Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    We're with Nobody: Two Insiders Reveal the Dark Side of American Politics
    Unavailable
    We're with Nobody: Two Insiders Reveal the Dark Side of American Politics
    Unavailable
    We're with Nobody: Two Insiders Reveal the Dark Side of American Politics
    Ebook229 pages4 hours

    We're with Nobody: Two Insiders Reveal the Dark Side of American Politics

    By Alan Huffman and Michael Rejebian

    2.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    We're With Nobody is a thrilling, eye-opening insider’s view of a little-known facet of the political campaign process: the multi-million dollar opposition research industry, or “oppo” as it’s called.  For sixteen years authors Alan Huffman and Michael Rejebian have been digging up dirt on political candidates across the country, from presidential appointees to local school board hopefuls. We're With Nobody is a fascinating, riveting, sometimes funny, sometimes shocking look at the unseen side of political campaigning—a remarkable chronicle of a year in the life of two guys on a dedicated hunt to uncover the buried truths that every American voter has a right to know.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJan 24, 2012
    ISBN9780062098801
    Unavailable
    We're with Nobody: Two Insiders Reveal the Dark Side of American Politics
    Author

    Alan Huffman

    A partner in the political research firm Huffman & Rejebian, Alan Huffman has been a farmer; newspaper reporter; and aide to a Mississippi attorney general and a Mississippi governor. A contributor to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the New York Times, Smithsonian magazine and other publications, he is the author of Ten Point, Mississippi in Africa and Sultana.

    Read more from Alan Huffman

    Related to We're with Nobody

    Related ebooks

    Politics For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The FBI On Trial

      May 14, 2018

      The FBI On Trial
      18 min read

    • Article

      Why America Is Obsessed With The Alex Murdaugh Murder Trial

      Mar 2, 2023

      The five-week trial of Alex Murdaugh has dominated headlines and cable news channels, and the murders have been the subject of podcasts and even two documentaries.

      2 min read

    • Article

      'Excuses for Donald Trump'

      Apr 15, 2018

      "We kind of gave him -- 'All right, you get a mulligan. You get a do-over here." Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, on the white evangelical response to Donald Trump's alleged tryst with a porn star "He's new at government, and so therefore

      2 min read

    • Article

      What Happened to Empathy?

      Oct 12, 2023

      What Happened to Empathy?
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Hard Road To Equality

      Sep 1, 2019

      The Hard Road To Equality
      9 min read

    • Article

      We Have Always Been In Crisis

      Jun 26, 2020

      We Have Always Been In Crisis
      6 min read

    • Article

      Game Of 535 Thrones: Reflections From Working Under The Rotunda

      May 28, 2019

      Our correspondent shares what it was like to cover Congress during a time of hyperpartisanship – and reveals a few tricks to buttonholing lawmakers.

      10 min read

    • Article

      Leonard Pitts Jr.: We expect better of Joe Biden

      Oct 4, 2020

      Asked about race at last week’s presidential debate, one candidate gave a very disappointing answer. The other was Donald Trump. Which is not to suggest Trump had satisfactory answers. To the contrary, asked by moderator Chris Wallace why America sho

      2 min read

    • Article

      Mary Sanchez: The Arrogance To Expect ‘Calm’ When Police Kill

      Jan 27, 2023

      This is how to “urge calm” across American cities: Do the work ahead of time, and everything humanly possible, to avoid the need to ask for it. Because here we are, once again, with the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols in Memphis earlier this month.

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Enduring Emptiness Of Our Public Rage

      Nov 5, 2018

      RECENTLY A FRIEND ASKED ME, WITH WHAT I thought was a hint of suspicion in his voice, why my writing was so “apolitical.” It’s not the first time it’s happened, but it always surprises me. I’ve written about military policy under both President Obama

      5 min read

    • Article

      Keeping Tabs On The ’Loids

      Apr 20, 2018

      Keeping Tabs On The ’Loids
      7 min read

    Reviews for We're with Nobody

    2.5/5

    14 ratings2 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      I rarely read non-fiction but I heard these guys on NPR and was intrigued so I bought the book. It was really interesting. Opposition research is often referenced but rarely discussed and I'd never heard it explained with such detail. I was once a speech writer. It's a special job. You either loved it or hated it. I loved it. Opposition research seems much the same way. These guys love it so you get a special window to see how it works.
    • 3/5
      Written by two journalists-turned-political-opposition researchers, Alan Huffman and Michael Rejebian, the book recounts their work digging up information on politicians, from US Senate hopefuls to local school board candidates.The men tell their story in alternate chapters, but the gist of it is that they travel to local government offices to gather information that is supposed to be available to anyone who asks, i.e. voting records, tax records, court documents, etc. One big take-away from this book is that people who work in these government offices are frequently reluctant to share this information, even though it is their job to do so.Time after time, the researchers have to cajole, flatter, and sometimes get indignant to get the information they need. The first question that is usually asked of them is "Who are you with?", thus leading to the title of the book. Their answer, more often than not, is "none of your business."The government employees often stall, and the researchers have been followed back to their hotel and verbally threatened to go "back where they came from." This book reinforces the often-held opinion that government employees are uncooperative.The men state that they are "guided, more or less, by the conviction that no one is fit to lead unless proven otherwise." They see themselves as "seekers of the truth." They believe that discovering the truth is"more crucial than ever, when today's news is prone to distortion, willful ignorance and lies."I loved this quote: "Truth is a word that should never be qualified. It's like pregnancy; it's yes or no", and they quote Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan who supposedly said "everyone is entitled to his own opinions, but not his facts." Amen to that!One of the more interesting incidents happened when they talked to the ex-wife of a candidate they were researching. They were looking about information about his business dealings, of which she had none. In the course of conversation, she complained that he never took her anywhere, but he takes his new girlfriend everywhere, and that he was arrested for beating the girlfriend up in an airport.That piece of information might be useful. She said it happened on vacation, so Michael found out where they vacationed, pulled out a map, checked possible routes, and proceeded to call airports to ask about arrest reports. After many, many phone calls, he finds the report.That information is passed along to a friend of the man, who takes the report to the candidate and shows it to him. The candidate withdrew from the running.The men say that finding information on politicians, such as who donated to the campaigns, and who benefits from their votes is important. They state "the same type of systemic abuse that results in poorly built sidewalks in an out-of-the-way township resulted in the failed federal response to Hurricane Katrina." I'm not sure I totally buy that, but it is something to ponder.They don't name names, although the reader is able to figure out that they did research on US Senate hopeful Christine O'Donnell and Sarah Palin.Political junkies will enjoy this fascinating look at a part of the political process that is usually done under the cover of darkness, and has been done since the time of Caesar. The subject is interesting and timely in this election year, and you will look at political ads in a different light after reading this book.