Posted on 10/28/2010 10:03:10 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Tea Party activists tell The Daily Beast that Karl Rove "has been wrong all summer long." Shushannah Walshe on the party's fight over Sarah Palin and the Republican soul.
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It didn’t take long for Tea Party activists to circle the wagons after Karl Rove’s attack on Sarah Palin.
“What you're seeing is the first shot in the war against Sarah Palin,” said Tea Party Nation founder Judson Phillips. “Karl Rove is a very shrewd political operative. Getting himself into trouble is not what’s going on,” added Phillips, who earlier this year organized the Tea Party convention, where Palin was the headline speaker.
“Karl Rove–bless his heart–has been wrong all summer long when it comes to having any idea of what conservative Americans want,” said Levi Russell, spokesperson for the Tea Party Express by email. “The difference is that Rove is a D.C. analyst, and Sarah Palin is a leader.” Russell described Palin as “unquestionably the most electrifying figure in politics today,” while Rove “strikes me as a guy who would cross his arms and scowl at the thought of some Hollywood actor named Reagan running for Governor of California.”
Damning by faint praise, Russell went on to say: “Personally I’ve always liked Rove, but it is painfully obvious that he is losing his connection with the American people, and no longer has his finger on the very strong pulse of the conservative movement in this country, which is fueled by the tea party and figures such as Gov. Palin.”
In an interview with the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, Rove on Wednesday questioned Palin’s suitability for the presidency, citing her reality-TV show, Sarah Palin’s Alaska, which will air next month.
“There are high standards that the American people have for it [the presidency] and they require a certain level of gravitas, and they want to look at the candidate and say 'that candidate is doing things that gives me confidence that they are up to the most demanding job in the world’,” Rove said.
Rove was the architect of the Bush presidency—and a big-tent vision of the Republican Party he hoped would long outlast 43’s time in the White House. But by the time Bush left office, his approval ratings had sunk so low that many conservatives ran away from his legacy, and avoided even mentioning his name.
As the Obama presidency used the force of the federal government to try to tame an economy in ruins, a grass-roots brigade of Tea Partiers rose up—reacting against Big Government and eager to revive a Republican Party in limbo.
With Obama’s declining fortunes, Rove has reasserted himself, funneling rivers of newly unrestricted campaign cash into an effort to aid Republican candidates nationwide. As Election Day draws near, the infighting between Rove and the Tea Partiers has grown more intense—jockeying for primacy over the direction of the party, a battle that could shape the presidential election in 2012.
The Palin attack wasn’t Rove’s first swipe at the Tea Party movement.
When Christine O’Donnell won the GOP Delaware primary, Rove went on Fox News and expressed concern about her “character,” adding she had been saying “a lot of nutty things.” Palin quickly came to O’Donnell’s defense, also on Fox News, telling Rove to “buck up.”
O’Donnell didn’t return the favor on Thursday, as she was too busy with her campaign for the Senate seat to comment, a spokesperson said. Her team did, however, emailed a note from conservative strategist and Reagan biographer, Craig Shirley. “Before criticizing Sarah Palin, Mr. Rove might remember that Ronald Reagan once hosted a couple of television shows including G.E. Theater and Death Valley Days,” Shirley said.
On Thursday, there were new hints that Palin is interested in the presidency as Entertainment Tonight promoted an upcoming interview with Palin in which she says she’ll run in 2012, “if there’s nobody else to do it.”
Whether she can win, though, is an open question. According to a poll released earlier this month, 64 percent of Americans believe she would not make an effective president.
“What Rove is saying, and other Republicans are saying, [is that] if you look at the polls, Palin is not qualified to be president,” said Republican strategist John Feehery, adding that this may be the opening salvo in the fight for the Republican soul. “Once this election is over, we start the next campaign,” he said. “Whoever is our presidential candidate is going to be the one who’s going to be defining Republican policies,” Feehery said. “There are a lot of people who love Sarah Palin who think Karl Rove is off his rocker, and there starts the competition.”
Rove, who has raised millions of dollars for the Republican Party during this election cycle, also talked about a possible Palin candidacy as he appeared on CBS’ Face the Nation on Sunday. The architect of Bush’s two election wins displayed his trademark cool.
“Look, there are going to be several geological ages that are going to come and go before the 2012 Republican presidential nomination fight gels,” he said.
Obozo isn’t qualified to be President either but here we are.
Me too....I am not as sensitive as some concerning Palin....but it depends on the source as well. I just think that if Palin isn’t going to run...the way has to be opened for who is going to run because Palin is so popular with the her following... I understand the Tea Party getting thei pants in a knot as they eat and breath Palin and I’m glad they have for they’ve keep the momentum up and the grass roots informed. But Palin is not against the Republican party nor are they against her...it’s a matter of balancing and positioning the playing field for what they know that we don’t.
Yep, earlier this year—Prager was there too.
Hewitt is oily, I would be surprised if after decades he has suddenly had an epiphany, and become a conservative, he has always been against Palin in his slick little subtle way, but he does not want to lose audience, Medved is even worse.
“I could have lived with that but he went out of his way to torpedo her on a national platform.”
I agree. Rove crossed a line that night. Rove is the hatchet man for the Ruling Class GOP. These RINO’s cannot openly come out and diss the Tea Pary. which is a threat to the ruling class. Rove does their dirty work for them.
I joined because Karl Rove is brilliant politician. He advised President Bush for eight sucessive years. He is a winner.
Heard Rove on Hannity today. He was trying to say his Tea Partyers lack sophistication comment was actually a compliment. I’m starting to look forward to his insights on the conservative movement as much as I do Meghan McCain’s.
You don’t think the Republican Party...ie the establishment part, which hold the power per say at least is not against Palin? No one is getting anonymous slams from Republican insiders and sources like Palin has....there were polls from inside the beltway Republican politicos and staff who had Palin dead last in favorabilty not too long ago....the rank and file Republican card member has no problem with Plain, but the leadership except for Michael Steele and a handful hates Palin more than they probably hate Obama
the tea party was born out of rejection of bush/rove vision for gop
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Revulsion.
The same Rockefeller/HW Bush branch of the GOP that was against Ronald Reagan is against Sarah Palin.
Rove has worked to throw away that Delaware Senate seat because he sees it as a way to hurt Palin and the tea party.
This is full out war between the two ends of the Republican Party.
I think you hit the nail on the head right there.
That’s it exactly.
Rove and his advice to Bush is the reason we now have ZERO.
Bush finished with about a 27% approval. And took what should have been an outright victory against ALGORE and turned it into a 5 week national nightmare.
My advice to Rove would be to get used to GOP primary challengers... many more are coming down the future election cycle pipe.
“Yep, earlier this year—Prager was there too.”
I thought Prager was there but wasn’t sure. This Denver speech was one of Sarah’s better one from what I understand.
It is amazing the people who adored Rove a year ago do not like him now.Make up your minds. Rove is the brains of the Republican Party.I admire Karl Rove for his political prowess
Yes he is indeed! we have yet to see all the players on the field. Both parties are going to be teasing, swaying and diverting attentions...we need to remember that the Democrates aren’t sure who the Republicans will back...they are watching the field...some think that’s why the Hillary rumor she’ll run against Obama...especially if Palin runs. The Clinton machine has never stopped running...paused only...so all are moving about...Rove is right, it’s awhile yet before things gel. He’s stirring the pot and that will shake up the media... the last thing we need is the media to determine who our candidate will be or not!
Palin said “I’ll run if nobody else wants to” ...clearly someone who has plans to run would not say this as there are people who do want to run and she knows that....so she continues to “play” the field to keep the democrates off balance. I think Palin and the Republican party are much closer knit then they are revealing.
Rove and the Bushies were supposed to build a decade worth of a GOP majority. It lasted two years. Like a wise poster mentioned earlier, The Tea Party exist because of hacks like Rove.
“He has zero chance of ever latching onto a conservative tea party candidate so he is peddling his wares polishing up his RINO resume.”
There is something more at work here. When he initiated his hatchet job on Christine O’Donnell while a Hannity guest, Tokyo Rove was quivering with rage so much that his wattle shook, and he looked like he was about to stroke out. He had a dog in that hunt, and the dog got killed. He is a quisling who lost that round.
“I will never forgive him for his outburst about O’Donnell.”
MANY will neither forgive nor forget.
Remember,all you you supported Rove 12 months go now its hypocritical that you are attacking his now.
Well if you are correct this isn’t good for anyone. Actually both parties are fueding within if we accept all that’s reported and what we see. But Rove is right that things aren’t going to gel for awhile yet.
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