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Wednesday, May 12, 2004
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GOIN' OPPO
I've never mentioned it here before, but Christ, I love the Atlantic Monthly. Its so chock full of smart boy goodness. Every month, there's a litany of new things in there to learn about. And you may have noticed, I'm generally pro-learning. Except for self-awareness. I've seen enough of that. In the end, I've seen all the evidence I need to to know, without a moment's hesitation, what a truly worthless skink I am. And I have to assume that you have to. So fuck self-awareness, at least as it pertains to me, shall we? Good.
Anyways, for those of you who have browsed my archives, both here and at Chaos in Motion (particularly my series on the California Recall Election last fall), you will have made note of my repeated referencing of opposition research. "Oppo", as it is commonly known in the trade, is the blackest of black arts. It is the dark cauldron wherein all the truly ugly parts of modern politics is brewed up with loving care and a hateful aftertaste. No one in polite society admits to admiring oppo operatives. No one except for me. This is because it is only my intense hatred that makes me feel truly alive anymore. I'm special that way.
I've never written at length about the mechanics of oppo, only its effect and how, if it to be done in a truly artful way, only sexless geeks like me know its been used at all. I haven't written about it for a pretty simple reason. I'm supid and I suck. I could never bring oppo the true beauty it's crat deserves. When I considered writing about oppo, I remembered Elvis Costello's remark that, "writing about music is like dancing about archetecture." And while I'm sure someone out there can dance beautifully about a building, I can't. And oppo, when done right, is te sweetest music of all to people like me.
While I heartily concede my suckiness, I do bow before Joshua Green. He wrote this, most excellent article on opposition research. Maybe you'll enjoy it as much as I did. I doubt it, but its possible, I suppose.
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