, in Karl Rove's twisted politics, an ugly verb meaning to lie about someone's character just to win an election. But as someone who cares about winning this election and changing the country I love, I know it's not enough to complain about a past we can't change when our challenge is to win the future -- which is why we must stop the Swiftboating, stop the push-polling, stop the front groups, and stop the email chain smears.

The truth matters, but how you fight the lies matters even more. We must be determined never again to lose any election to a lie.

This year, the attacks are already starting. Some of you may have heard about the disgusting lies about Barack Obama that are being circulated by email. These attacks smear Barack's Christian faith and deep patriotism, and they distort his record of more than two decades of public service. They are nothing short of "Swiftboat" style anonymous attacks.

These are the same tactics the right has used again and again, and as we've learned, these attacks, no matter how bogus, can spread and take root if they go unchecked.

But not this time -- we're fighting back.

And when I say "we," I mean that literally. I know Barack is committed to fighting every smear every time. He'll fight hard and stand up for the truth. But he can't do it alone.

We need you to email the truth to your address books. Print it out and post it at work. Talk to your neighbors. Call your local radio station. Write a letter to the editor. If lies can be spread virally, let's prove to the cynics that the truth can be every bit as persuasive as it is powerful.

The Obama campaign has created a place where you can find the truth you'll need to push back on these smears and a way to spread the truth to all of your address book.

Take action here:

http://my.barackobama.com/factcheckaction

So when your inbox fills up with trash and the emails of smear and fear, find the facts, and help defeat the lies.

Barack Obama is committed to bringing our country together to meet the challenges we face, but he knows that power gives up nothing without a struggle -- and to win the chance to change America, we must first defeat the hateful tactics that have been used to tear us apart for too long.

With your help, we can turn the page on an era of small, divisive politics -- but only if next time you hear these attacks on Barack, you take action immediately:

http://my.barackobama.com/factcheckaction

The fight is just heating up -- we won't let them steal this election with lies and distortions.

Thank you,

John Kerry