They record every word, every gesture, every aside, every remark made by GOP candidates. They stalk their quarry, going from town to town, speaking engagement to speaking engagement, hoping against hope that a Republican candidate will make a mistake like saying there are 57 states in the US, or averring that there is an Austrian language. There goal is to make a video that goes viral on YouTube and sinks the Republican's chances to get elected.
In any other context, they would be locked in the loony bin for obsessive cumpulsive behavior. At the very least, they would have an order of protection sworn out against them.
But for Democrats, they are a vital cog in their oppo research operation:
"Our obligation here is to get these guys on the record with what they really believe so they can't walk away from their record," said Rodell Mollineau, a former aide to Senator Harry Reid of Nevada and the group's president. "There are many opportunities for us to record Republicans showing their true colors."
For Mr. Fielding, that has meant a month of crisscrossing New Hampshire to catch Republican presidential hopefuls at house parties, Main Street strolls, diner meet-and-greets and speeches to local chamber groups. He has filmed Jon M. Huntsman Jr., the former governor of Utah, more than a dozen times.
On Monday, his target was Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, who was in town for the annual July 4 parade in Amherst. As Mr. Romney sprinted from one side of the parade route to the other, chased by reporters and TV camera crews, Mr. Fielding was there, too. Sporting an Under Armour baseball cap (on backward), a heavy backpack and sunglasses, he captured Mr. Romney's awkward handshake with Mr. Huntsman, the brief interviews with reporters and the occasional conversation with voters.
Hours later, when Mr. Romney appeared on the village green in Andover, about 55 miles north of Amherst, Mr. Fielding was waiting, camera in hand.
"I've seen most of these candidates multiple times," Mr. Fielding said. "I know what they are saying. I know when they've changed. You have to just be with them the whole time, have the camera ready and make sure you have batteries."
Does a candidate who says there are 57 states really believe that? Only some candidates, I guess - if they have an "R" after their name. Becoming tongue tied, or mixing up facts after a long day on the campaign trail, or having a brain cramp will now become "evidence" of what a candidate "really believes."
Republicans have these "trackers" as well, but they are not nearly as organized nor determined to make a mountain out of a molehill. Perhaps after the election, the Dems can send these people back to whatever mental institution they were pulled from and they can spy on their fellow patients. The obsessiveness with which these stalkers carry out their "obligations" is one more indication of how desperate the Democrats are in seeking to run on anything but their record.
Hat Tip: Ed Lasky
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