Rove's Troubles Expose Strategic Drawbacks Of A United Front (Ronald Brownstein Alert)

Los Angeles Times ^ | 07/18/05 | Ronald Brownstein

[goldstategop]

But the drive for party unity has always carried costs too, and they seem to be growing in Bush's second term.

By asking so few tough questions of Rove — and DeLay — congressional Republicans may be increasing their vulnerability to Democratic charges that the GOP is abusing its unified control over government to protect its own.

"They really have become so arrogant that they don't think the rules apply to them," Democratic consultant Joe Lockhart says — an argument likely to headline many campaigns by Democrats next year.

The emphasis on party cohesion also constricts Bush's maneuverability on issues. Bush and Rove have achieved such overwhelming agreement in part by advancing an agenda that, on most major decisions, responds to the demands of the GOP's hard-core supporters. But in pursuing such an ideologically aggressive course, Republicans risk antagonizing more moderate voters....

For the Republican Congress, this year's trends are more ominous. In an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released last week, the approval rating for Congress fell to 28%, with 55% disapproving. Numbers just a bit lower were the last poll figures congressional Democrats saw before the GOP's 1994 tidal wave swept them from the majority in the House and Senate.

Bush and congressional Republicans face a fundamental choice on how to rebuild toward the 2006 election. One approach would pursue more deals with Democrats to court moderate voters who recoil from partisan conflict. The other would detonate sharp ideological disputes in the hope of generating a big conservative-base turnout to overwhelm discontent in the center.

[goldstategop]

Yeah, the sky is falling, the sky is falling! Republicans ought to eschew conservatism to make peace with the Left. Well Ronald Brownstein never bothers to ask why upholding conservative principles has powered the GOP through three straight election victories DESPITE massive Democratic opposition? In his so called analysis of the GOP allegedly being divided by Rove's troubles, the truth is that Brownstein is just another liberal partisan hack.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[Dahoser]

"They really have become so arrogant that they don't think the rules apply to them," Democratic consultant Joe Lockhart says — an argument likely to headline many campaigns by Democrats next year.

Joe Lockhart said that? Man.

You know, it's not the Constitution that the RATS believe is a living document but the Yiddish dictionary because they keep updating the definition of chutzpah.

[goldstategop]

Joe Lockhart thinks of course Republicans should be where they need to be - in the minority. Now there's a classic definition of chutzpah.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[Piquaboy]

Who ever reads that Rag paper must be a few bricks shy of having a full load.

[facedown]

One approach would pursue more deals with Democrats to court moderate voters who recoil from partisan conflict.

Yeah, all three of them.

[goldstategop]

I'm for full throated partisan combat. "Moderates" are lily livered liberals too cowardly to stand up and say they're liberals. Why would Republicans want to compromise their beliefs to curry favor with voters who are too indecisive to support the principled side in an argument? It bears repeating here Republicans won the last three straight elections by emphasizing full throated conservative principles. The party did not moderate its positions to get the Left to love it. We don't want to be loved by liberals and RINOs; we want to defeat them!

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[Itzlzha]

"They really have become so arrogant that they don't think the rules apply to them," Democratic consultant Joe Lockhart says — an argument likely to headline many campaigns by Democrats next year.

Hey Joe...just which administration had SO many "Special Prosecutors", you need a scorecard and numbered jerseys to keep them straight...which Admin was impeached for LYING to a Grand Jury...which admin ELEVATED the "politics of personal destruction" to a whole new level?! Which admin had the presstitutes lapping up the lies and marveling at how WELL the President and his shills lied and spun them?

Pot...kettle...black!

'Nuff said!

[gaspar]

Brownstein is an idiot. Living in his la-la land cocoon he fails to judge correctly the importance of two issues: Which is the more powerful, Karl Rove or the Democrat's anti-war, anti-military cant?

[MNnice]

It just drives the left nuts that principled people stand firm ... which of course, is "arrogance" to those who are thoroughly frustrated that we will not yield. Remember, these are the people who subscribe to the belief that it's not the evidence that's important, it's the seriousness of the charge.

[Grampa Dave]

Apparently, Judith Miller went to jail to protect one or more of the following choices: (take your choice)

Sources Judith Miller is protecting by going to jail:

1. Karl Rove
2. Dick Cheney
3. Colin Powell
4. Haliburton
5. Tom Delay
6. GW
7. Laura Bush and her twin daughters
8. Bush's Doggie
9. _____________ (Fill in the blank with any Republican!)
10. All of the above
11. None of the above. Miller is protecting her real sources, Plame/Wilson and Plame's last CIA boss, Foley.

[randita]

By asking so few tough questions of Rove — and DeLay — congressional Republicans may be increasing their vulnerability to Democratic charges that the GOP is abusing its unified control over government to protect its own.

Yeah, right. And the Democrats REALLY asked all the tough questions of Clinton and his unethical cronies. Lockhart's comments are laughable.

[jveritas]

Numbers just a bit lower were the last poll figures congressional Democrats saw before the GOP's 1994 tidal wave swept them from the majority in the House and Senate.

Let the delusional left believes their stupid polls as they did in 2000, 2002, and 2004 and assume they are going to win. Man, aren’t we lucky we have such idiots as our political opponents.

[FReethesheeples]

Could minor Ambassador Joe Wilson himself have been the source in blowing his own Wife's cover?

It is distinctly possible, (though it may be unlikely that Joe Wilson himself directly was NY Times Judith Miller's source), since Joe Wilson himself evidently routinely bragged openly to strangers about her CIA employment, prior to such "cover" being "blown" in the press.

Here's an example of Joe's apparently routine and open bragging about Valerie being a "CIA agent," which became known directly to me over a year ago:

He certainly bragged about it per a famous and highly reliable source's (named below) account of his own face-to-face encounter with Amb. Joe Wilson prior to Valerie Plame's "outing" as a CIA agent/employee.

Based upon a personal conversation (we were in a small group eating; it was NOT an "off the record") I had with eminent historian Victor Davis Hanson (we were at a luncheon table together during a trip to Europe), it appeared entirely possible that Joe Wilson himself was the (or one source, if not the original one) possible source in revealing his own wife's status as a CIA agent or employee.

Victor Davis Hanson (Wilson presumably knew Victor Davis Hanson wrote regularly for NRO (National Review Online), had done OpEds for the Wall street Journal, and other publications, and had his own Website with a widespread following) said he (VDH) & Joe Wilson were both in the same "Green Room" before a televised debate-discussion on Iraq, etc. and Joe first warned the TV make-up person not to get powder on his $14,000 Rolex watch, then he bragged to Victor about several things (possessions and trips to Aspen, etc.), like his expensive car (I think it was a Mercedes), and then bragged about his beautiful wife who, Joe Wilson said (braggingly) was a CIA operative.

I asked Victor Davis Hanson Why he didn't write up this account.(?) He replied that Joe Wilson would probably simply deny it, since only he (VDH) & Joe Wilson were in the Green Room together before the broadcast.

However, it is now easy to surmise that Joe Wilson is a crass, materialistic, self-promoting, vain, egotistical, bragaddocio-opportunist, so this account is perfectly consistent with Valerie Plame's TWO photo shoots in Vanity Fair.

A highly relevant corroborating account is David Corn's at the Nation, who wrote about Valerie Plame the day after he met with Joe Wilson.

[Dr.Hilarious]

"They really have become so arrogant that they don't think the rules apply to them," Democratic consultant Joe Lockhart

No need to read any further than that to get your laugh for the week. Joe "The Sneer" Lockhart accusing others of arrogance? That's like Ted Kennedy denouncing Abu Grahbe soldiers for using threats of drowning! Oh, wait, he did that...

Oh, damn, who do I sue for my sides hurting so much?

[HawaiianGecko]

 

 

	This is exactly what this is all about.  According to polls that Britt Hume mentioned yesterday, this smear against Rove is working.  True the American public doesn't know much about this Plame controversy and they certainly care even less, however, they have registered in the back of their mind that there is some kind of "stink" involving "Rove" concerning outing a "covert agent."  You can argue with me all day long that she wasn't covert,  I agree. You can argue that Rove didn't do anything illegal or even unethical, I agree with that too.  The problem isn't with people like me or you that are in tune with this story, it's with the rest of America.  Anyone that has read even a few articles on this subject knows the truth. The problem is the constant drumbeat of the main stream media propagandizing this story and quite simply, directly lying to the American Public. I watched the 1st 5 minutes of Chris Matthews last night hosted by Campbell Brown and she was quick to say that Karl Rove "outed Valerie Plame."  She didn't say he was alleged to out her, or that it was Democrats and the liberal left that is claiming he was alleged to out her, she said he did it period. She said that Rove was 'the' source for Robert Novak.  Not that he was 'a source' of many, and not the first source for him. She didn't explain how saying "I heard that too" is confirmation of anything. I heard there were little green men on Mars; So what? It's easy to sit back and smugly say, well I know the truth and this is all Bull-O-Knee. When Karl is shown to have nothing to do with this, even if all newspapers run that story it won't counter-act two years of drum-b(L)eating.  The only way to counter attack is to get this information out to the public, and unfortunately for Republicans we have to purchase face time with the public.  So donate all you can afford to the RNC and local Republicans.