John Kerry

“Swift-boating” is a neologism used pejoratively to describe an unfair or untrue political attack. We started using it during the 2004 presidential campaign when an astro-turf group, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, set out to wreck John Kerry’s campaign based on their false claim that he hadn’t earned a purple heart he had received. Now, Donald Trump has taken on the mantel of swift-boater in attacking John McCain’s status as a Vietnam War Hero. It’s a sad state that the preferred attack in this country, when you’ve not bothered to serve yourself, is to attack people who have sacrificed and served. But it has a long history. More sad is that fact that it seems to work, and voters buy into it, all while claiming to “support the troops.”