Ratfucking

:This page is about electoral fraud. For fucking rats (if it actually fits), see bestiality. "Ratfucking" was a term used by Richard Nixon's campaign insiders to describe the electoral fraud and dirty tricks they had often used against their opponents. Political operative Don Segretti, known for his expertise in ratfucking from his college days, was hired by the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP[note 1]) to work his ratfucking magic for then-president Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon in the 1972 elections, funded by laundered money coming in through CREEP slush funds. Segretti, along with a number of other ratfuckers, worked from within CREEP to destroy the campaigns of Nixon's Democratic opponents. Their methods included distributing deceitful letter and press releases, astroturfing "activists" and "protestors," disrupting political conferences using the old "order a hundred pizzas in someone else's name" trick, vote-contracting (literally paying people for votes), espionage tactics, false flag operations, and various other assorted general dickery[note 2]. Among these ratfuckers happened to be Karl Rove, head of the College Republicans at the time. The term first came to general public attention with the publication of the book All the President's Men in 1974.[1]

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The most infamous incident related to the ratfucking techniques, besides the Watergate break-in itself, was the release of the "Muskie letters."[1]:127-128 CREEP members had gotten hold of Senator Edmund Muskie's letterhead and started "leaking" letters ostensibly addressed to other Democrats insulting various other Congressmen. One of the Muskie letters, called the "Canuck letter," implied that Muskie was bigoted toward Americans of French-Canadian descent (Muskie was from Maine).[1]:127-128 This FUD campaign reached its heights right in the middle of the 1972 primaries and Muskie's campaign imploded after his speech denying his authorship of the letters. The Muskie letters were ultimately the starting point that led Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward to begin to unravel the Nixon campaign's ratfucking methods and uncover the Watergate break-in.[1]

Origin of the term

The term was first coined by political operative Don Segretti, who claimed that it had originated from his college days, when he stuffed ballot boxes for student government candidates. Roger Stone claimed that it originated from a University of Southern California fraternity.[2] The term 'rat-fuck' dates all the way back to 1922,[2] though it was not used for political operations until the 1960s.[3]

Unrelated United States military term

In the United States Armed Forces, particularly the Marine Corps, the verb "to ratfuck" means to steal or disorganize items that do not belong to you. Originally it meant someone who stole all the candy from the rations. Considering that the military ration, the MRE ("Meal, Ready to Eat"), is called by a number of nicknames ranging from "Meals Rejected by Ethiopians" to "Massive Rectal Expulsion", taking the one thing to look forward to in them is a cardinal sin.

Known and accused rat fuckers
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See also

Notes
  1. That should already tell you just about everything you need to know about it.
  2. No pun intended.

References
  1. All the President's Men by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward (1974 [2014]) Simon & Schuster. Reissue edition. ISBN 1476770514.
  2. Roger Stone and ‘Ratf—ing’: A Short History: The flamboyant political aide is often tagged with the term. But its origins — and Stone's relationship with the word — are complicated. by Ben Zimmer (January 25, 2019) Politico.
  3. "rat fuck" and "rat-fucker" in Oxford English Dictionary.
  4. The Triumph Of The Ratfuckers by Charles P. Pierce (Oct 4, 2013) Esquire.
  5. We need to talk about Kevin … Rudd, that is (7 June 2010 — 9:48am) Sydney Morning Herald.
  6. Chuck Colson: Watergate Conspirator and God's Own Ratfucker by "Mobutu Sese Seko" (04/24/12 12:04PM) Gawker.
  7. rudy giuliani ratfucking the bidens by posting the exact same texts that my parents sent me when i went to outpatient. A+ work, nobody likes parents who love their son regardless of substance abuse by Brendan Karet (12:06 AM - 17 Oct 2020) Twitter (archived from December 19, 2020).
  8. #TBT: How This Nixon Ratfucker Conquered Pain: The man who masterminded the Watergate burglary spent his childhood overcoming fear. And he ate a rat one time. by Eve Peyser] (Apr 12 2018) Vice.
  9. Scott Pruitt Personally Involved in ‘Ratf*cking’ Ex-Aides Who He Feels Betrayed Him: The EPA chief demands loyalty. He doesn’t always reciprocate, though. by Lachlan Markay & Asawin Suebsaeng (06.28.18 4:51 AM ET) Daily Beast.
  10. The Dirty Trickster: Campaign tips from the man who has done it all. by Jeffrey Toobin (June 2, 2008) The New Yorker.
  11. Ted Cruz Blames Donald Trump for 'Garbage' National Enquirer Story by Maya Rhodan and Philip Elliott (Updated: March 25, 2016 4:17 PM ET) Time.
  12. Jacob Wohl, ratfucker, has a no-good rotten day (November 2018) BoingBoing.
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