Latest Opposition research Podcast Episodes

A Customer

Oppo File - November 19, 2020 21:00 - 34 minutes
In the season finale of OPPO FILE, we solve a mystery: Who set in motion the oppo research into Geraldine Ferraro’s family finances? Host Joseph Rodota interviews John Roberts, former Reagan aide and author; Sheila Tate, former press secretary to Nancy Reagan; and author Kate Andersen Brower.

A Tiger by the Tail

Oppo File - October 19, 2020 23:00 - 34 minutes
On July 12, 1984, Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale made history when he named Representative Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate. The next day, New York lawyer Roy Cohn arrived in the offices of the Reagan re-election campaign. First of two parts.

Confessions

Oppo File - October 08, 2020 20:00 - 23 minutes
Oppo research nearly ended Vice President Mike Pence’s political career before it began. Host Joseph Rodota interviews author and journalist Craig Ferhman and former congressional aide Billy Linville about Pence’s 1988 and 1990 congressional campaigns. 

The Weirdness Factor

Oppo File - September 30, 2020 22:00 - 23 minutes
Opposition research isn’t just a tool for understanding your opponent. It’s also a tool for understanding yourself. Host Joseph Rodota interviews Chris Lyon, who wrote a “vulnerability study” on Rudy Giuliani in 1993. Nearly two decades later, Fred Smith solves a mystery.

Cheap Shots

Oppo File - September 22, 2020 22:00 - 19 minutes
Why do some campaigns wait for just the right moment to unveil their opposition research, while others decide to dump it all at once? Host Joseph Rodota interviews Pat Dennis, Trump War Room Research Director at American Bridge 21st Century.

Bonus Episode: Gary Maloney

Oppo File - September 09, 2020 22:00 - 11 minutes
Gary Maloney was the first GOP opposition researcher to dig into the record of a rising star in Illinois politics, a young man named Barack Obama. In this bonus episode, Gary shares insights from that assignment – and an oppo researcher’s view of a now-infamous meeting that took place in Trump T...

A Million Questions

Oppo File - September 02, 2020 18:00 - 21 minutes
Heading into Labor Day weekend, host Joseph Rodota recaps the 2020 Democratic and Republican conventions. GOP oppo researcher Gary Maloney and press aide Jeff Nesbit describe the chaotic roll-out of George H.W. Bush’s vice presidential nominee, Sen. Dan Quayle. Democratic opposition researcher S...

Bonus Episode: Tom Rosenstiel

Oppo File - August 27, 2020 16:00 - 8 minutes
In 1988, George H.W. Bush overcame a 17-point deficit in the polls and won the election. In this bonus episode, journalist and author Tom Rosenstiel looks back at Bush’s campaign manager Lee Atwater – and why Donald Trump survived an avalanche of oppo in 2016.

The Spider's Web

Oppo File - August 06, 2020 20:00 - 30 minutes
Is oppo research stranger than fiction? Who killed Dr. Death? Joseph Rodota interviews author and journalist Tom Rosenstiel; speechwriter, business consultant and author Mark Davis; and Dr. Jonathan Cullick, professor of English at Northern Kentucky University.

Bonus Episode: Sonia Van Meter

Oppo File - July 28, 2020 04:00 - 12 minutes
Host Joseph Rodota interviews Sonia Van Meter, the managing partner of Stanford Campaigns, a Democratic opposition research firm based in Austin, TX. They cover interesting ground – and not just on Planet Earth.

Law and Order

Oppo File - July 22, 2020 17:00 - 26 minutes
What is the legacy of the bitter 1988 presidential campaign? How are oppo researchers approaching their work amidst the current national reckoning over race and policing? Host Joseph Rodota interviews Susan Estrich, the Dukakis campaign manager; Jack Corrigan, deputy campaign manager; Dr. Jack P...

Three by Five

Oppo File - July 08, 2020 19:00 - 27 minutes
What happens when opposition researchers unearth something that touches a racial nerve? Host Joseph Rodota interviews Susan Estrich, campaign manager for Michael Dukakis’ 1988 presidential campaign, about the Massachusetts prison furlough program and the case of William Horton. Georgetown profes...

The Dark Art

Oppo File - June 10, 2020 04:00 - 19 minutes
Political attacks have been around as long as democracy itself, but where exactly does the history of “oppo research” begin? Hosts Kate Andersen Brower and Joseph Rodota interview historian and author Susan Swain about a campaign in which the target of opposition researchers wasn’t the candidate...

TRAILER: Introducing OPPO FILE

Oppo File - May 22, 2020 21:00 - 2 minutes
OPPO FILE digs deep into the shadowy world of opposition research -- the art of digging into the background of a political opponent in order to identify weaknesses that can be exploited in a campaign. Hosts Kate Andersen Brower and Joseph Rodota interview oppo researchers from both parties and a...