Joe Trippi in an Open Letter to the Democratic Candidates

[slinkerwink]

An Open Letter to All Democratic Presidential Campaign Managers
Last week, a group called "Americans for Jobs, Health Care and Progressive Values" began airing a television ad in New Hampshire and South Carolina attacking Howard Dean's commitment to defending America. The group is headed by a Democratic contributor, and the press secretary is a former aide to one of Dr. Dean's rivals. Using the image of Osama bin Laden, it is the kind of fearmongering attack we've come to expect from Republicans and panders to the worst in voters. I'm writing to call on each one of you to condemn this despicable ad and demand it be pulled from the airwaves.

Democrats are better than this. This type of ad represents everything that is wrong with our political process today -- polluting our airwaves with smears on other candidates that have nothing to do with legitimate policy differences. Ads like this are the reason that less than half of the voting population in America bothers to go to the polls.

We Democrats should be committing ourselves to bringing more people into the process instead of resorting to tactics that cause more people to lose faith in politics altogether. Our campaign is committed to inspiring people to believe in their democracy again -- challenging 2 million people to donate $100 each to take back their country.

Our party must be about more than just changing presidents -- it must be dedicated to changing our country's politics. I hope you'll join me in denouncing this ad and demanding it be pulled from the airwaves immediately.

Sincerely,

Joe Trippi

http://blog.deanforamerica.com

[slinkerwink]

1. man....

Go Joe Trippi!

[plcdude]

2. thanks

for the information we can only hope that the democratic party will not eat its own. Are you done with finals and home in Texas yet?

[slinkerwink]

7. nope, not yet.....

must. get. back. to. second. paper.


no. more. du.

must. resist. du.

[quispquake]

3. Rock on Joe!!!

We can not give ammo to the rethugs...keep it civil, keep it honest...

[Nay]

4. You go, Joe.

We better become kinder to each other, because we are about to be ripped to pieces by a Repub machine. We need to HELP each other.

[bearfartinthewoods]

62. where was this desire to help when dean started running attack ads against

other dem candidates. this stinks. there is no way around it. a campaign makes it's bones by slicing and dicing the competition and now this crap...pul-eeeze.

nothing like trying to end the race while your candidate is still ahead.

[Capn Sunshine]

91. attack ADs?

don't you mean snide remarks?

[TLM]

97. So when did Dean run ads of other candidates and pictures of Osama?

Or did Dean simply cirticize them for voting with republicans on the war, no child left behind, the patriot act etc?

[NewYorkerfromMass]

5. and some believe there are Democrats better than Dean

hence some people's actions....

[Cheswick2.0]

34. that is no excuse for their rancid behavior

in the long run it will hurt us all.

[HuckleB]

6. Well written.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Thanks.

[Demobrat]

8. It won't work.

Dean's opponents are clearly desperate. Why would they denounce it when there's even a slight chance it might work in their favor?

[slinkerwink]

10. this letter also works in weeding out who will condemn, and who won't

Those who won't condemn will be linked to the ad through their lack of response.

[mydawgmax]

22. Huh?

You assume that because a campaign refuses to disavow the ad that they are somehow associated with it. If they had noting to do with it they are under no obligation to disavow it.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

57. Exactly Right: "Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been a Member...

...of the Communist Party?"

It's clear to me that Gephardt is behind this. Trippi and Dean undoubtedly know this. This is just playing politics as usual.

DTH

[Renew Deal]

27. The Osama ad brings up a valid point.

The problem is that it is as nasty as can be. If Dean can't handle this sort of ad from Dems, how ill he handle it from republicans. Obviously this is a weakness of his. It needs to be out there. We need to beat Bush.

[Renew Deal]

37. See post #25. It makes my point

you will see this 8 more times. "We oppose these types of ads. It's wrong, but if Dean can't handle it now, he never will."

[Cheswick2.0]

42. that is such nonsense

are you old enough to remember willy horton? What the hell do we need republican opposition when we have party stabbing creeps in the democratic party?
If the candidate take enough bites out of each other no one will be able to win.

[Renew Deal]

49. If Dems can run this ad

with ease and not think twice, imagine what the pukes will do. You will see the girl with the daisy and the nushroom cloud 1000 times over. Dean needs to deal with this. I'll tell you this. His whining will not make some puke group stop runninng ads.

[bearfartinthewoods]

64. especially not in the general when the puke group will be the real thing

i bet rove smiles himself to sleep every night.

[mbali]

89. Shhhh!

Karl Rove might hear you. And we all know that Rove won't think to use any of this stuff against Dean if no one says anything to tip him off.

So, shhhh!

[Cheswick2.0]

38. wow, nice side lateral arabesque with a double twist

:eyes:

[Julien Sorel]

9. LOL

So that's how Dean plans to 'fight back' against the smears perpetrated against McGovern, Carter, Mondale, and Dukakis. Powerful stuff. The Republicans won't know what hit them.
Amazing that none of those guys was smart enough to try to appeal to the nobility of their detractors, but Dean must lead the way again, with this strong and devastating counterattack. Now we all know how it's done.

[slinkerwink]

12. there'll also be an ad coming out in response

it doesn't stop with this letter. If the other campaigns don't respond, it gives the Dean campaign to list the candidates as being in connection with the osama bin laden ad in the rebuttal ad.

[SahaleArm]

17. No it will make Dean look like a hypocrite - And open the floodgates n/t

[slinkerwink]

20. nope

[SahaleArm]

30. Bushlite, Republicans, and Cockroaches n/t

[edzontar]

21. Why are you so hostile?

Both Dean and Clark are good candidates.

Why are you participating in this flame war that serves only the Republicans?

Do you think that they will be any easier on Clark?

[SahaleArm]

36. Just don't like the "with us or against us" rhetoric n/t

[edzontar]

46. Well, the ad was pretty outrageous....

And tactics like this will be used against Clark if he becomes the front-runner.

You might wish for a bit more supprt in that eventuality than you are willing to provide today.

[Crunchy Frog]

67. I agree that the ad was outrageous

I looked up the website when I first found out about it, and watched it. I personally found it sickening. We don't need our own people acting like Karl Rove. I sent them a nasty e-mail to that effect, while also letting them know that Dean is not my first choice. I think it helps if they know that this turns many people off including many people who are not Dean supporters.

[wndycty]

53. No and Clark supporters won;t cry about it

Man up!

[Julien Sorel]

29. I see. So failure to denounce the ad, which I believe is

fair and accurate, by the way, and which is certainly protected free speech, is tantamount to an admission of guilt, and is to be punished buy the exalted Howard smearing (further) his political opponents as punishment.

In the Soviet Union for a time, it was required that everyone stand and clap whenever Stalin entered a room. The first person to stop clapping would be subject to being sent to the gulags for disloyalty. So people would clap and clap for 10, 15, 20 minutes, in some cases until their hands bled. Perhaps all the other candidates should simply start clapping for the Exalted One, and the first person who stops clapping, gets slammed by Dean's doubtlessly impressive attack. Slammed again, actually. Maybe, if Dean is really displeased, he'll call them 'Bush-lite' in his ads.

[edzontar]

59. Do you really believe that GOP ad is "Fair and accurate?"

I don't understand you at all.

[sandnsea]

40. How will they fight this next year?

Smearing candidates with unsubstantiated claims of responsibility is just typical for Joe Trippi and the Dean campaign. He isn't going to be able to cry foul against Bush, he'll have to rebut these types of ads. If he can't do it based on his policies and credibility now, why would we expect him to be able to do it next year?

[bearfartinthewoods]

71. you notice this question never gets answered.

that's because there is no answer. dean chose to take a stand against this war. maybe now he and trippi are learning why most of the others knew that was not a viable stand for a presidential candidate.

[eissa]

79. Not a viable stand?

The world's only superpower premptively attacked a soverign nation illegally and unilaterally. We justified the attack on Pearl Harbor and undermined our moral authority. We are hated internationally (with the exception of poodle-boy Blair), annhilated/maimed/orphaned thousands of innocent Iraqis and hundreds of American soliders. We spent billions in resources in finally capturing a ruthless dictator that the "president" himself said had nothing to do with 9/11. Dean's stand was not only "viable" it was the only stand that should have been taken by any dem running for POTUS.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

32. LOL Billy you good.

LOL

[Triana]

11. Trippi is a genious...

...he's doing a very good job running the Dean Campaign and both he and Dean continue to impress with their knowledge of 'what's what', and the order of their priorities most certainly appeals to me too.

[blm]

13. Dear Joe Trippi: Does Kerry = Bush or was Dean wrong to march next to that

large sign?

[SahaleArm]

16. After calling everyone Bushlite or Republican - Hyocritical at best n/t

[ErasureAcer]

14. funny how Dean's camp complains about ads

that that are misleading but when Dean pulled the same stunt on Dennis Kucinich a month or so back in New Hampshire...Dean was unwilling to drop his misleading ad from the air about how he was the only candidate against the war.

Funny how people's attitudes change when they're the one being picked on.

Cry me a river Howard...cry me a river.

[slinkerwink]

that ad was never about kucinich, it was about those who were in support

of the war, and it's clear that Kucinich is against the war, hence the ad was not linked to him.

[ErasureAcer]

28. Dean said ALL of his rivals were for the war...

in the ad...that is WRONG and misleading.

Dennis pleaded with Howard to take down the ad...he didn't.

Howard Dean is only receiving karma for his own actions.

What goes around comes around...

Come on Howard...bust into that Justin Timberlake song...

"Cry me a river...."

[maddezmom]

31. does anyone have a link to the ad

I'd like to see it myself.

[slinkerwink]

18. that ad was never about kucinich, it was about those who were in support

of the war, and it's clear that Kucinich is against the war, hence the ad was not linked to him.

[maddezmom]

24. the phrase"only major candidate"

is the new phrase. Like that makes any difference. DK was fighting against the war in Congress and voted against it.

BTW, thanks for the info about the ad, I did not know about it.

[JohnKleeb]

33. I finally saw that ad

I see why people were upset, and btw I can see why you all are upset about that recent ad by that group. It wasnt directed at Kucinich that one NH ad but to me it seemed like Dean infered Kucinich and the others supported it. Sigh.

[janx]

15. Good for Trippi.

Knowing the Dean campaign, they'll keep us posted as to any replies they receive.

Let us know, will you Slink?

[Renew Deal]

19. What if they all say no?

That's possible. Then Dean is backed into a corner.

[Patriot_Spear]

23. If they say no? Wow, I'd hate to put that one in front of the voters...

'My candidate (insert name) refused to condemn a dispicable republican like attack against a fellow Democrat, for the purely personal reason of advancing his own campaign.'

Wow, it looks even worse in print.

[SahaleArm]

41. Dean's already pandering for the "whine and cheese" vote? n/t

[Patriot_Spear]

44. Huh? n/t

[SahaleArm]

58. A joke about playing the victim card n/t

[DakotaDemocrat]

45. Or it looks like when...

Bush said you're either with us or against us...

I'm not quoting here, but it essentially says "Disavow this ad or you are not a Democrat?" When does Trippi dictate what the rules are?

I agree that the leader does get to make new rules up, and Dean has broken the mold. Are you going to do the same thing when the Bush cabal throws some propaganda around?

[Patriot_Spear]

48. Nice try- won't work, but nice try...

The question here is simple- do you endorese republican style attack ads against fellow Dems as long as it helps your campaign?

I'd be disappointed in any candidate who endorsed this nonsense against another Dem with his silence - why aren't you?

[Renew Deal]

51. Look at Kerry's response.

That's what you are going to get. And Dean will not be able to honestly say Kerry supports the ad. Kerry said it was wrong. Does it look like someone will pull the ad now?

[DakotaDemocrat]

60. With that statement Patriot...

You are correct, but this is not from any particular candidate. No matter how much campaign managers denounce this ad, its already gained enough publicity that this group is probably looking at making more.

As for denouncing the ad, not repsonding is NOT endorsing this nonsense. Speak your issues, continue to garner support and you will be fine, no matter the junk on the airwaves.

I'm not for any candidate responding to Dean's diatribe. Something more discreet would have been better and created a better atmosphere. Responding to Dean's demands will seem as if Dean is running the show.

The campaign managers might be looking for more than "joining me in denouncing this ad" and look at the big picture of how all candidates choose to differentiate themselves.

[bearfartinthewoods]

66. snif..snif...what is that i smell?

fear, maybe? well good on. dean made his bed and if we are lucky, we won't have to sleep in it with him.

boy...i'd give anything to see the dean internals right about now.

[edzontar]

26. I was ashamed by the candidates at the last debate....

When they refused to state, as a group, that Dean could beat Bush.

They should have said--ANY ONE OF US CAN AND SHOULD DEFEAT BUSH.

Whatn a shameful disaster this primary campaign is turning into

[Renew Deal]

56. That's exactly

the reason why I think they will do nothing substantial.

[SadEagle]

43. Then the funding info comes out in february...

and the perpetrator is in even worse off shape, since they not only did it, but lied about it

[Patriot_Spear]

50. excellent point. n/t

[sandnsea]

25. Answered by Kerry campaign

This was posted in the blog by Dick Bell who runs the blog and forum. These unsubstantiated smears by the Dean campaign are just more of their political stunts. They can't run on the issues so they rile up animosity between the campaigns. They're going to have to rebut these kinds of ads next year, they better start now.

"John Kerry has no connection whatsoever with advertisements sponsored by Americans for Jobs, Health Care and Progressive Values. John Kerry has been a fighter for campaign finance reform, especially for openness, and does not support this kind of independent expenditure ads. This type of ad does not generate the discussion we need about who has the foreign policy experience and vision to lead the country in a dangerous world."

Dick Bell
John Kerry for President

[slinkerwink]

35. that's nice and now that leaves Gephardt

[Renew Deal]

39. You didn't get what you wanted.

This is the backhanded answer you are going to get and the ads will continue.

[Cheswick2.0]

47. LOL, wow

Kerry's campaign does the right thing and you want to pretend they didn't? Are you so bitter about Dean's advantage you want to go THERE? Jeez.............. :eyes:

[Renew Deal]

52. Show me

where Kerry says the ad should be pulled. I would like to see that. Notice the wording. It's very precise. We denounce the ad. Bad ad, bad ad.

[janx]

54. That's odd...

"This type of ad does not generate the discussion we need about who has the foreign policy experience and vision to lead the country in a dangerous world."

That sounds somehow familiar.

[Crunchy Frog]

69. Janx, this is completely unrelated but

I need to get hold of you and I don't have enought posts to use the PM function. Could you possibly PM me and let me know how I can reach you?

[janx]

74. If you are who I think you are, I've tried to PM you! At the

time you didn't have enough posts.

I'll try again. Stay in touch here if it doesn't work...I have your email address, no?

[Crunchy Frog]

83. Yes, I am who you think I am

at least I think so. I e-mailed you a few days ago at the address that I have for you, but I did'nt get a response. Yes, you should have my e-mail address, if you could contact me that way. By the way, do you have any idea how many posts you need before you can use the PM function? Thank you for responding!:)

[janx]

88. I don't know if I have your email. I'll look.

If I don't have it, there might be a way to get it through the college.

Keep posting!

:hi:

[janx]

90. I don't know anything about how many posts you need.

I got into student information (college), but your email isn't listed there.

Your phone number is. I'll try that.

[janx]

75. Rats! I still can't PM you, R! Try to post some more so I can

PM you!

[tsipple]

55. Excellent Statement by Kerry

Gephardt?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3412-2003Dec15.html

[Ramsey]

61. Rebut?

How can you rebut an ad stating that you would let Osama bin Laden and his ilk attack our country? Can't run on issues? Dean has an extensive foreign policy plan which he has outlined in many speeches and which is readily available on his website. Say what you like about Dean's policies, disagree all you want, but don't claim he doesn't take a stand on the issues.

Smear? Dean hasn't smeared anyone in that statement. He has asked the other Democratic candidates to condemn such low tactics. If I were one of them, I'd certainly rush to do so, since it as despicable as the ads we all roundly condemned here at DU in which the Repukes compared Tom Daschle to Saddam Hussein.

Kerry made an appropriate and dignified statement. Too bad some his supporters cannot follow his example.

Sigh.

[sandnsea]

73. He better damn well figure it out

You really don't think he's going to have to rebut ads like this next year??? Better think again.

The campaign has been one of mudslinging against the Bush-lites. That's what they do, keep people stirred up against the opposition, any way they can. The issues are certainly on his web site, but the campaign itself distorts everybody elses policies and hails Dean as the answer to it all. Never mind that his record doesn't back what he says in some cases, or at other times, what he says is exactly the same as the others. No, the campaign just keeps the anger boiling any way it can.

Now it's smearing the other candidates with this campaign ad instead of working to figure out how to defeat this image which they're going to have to do to beat Bush. It is just as low to accuse another campaign without evidence as it is to run the ad in the first place. Stirring up anger and animosity to generate income and loyalty. It's really kind of sick.

[windansea]

72. hey sandnsea

help me out here...they are still a bit confused

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=923585

[sandnsea]

77. oh good lord

what a bunch of goombas sometimes!!!

[janx]

81. Maybe I should change my handle to SUN'NSEA.

What do you think?

[sandnsea]

82. Since it's raining on my coast...

I say hell yea!

[eissa]

80. That's a great response

As a democrat first, I just want to make sure that none of our candidates would stoop so low as to pull an attack ad that is equal in taste to the ones used against Max Cleland.

[John_H]

63. LOL! If he whines like this over an amateurish ad, is he going to bawl

if, god forbid, Dean's the nominee and the rethugs go after him?


Joe? Hello? It's good to see you know you're guy's a non-starter national security-wise,but do you have to tell your supporters too? Or do you also think they're too blinded to get it?

[NewYorkerfromMass]

65. What Joe should say: "BRING IT ON!!!!"

too bad he blew it.

[jpgpenn]

68. Will Trippi now contact media,

after endless months of their pumping him up and ignoring all the other candidates, asking them to stop?

Will Trippi send out a open letter to all republicans asking if they would stop contributing money to his campaign?

Will Trippi ask dean to open his sealed files tomorrow because the american people have a right to know everything about those that run for our highest office?

I suspect not. Until such a time, i suggest Trippi head back to his office and try even further to use the subjects i brought up to his advantage.

this is pathetic!

[qwlauren35]

70. This approach really bugs me.

I didn't mind every time I got asked for money, but this open letter just doesn't sit well with me. Aren't we a bit big for running to the playground monitor when the bully shows up?

I want to see our campaign manager respond with creative, appropriate ads that make the smear ad look like the drivel it is, not by attacking the messengers, but simply by attacking the ad. I think the ad is quite attackable. Surely Dubya's done such a sh*t job of going after Bin Laden that no president could f*ck it up any worse.

Yeah, well, that's not what the ad necessarily needs to say, but if I can, off the top of my head, come up with a simple retort like that, then a decent ad agency should be able to spin up a whopper.

I agree with many other DU'ers. Dean has alienated many of the other candidates with his "I'm the only candidate" crap, and he never renounced an ad or modified it sufficiently to respect others, especially Kucinich. So this whine game just bugs me. And it smells of the hypocrisy the anti-Deaners are calling it.

I want to see us show some serious TEETH with an ad that BITES. Not just "an open letter" and another bat.

[no name no slogan]

76. Hello Kettle. This is the Pot. You are black.

Trippi is the master of the negative campaign: he unleashed the dogs for Gephardt against the other candidates in 1988, and has done the same thing for Howard Dean. How odd that he feels this "open letter" will do anything to ingratiate him (or his candidate) to non-Dean supporters.

Joe Trippi is another slimeball "political consultant" who is part of the problem in this country. He's no better than Dick Morris and his ilk. They and their "candidate marketing" and "focus groups" are the reason we keep getting the likes of Al Gore and Bill Clinton as candidates, more concerned about the polls than the issues.

[Fabio]

78. hippocrat.

[sandnsea]

84. lol

Very good. I like that!

[littlejoe]

85. I will be glad when Dean gets elected, and Trippi becomes

White House Chief of Staff.

[windansea]

86. you mean the west wing

on TV?

[PurityOfEssence]

87. How DARE you use my tactics; respect my authori-tay!

You Bush-lite, taxcutting cockroaches have no right using blistering personal attacks; THAT'S OUR SCHTICK! Get your own ideas.

Is there such a word as HYPERcrisy?

[retyred]

96. The word I think your looking for is

HYPER-cry-sissy! I've seen it used by others in threads like this.



retyred in fla
“good night paul, wherever you are”
So I read this book

[arewethereyet]

92. can't take the heat ? can't internet this away ?

gotta be a clever public speaker to handle this, Trippi can't tell him what to do to fix this here so he pops out this lame whine.

[MODemocrat]

93. Osama is Bush's old business partner and friend isn't he?

Their ad is the height of stupidity. I can believe the desperation the republicans are feeling; but to have members of the democratic party be involved in this kind of mud-slinging is ludicrous.If I ever find out that is backed by one of the other candidates, and that candidate receives the nomination, my vote will not be cast for that person no matter what the outcome. This really has me upset.

:puke: :spank: :grr:

[blm]

94. Bullshit Joe. You were just on Hardball & didn't mention Kerry's response

while you made sure that the audience knew that he was suspected.

You're a horse's ass and you are as deceptive as Dean.

[retyred]

95. I can't believe he's

still whinning about that ad. He better thicken up his skin if dean gets the nod, that ad was lightweight compared to what Rove will do, and it'll be a double hit if gore campaigns with dean, why do you think gore won't run again? they beat him to death even after they spent all that money to beat McCain, with only one target it'll be brutal.

It's nice to see Trippi is still focused on priorities though while he whines: challenging 2 million people to donate $100 each to take back their country.

Thanks Joe, I took up the challenge and just donated $100 more to Clark.



retyred in fla
“good night paul, wherever you are”
So I read this book

[TrueAmerican]

98. I am going to donate to the Dean Campaign. Where do I send

the cheese?