ALSBTALK:

"Opposition research" has been an active part of American politics for decades, if not centuries.  How did James Monroe destroy the political career of Alexander Hamilton?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opposition_research
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Reynolds

A major change in American politics wrought by telecommunications is the increased difficulty in effectively saying XYZ in community #1 an saying not-XYZ in community #2.

Recording devices (especially video) have magnified that major change.  Can you say "macaca"?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macaca_%28term%29

Digitization of data has vastly facilitated the collection and storage for future use of opposition research: especially across election cycles.  However, in the vein that every strength is a weakness, the ready availability of digital means that paper that use to be promptly consulted is relegated to later tasks.  To wit:  there is no reality prior to the web, unless someone has gone back to digitize pre-web materials.

At the start of a campaign (e.g., Nov. 5, 2008 for Obama for his 2012 re-election campaign) candidates start predicting opponents and building an opposition research file.  As each of the very many opposition candidates' files near "completion" the sweep of research expands to include less likely candidates as well as more remote advisors.  

Prior to digging deep in opposition research, some tidbits are "unknown" while being fully "known".  For example, as a relevant device of Republican message sculpting Jeremiah Wright turns up in the opposition research much faster and, initially, much more fully than Bill Ayers.  Similarly, low probability candidates like Herman Cain are "unknown" even though every one knows the guys name and face.  

If you asked folks in Chicago, the Wright and Ayes were fully visible when both were invisible to those not in Chicago.  Herman Cain has strong Omaha connections as Godfathers is an Omaha corporation.  For example, a quick Lexis search for "herman cain" before 1999 turns up nearly 300 hits with over 100 in the Omaha World Herald.  Cain first publicly discussed running for President for the 2000 election.  The local perception of the plausibility of Cain's candidacy in 2000 was not substantially different than in 2011.

Let's return to opposition research.  One of the most difficult questions to answer once a tidbit is discovered via opposition research is "When do you use it?".  A slightly less difficult question to answer is "How do you use it?"; because, as the Wicked Witch of the West said, "These things must be done delicately, or you hurt the spell."  Telling the world that candidate-"nobody"-cares-about did bad thing #1 just won't get traction.  Let that same person rise to the top of a tumultuous pack for a couple of weeks, and "the media" will be craving new grist.

In any event, it is not entirely correct to say that the charges and the settlement were not publicly "known" prior to the most recent release.  Do you recall Don Rumsfeld's known knowns speech?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_are_known_knowns
When I heard it I was very disappointed that Mr. Secretary forgot (how apropos) the unknown knowns (e.g., how to ride a horse into battle).  Cain's settlement is an unknown known.  Of course, as Mark Twain taught us so well:  "It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble.  It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.".  And, that is one major goal of opposition research.

A more interesting question is which opposition research team released that tidbit which nearly all opposition research teams knew?  Was it a trailing Republican candidate seeking to unseat a front runner; or was it a Democratic operation seeking to choose their opponent for the general election?  -That- would be reporting.

Michael

Professor Michael J. O'Hara, J.D., Ph.D.
Finance, Banking, & Law Department
College of Business Administration
Mammel Hall 228 
University of Nebraska at Omaha
6708 Pine Street 
Omaha  NE  68182-0048
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(402) 554 - 2823 voice  fax (402) 554 - 2680
http://cba.unomaha.edu/faculty/mohara/web/ohara.htm