14 episodes
Oppo File Geoff Embler
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- History
The history and practice of opposition research, the "dark art" of American politics.
oppofile.substack.com
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A Customer
In the season finale of OPPO FILE, we solve a mystery: Who set in motion the oppo research into Geraldine Ferraro’s family finances? Host Joseph Rodota interviews John Roberts, former Reagan aide and author; Sheila Tate, former press secretary to Nancy Reagan; and author Kate Andersen Brower.
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A Tiger by the Tail
On July 12, 1984, Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale made history when he named Representative Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate. The next day, New York lawyer Roy Cohn arrived in the offices of the Reagan re-election campaign. First of two parts.
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Confessions
Oppo research nearly ended Vice President Mike Pence’s political career before it began. Host Joseph Rodota interviews author and journalist Craig Ferhman and former congressional aide Billy Linville about Pence’s 1988 and 1990 congressional campaigns.
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The Weirdness Factor
Opposition research isn’t just a tool for understanding your opponent. It’s also a tool for understanding yourself.
Host Joseph Rodota interviews Chris Lyon, who wrote a “vulnerability study” on Rudy Giuliani in 1993. Nearly two decades later, Fred Smith solves a mystery.
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Cheap Shots
Why do some campaigns wait for just the right moment to unveil their opposition research, while others decide to dump it all at once?
Host Joseph Rodota interviews Pat Dennis, Trump War Room Research Director at American Bridge 21st Century.
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Bonus Episode: Gary Maloney
Gary Maloney was the first GOP opposition researcher to dig into the record of a rising star in Illinois politics, a young man named Barack Obama. In this bonus episode, Gary shares insights from that assignment – and an oppo researcher’s view of a now-infamous meeting that took place in Trump Tower in 2016.
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