Posted on 11/14/2011 2:46:51 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
.........American Bridge is typical of the new reality. It was founded in November 2010, after the Supreme Court's decision in the Citizens United case opened the door to "SuperPACs," political action committees that are able to raise unlimited amounts of anonymous money to craft attack and advocacy ads during campaigns. The fledgling Democratic research organization now has 15 trackers nationwide filming GOP candidates for Congress and the White House and 25 researchers in Washington poring over this footage and pushing it out to the public.
"The fastest way to disseminate information is through social media, such as Twitter and Facebook," American Bridge's Communications Director Chris Harris told Reuters. "And if it's good footage, it will spread exponentially."
..........In 2008, Yvan Yost, a veteran RNC researcher, was working for presidential candidate John McCain. The oppo file by McCain's campaign on primary opponent Mitt Romney just this month became grist for a scathing attack on Romney by the RedState blog.
Yost is now chief researcher for Romney, so his earlier work amounts to the ultimate "vulnerability study" for his current boss. Overall, Romney is thought to have the best oppo team in this Republican primary, with Yost as chief of research and Matt Rhoades, another veteran of RNC opposition research, as campaign manager. No one in the Romney organization would comment.
...The rise of the SuperPACs will likely take opposition research to a new level in the 2012 campaign. Already, some of these have huge war chests: American Crossroads, a Republican SuperPAC created by Bush's former chief political strategist Karl Rove, disclosed that it spent $70 million in 2010.....
American Bridge is tiny by comparison, with $3.1 million raised from donors such as Hollywood producer Steve Bing, Peter Lewis, the chairman of Progressive Insurance, and the labor unions SEIU and ACSME....
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
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....."Frustrated rivals think they know the secret: a low-profile, hard-driving Republican operative named Matt Rhoades, who is Romney’s campaign manager. Rhoades met Drudge, as POLITICO Editor-in-Chief John F. Harris and co-author Mark Halperin reported in their book “The Way to Win: Taking the White House in 2008,” when he became research director of the Republican National Committee and was introduced by his predecessor on a special trip to Miami. Rhoades has since been seen as a pipeline to the reclusive Drudge, who now has two veteran Washington reporters working on the site as well.".... Source
In 2008, they supported Romney's nomination with a $5,000 donation between them. According to disclosure reports Gov Tim Pawlenty received a combined $10,000 to his presidential campaign and another $60,000 to his political action committee from Bob Perry and his wife. Bob Perry is also the top donor to the Karl Rove-linked super PAC American Crossroads.
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Donors to Bush absent for Perry [9-1 support Romney] WASHINGTON — Fewer than one in 10 of the top fundraisers who helped George W. Bush shatter records for presidential campaign money in 2000 and 2004 have donated to Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s 2012 presidential campaign, a Houston Chronicle analysis of Federal Election Commission data has found.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney holds a wide lead over other GOP presidential hopefuls in donations received from the 939 “Pioneers” and “Rangers” who raised at least $100,000 each for the Bush presidential efforts."
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Kay Bailey Hutchison won’t endorse Rick Perry for president
ROVE-BUSH-HUTCHISON ran a 2010 GOP primary challenge against Gov. Rick Perry.
When it comes to running for office now, it’s all about the ‘narrative’. And only chatty mensas permanently attached to a ‘crackberry’ need apply. And they’ve done such a good job so far. Scary!
Such a noble profession, something you’d really be proud telling your family about at the THanksgiving dinner table.
/s/ (like I really needed a tag?)
....” A dossier assembled by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy’s campaign when he was challenged by Mitt Romney in 1994 remains a rich source on Romney’s career at Bain...Democratic strategists are ready to attack Romney as a job-destroying corporate raider if he becomes the GOP nominee.”..
And Romney also will be exposed as a flip-flopping fraud on the right flank. He is doomed...NO chance to beat Obama. So why do stupid blogs like HotAir.com continue to pimp for him, and bash folks like Cain?
That narrative has already started and is the foundation behind the 99% aka OWS movement. I think they’ve overplayed their hand on this one though.
The OWS looks like dumb clowns and I don’t think they’ll be able to manage this meme. Obama’s got to win in PA & Ohio & Florida. Romney will pick Rubio and hold Florida. Where else can Obama get 270 EVs?
Did you see how the Fox News Sunday panel treated Rick Perry?
Maybe because Romney does better vs Obama in polls than any other GOP candidate? I don’t know why, but he does. MUCH better than most. Paul does well too (compared to others), oddly enough: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/president_obama_vs_republican_candidates.html
Hmmm, why am I reminded of Goebbels? Oh,yeah; now I remember: “Propaganda has no principles of its own. It has only one goal, and in politics that goal is always to conquer the masses. Any means to that end is good. and any means that does not serve that end is bad.”
Ick.
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