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* Bloomberg has a piece up about John Burton, a former opposition researcher turned JP Morgan banker who quit his job and put together a massive network of volunteers…
Over the past year, backed by mysterious donors, he’s organized what may be the most audacious grass-roots project in the age of Trump. Burton has amassed an army of 16,000 amateur sleuths who, with professional guidance, have spent months ferreting out damaging material on scores of vulnerable Republicans in Congress and state legislatures. Now he’s ready to unleash it just in time for the midterms. […]
Oppo works best when its target is unaware, so Burton’s project, dubbed Citizen Strong, has operated by stealth, waiting until just now to publicly declare its existence as a 501(c)4 “dark money” group with three affiliated political action committees. […]
Burton has a trove of anti-Republican material. The art of oppo lies in culling and distributing that kind of information to tell a particular story—a negative story—that will tarnish the incumbent and weaken his or her support. Sometimes researchers will quietly slip it to reporters, hoping it will yield a story and gain the imprimatur of a nonpartisan news outlet. Other times, oppo can be the basis of an ad campaign or used to build a website voters and the media can scrutinize—a bit like WikiLeaks. (Burton says none of his material is obtained through hacking or other illegal means.) With the midterms looming, he’s begun disseminating his “citizen oppo” in three Senate races, 22 House races, and 133 state legislative races across 13 states. He’s hoping these last-minute attacks will help push many of these races into the Democratic column, flipping control of the House—and possibly even the Senate—as well as state legislatures that will play a critical role in redrawing congressional lines in 2020, a process that will shape national politics for the next decade. […]
Burton laughs as he shares more highlights of what his researchers turned up, tidbits he’s not yet willing to put on the record. Sometimes, it’s best to spring the trap at the last moment. “This is what gets found when you have an army who can read every line of every document,” he says.
* One of his targets is US Rep. Mike Bost…
Why didn’t somebody on Mike Bost’s campaign buy MikeBost.com? What’s wrong with you people? Does your boss look sane to you? He shot a dog. He laughed about it. He fights for fun. If you’re on this list: RUN! Everybody else: get some popcorn.
Hmm.
* By the way, a Bost TV ad claims: “Folks, they’re at it again. I’ve spent 20 years fighting Pelosi and Madigan; my opponent has spent his career supporting them.” That ad was given a “Pants on Fire” rating today.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Oct 5, 18 @ 1:42 pm
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Hopefully this wont include “uncorroborated accusation.” That febrile nonsense is very tiresome and malicious.
Comment by cdog Friday, Oct 5, 18 @ 1:48 pm
In honor of the focus on Kavanaugh’s phony drinking game, let’s start a new one where you take a drink anytime a GOP candidate says “Madigan” or “Pelosi.”
Second thought, excessive drinking can kill or put you on the Supreme Court.
Comment by Norseman Friday, Oct 5, 18 @ 2:07 pm
One thing I remember seeing in a Bost ad or flyer some years ago when he was my State Rep is the fact that he noted he attended the University of Illinois.
Granted he did not say that he was enrolled or that he graduated - he attended and likely completed a firemen training institute. Parsing the truth and misleading voters?
Comment by illini Friday, Oct 5, 18 @ 2:15 pm
Did they get into all the sleazy county truckin’ deals?
Comment by Annonin' Friday, Oct 5, 18 @ 3:56 pm