Obama Campaign Launches ‘Truth Teams’

What about people like me who voted for Obama and appalled, watched him break many of his campaign promises? Who thought him to be a transcendent politician, not the craven normal politician bound to corporate money like the rest of them? He's not what he or his campaign says he is. He is a disappointment, and frankly, I will never get why Republicans hate him--he does as much--if not more--to cave into Wall Street and the corporate special interests as Bush ever did. His regime is a continuation of almost all Bush's policies: including the Patriot Act; Bush tax cuts for the wealthy; corporate campaign financing; keeping Guantanamo open; prosecuting whistleblowers and medical marijuana dispensaries (Bush prosecuted whistleblowers but no president has prosecuted as many as Obama; even Bush left the dispensaries alone); and escalating the wars--all of which Obama campaigned against, then reversed his position after taking office. His medical reform was just a big pile of money presented to the medical insurance industry and the pharmaceutical industry, which Republicans should love. His financial reform is toothless and does nothing to prevent another financial collapse, which is coming soon. His economic "recovery" is still a recession if you use the math they used until the 1980s, and the unemployment numbers are higher than all but 2 or 3 years during the Great Depression. The NDAA is the last straw. I'm not voting for Obama. And I won't vote for any of the Republicans tripping all over each other in the primaries. I will vote in the general election, but I will probably leave the presidential section blank on my ballot, or write in Buddy Roemer. --jef

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By Devin Dwyer - ABC News

Feb 13, 2012

The Obama campaign is today beginning a new effort to enlist and educate at least 2 million supporters for a “grassroots communications team” they’re calling the Truth Team.

“The goal is to ensure that when Republicans attack President Obama’s record, grassroots supporters can take ownership of the campaign and share the facts with the undecided voters in their lives,” the campaign said in a statement.

The teams will be first launched in 13 “swing states,” including Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio and Virginia.

The rollout also includes a social media blitz, directing supporters to three new websites: KeepingHisWord.com, which highlights Obama’s record and “promises kept”; KeepingGOPHonest.com, which highlights GOP policy positions; and AttackWatch.com, which fact-checks claims made against Obama on the campaign trail.

“If the other guys are going to run a campaign based on misrepresenting the president’s record – and their own – we have two options: sit back and let these lies go unchallenged, or fight back with the truth,” deputy Obama campaign manager Stephanie Cutter said in an email. "We’re fighting back."

So far, the “other guys” mentioned on the three websites are almost exclusively limited to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. There is one mention of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and one mention of Americans for Prosperity, a non-profit advocacy group.

Obama organized a similar grassroots effort in 2008 – Fight the Smears - that involved more than 1 million supporters, campaign aides said.

Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski said the initiative reflects a desperate attempt to spin Obama’s negative track record from his first term.

“The Obama campaign is organizing propaganda teams to deceive voters because Americans are catching onto the reality that Obama’s record doesn’t match his rhetoric,” Kukowski said in an email. “How else will they mask the broken promises like introducing another trillion dollar deficit or the fact that the president continues to recycle the same proposals without ever seeing results?”

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Yes, Obama has a negative track record in his first term, but the Republicans offer nothing to differ from his policies because Republicans and Democrats serve the same masters. The Republicans will actually do more to destroy the economy if they get control of the legislative and executive branches of govt than even Obama could do by doing very little.--jef