Synopses & Reviews
In politics, finding the dirt is a multimillion-dollar business.
Its called opposition research—“oppo” to insiders. Few Americans are aware of its existence, yet oppo has become an integral part of the campaign process, hastening the implosion of countless office-seekers around the country.
For nearly two decades, former journalists Alan Huffman and Michael Rejebian have been uncovering the buried truths about political candidates, from presidential appointees all the way down to local school-board hopefuls. Were with Nobody is the eye-opening account of their life as opposition researchers—a remarkable adventure across the American political landscape and through the often seamy underbelly of U.S. politics. From doing battle with reluctant, sometimes purposefully misleading bureaucrats to arriving in an unmarked police car for a clandestine meeting on the New Jersey waterfront, Were with Nobody offers readers a revealing slice of national and political life: a close-up look at todays political process, the fallible men and women we often choose to represent us and the little-understood industry of trying to bring candidates weaknesses to light.
Review
“A bright romp … A good book for anyone who has wondered how scandalous past behavior makes its way into campaign headlines.” Kirkus Reviews
Review
“This timely book lifts the curtain on political research to find dirt on opponents.” Publishers Weekly
Review
“This book floored me. I could not stop reading about the strange, dark world that helps determine who we elect and who sinks back into the muck. It is phenomenal; for me politics will never be the same.” SEBASTIAN JUNGER, author of < i=""> War <> and < i=""> The Perfect Storm <>
Synopsis
We're With Nobody is a thrilling, eye-opening insiders view of a little-known facet of the political campaign process: the multi-million dollar opposition research industry, or “oppo” as its called. For sixteen years authors Alan Huffman and Michael Rejebian have been digging up dirt on political candidates across the country, from presidential appointees to local school board hopefuls. We're With Nobody is a fascinating, riveting, sometimes funny, sometimes shocking look at the unseen side of political campaigning—a remarkable chronicle of a year in the life of two guys on a dedicated hunt to uncover the buried truths that every American voter has a right to know.
About the Author
A partner in the political research firm Huffman & Rejebian, Alan Huffman has been a farmer; newspaper reporter; and aide to a Mississippi attorney general and a Mississippi governor. A contributor to the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the
New York Times,
Smithsonian magazine and other publications, he is the author of
Ten Point,
Mississippi in Africa and
Sultana.
Michael Rejebian has been a journalist and newspaper reporter in Texas and Mississippi; director of communications for the Office of Mayor, City of Jackson, Mississippi; political advisor to the Attorney General of Mississippi; and a partner in Huffman & Rejebian.