Dirty tricks

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In politics and business, dirty tricks refers to unethical, duplicitous, slanderous or illegal tactics employed to destroy or diminish the effectiveness of opponents. So-called dirty tricks are as old as political campaigning and reflect a traditional undercurrent in American free-market competition and no-holds-barred politics.

Contents

1 Electoral dirty tricks

1.1 Watergate era dirty tricks

2 Non-electoral political dirty tricks

2.1 The Valerie Plame scandal
2.2 Business

3 See also

Electoral dirty tricks

Leaking secret information, digging into a candidate's past (opposition research) or exposing real conflicts between the image presented and the person behind the image are always subject to argument as to whether they are dirty tricks or truth-telling. When a candidate runs into trouble or roadblocks in his or her campaign that are traceable to the other side, he/she can easily charge their opponent with dirty tricks. Often, the candidate is right in this accusation, but one candidate's "dirty trick" is another's "political strategy." The distinction changes with the times. Of course imputing the discovery of a past misdemeanour to the other side can be considered a "dirty trick" in its own right.

However, manufactured, irrelevant, cruel and incorrect rumors or outright falsehoods designed to damage or destroy an opponent are easily described as dirty tricks. They serve to tie up the opponent into defending against and answering false charges rather than explaining their policies and platform.

Often, these political tactics are only tangentially aimed at slandering the opponent. Political operatives will tell you that dishing the dirt against your candidate's opponent is equally effective at alienating casual, uncommitted and perhaps more discerning voters in order to turn them off from the entire project. These tactics are effective at reducing turnout in order to assure your candidate gains by having his/her core voters show up at the polls; thus, an operative molds the outcome by angering everyone.

Political speech is protected by the Constitution and it is rare that a wronged candidate will be able to sue for slander after an election season is concluded.

Political candidates have been accused by their opponents of every sin and crime ever described, from graft and vice to bribery and communism, polygamy, drug use, fascism, pedophilia, miscegenation, adultery, stupidity, demagoguery, mental illness and support for nudism.

The story of dirty tricks in American politics begins with the first campaign for President of the United States, in the 1790s. Thomas Jefferson hired journalist and pamphleteer James Thomas Callender to slander his opponent, Alexander Hamilton. After a falling out, Callender turned on Jefferson and published attacks on his previous employer.

Pulling clever, satirical pranks against a political opponent is often lauded by a complicit press. Dirty Tricks, cruel and potentially illegal acts against an opponent, may be distinguished from more benign forms of political pranks exemplified by famous prankster, Dick Tuck.

Watergate era dirty tricks

For a full history see: Watergate

The Nixon Committee to Re-elect the President (CREEP), a private non-governmental campaign entity, used funds from its coffers to pay for, and later cover up, "dirty tricks' performed against opponents by Nixon's employee, Donald Segretti. Nixon's use of the FBI to investigate, slander and abuse opponents goes beyond simple pranks or dirty tricks into the realm of government initiated crime.

As a result of post-Watergate reform legislation, such activities are strictly regulated, though other private entities still may practice what has become commonly referred to as questionable or unethical dirty tricks.

Recent nomenclature equates a Dirty Tricks Squad to any organized, covert attempt to besmirch the credibility or reputation of a candidate, individual or organization so as to render them ineffective.

Non-electoral political dirty tricks

The Valerie Plame scandal

For a full history see: Plame affair

Valerie Plame's CIA job assignment was disclosed. This is alleged as political payback against her husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, for an editorial he wrote in the New York Times criticizing the Bush Administration's claims about uranium exports from Niger. Other allegations have been that it was a deliberate CIA leak to harm the Bush administration. It should be noted a court of law has yet to render a judgement and Valerie Plame's role within the CIA, nor her husband, as a former State Department employee, has any relation to an election campaign.

Business

In the United Kingdom the term "dirty tricks" became, for a while, synonymous with the British Airways campaign against rival Virgin Atlantic and the wider business interest of the airline's chairman Richard Branson. British Airways, faced with likely defeat, apologised "unreservedly" in court and settled the case, giving £500,000 to Branson and a further £110,000 to his airline; further, BA was to pay the legal fees of up to £3 million. Branson divided his compensation among his staff, calling it the "BA bonus".

Dirty tricks

Electoral dirty tricks

Watergate era dirty tricks

Non-electoral political dirty tricks

The Valerie Plame scandal

Business

See also