Negative Ads in Action

The Swiftboats for Truth people have had an effect, though I suspect it was not entirely the one intended. Polls have shown that people tend to believe Kerry was telling the truth, but at the same time are less likely to vote for him because of military service. Ironically, people who have changed their minds in this are people who have been reminded of the horrors of the Vietnam War, and that Kerry was part of that horror. Ironic, considering that the Swift-boat vets have been trying to argue that Kerry wasn't telling the truth about how US soldiers acted in Vietnam. I suspect that the effect of this will be to reduce the likelihood of pacificists voting for Kerry on election day, as they will be reminded of how he almost certainly killed people in Vietnam. Something that they may not forgive him for.