Maybe we’d be sitting in a bar, drinking with friends, when an attack ad comes on the big screen, one for which we’ve laid the groundwork. We’d raise our hands, silencing everyone, and watch, rapt, as the soothing yet forceful voice of the narrator proceeds to ream our opponent a new orifice, based on true facts that we uncovered through days of dogged research and hours behind the wheels of low-horsepower, poorly sprung rental cars. The ad would be our splashy trophy ride. High fives, and a beer for everybody at the bar. And yet. One of the quirks of our job is that Alan and I rarely see how our research is used. We never experience those great bar moments. Sure, we may come across a few bits and pieces—perhaps a TV ad, if it airs in our viewing area or comes up on YouTube, or a news release forwarded to us by one of our campaigns—but by the time the campaign season enters its final stretch, we’ve moved on. We turn our attention to other projects and monitor the campaigns from afar, much like any other voter.
