Allen Raymond - A Prank gone Wrong!

"After ten full years inside the GOP, ninety days amongst honest criminals wasn't any great ordeal."


This is a quote from Allen Raymond, author of "How to Rig an Election: Confessions of a Republican Operative." You've got to like the irony if nothing else.

So I just can't seem to get away from the politics...... I walked into my favorite cafe yesterday in Sydney, Australia and the owner, who knows me personally now, greets me kindly and ask about things in the United States. He of course knows my order as well and we say it simultaneously. We chat a minute about the weather and the strengthening US dollar versus the Aussie dollar and then he jumps right into politics - "Who's gonna win the Presidential election Mate? He asks. I initially respond with a confident - "Looks like it's gonna be Obama." He smiles and before long we're talking about Allen Raymond and dirty GOP tricks.

Perhaps now I'm not so sure.

Raymond, served a three-month sentence for jamming Democratic phone lines in New Hampshire during the 2002 US Senate race. He served as chief of staff to a co chairman of the Republican National Committee, supervised Republican contests in mid-Atlantic states for the RNC, and was a top official in publisher Steve Forbes's presidential campaign. He went on to earn $350,000 a year running a Republican policy group as well as a GOP phone-bank business.

I happened to catch part of "Real time with Bill Maher" on HBO tonight and guess who was on? You guessed it - Allen Raymond. I suspect mostly he was out promoting his book but he also shed some light on the dirty GOP voter suppression tactics of the past and maybe of the future.

An enlightening show to say the least.

This Presidential race is like no other in my lifetime. I'm astounded at the amount of information that is available in all areas. A media field day. I'm captivated by the number of Republicans who are jumping ship, divorcing George W. Bush, and professing their support for Obama. Collin Powell, Scott McClellan author of "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception," and Allen Raymond are just a few former Republicans who now have quite compelling stories to tell about their political journeys.

It's perhaps too late for McCain/Palin to change their game plan but you can best believe that if their bid for the presidency is unsuccessful, the GOP will be re-writing the playbook for next time.

Here's a clip of Allen Raymond: