McCain-Obama battle over Missouri “Truth Squad”
With the Missouri polls showing a dead heat between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, every campaign move is igniting scrutiny.
That’s the backdrop over a two-day dust-up that is attracting local TV coverage, and has even ignited a Web fight between the Drudge Report and the Daily Kos.
At issue is a new Obama “Truth Squad” formed in the state.
(As an aside, please note that both sides have “Truth Squads” in numerous states, under numerous titles. McCain’s campaign has an Honest and Open Election Committee, whose Missouri members include former Sen. John Danforth and U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, and another state McCain group monitoring any Democratic jabs at Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.)
Obama’s Missouri Truth Squad members include St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce, Jefferson County Sheriff Glenn Boyer and St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch, among others.
The inclusion of such officials has led to Gov. Matt Blunt, among other Republicans, to accuse the Obama camp of planning “to use Missouri law enforcement to threaten and intimidate his critics.”
That tack was repeated in a conference call Saturday, where Republican National Committee deputy chairman Frank Donatelli said that the issue was the inclusion of law-enforcement officials on Obama’s squad. He called for Joyce, McCulloch, et al to step down.
In a statement Saturday (issued from the governor’s office), Blunt went further and contended that the state Obama campaign and its allies, including U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill “have attached the stench of police state tactics…”
His assertion was that the squad might prosecute people deemed to have made inaccurate or inappropriate claims against Obama.
“Barack Obama needs to grow up. Leftist blogs and others in the press constantly say false things about me and my family. Usually, we ignore false and scurrilous accusations because the purveyors have no credibility. When necessary, we refute them,” Blunt said in the statement. “Enlisting Missouri law enforcement to intimidate people and kill free debate is reminiscent of the Sedition Acts - not a free society.”
Obama’s national campaign manager David Plouffe said Saturday that Truth Squads simply monitor attacks and refute them.
Later, state communications director Debbie Mesloh issued a statement that called it “the height of absurdity” for the GOP to contend that the Obama squad planned to go to court or jail critics.
She contended that Blunt, Donatelli, et al are out “to deceive voters about the role of respected Missourians across the state who want to see this election be about the truth, not false attacks like the ones we’ve seen today.
“Barack Obama’s Truth Squad is comprised of members of the community who – on their own time – are dedicated to raising the level of discourse in this campaign…,” she added.
By the way, a quick surf of the Internet found a McCain Truth Squad in New Hampshire, formed last January, that included several public officials with prosecutorial powers, including the state attorney general.
However, state Republicans have sent out a list of dozens of officeholders — who are lawmakers, not law enforcers — who they said make up the bulk of McCain’s Truth Squads around the country.
According to the Republicans for Truth, Sarah Palin leaves her down-syndrome infant child with a nanny all day long while she’s on the trail. She does not even take time to feed the kid. She has someone else do it. They also say that the kid is brain damaged because Palin worked too hard during the pregnancy and the kid did not develop correctly.
Can you believe this woman? How selfish can you get. All of us stay at home moms, sacrificing our own careers for our children. I don’t want this kind of woman representing me.
I’m a GOP and I must say that we must get out the truth about these lyes running to represent us. GW Bush was a coke head and alcoholic in college and never really served his time in the Guard. Also his daughter escaped arrest while caught drinking under age. Also, did you hear that John McCain used to beat his first wife? She was disabled. Did you know that Cindy McCain wore a 400k pair of pearls to the RNC event? Did you know that Sarah Palin caused her child to be disabled by not caring for herself during pregnancy? Chaney’s daughter is a lesbian.
Get the facts at GOP Swift Boaters for Truth website
— Palin Truth Squad
“According to the Republicans for Truth, Sarah Palin leaves her . . has someone else do it. They also say that . . because Palin worked too hard . . ”
“They” - provide your source. Give us a link so we can evaluate if “They” are credible.
This is just as rotten a post as those rotten ones from McCain’s side.
Incredibly offensive.
” I don’t want this kind of woman representing me.”
and I don’t think your vile repulsive post represents the views of the overwhelming majority of Obama supporters.
Shame on you
STL-
Exactly the point. Absurdity.
— Palin Truth Squad 9:24 am September 28th, 2008
— GOP Swift Boaters for Truth 9:33 am September 28th, 2008
“I’m a GOP . .”
Ok, I get.
The Right Wing Rowdies (RWR) are now posing as Obama supporters
Puking out the impression that the Obama’s are viscous, vile and repulsive as the RWR’s.
Reverse Psychology 101
It’s just more lies and more unsubstantiated accusations.
Even in reverse, it still won’t work
Give up.
He’s clean
He’s clean
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_092608/content/01125104.guest.html
This is really hilarious. Rush Limbaugh says it, and the racists who listen to him rush to the blogs and start posting. Amazing.
Are you planning to arrest Sarah after the debates. The sheriffs and prosecuters who joined Obamas brownshirts should be fired. Talk about disenfranchising voters. This is a Stalin tactic.
This is what I sent to Jennifer Joyce and to Bob McCulloch and to the TV Station that seems clueless about our Constitution:
Jennifer Joyce
You are a Nazi.
We have a First Amendment in this country.
You have absolutely no business intimidating or threatening anyone who runs political advertising, at any time, concerning a political issue or a political candidate.
What you are doing is wrong, on its face. It is also obvious that you are partisan, as you obviously will not subject the lies that Obama tells to the same Brown-Shirt tactics you are threatening against McCain supporters.
You are unfit for public office.
You should be ashamed of yourself.
The cure for “bad speech” is MORE SPEECH, not an Un-American, anti-First Amendment liberal nut-case like you trying to shut down debate you don’t like!
Paul Rosell
Wichita, Kansas
So many newbie posters - mostly vomiting the Right Wing Rowdies (RWR) message
All hyping up their fake outrage
So striking that the regular RWR’s are not posting.
Why would they miss this party, they thrive on lying, sliming and faking outrage.
Could it be our regulars RWR’s are the newbies?
It sure sounds like our regulars posting, except they’ve taken it up a notch.
Maybe storm-trooper HQ wasn’t happy with their performance and sent some reinforcements
Nice try RWR’s
The battery for your cloaking cape died.
Your slander, lies, false accusations and hyperbole of non issues still isn’t working.
Give up
Like Peggy and Mike said, “It’s over”
As for all those posts referring to what was reported on Channel 4. I included a link to that TV news report, so readers could view it and decide for themselves. I cannot vouch for its accuracy, or inaccuracy.
My reporting dealt with what various officials or political leaders on both sides told me, plus some general background about Truth Squads.
I’m not taking sides as to who is right or who is wrong.
But that is at the very heart of the matter, Ms. Mannies.
The “truth squad” as reported was not your run of the mill political machine function. We are talking about the abuse of Missouri law enforcement positions at the very least to intimidate political opponents. At worst we are talking about Sedition.
The fact which you take such a “neutral” position (and it is not neutral by any stretch of the imagination) as I said before speaks volumes and should make anyone concerned.
If Republicans were doing this I am sure we would be seeing a different response - and rightfully so given the seriousness of what we are seeing.
That bias and lack of action by the Post-Dispatch (and other media outlets) shows that Democrats can pretty much do what ever they wish to. That apparently includes abusing the legal system and political office at will.
I am guess its okay, though, because its for the One amirite?
I pray that Missourians see through this for what it is.