Everything about the rats campaign strategy is about personally attacking Republicans. They are trying to make it as painful on an individual level to speak your mind or publicly support a candidate you believe in.
This isn’t a campaign strategy, it’s a way to make GOP supporters know that the government is watching them and suppress their political activities.
Yes, I think that is it. Or possibly something worse. Obama's intentions are becoming more transparent. Think about how he wanted a provision to detain American citizens indefinitely inserted into the NDAA bill.