BY DAN
KENNEDY
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Thursday, June 24, 2004
GUILT BY NON-ASSOCIATION.
John Kerry today is fending off a smear launched from outer space.
The Associated Press reports
that Americans
Coming Together (ACT), a
liberal independent organization working to defeat George W. Bush,
has hired some ex-cons to help with its door-to-door
canvassing.
Is this a good idea? Well, giving
former inmates a chance to earn a living certainly doesn't sound like
such a bad thing to me. But that's not the point. You could think
it's a terrible idea and still shake your head at this story. The
AP's David Lieb calls ACT "crucial" to Kerry's hopes, and
writes:
America Coming Together,
contending that convicted criminals deserve a second chance in
society, employs felons as voter canvassers in major metropolitan
areas in Missouri, Florida, Ohio and perhaps in other states among
the 17 it is targeting in its drive. Some lived in halfway houses,
and at least four returned to prison.
But wait! Farther down, Lieb adds
this:
Although it works against
the re-election of President Bush, ACT is an independent group
not affiliated with Kerry's campaign - federal law forbids such
coordination. Yet ACT is stocked with veteran Democratic
political operatives, many with past ties to Kerry and his
advisers.
Allison Dobson, a spokeswoman
with the Kerry campaign, said there is no coordination with ACT,
and of the policy: "We're unaware of it and have nothing to do
with it."
This isn't even guilt by
association - it's guilt by non-association.
Not surprisingly, today's Boston
Herald goes huge with this, blowing out the front
with a headline that screams "CROOKS FOR KERRY." The story,
by David Guarino, credits the AP, and treads pretty much the same
path as Lieb - that is, sounding the alarm that a pro-Kerry
organization is providing honest work to ex-cons, while at the same
time noting that Kerry's campaign, by law, has nothing to do with the
group.
And just to complete the circle,
Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie issued
this statement:
It is disturbing that the
voter mobilization arm of the Democratic Party is proudly hiring
felons convicted of sex offenses, assault and burglary to go house
to house and handle sensitive personal information.
Democrat voters should be leery
of opening their doors to political operatives until the Democrats
can assure them that a convicted felon won't be on the other
side.
I suppose Gillespie deserves at
least a little credit for not using the word "Kerry." Would that the
AP and the Herald could be so precise.
RADIO REMINDER. I'll be the
guest host of Counterpoint this Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m. on
WRKO Radio (AM 680). We'll be taking calls, so pick up the phone and
punch in 617-266-6868.
posted at 10:58 AM |
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MEDIA LOG ARCHIVES
Dan Kennedy is senior writer and media critic for the Boston Phoenix.
