I spoke in an earlier post about the corporate roots of Lincoln Republicanism.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x478021But the roots of Nixonian Republicanism are somewhat more obscure. The USC Mafia of Ziegler, Chapin and Segetti brought a group of dirty tricks they had used in campus politics to the Nixon campaign. Nixon had used smear and fear in his congressional campaigns but these people were the intellectual progenitors of the atwater and rove. Ratfucking is an American slang term for political sabotage or dirty tricks. It was first brought to public attention during the Watergate scandal investigation that during the 1972 presidential campaign the Nixon campaign committee maintained a "dirty tricks" unit focused on discrediting Nixon's strongest challengers.
Ratfucking tactics involved canceling meeting-hall reservations just prior to rallies, putting out false press releases or "leaked documents" in the name of political opponents, spying on rival campaigns, putting plants into rival campaigns, purloining speeches and information, vote contracting, jamming phone lines, ordering vast quantities of food for delivery in the name of rival campaigns, hiring "rioters" and "activists, conducting deceptive or offensive get out the vote phone canvasses, push polls, and similar activities.
It turns out that dirty politics is the cheapest and most effective way to power. The GOP has used it for the past 60 years with devestating effect. And the country has suffered the idiots that it allowed to come to power.
Democrats still have not taken this issue head on. So Democrats will continue to ply retail politics while the GOP does their political leverage on the cheap, wholesale, if you will.
Ratfucking - A GOP Tradition Her friend had known Segetti, Chapin and Tim Elbourne since collage. He referred to the "USC Mafia" in the White House and said Segetti and Elbourne had been called by their schoolmates Dwight Chapin and Ron Ziegler to help in the Nixon reelection business.
All belonged to a campus political party called "Trojans for Representative Government". The Trojans called their brand of electioneering "ratfucking". Ballot boxes were stuffed, spies were planted in the opposition camp, and bogus campaign literature abounded. Ziegler and Chapin had hooked onto Richard Nixon's 1962 campaign for governor of California-managed by Bob Haldeman. After graduation, Ziegler, Chapin and Elbourne had joined the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency in Los Angeles, where Haldeman was vice president. Segetti had been summoned to Washington and trained to work in a presidential election, according to Karlyn Barker's friend.
Bernstein called the Justice Department official who had originally told him Segetti was part of the Watergate investigation. "Yes, political sabotage is associated with Segetti. I've heard the term for it, 'ratfucking', the official said. There is some very powerful information, especially if it comes out before November 7," the day of the election.
Did Segetti have anything to do with "Canuck Letter?"
Bernstein had been reading the clippings on the primaries for any examples of malicious tricks. Finally he hit with one call. Ratfucking?" The word struck a raw nerve with a Justice Department attorney. "You can go right to the top with that one. I was shocked when I learned about it. I couldn't believe it. These are public servants? God. It's nauseating. You're talking about fellows who come from the best schools in the country. Men who run the government!"
From 'All the President's Men'
The USC Ratfucking Techniques 
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