The real definition of ‘swiftboating’

James Young
Published: October 3, 2008

Reading one of John Merli’s columns (“For swift boats in ‘08, rough seas,” from Sept. 18), I kept waiting for the payoff. I kept seeing lots of aspersions (“facts rarely ever get in the way of their intellectually
dishonest messages”), but precious few — actually, no — facts backing up the smears.

A few years back, Thomas Sowell published a deliciously ironic translation guide (“novel: a fictional story; autobiography: a fictional story about yourself”).  Given Mr. Merli’s (and others’) comments, I
suppose that we should add another.

“Swiftboating (n.): the act of telling uncomfortable truths about Democrat candidates that they, and their handlers, would prefer remain untold, but that their willing accomplices in the media will sweep
under the rug until they can ignore them no longer, when the strategy will turn to demonization as ‘dirty’ tactics (see also ‘Willie Horton’).”

But I am sure that there are some who will find solace in Mr. Merli’s comments. After all, he was right about one thing. And it’s one thing that the supporters of Obama/Biden depend upon above all: “a lot
of gullible people will believe virtually anything they [read in the paper].”

JAMES YOUNG

Montclair