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Political dirty tricks warning
Oct. 12th, 2006 09:43 pmA post about a political phone call in someone's LJ reminded me that a lot of folks aren't aware of some old "dirty tricks". I first encountered them in some writing about a political campaign in the late 40s, and they were apparently old then.
The details don't matter. It's the pattern. Basically, you go out and do things "for" the opposing candidate, but in a way calculated to give maximum offense.
You have to be a bit more subtle in person, or on the phone but not a lot.
The idea is to influence folks to dislike the other candidate.
So if you get phone calls, flyers placed obnoxiously, accosted by "overenthusiastic" & obnoxious "campaign workers" etc, keep in mind that they may be deliberate attempts to alienate you by the other side.
It sucks, but it's the way the world works.
The details don't matter. It's the pattern. Basically, you go out and do things "for" the opposing candidate, but in a way calculated to give maximum offense.
You have to be a bit more subtle in person, or on the phone but not a lot.
The idea is to influence folks to dislike the other candidate.
So if you get phone calls, flyers placed obnoxiously, accosted by "overenthusiastic" & obnoxious "campaign workers" etc, keep in mind that they may be deliberate attempts to alienate you by the other side.
It sucks, but it's the way the world works.
