The Dark Art

06/10/20 • 19 min

Political attacks have been around as long as democracy itself, but where exactly does the history of “oppo research” begin? Hosts Kate Andersen Brower and Joseph Rodota interview historian and author Susan Swain about a campaign in which the target of opposition researchers wasn’t the candidate – it was the candidate’s wife. And in 2016, Liz Mair unearths a risqué photo of Melania Trump, setting in motion a series of charges and counter-charges on the campaign trail – and provoking an ominous threat.

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Previous Episode

TRAILER: Introducing OPPO FILE

OPPO FILE digs deep into the shadowy world of opposition research -- the art of digging into the background of a political opponent in order to identify weaknesses that can be exploited in a campaign. Hosts Kate Andersen Brower and Joseph Rodota interview oppo researchers from both parties and ask them why they chose this profession and how they package the damaging information they unearth. Is everything about a candidate – no matter how personal – fair game?

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Next Episode

Three by Five

What happens when opposition researchers unearth something that touches a racial nerve? Host Joseph Rodota interviews Susan Estrich, campaign manager for Michael Dukakis’ 1988 presidential campaign, about the Massachusetts prison furlough program and the case of William Horton. Georgetown professor and historian Dr. Marcia Chatelain looks back at two controversial campaign ads, and a former opposition researcher takes listeners on a road trip to Boston.

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