How Republicans win elections

clipped from www.truthout.org Over the past four decades, Republicans have dominated the outcomes of presidential races by mixing negative campaigning in public with illicit dirty tricks behind the scenes As a party, the Republicans have not only refined the art of the political smear - with such memorable moments as the Willie Horton ads in 1988 and the "swift-boating" of John Kerry in 2004 - but they also have defined the concept of the October Surprise, manipulating late-breaking events to drive the electorate toward their candidate.