Rapid Response
The debate starts in less than two hours. When it’s over, regardless of what actually happens, every Republican near a phone, computer, or camera is gonna start spinning it into a Bush victory. Here’s what we need to do to help spin it in the right (and by “right” I mean “correct”) direction :
1) Vote in every online poll you can find – Despite the fact that these polls are prefaced with the word “unscientific”, these polls are sure to be trumpeted as the definitive account of the public’s reaction in the first few hours after the debates. Go to the following sites and look around on their homepages for polls :
ABC News CBS News CNN Fox News MSNBC USA Today You also might want to try restarting your browser and deleting your cookies after you vote. If you do that, many poorly-designed polls will allow you to vote multiple times.
2) Write a letter to the editor - Talk about John Kerry’s brillant performance, chastize the media for not reporting Bush’s flip-flops, whatever. You can get contact your local paper(s) at the DNC’s “Take Action” page, or send it to the email addresses found here or here.
3) Call a radio show – The Democrats have a media search page you can use. They also recommend the following shows (times in EST) :
Air America (all day): 646-274-2346 Alan Colmes (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.): 212-301-5900 Ed Shultz (3 p.m. to 6 p.m.): 701-232-1525 Bev Smith (7 p.m. to 10 p.m.): 412-325-4197 Doug Stephen (5 a.m. 10 a.m.): 1-800-510-8255 I suggest listening to your local AM station tomorrow and trying to crash every rightwing hack you can think of (Limbaugh, Liddy, etc.)
4) Stay on top of the rapid response – Oliver Willis has set up Rapid Reblogger to stay on top of all this stuff. Also worth checking out are the DNC’s debate page, Kerry’s Rapid Response, and FactCheck.org. Secondary to creating positive spin and debunking Bush’s performance, you should also keep on top of the right wing spin.
No matter how well John Kerry does, we’ve got a lot of work to do.
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Yeah, lets go folks. Pad those polls with bullshit! Be a true Democrat! No matter what say John Forbes Kerry wins the debate.
Comment by Angel Elf — September 30, 2004 @ 6:39 pm
They don’t have to be padded with anything.
Kerry clearly knocked Bush out tonight.
Comment by Carla — September 30, 2004 @ 9:12 pm
I can’t believe a righteous stand up guy like yourself would just assume that Kerry would win the debate.
It coulda happened. Ha. GREAT SUCCESS!
Comment by Charlie — October 1, 2004 @ 9:30 am
Angel Elf,
Republican thuggery has made the Democrats tougher, stronger and faster. It’s been a long time coming but worth the wait. We will NEVER lie down for Republicans again.
So, as your wonderful glorious President Bush said in the 2000 primaries to McCain ” It’s just politics John”
It’s just politics Elfy. What you can’t take it when people hit back. Hey if it’s too hot in the kitchen …
Comment by scott mcarthur — October 1, 2004 @ 10:18 am
Republicans started phoning in to local radio stations here this morning, proclaiming a Bush victory and the End of Kerry.
And I live in *Ireland*, for chrissakes.
Comment by Anon — October 1, 2004 @ 12:06 pm
Hey, cool site. Look, I’m as big a Kerry supporter as you’ll find, but I’ve got to say it’s flat out GOP of you to encourage people to vote multiple times in online polls. That’s just flat out f**cked up. We don’t need it man, Kerry knocked it out of the park last night.
Comment by Jeremy — October 1, 2004 @ 9:11 pm