PrintSeptember 17, 2008
Obama's 'Dogs of War' Gameplan
In an earlier blog Obama's Dogs of War I described the pattern of attacks-a blitzkrieg-that the Obama campaign launches against critics and those who scrutinize a record that is not just paper-thin but hidden away like a dirty secret.
I highlighted Barack Obama's efforts to orchestrate attacks against people who appear on the Milt Rosenberg show to inform listeners about Barack Obama's record.
The Chicago Tribune gives us further insight into the nuts and bolts of this strategy - a strategy that relies heavily upon the internet machine he has built to power his campaign. This is the database and fundraising goldmine that has brought in vast dollars but can also be used to marshal support for Barack Obama from other Democrats who need access to the money and the data that this "machine" can generate.
Now it seems that this vast database can be used for more nefarious purposes. According to the Tribune, it is being tapped to coordinate attacks on critics in the media.
Much of Barack Obama's political success can be traced to a database listing contact information for millions of people, a tool that has proved invaluable in raising record sums of money and organizing a national volunteer network.
Now Obama's presidential campaign is increasingly using the list to beat back media messages it does not like, calling on supporters to flood radio and television stations when those opposed to him run anti-Obama ads or appear on talk shows.
It did so as recently as Monday night, when it orchestrated a massive stream of complaints on the phone lines of Tribune Co.-owned WGN-AM in Chicago when the radio station hosted author David Freddoso, who has written a controversial book about the Illinois Democrat.
The latest use of the database, called the Obama Action Wire, is proving yet another new and potentially powerful tactic in the closing weeks of a campaign that has already been dominated by Internet-based messages and media.Obama's campaign says supporters have placed thousands of phone calls to TV and radio stations and sent even more letters to newspapers.
A page on the campaign's Web site, headlined "Hit 'em where it hurts," told supporters how to complain to advertisers at stations that ran a recent anti-Obama ad.
Zack Christenson, the producer of the Milt Rosenberg show, noted that such a barrage of calls and emails made it more difficult to run the show.
People see this type of mass attack as an attempt to stifle free speech-which it is.
Senator Obama-who prides himself on being President of the Harvard Law Review and having served as a lecturer on constitutional law at the University of Chicago has no problem when his campaign engages in efforts to deny people their First Amendment rights.
Ironically, the net-savvy people who are launching these attacks are the same ones who constantly complain about being spammed by unwanted emails. They are constantly developing software to prevent such spamming.
However, when prompted by their leader, they can spam way.
How about this for the title of a new group (to join Bloggers for Obama:) "Spammers for Obama".
