Vulnerability to fraud: O’Keefe’s tapes and their promotion as policy research

By now, James O’Keefe’s foray into the Pine Tree State has moved into the recesses of Maine political history. After the first tape was treated with much skepticism, O’Keefe tweeted that there would be “egg on the faces of journalists up there.” Instead, with the second tape, there was even less there there.

Despite the failures of the sham sting, these incidents are worth pondering for a little while longer, if only to consider the tapes’ use as data for policy research. After all, one of the organizations promoting the tapes, the Maine Heritage Policy Center, or MHPC, describes itself as “a research and educational organization … undertaking accurate and timely research.” (In contrast, its partner in this endeavor, Americans for Prosperity — Maine identifies itself as an“activist” group and is an affiliate of the national group founded by the Koch brothers.)

Read the rest at the Bangor Daily News.  Published as Safety net protocol: deny, don’t explain.

Amy Fried

About Amy Fried

Amy Fried loves Maine's sense of community and the wonderful mix of culture and outdoor recreation. She loves politics in three ways: as an analytical political scientist, a devoted political junkie and a citizen who believes politics matters for people's lives. Fried is Professor of Political Science at the University of Maine. Her views do not reflect those of her employer or any group to which she belongs.