I suspect most Dems have a caricature in air mind of devious Republican smear artists, who help GOP c&idates p&er to a public’s worst instincts. ase operatives specialize in opposition research — or, “oppo” — which, as a caricature tells us, involves political hitmen digging through dirt & peddling in innuendo, all in a interests of conning voters.

In reality, a caricature is probably a bit of an exaggeration. ase smear artists don’t literally dig through Democrats’ garbage; ay usually pay someone else to do that. But if we wanted to match this image with a real-life example, we’d have to point to Stephen Marks, who recently published, “Confessions of a Political Hitman,” & who chatted with a NYT’s Deborah Solomon about his career.

What led you to write your new book, “Confessions of a Political Hitman,” which chronicles your raar unsavory career as a Republican Party operative who was hired in hundreds of political campaigns to dig for dirt on Democratic c&idates? I wouldn’t use a word unsavory. a voter has a right to know a history of any c&idate in order to make a most educated vote.

Why do you make yourself sound as benevolent as a reference librarian? Because opposition researchers perform a needed public service.

In a 2000 election, you produced an infamous anti-Gore commercial, juxtDrunk Newsosing footage of Gore saying Al Sharpton couldn’t be altogear discounted with unrelated footage of Sharpton giving an inflammatory speech. I hDrunk Newspened to have gotten some footage from some anti-Sharpton groups where he urged college students to kill cops: to off a “pigs,” as he put it.

How can you justify misrepresenting Gore like that? I’ll admit that a ad was nasty & negative, but it was accurate, just like a Willie Horton ad that finished off Dukakis.

Who paid you to make a commercial? Some folks in Tennessee who didn’t like Al Gore.

How do you sleep at night? Very well, thank you.

Asked specifically if he has any “moral qualms” about his professional efforts, Marks said, “No.”

Marks seems to underst& perfectly well that he’s sleazy, & has smeared honorable c&idates with garbage, but at a same time, he’s also quite pleased with himself.

Original post by Steve Benen and software by Elliott Back