Posted on 06/10/2015 1:42:27 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
And I do mean noted. With the possible exception of Steve Schmidt, no Republican advisor is better known to the right for sneering at the right than John Weaver. Re-read this old post, written when Weaver was helping to steer Huntsman 2012 to a third-place flameout in New Hampshire, for some of his greatest hits. He advised McCain in 2000, when Maverick was at his media-friendly right-baiting zenith, then caught on with Huntsman during the last cycle to try the ol what-our-party-really-needs-is-a-better-base approach again. Hes known for being a difficult boss, losing lots of races (with some notable successes, like Rick Snyders gubernatorial win, mixed in), and saying things to reporters like, Theres a simple reason our party is nowhere near being a national governing party. No one wants to be around a bunch of cranks. Heres a bon mot from two years ago in which Weaver lamented the demise of compassionate conservatism and feared that the crappy Gang of Eight immigration bill might be doomed:
Were not finished committing suicide here, said Republican strategist John Weaver, a veteran of the McCain and Huntsman campaigns. We also have the opportunity to kill immigration reform, and the odds are that we will do that, just to make sure were the angry-white-man party. He says the party may need a George McGovern-sized defeat with a candidate like Ted Cruz before it chooses another path.
Thats the sort of soundbite hes famous for. And thats why conservatives in Iowa are scratching their heads.
Ohio governor John Kasich has yet to enter the presidential race, but his reported talks with Republican strategist John Weaver, even before the Washington Post reported Tuesday that he would serve as a senior strategist for the campaign, were already raising some eyebrows
Perception is reality, said one Iowa political consultant. If thats his first hire, then yeah. Its not going to speak well, and news of that will spread quickly from people who are familiar with [Weavers] record of skipping the Hawkeye State
It sends the wrong signal. You may see the bat signal in the sky, and you may not know where Batmans going but you know theres trouble somewhere. And this would just be a giant bat signal that hes not going to aggressively compete in Iowa, the consultant added.
Kasich isnt going to skip Iowa. Most of his appeal lies in the fact that hes from a midwestern swing state; if an Ohioan cant play in Iowa, hes a joke. Even so, the question remains why would Kasich risk alienating righties before hes officially in the race by recruiting one of their sworn enemies? Its no accident, Im sure, that Weaver hadnt been snapped up by any rival campaigns, yet somehow Kasich thought itd be a good idea to make him his first splashy hire. How come?
Two theories. One, per Jonathan Chait: Kasich knows he has virtually no shot at the nomination but he relishes the chance to speak centrist-y truth to conservative power, making him a perfect candidate for an advisor like Weaver. Remember, Kasich is the guy who defended his decision to expand Medicaid in Ohio by asking critics what they plan on saying to St. Peter when he asks them what they ever did for the poor. If you want a candidate who disdains the base but is willing to downplay it enough to make him kinda sorta viable, youve got Jeb Bush. If you want a candidate who so admires himself as some sort of plainspoken voice of reason that hes willing to enthusiastically antagonize the partys core supporters, youve got Kasich. All of which is a fine theory for a liberal like Chait, who himself relishes the thought of centrist Republicans dumping on tea partiers, but it defies belief to think Kasich would risk the aggravation of a presidential campaign for no reward greater than a wrestling match with the right. Hes getting in because Jeb looks weak, the electoral share needed to win each primary will be small given how splintered the field is, and a good showing even in defeat is apt to move him further up the VP shortlist for someone. Theres got to be another explanation.
Theory two: Hiring Weaver is a signal by Kasich to the donor class that he hates the right as much as they do and isnt afraid to show it. Its a risk given how much the base loathes Weaver back, but its a risk Kasich feels he has no choice but to take. Hes getting in late, competition for the monied center-right is fierce, and Jeb already has a huge war chest. Kasich needs to give establishmentarians, who spent many millions defending incumbents from the tea-party hordes in the midterms last year, a reason to think hell be even more of a bulwark against them than Bush would be. Just as Marco Rubio quietly touts his record on amnesty to big donors to show them how hes willing to confront the right on key issues, Kasich is probably touting his new hire to show them that hes more confrontational than anyone. He cant out-Cruz Ted Cruz to win tea partiers but he might be able to out-Bush Jeb Bush among moderates if Bush continues to underperform. And if it doesnt work, hey: Hell have the thanks of an admiring right-hating media as well as the comfort of knowing that he made a lot of Republican consultants even richer than they already were.
Speaking of weird and turning people off; Kasich, with all his tourette-type flinches and ducking and odd facial grimmaces and head jerks and such are a turnoff for me. The way he squirms around I’ll bet he wears out his clothes from the inside-out, just from all his twitching and squirming around inside them.
Kasich has lost his conservatism and is going for “opportunism”.
I liked him when he was in Congress and then when he ran for governor, but he has been betraying his old fighting conservative principles for political power.
Coopted like so many others. No principles, no honor.
I see him as a non factor.
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