HA!!!!
Posted on 10/14/2011 5:40:45 AM PDT by IbJensen
Karl Rove doesn’t think Herman Cain stands a chance of being POTUS. Bush’s number one consigliere said as much on Fox Thursday night.
But is he right? I sure don’t know, but I certainly have a suspicion why Karl thinks what he does. The Herman Cain candidacy is a direct threat to his occupation. Rove — arguably the reigning monarch of political pros — went on to register his disapproval that Cain was wandering around Godforsaken places like Tennessee flogging his book, when any serious candidate should be pressing the flesh where it counts — to wit, Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.
Worse yet, the candidate isn’t raising any money (or not enough to have flashing neon signs that say “9…9…9…” like Burma-Shave along every highway in America — not that we have to be reminded).
Now I have no beef with Rove. In fact, I rather like him, having interviewed him for PJTV. But it’s obvious that times have changed and that Herman Cain is running a very canny media campaign virtually all by himself. Yes, I know he has a staff, but you do get the sense this man is his own thing, which is part of the tightrope walking fun. Can he make it to the other side — Pennsylvania Avenue — without falling? Whatever the case, Rove and others like him (the sorry David Axelrod, the Carville-Matalin duo, etc.) are in danger of becoming, if not extinct, at least more marginal than previously assumed.
Here’s another data point: A couple of months back, Newt Gingrich’s entire campaign staff — including Dave Carney, the putative “next Karl Rove” — split and decamped for Texas, soon to join Rick Perry’s campaign. What happened? Today Gingrich is rising in the polls — apparently on the strength of his debate performances — and Perry, who started strong, is, at least for now, in trouble.
Again, I have no beef with Carney. I’ve met him too and he seems to be a fine fellow. Quite bright.
So what’s going on here? The more powerful the political pros, the worse the campaign? Or is it really about the candidate in our non-stop media world? I tend to think it’s the latter. Given the amount of coverage they all get, it’s hard to imagine they need help in getting exposure. Maybe they need help in getting a little anonymity. (That’s particularly true in the current president’s case.)
And what about money — the legendary mother’s milk of politics? Well, it too might not be as important as it is cracked up to be. Cain, as noted, has spent very little (at least until now) and Jon Huntsman is the richest guy to run since, well, John Kerry. Maybe Huntsman’s even richer. And look where it’s got him, duking it out with Rick Santorum for the privilege of keeping Gary Johnson out of the debates (unfairly, in my estimation).
We may all hate our media — they are even less popular than politicians — but they are ironically diminishing the importance of money in politics. No money? No pros? What’s next? Actual democracy?
Of course, I have overstated it, but I think not by a lot. What also may be going on is that the American public — at least on the Republican side — is very engaged. They know we are in a crisis and they are paying strict attention. They don’t need pros and they don’t need advertising to attract their eyes. Their bank accounts already woke them up — and if not that, a friendly reminder from the neighborhood jihadist.
Does this mean that the candidates should all strip down and fire their advisers? (Be like Herman, not like Mike.) Well, in one sense, that wouldn’t be a bad idea. But in these dire economic times, with everyone so concerned about jobs, putting all those political pros on the unemployment lines could be heartless. And no candidate — Rick Perry would be glad to remind you — wants to be accused of that.
Cain a talker? Great!
Tax increases: “No”
Spending increases: “No”
Additional federal Hirings: “No”
More regulations: “No”
And his lack of political executive experience just means that the 2012 (conservative) Congress will have more lattitude to set policy.
Sorry but it is impossible to take you seriously when you continually confuse your feelings for facts.
What the hell are you even talking about? Cain’s record of success and accomplishments is evident over many companies, organizations, and as a conservative thinker and leader. Why do you hold politicians in such high esteem over the rest of us bumpkins in the private sector? I can name hundreds of business leaders that would be more effective in the white house than the last few elected politicians.
Agreed, which is why we need a system with clear limits, unlike the wide-open system we have. But that’s straying off-topic.
It’s very frustrating to have the media, the talking heads and the party establishment all trying to tell the voters which candidate is best for them. How about we try letting the voters decide this time? All of the above didn’t do such a great job with McCain last time around did they? We have a good field, we just need a great team. I think VP talk should be a part of each candidate’s strategy so the voters can get an idea of what kind of team we would have. Every candidate on the stage could be a part of the team by filling in cabinet positions. Then we’d get somewhere!
I am GETTING SICK of listening to Rove. I heard him recently in a radio interview and he made absolutely no sense as he hem hawed around three different tax plans and in the end, he pretty much said that nothing significant is going to change in the tax code.
This thinking is why no significant changes to VERY REAL problems have been made in almost two decades. These Congressmen sit in Washington and tinker around with existing programs but almost purposely avoid real reforms. It is obvious that they have some level of protection from the problems the rest of us face and many have no desire to change that.
And so how to limit their reach? We both probably agree that words on paper are not sufficient, correct? But here is where we might diverge. Some people insist that we just need to get the right people in there. We need the right judges. Control of the Senate, etc etc.
I say no. At some point the bad actors win enough votes, and do too much damage--more than is acceptable. And history has shown it's almost impossible to undo.
The only answer is to DENY THEM THE INSTRUMENTALITIES they use to do their harm. You simply have to find a way to live without the INFRASTRUCTURE of power.
And that's where opposition to a national sales tax comes in. I don't want more people paying federal taxes. I don't want a broader tax base. I want to see the federal structure all but dismantled.
Karl Rove doesn’t think Herman Cain stands a chance of being POTUS.
I think Rove’s glory days are behind him. Furthermore,I think Rove stands a good chance of being irrelavent in upcoming Presidential election if he isn’t already. Except as a shill for oRomney. These anti-Cain Establishment pubs might as well come right out and say Romney gives them a tingle up their leg.
Right!
George Washington and the Founders should never have been President.....they had no political experience whatsoever.
Citizen representatives is what this nation was based upon, not career politicians.
You drank the Kool-Aid.
Well that's good news, one less vote for Hillary.
Haven’t made a decision yet. Still vetting.
Apparently you listen to liberal pundits for information and consider them credible. This puts you in an exceptional disadvantage in all things practical and realistic -especially political discussions on this site.
huh? WTF are you talking about? ah...I see no sense of humor.
I doubt that
“Having a degree in Math does not qualify someone to be a President. Being a good debater does not qualify someone to be President because a President does not enact polices in 30 seconds sound bites and does not negotiate with Congress in 3 seconds zingers”
You obviously misunderstand the nature of the office of the presidency. Cain has real world experience and has demonstrated that he can get millions of voters to rally behind his plan.
Perry has demonstrated that he can’t even EXPLAIN his plan. He is automaticaly disqualified. Even if you assume that he is not a closet democrat (which he is), he will never be able to garner enough support to implement any of his policies. He inherited the governorship without a fight and had a rubber stamp legislator at his disposal. This background will get him killed in Washington.
He and his wife are already crying in public because of the bad treatment they are getting from the MSM. They should just go home. Washington D.C. ain’t Texas.
sorry, I meant irelevant. Still overcomiing my public school education.
Records don't matter. It only matters what he says he's going to do!
Running a Pizza company (...) is not a qualification to run the most powerful government in the history of mankind.
Why the hell not? Being a community organizer is qualification enough.
Having a degree in Math does not qualify someone to be a President.
Why the hell not? A law degree from Harvard is qualification enough.
And besides that ... jumping on the Cain Train with The Hermanator! sounds freaking cool as hell!
(Conservatives behaving like 2008 libtards in love with Hope-n-Change disgusts me. It's the height of hypocrisy.)
Did I say that out loud?! Whoops! I meant, er, um, ...
Mmm-mmm-mmm Her-man-Cain!
Mmm-mmm-mmm Her-man-Cain!
Mmm-mmm-mmm Her-man-Cain!
We all take what this author, a NY Time (sic) Reporter (sic) says that Kristol told him as gospel, right?
(sick)
see my soon-to-be-posted-comment on generating paranoia, on that thread.
/s
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