This kind of thing is why the possibility that Wiener was a victim of a Republican set-up was entirely credible, although in the Wiener case it turned out to be his own doing.
http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/noquarter/123202643.html
June 5, 2011
The season of dirty political tricks is now officially under way.
In letters obtained by No Quarter, local Republican Party officials are encouraging their GOP colleagues to collect enough signatures to get a fake Democratic candidate on the ballot in each of two upcoming recall elections.
The spoiler Democrats, who are identified by name in the letters, would run in the Democratic primaries for the seats now held by Republican Sens. Randy Hopper of Fond du Lac and Luther Olsen of Ripon.
Both of the fake Democrats have a history of giving almost exclusively to major Republicans.
"We need to make sure Democrat challengers face primaries to allow our Republicans time to mount a campaign," Dan Feyen, chairman of the 6th Congressional District Republican Party, wrote in the letter to "fellow conservatives" on Friday.
"A Democratic primary," Feyen continued, "will push the general election back by one month, so that Senator Hopper can have more time to organize a campaign against his liberal challenger."
That's verbatim what is in the other two-page letter encouraging support for the second fake Democratic candidate, except that note substitutes Olsen's name for Hopper's.
By running these fake Democrats, Republicans would force the Democratic challengers to spend money on a primary that could have been used in the general election. Plus, the spoiler candidates could launch negative attacks on the Democrats while the Republican incumbents remain above the fray.
Feyen confirmed that he sent his letter trying to get a "protest candidate" on the ballot in the Hopper race.
What's more, he said there's a good explanation for why his letter and the one written by local Republican officials in Olsen's district were virtually the same.
"It's something being coordinated by the RPW," he said, referring to the Republican Party of Wisconsin.
Officials with the state party could not be reached for comment.
Local GOP officials in La Crosse were also secretly recorded on May 25 discussing getting a spoiler Democratic candidate in the recall election tentatively scheduled for Republican Sen. Dan Kapanke of La Crosse. During that discussion, La Crosse County Republican officials mention Mark Jefferson, the former head of the state GOP , and Kapanke's campaign manager .
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