GOP Coordinated Negative Campaign Tactics

By: Todd Smyth
Published On: 10/7/2006 11:23:28 PM

It's difficult to explain how Republicans use a strategy of coordinated negative tactics to suppress turn out for the opposition and inspire turn out of their own base.  Each tactic they use doesn't look all that bad by itself but each one reinforces the other and in combination, has a much more powerful effect.  This way, if they are caught doing one thing, it doesn't really look quite as bad as the overall campaign of dirty tricks.

Essentially, Republicans start by "Narrow Casting" voters. Which means they gather all the data they can on voters like voting history, fishing licenses, gun and hunting licenses, magazine subscriptions, credit/debit card buying patterns, Internet surfing etc.  Most of this data is actually free or has a minimal service charge (driver's license, voter registration, voting history, fishing licenses, gun and hunting licenses are all free or cheap).  They analyze and sort the data according to demographics and political profiling and then target each group with specific persuasion tactics.

For example, they target Democrats and liberals with voter suppression using smears and whisper campaigns.  They target swing voters with persuasion and they target their own base with fear and hate mongering to rile them up and get them to volunteer and turn out the vote on Election Day.


To simplify or paraphrase, they may begin with phony automated telephone calls (robo-calls) from Nancy Peolosi, which claim to be supporting their opposition but actually lays out a platform of "Tax and Spend," "Pro-Abortion," "Pro-Gay Marriage," "Pro-Gun Control," "Pro-Banning the Bible" etc.  They follow that up with push polling which claim to be independent surveys that ask voters would they be more or less likely to vote for a candidate if they support raising taxes, legal abortions, gay marriage, gun control, banning the bible etc.  They begin whisper and smear campaigns on talk radio, news paper articles/editorials FOX News, email etc.  They follow up with targeted and specific direct mailings and negative TV ads that reinforce all the evil things people have been hearing about the Democratic candidate.

If the Democratic candidate isn't burned at the stake by Election day, they are sadly disappointed to find their own base didn't show up as much as they had expected, swing voters didn't swing and radical conservatives showed up to preserve their right to pray in public, which Jesus specifically told us not to do in Matthew 6:5:

Matthew 6:5 (Jesus speaking to his disciples) "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

And that is basically how lying, crooked hypocrites win elections.  It's actually more complicated and subtle.  For example Republicans spend a great deal of time and effort creating and installing "frames" in the public consciousness.  These "frames" are manufactured on a wholesale basis to be used by local Republican candidates to paint their opponents into prefabricated negative frames and paint themselves into positive frames.  Examples of negative frames used by Republicans include: "Flip Flopper," "Tax and Spend," "Death Tax," and "Activist Judges" Positive Republican frames include: "Tax Reform," "Fiscal Responsibility" "Pro-Life," "Smaller Government" and "Family Values"

Republicans use these frames despite the fact they actually deliver bigger government, the worst debt in human history, tax cuts they steal from our children, an expanded tax code, worse abortion rates, corruption and war profiteering.  They don't try to deliver the opposite of what they promise.  It's just that's what we end up with because most Republicans are lying, crooked hypocrites and that's why they have no hesitation just telling people what they want to here to get elected.

The best way to combat this has been debated all over the place and there are many wonderful sounding ideas that will never happen because they are not practical.  What it all boils down to is we have to inform and educate as many people as possible with what the Republicans are doing.  We have to fight back with conviction and never give up.  So please, pass this information on to as many people as you can.

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Comments



Public Relations (TurnVirginiaBlue - 10/8/2006 12:49:39 AM)
The ones running the country are public relations or spin experts.

It used to be that things were either right or wrong, true or false, now we have spin wars.

It doesn't matter what is true, what is good for the nation, what the facts are, it's all image, messaging, framing and who gets their first.

I think we should outlaw spin. 



This is not about spin it's about lies (Todd Smyth - 10/8/2006 1:12:36 AM)
Using second hand accounts from discredited people to smear someone isn't about spin.  It's about lying.  And spin has been around for a long time.  We've only had a few short flickers of honest government.  The Truman Commission was one.

Republican Dirty Tricks
http://www.gopdirtyt...



That is one (tokatakiya - 10/8/2006 12:56:43 AM)
of my favorite pieces of scripture regarding how to conduct oneself as a Christian.

I never put that together with school prayer before.

Thank you.



It's all about humility (Todd Smyth - 10/8/2006 1:05:53 AM)
Avoiding what is arrogant and prideful and doing what is right.


That is one (presidentialman - 10/8/2006 2:41:31 AM)
of my favorite scriptures too. And the strange thing is I'm a deist-atheist. However I come across alot of these through secular forms, Ghost of Tom Joad, about the first shall be last and the last shall be first, Within you, Without you, about the people who gain the world but lose their soul. I have found Matthew one of the better books in the Bible and I have the Jefferson Bible at home. Hopefully this goes into the idea that you don't have to be neo-con nut to follow scripture.

And that's a fine article you got there Todd.



GOP not Christian (Todd Smyth - 10/8/2006 9:41:59 AM)
Part of my point is that Neo-Cons and right wing Christians don't follow the Bible at all.  They use it selectively.  The basic premise of the Republican Party is that some people are more deserving than others.  If you’re poor, you deserve it and if you’re rich you deserve it no matter how you got there. 

Before Adam and Eve, Lucifer was cast out of heaven, not for lying or stealing or killing but for his arrogance in believing he was more deserving than all others (Isaiah 14:12).  Lucifer’s pride is the first of the seven deadly sins and is considered to be the root of evil because in order to lie and steal and kill, you have to first believe you are more deserving than those you sin against. 

Proverbs 21:4 - Arrogant eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin!

Job 41:34 - He (Satan) looks down on all that are arrogant; he is king over all that are proud.
 



The current Republican Party is the Reverse Robin Hood (Lowell - 10/8/2006 9:59:51 AM)
party - steal from the rich and give huge, unneeded gifts to the mega-rich (e.g., multi-milionaires and billionaires).  Then, what's truly astonishing, they have the chutzpah to accuse the DEMOCRATS of class warfare!!!  You know, this would be funny if it wasn't so warped.


Related C-SPAN Program, Monday A.M. (bb10 - 10/8/2006 12:16:50 PM)
On the "Washington Journal" program on Monday morning, one of the guests will be David Mark, the author of the book "Going Dirty: The Art of Negative Campaigning."  That segment of "Washington Journal"  will come on around 9:00, 9:15, or 9:30 a.m.

And note the C-SPAN program that be on at 8:30 a.m. Monday: "Campaign Profiles: Virginia Senate Race - Sen. George Allen (R) & James Webb (D)."

A good day to call in to C-SPAN or send e-mails with your questions and comments for both of those program segments.