Posted on 08/13/2007 12:46:49 PM PDT by Sub-Driver
10 Lessons From Karl Rove By RICK KLEIN
Aug. 13, 2007 —
With Karl Rove leaving the White House, The Note's Rick Klein offers 10 lessons learned from Rove's tenure as President Bush's top strategist.
1. There's no such thing as perma-anything in politics. Rove spoke longingly about building a "permanent" Republican majority. But President Bush's two terms in office -- particularly last year's midterm congressional elections -- prove that American politics is too narrowly divided, and too cyclical, for anything to last forever. (Even the Bush-Clinton-Bush cycle can't last forever -- can it?)
2. The Bush model works. Rove and his gang revolutionized base-emphasizing "micro-targeting," handing Bush two of the narrowest electoral wins in recent history. And the streamlined message machine Rove and company oversaw is now the rule, not the exception; Hillary Clinton's campaign is but one convert.
3. The Bush model works too well. This administration will be defined by its insularity -- by cronyism, obstinacy and loyalty to the extreme -- providing the president little cushion when things start to slide. Other campaigns should take note.
4. "Turd Blossom" is not necessarily a nickname of derision. In an age of white-bread political operatives, Rove was a colorful figure who earned a stable of nicknames worthy of the Roaring '20s. Bush himself coined the "Blossom" sobriquet, and also called Rove "Boy Genius" and "the Architect." Journalists, meanwhile, called Rove "Bush's Brain." And Rove had a talent for labels himself -- will anyone in politics be able to look a flip-flop -- or a windsurfer -- again and not think of John Kerry?
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Black folks shouldn’t rap celebrating filth, degredation, and criminality.
White folks just shouldn’t rap, period!
(Good Luck, Mr. Rove)
I sure as hell hope not.
Real lesson: Democrats will never self-examine their faults so they create myths about their opponent’s brilliance. This article is another example of standard political operating held up as brilliance. The funniest examples are when the liberals opine that Rove’s emphasis on “appealing to the base” and “getting out the vote” is like some kind of brilliant invention of his.
Though somehow I think he had special powers to make the Dems choose John Kerry.
While I agree wiht point 1 and 5, this article is nothing but a liberal underhanded swipe at Rove. ABC would never publish anything like this on, say a James Carville or Lanny Davis.
The usual b/s about the “national wave” in ‘06. Mainly, the rats were able to steal enough votes in the right places like Virginia, Missouri, and Montana.
The lamestream Dem controlled media HATE ROVE so much...
Rove said that and continued to say it to strike fear into the hearts of Utopian Liberal Socialist Democrats. His strategy has been largely successful, invigorating the Demnocrap party to move to the extreme left, so far to the left that they become unelectable by mainstream America. He has done his job, and its too late for the Democrap party to turn its unleashed leftist monster around.
Again, Rove has the Dems by their proverbial cojones.
Witness over the last few days, the dems backpeddling like made about leaving Iraq. They finally got it, but much too late to silence Howard Dean and Michael Moore and the like.
The Dem convention in Denver will either be a blood bath, or a totally stiff, censored, and managed affair. Both will horrify, and alienate Americans.
Either way the Dems are royally f'd.
Thank you Karl, yet again.
I disagree. There will forever be enough stupid and lazy people to be Democrats.
IF I get to vote in an election where the name Bush, Clinton or Kennedy is not on the ballot, I will die a happy man.
"Turd Blossom" is his rappa name and the real reason he is leaving is to pursue a more lucrative career in the music business. He is scheduled to begin production on his first CD early in September after signing with "Pasty White Boy Records"...........
Go Turd, go Turd, go turd......you da man and dis honkey gonna miss ya!
It could have lasted if the GOP hadn't moved to RINO with policies like amnesty for illegals and some weak judicial nominations. They lose strength when they stop being Republicans. The Republican majority is already lost when they stop being Republicans; power for its own sake or an ulterior agenda is not a way to please the base.
(Even the Bush-Clinton-Bush cycle can't last forever -- can it?)
Why not be up front about it and call it the Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton OLIGARCHY (Government by a few, especially by a small faction of persons or families.)?
Consider it among the top 10 things that Hillary Clinton will have to discuss as she seeks another term in the White House as co-president.
I’m somewhere to the right of the Genghis Khan and I don’t much like Rove myself. And, I sure don’t consider him to be a political genius - or any other kind of a genius, for that matter.
‘1. There’s no such thing as perma-anything in politics. Rove spoke longingly about building a “permanent” Republican majority. But President Bush’s two terms in office — particularly last year’s midterm congressional elections — prove that American politics is too narrowly divided, and too cyclical, for anything to last forever. (Even the Bush-Clinton-Bush cycle can’t last forever — can it?)’
Actually, it would have worked if the President hadn’t spent so much time pissing off his own base of support, referring to us as bigots, racists, and vigilantes for starters, then the whole nominating Grandma for the Supreme Court, and the dumbest political mistake I’ve witnessed in two decades, staying on VACATION while a Class Five Hurricane was bearing down on a major US city.
That last one was completely avoidable, and inexcusable. It gave the MSM and the Democrats something to slap this administration around FOREVER, all because the President didn’t return to Washington a week early.
And before anyone tries to say ‘he can do anything, anywhere’ I understand that. The average voter doesn’t. Politics, and leadership, have a couple of basic themes in common. One is ‘perception is reality’. By not returning ‘home’ before Katrina struck, he allowed the MSM driven ‘perception’ that he just didn’t care to become the ‘reality’.
(rant off)
“And, I sure don’t consider him to be a political genius - or any other kind of a genius, for that matter.”
I think he is overrated. He barely beat (and lost the popular vote to one) two of the weakest major party candidates in memory. Gore was a boring, wooden, prevaricator and Kerry was a flip-flopping and unlikeable elitist.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.