by Seth Michaels, Aug 19, 2008

Sen. Barack Obama is running for president to fight for working families and to make sure economic prosperity is shared by everyone, not limited to a tiny elite. Apparently, that pro-worker agenda threatens the corporate interests that have been the beneficiaries of Bushonomics over the past eight years. These special interests are lashing out with lies and smears, through such Big Business-friendly media outlets like Fox News.

But, this election season, Brave New Films is challenging the lies and distortions about the Democratic presidential candidate. Check out this great video, in which Fox News commentators and other reactionary loudmouths get called out on falsehoods that wrongly impugn Obama’s policies, patriotism and concern for working families and our troops.

Let’s be clear: Attacks by Fox News commentators and other talking heads aren’t slipups, accidental mistakes or good-faith misinterpretations of the truth. These are easily disproved and unfair claims intended to mislead those listening.

These political operatives, disguised as journalists, know that Obama will win the election based on issues, principles, policies and values. So rather than explore the proposals of Obama and Sen. John McCain on jobs, health care and other working family issues, they provide deliberate falsehoods to confuse, distract and frustrate viewers into voting against Obama—or not voting at all. 

The AFL-CIO has been active in fighting misleading smears, disinformation and propaganda, and AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka has spoken powerfully to union members about the importance of not letting deep-pocket special interests divide us with deceit and fear-mongering. And through the Labor 2008 political mobilization program, millions of union members are getting the facts about Obama’s record and his plans.

Today, at the Veterans of Foreign Wars annual conference in Orlando, Fla., Obama took on the fear-and-smear campaign directly.

If we think that we can use the same partisan playbook where we just challenge our opponent’s patriotism to win an election, then the American people will lose. The times are too serious for this kind of politics. The calamity left behind by the last eight years is too great.

These are the judgments I’ve made and the policies that we have to debate, because we do have differences in this election. But one of the things that we have to change in this country is the idea that people can’t disagree without challenging each other’s character and patriotism….Let me be clear: I will let no one question my love of this country.

The campaign to attack Obama and stir up division, distrust and fear will only get louder over the next 77 days. The best way to combat it is to speak out about where the country needs to go and to break through the lies and distractions by addressing jobs, health care and the issues that really matter to people’s lives.

Corporate media toadies like those on Fox are spreading lies because they most fear an informed and engaged electorate of working people, ready to vote for pro-worker candidates. Let’s not let them win this time.

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Paid for by the AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education Political Contributions Committee, www.aflcio.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

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