UK Election: 4

A follow up our pre-election mystification with the presence of US Democratic strategists in the Labour campaign: New York Times reporter Adam Nagourney had gone to Rochdale to report on former Dean strategist Karen Hicks who was working with Labour candidate Lorna Fitzsimons. She had advised, it was said, a Rovian approach of playing to the base -- don't waste time on voters whom "research" says are not likely to vote Labour.

Well, Lorna Fitzsimons lost. By 444 votes to the Liberal Democrats, with several thousand votes scattered across the other candidates. Did the strategising come with an American style no-win, no-fee arrangement?

UPDATE: WeUs and the substitute Josh Marshall are thinking along the same lines.