In 1972, Hunter S. Thompson set about covering the presidential campaign, paying special attention to the Democratic Party’s George McGoven as he failed to get into office.
Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72 was serially published by Rolling Stone throughout the year. In one of the articles Thompson makes a poignant comparison to a campaign that happened in Texas in which Lyndon Johnson attempted to create a rumour to denounce his competitor.
It reads: “This is one of the oldest and most effective tricks in politics. Every hack in the business has used it in times of trouble, and it has even been elevated to the level of political mythology in a story about one of Lyndon Johnson’s early campaigns in Texas.
“The race was close and Johnson was getting worried. Finally he told his campaign manager to start a massive rumour campaign about his opponent’s life-long habit of enjoying carnal knowledge of his barnyard sows.
“Christ, we can’t get away with calling him a pig-f****r,” the campaign manager protested. “Nobody’s going to believe a thing like that.”
“I know,” Johnson replied. “But let’s make the sonofab****h deny it.”
I am reminded this morning of Tommy Perkins’ timeless analogy regarding recruiting in the state of Florida:
Miami: From a Bulldog perspective, if you looked at the state of Florida as though it were Afghanistan (and I do), the Gators, obviously, are the Taliban, while Miami is whatever warlord is running things in the Northeast. The Hurricanes don’t occupy anything remotely resembling moral high ground, but they are useful.
Why this morning, you ask? Welp,
Rumors surfaced Thursday about the Florida football program committing an NCAA recruiting violation.
A source close to the program vehemently dismissed the allegations to SEC Country on Friday. A message board post — which later made the rounds social media — alleged that two UF assistant coaches offered cash to a prospect at Homestead High School. The poster also alleged there’s a video and it was provided to the NCAA.
The program source who spoke with SEC Country said Florida has not offered or recruited anyone from Homestead High School in three years. Florida State’s Ermon Lane, a 5-star prospect in 2014, is the last Homestead player UF recruited, according the source.
SEC Country also learned Friday that verbal commitments for the Gators were contacted by Miami staff members, who asked the recruits if they would reconsider the Hurricanes because of the alleged NCAA violation at Homestead. Members of Florida’s 2017 football recruiting class told SEC Country they received a text message from UF calling the rumors false.[Emphasis added.]
So it turns out Mark Richt is trying to do a solid for both himself and his former employer there, which, of course, is awesome. I’ve got a feeling it’s gonna get pretty damned ugly in the Sunshine State over the next few days. Popcorn, anyone?
Get The Picture 
GATA, Evil Richt!
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I’ll take some popcorn. This is good and could get better. With jabs from the other two iconic schools and the influx of hot new coaches to the smaller schools in Florida, it could be one recruit here and one recruit there. And, you know how kids follow the masses…this could be effective in slowing the Gators down. If our recruiting stays at it’s current level, we could out-recruit them for some years in-a-row. We need the leg up. I’m tired of losing to them. Pass more popcorn please.
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Still a DGD!
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Did Richt ever make a statement about the Gus Edwards transfer situation?
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Fu vs Miami/Richt = McGovern, LBJ, Rolling Stone, Afghanistan, etc.
Looks like I’m gonna have to brush up on my political and war history for this recruiting cycle.
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All those dirty tricks pale in comparison IMHO to what W did to McCain in the South Carolina primary in 2000 when W’s minions passed out flyers containing a picture of the McCain family showing a child from Ethiopia the McCains had adopted stating that the kid was a “love child” McCain had with a black hooker. Those morons in SC bought that line of crap and McCain lost the primary (he had been favored to win) and that propelled W to the nomination and eventually the White House.
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It’s all fun and games and munching on popcorn until you realize that anyone can play this same card against YOU!
“Alleged” is one or the most powerful words on the planet. It can hide a multitude of lies and planted accusation.
BTW…That’s a great example of the way it has been used in (esp. Southern) politics.
Allegedly, LBJ was a tool.
If anyone would like to read a very entertaining, but embarrassing expose’ of how politics were done in Georgia in the not-so-distant past, this is a great read-
“The Wild Man From Sugar Creek” (the political career of Eugene Talmadge) by William Anderson.
As a native Georgian, it’s quite an eye opener.
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I read it a number of years ago. Very interesting book.
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“Yeah I stole that money. But I stole it for YOU!”
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Great Book! Talmadge’s manipulation of the country-side system was incredible. “Gene, tell us how the city folk are doing us wrong!” “Hold on, I’m a commin to that!” My grandfather was a newspaper editor in Savannah and loathed Talmadge, but had to admit he was a master politician.
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Make that county-unit system. Damn auto correct.
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And he learned a powerful lesson about not harming UGA that all politicians in the state should heed with the Cocking affair which many blame for his loss to Arnall.
If probably the most powerful political machine the state has ever seen could get derailed when he hurt UGA and the rest of the schools by political grandstanding by a governor, don’t think it won’t happen to you too.
I think Bill Shipp used to write something like that ever now and then.
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and that is a great story about the U, Talmadge, Arnall, and 18 year old’s getting to vote in GA, before anyone else did.
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My Dad knew Talmadge and used to tell me some very interesting stories about him. Most of them revolved around the cash, he used to gather at any venue.
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May Miami be a strong program again, may it remain a strong program, and may it forever stab the Gators in the back! Here here.
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“Then he headed to the campaign trail. Strangely enough, Thompson had already ridden in a car with Nixon, keeping his promise to only talk football, and later fell for the hopeless George McGovern. In “Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72,” he played handicapper like the best of them, but also placed in print the idea that then-NBC Nightly News anchor John Chancellor dropped acid and, even better, that he could explain the erratic behavior of presidential candidate Edmund Muskie. He hated Muskie, not as much as the “gutless, ward-heeler” Hubert Humphrey, but enough to aim the Gonzo guns at the senator from Maine. Muskie’s temper was well known. Then, in a passionate defense of his wife, snow falling from the winter sky, the candidate appeared to shed tears. Enter ibogaine, an African hallucinogenic”
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A few more rumors about the Gators and another great signing class we might be able to beat Florida in a year or two.
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You may be on to something. Kirby’s Season One reminded me of Donnan Season One- 1996. If past is indeed prologue, next year might play out like 1997…beat Florida, be favored to win the SEC East, lose to Auburn and end up in the Outback Bowl.
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Subtle trolling is the best trolling.
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2016
Richt 9-4
Kirby 8-5
Just saying…
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I hope CMR does even better at Miami but there’s another way to look at this too. First year head coach vs. veteran. Not much difference in the records though. Also the veteran has probably done all that he could while the rookie likely has some potential left to grow into.
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Too bad the Gators quit playing the U. Back in the day the game was huge for years down here. UF backed out soon after the Canes rose to dominance. Pity.
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Spurrier backed them out of the rivalry with Miami.
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Spurrier quitting when things are tough? THAT would never happen! 🙂
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I remember that he didn’t like playing Miami at the front of the schedule and then ending the year with F$U.
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