It’s still more than a year until the presidential election and Obama’s opponent is far from chosen, but that doesn’t mean the enemies haven’t already been identified. On AttackWatch.com, a new website by Obama for America, three men are presented in ominous, grainy black-and-white photos on the homepage: Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, and Glenn Beck. The accompanying text — white with red accents on a black background — challenges lies and flawed logic under the slogan, “Get the facts. Fight the smears.” It is on!
The website is in the style of sites like Politifact and FactCheck.org, but with a decidedly aggressive spin and noted slant. “President Obama’s opponents are still using false claims against him and his record in an attempt to derail our momentum,” says some of the site’s copy, which also includes clarifications on immigration, Israel, gun control, and the bailout. The content is relegated to a news feed, which links to sources like Media Matters and Think Progress for refutation of GOP slams.
A “support the truth” button leads to a donation page. A submissions page is boldly titled “report an attack,” keeping with the site’s rhetorical twists: It’s defense, but it’s also offense.
Bright red is sprinkled everywhere in case the seriousness of the battle wasn’t already apparent. It’s not the most pleasant design job on the web, but it certainly instills a sense of urgency.
AttackWatch [Obama for America]
