Liberals release opposition research on Republican presidential hopefuls

A liberal opposition research group released its 2016 playbook on Monday, showcasing the dirt it believes will damage the Republican field of presidential contenders. 

American Bridge 21st Century, whose hits often end up in campaign advertisements, is sending copies of the nearly 200-page report to liberal groups, outlining what it believes are the biggest liabilities for some of the GOP’s biggest names.

{mosads}The “scouting report” on 20 Republicans includes GOP heavyweights like Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.), Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.), Gov. Rick Perry (R-Texas), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R-Fla.), and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

In his introduction to the book, Democratic strategist Paul Begala wrote that the book isn’t a “dumpster dive.”

“I hate the politics of personal destruction,” he wrote. “First and most importantly, because it is unethical. Second, it’s bad strategy. True professionals know that the most devastating research is about the lives of voters, not politicians. The researchers at Bridge don’t dig for dirt; they pan for gold. And votes and quotes about the public issues that actually affect voters’ lives: that’s gold.” 

But the manual goes beyond the candidates’ stances on public issues — it also rehashes old episodes from the candidates’ personal lives.

“In 2002, Christie drove the wrong way down a street and hit a motorcyclist,” the book says. “The officer who arrived on the scene declined to write Christie a ticket after Christie revealed his title and that he was on his way to a county prosecutor’s swearing-in ceremony. The victim, who was injured in the accident, sued Christie and the case was settled out of court in 2004.” 

The manual focuses heavily on Christie’s “bridgegate” scandal, and wonders if he has the temperament for the presidency.

“As governor, Christie has gained national attention for arguing with and attacking those who ask him difficult questions,” it says.

The book calls former Rep. Ron Paul’s (R-Texas) supporters extremists, and says Rand Paul has sought to leverage that same network.

“He has hired several people who were previously employed by Ron Paul, and he has tapped into Ron Paul’s network of extreme supporters to benefit his political career,” it reads. 

For Bush, it calls into question a number of his business dealings, and says he may have acted inappropriately during the 2000 presidential recount in Florida that was ultimately decided in favor of his brother, former president George W. Bush. 

“Bush maintained that he recused himself in order to avoid the appearance of impropriety while his brother was one of the candidates,” the book says. “In spite of this claim, he quietly signed the paperwork that certified his brother’s victory in Florida…Despite his public statements during the recount, Bush’s office was later found to have made 95 phone calls to the Bush presidential campaign during the recount period.”