The media is abuzz about candidate Ted Cruz walking across the street today to confront a group of “pro-Trump protestors” outside one of his events.
Perhaps it’s the cynic in us; perhaps it’s because we’ve followed politics closely for decades; perhaps it’s because we’ve been warning how desperate the GOPe are; perhaps it’s the unusual font on the signs; or perhaps it’s because we’ve spent time studying the maneuvers of the master contrarian designer, Lee Atwater,… but something doesn’t pass the proverbial sniff test.
The decision of Ted Cruz to make this a campaign stunt has the finger prints and aura of Atwater/Rove all over it. Oh yes, there are such things in the chapters of campaign playbooks – they are in the back of the book under the tab “dark arts – use if needed”.
.@tedcruz confronts @realDonaldTrump supporters in Indiana. Tune in to MSNBC for more. https://t.co/BIgYxiSeUQ
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) May 2, 2016
Here’s how it works: The campaign in need (agents of the principal) reaches out to a middle-player, a bag-man, to set up a confrontation. The middle-player (usually a friendly local advocate) acting the role of counter provocateur, organizes a group of oppositional entities to be at a specific place/moment to advocate for their candidate (the challenger). The oppositional force doesn’t know who set up the confrontation. The principle confronts the pre-planned opposition and a media event is created.
I’m not saying that’s actually what occurred here. But if it did, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time….
Raw and rough video:
The Polished Broadcast version:
