Press Release

McCain's Non-Suspension Suspension

Washington, D.C. - Today the Media Matters Action Network released a graphic outlining the right-wing smear campaign against Sen. Barack Obama. The graphic, which is available here, demonstrates that the myriad attacks against Obama while seemingly disconnected, actually operate together, like separate voices combining to form a chorus of fear and resentment.

As the means of communication have evolved, presidential campaigns have grown increasingly multifaceted, with each election featuring layers of complexity that were not present four years before. The most striking feature of the 2008 election may be the sheer volume and variation of the attacks being directed at Sen. Barack Obama.

Though they come from many sources, arrive through a variety of media, and cover a wide range of subjects, a close examination reveals that these attacks actually reinforce an overarching narrative that Obama is alien and threatening-that he is "not one of us."

We call the 2008 version "Swiftboating 2.0" not only because it is the latest model of a political smear campaign, but also because it shares features of "Web 2.0" sites like Facebook and MySpace, where significant portions of the content are generated by ordinary people and are spread from peer to peer.

Click here to see how the right-wing narrative is being tailored to make you think Sen. Obama is "not one of us."