KARL ROVE IS NOT THE SOLUTION

Cure Socialism ^ | February 2, 2013 | Jonathon Moseley

[Moseley]

            Karl Rove should aim his artillery out there at liberals, not point his guns inside the fort.  Karl Rove’s “American Crossroads” Super-PAC announced plans to attack challengers to establishment GOP incumbents.   Yet Karl Rove’s strategies in the Bush Administration cost Republicans Congress in 2006 and probably the Presidency in 2008.    

            Ironically, American Crossroads also just released a brilliant pre-emptive campaign adagainst Ashley Judd.  Judd is considering using her celebrity to run as a Democrat challenger to Mitch McConnell.  GOP insiders do know how to fight the good fight against Democrats.  The contrast reveals the missed opportunities of Karl Rove’s war on conservatives.

            The GOP must face a hard truth:  The grassroots will continue to reject establishment candidates.   Endorsement by Karl Rove’s PAC will signal to many that an incumbent is ‘part of the problem.’

           From the late 1990’s Karl Rove and other GOP strategists openly walked away from the Party’s conservative roots.   Rove was the architect during the Bush Administration of massive over-spending, adding $4 trillion to the national debt, massive expansion of government regulation, liberal social programs, pushing for amnesty for illegal aliens, etc.   George Bush campaigned on a new “Compassionate Conservatism” -- as opposed to that other kind.  

           In 2010, the more GOP elites like Karl Rove demanded  “Don’t you dare vote for Christine O’Donnell!” the more eagerly and enthusiastically grassroots voters lined up to nominate her.  Poking a thumb in Karl Rove’s eye was the main reason conservatives donated millions to Christine’s campaign.

 

           Insiders want to school the grassroots on their Tea Party “mistakes.”  But Tea Party actions are not accidents.   The Tea Party is a deliberate revolt against big-government, deficit-spending insiders.  That’s why criticism of Tea Party candidates has no effect.    The more the establishment tells the grassroots whom to vote for, the more they vote the other way.

           No disrespect intended to Christine.  She deserves to be voted for.  I have known Christine O’Donnell personally.  Contrary to biased reports, she is a smart, sweet, talented, and capable woman, even though she has her ‘human’ moments, as do I.   But the reality is that grassroots Republicans were largely giving the Republican establishment the big raspberry by rejecting Mike Castle.   Republican primary voters knew exactly what they were doing.

            But conservative candidates cannot win, either, while the establishment is slandering the Party’s own nominees.   Let’s revive a tired old quip:  “It’s the Squabbling, Stupid.”  It is hard to win over independents and Reagan Democrats while Republicans are yelling at each other.   

           Imagine being invited to Thanksgiving Dinner when you know the host family will scream at each other much of the day.  It isn’t that you don’t like Thanksgiving, but….   you still might prefer to stay home with a peanut-butter sandwich.   The insiders blame loose cannons.  Or is the problem that Party insiders are firing artillery on their own troops? 

           Unfortunately, Republican insiders are like a restaurant whose food the customers don’t want.  Instead of changing the menu, they try to slander all the other restaurants in town.  GOP elites have learned nothing.  They are unwilling to listen, learn, or change.  

           In December 2009, Rove invited tea party leaders to a closed door meeting in Dover, Delaware, prior to headlining a fund-raiser at Baywood Country Club.   Russ Murphy of the 9-12 Delaware Patriots described the Tea Party meeting to your author:  Rove “bloviated” for a while and boasted about his own importance and top connections. 

           Russ Murphy warned Karl Rove that Mike Castle was not coming out to meet the voters.  Christine O’Donnell was earning the tea party vote by spending time talking to them and answering their questions.  Mike Castle was aloof and arrogant.  Mike Castle was simply a lousy campaigner (in my phrasing).  

           So did Karl Rove, campaign genius, leap into action and fix Mike Castle’s mistake?   Nope.  Instead, two weeks later, a slick dossier of attacks and smears against Christine O’Donnell circulated in December 2009 to national media, conservative leaders, and Delaware politicos.  The detail and organization of the slick dossier indicates a national institution paid for an extensive research project.   However, the Bylaws of the Delaware Republican Party prohibited the DEGOP from taking sides prior to the May 2010 Statewide convention.    

            The result was to galvanize support for Christine O’Donnell and alienate Mike Castle from the grassroots.   Yet the smears in that dossier were repeated thousands of times all during 2010, and damaged the general election.   Almost everything you think you know about Christine is a lie set in motion in December 2009 by the GOP establishment.   

            Yet there are none so blind as those who will not see.  GOP elites have done nothing since 2010 to win the Republican grassroots back.   The Karl Roves cannot fix the problem because they do not understand what it is.

 

Virginia attorney Jonathon Moseley was campaign manager for Christine O’Donnell’s 2008 nomination, worked for her after the 2010 election, and is active in the Northern Virginia Tea Party.

 

[hosepipe]

Rove is Not the question nor the answer.. BUT....
he may be one of the problems..

[mosesdapoet]

All....Does anybody remember what the Democrats did at their convention ??? First they eliminated any mention of the word GOD...and when they thought twice about doing that they reintroduced the resolution what happened ? They booed God....That resolution was rammed through just like the Affordable Health Care Act ...
Was that fact used in any of the material Rove’s RINOS spewed forth during the 2012 Romney or US senate races his group of GOPES (Government Ofthe People Elite Snobs) used on their hit list ? I like using that abbreviation because it rhymes with dopes.

Noooo ! They could have used that episode to point out how far to the left the democrat party has hyphenated into; Demo-Coms ...Instead well we don’t like Aikin. Well it could have been poonted out at least Aikin believes in something like the ten commandments. Including Thou shalt not steal and doesn’t believe that getting elected office doesn’t give you a license to do that. Which his opponent seems to have done rather well since being in office. The same thing with Mourdock. That was never heard from any of the GOPES or Rove’s RINOS.

First of all guys like Rove and others ignored the mechanics of basic campaigning. They allowed the Mainline Socialist Media drive the issues particularly using polling and are still doing so. They learned nothing from their disasters.I also find it inexcuseable for Rove to allow his boss GWB get continuosly trashed without responding.

Right now GOPES are falling into the same trap. Limbaugh and Levin, God bless them ...realize that what Limbaugh calls the LIV’s (low intelligence voters) actually believe that Obama is offering the proverbial “olive branch” to Republicans when actually he is proceeding on his path to complete socialism. AND THEY CAN’T CALL HIM A LIAR .

This administration came up with a policy on energy which had driven up the cost on everything. It was on the tongue of every black, white. yellow,and brown skined person living in the US....IT WENT UNTOUCHED in the 2012 campaign....WORSE YET IT IS STILL GOING UNCHALLANGED

Now the GOPES are buying into the “demographic” argument offered by the MSM. Here you have an issue staring at them straight in the face affecting every man,woman,and child of every skin color and you can’t bring it up and they talk about “demographics” being pushed by the socialist media .

They should be decrying the philosphy of “demographics” by stating they’re Americans first not Afro-Americans. not Hispanic-Americans and not-Asian-Americans, or “White”-Americans. The counter charge should be these are socialist tactics neing pushed by the hypenated Demo-coms. Democrats in socialist/fascist clothing. Let alone not mention the booing of God’s name during their convention then belittle those Republicans who express a religious conviction even to the point of suggesting that those that do shouldn’t run for political office.

Rove and his RINOS are wrong for the Republicans

[Vendome]

Mayballene! Why Can’t you be True!!

Lipstick and pigs...

Colorfool

[right way right]

Something to vote for.......people like that.

I don’t think there is anything that could boost this country more than energy independance.

In 1994 the Republicans had the “contract”.

You know where I am headed here?

We are not in a hopeless position.

[ronnie raygun]

Bloated Karl is a rat operative

[Conspiracy Guy]

Karl Rove is the solution to the Republican problem. If he would shut his stupid mouth and disappear into the dust bin of history, problem solved. Oh and Karl take all your RINO friends with you.

[snoringbear]

“Karl Rove is the solution to the Republican problem. If he would shut his stupid mouth and disappear into the dust bin of history, problem solved. Oh and Karl take all your RINO friends with you.”

Well, You’re correct in that Rove is not a hard core conservative. It appears to me that he’s a pragmatic Republican. In other words, he’s willing to take the Republican with the best chance of winning over allowing a Democrat have the seat. Two examples, Akin and O’Donnell, the two did irreparable damage to themselves by their stupid statements. And then, especially, Akin, when this became obvious refused to step aside in favor of someone who had a chance. So, Rove ain’t the biggest problem we Conservatives face. It’s the stupid candidate syndrome existing amongst our ranks that’s killing us.

[jimmyo57]

“Judd is considering using her celebrity to run as a Democrat challenger to Mitch McConnell.”

I think I would rather have Ashley Judd over McConnell at this point!

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Rove is everything wrong with the GOP and Fox.

He hasn’t one single redeeming feature.

Not one. Go away Rove.

[freedomfiter2]

Karl Rove should aim his artillery out there at liberals, not point his guns inside the fort.

Why? Rove’s enemies are not the liberals but the conservatives taking temporary refuge inside the GOP fort. It’s time to leave.

[iacovatx]

Karl Rove may suffer from a couple of common problems. First, he seems focused on demographic data that describes WHO voted for whom but not WHY they voted. The latter type of data is more difficult to obtain but it is much more valuable for creating strategy. You can get absorbed in data even though that data is not especially useful.
The second problem is failing to notice that the opposition party runs candidates that are absolutely nuts and it doesn’t seem to slow those candidates one bit. Rove’s concern that some candidates need to be eliminated before the general election overlooks the possibility that the criteria he is applying to determine if a candidate is electable may not be important factors in their electability.

A third problem Rove may have is confusing the power of donations with election success. Rove’s party had lots of money in the 2012 campaign and did not spend it as effectively as they could. In the end, you need votes. A few big donors may not translate into sufficient votes. It would be nice to have millions of little donors—more voters. Getting out the vote is important. Getting donations has to be linked to getting votes.

The result is that Rove is attacking conservatives and losing elections. I suggest that running a candidate that doesn’t match your demographic trend predictions may result in continuing losses.

[Moseley]

First, he seems focused on demographic data that describes WHO voted for whom but not WHY they voted. The latter type of data is more difficult to obtain but it is much more valuable for creating strategy

Brilliant point!

[iacovatx]

I have been attacked twice on other threads for suggesting that the focus on electability may be misidentifying the factors or erring in weighting the factors that influence electability. It seems conservatives, laudably, focus on the intelligence and wisdom of candidates’ statements with specific reference to Akin and O’Donnell. With complete respect and appreciation for that point of view, I also suggest that such statements would have no effect on a Dem candidate. Dem’s routinely run and vote for goofballs, idiots, immoral creeps, and people who consciously intend to violate their oaths of office. It doesn’t bother them one bit. Republicans destroy every candidate that doesn’t speak like a Yale grad. Most voters are “low information”. The media is going to paint R candidates as idiots even if they ARE Yale grads. I suggest that a better information sharing system and, for the future, better educational efforts are essential parts of the success equation.

Pointing the attacks on conservatives raises the question, “How will Rove make up for the lost conservative votes?” Does he think his strategy will gather Dem voters? I would like to see how he thinks that will work.

[Moseley]

Two examples, Akin and O’Donnell, the two did irreparable damage to themselves by their stupid statements.

I believe that is untrue. It is when the GOP establishment piles on and attacks a candidate that they become falsely portrayed as making stupid statements.

Karl Rove's most important candidate, George Bush, said lots of stupid things and mangled his words. The Left published entire books of "Bush-isms" compiling all the stupid things that Karl Rove's George Bush said.

George Bush was convicted of a DWI. Bush failed in business after business. What sucess Bush had was from his daddy's connections. Even his mother Barbara Bush lamented that the Bush men can't seem to talk without tripping over their words.

But Karl Rove didn't quit on George Bush. By contrast, at the slightest mistake, the GOP establishment FALSELY accuses conservative candidates, piles on, and dramatizes routine and normal slips of the tongue.

For example, Obama clamed that the US Constitution is 2,000 years old. Why isn't that a stupd thing that should disqualify Obama from winning an election -- twice?

[Moseley]

STUPID THINGS THAT GEORGE BUSH -- KARL ROVE'S CANDIDATE -- SAID:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be6tunbRcs8

A statement most reminiscient of Todd Akin:

"Too many OBGYN's aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country."

What do you think of a candidate who says "Too many OBGYN's aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country."

Bush wants to put family on the food. He wants our wings to take dream. He says there are reports on the internetS.

But George Bush is Karl Rove's kind of candidate, right?

Don't get me wrong, I campaigned for both George Bush and Christine O'Donnell.

But why are George Bush's stupid statements just fine with Karl Rove and the GOP establishment?

[Moseley]

STUPID THINGS THAT GEORGE BUSH -- KARL ROVE'S CANDIDATE -- SAID:

1. "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."—Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004

2. "I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family."—Greater Nashua, N.H., Chamber of Commerce, Jan. 27, 2000

3. "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"—Florence, S.C., Jan. 11, 2000

4. "Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across the country."—Poplar Bluff, Mo., Sept. 6, 2004

5. "Neither in French nor in English nor in Mexican."—declining to answer reporters' questions at the Summit of the Americas, Quebec City, Canada, April 21, 2001

NOTE: This sounds minor, but if that had been Sarah Palin the establishment woul have claimed that the speaker doesn't know that Mexicans speak Spanish.

10. "And so, General, I want to thank you for your service. And I appreciate the fact that you really snatched defeat out of the jaws of those who are trying to defeat us in Iraq."—meeting with Army Gen. Ray Odierno, Washington, D.C., March 3, 2008

12. "There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."—Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002

13. "And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it."—speaking on National Public Radio, Jan. 29, 2007

15. "It's important for us to explain to our nation that life is important. It's not only life of babies, but it's life of children living in, you know, the dark dungeons of the Internet."—Arlington Heights, Ill., Oct. 24, 2000

16. "One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures."—U.S. News & World Report, Jan. 3, 2000

17. "People say, 'How can I help on this war against terror? How can I fight evil?' You can do so by mentoring a child; by going into a shut-in's house and say I love you."—Washington, D.C., Sept. 19, 2002

18. "Well, I think if you say you're going to do something and don't do it, that's trustworthiness."—CNN online chat, Aug. 30, 2000

20. "I think it's really important for this great state of baseball to reach out to people of all walks of life to make sure that the sport is inclusive. The best way to do it is to convince little kids how to—the beauty of playing baseball."—Washington, D.C., Feb. 13, 2006

21. "Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream."—LaCrosse, Wis., Oct. 18, 2000

25. "I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office."—Washington, D.C., May 12, 2008

But why are George Bush's stupid statements just fine with Karl Rove and the GOP establishment?

[snoringbear]

Some thoughtful comments for sure.

I’ll respond to your last comment first; you already know the answer, he’s a Dem and has the main stream media providing cover for him (him being Obama).

About Bush, most of what you say has an element of truth in them. However, history will eventually show that Bush, in spite of his Texas drawl, is/was a pretty smart guy. And, by the way, failing numerous times before succeeding is not a sin. Keeping on trying however is an attribute, especially when trying in the west Texas oil patch.

Concerning Akin and O’donald specifically; there are many independents and fiscal conservatives who are willing to turn a blind eye to some of conservative care abouts such as abortion and 2nd amendment issues and pull the lever for the Republican ticket. However, Akin’s comments were so over the top ridiculous that these people couldn’t get them and thereby didn’t/wouldn’t vote for him.

[justice14]

Bush’s mistakes were misspronouncements or just misspeaks. Akin said a stupid thing and then doubled down on it. There is a huge difference.

[Moseley]

Bush’s mistakes were misspronouncements or just misspeaks.

They are absolutely the same thing. There is no difference.

Akin said a stupid thing and then doubled down on it.

No, he didn't. Where are you getting that from? Akin immediately apologized for mispeaking and clarified that he was describing legitimate CASES OF rape in contrast to the Duke Lacross player FALSE ACCUSATIONS.

When and how did Akin "double down" on anything? He immediately appologized for mangling his words.

Furthermore, Akin explained that "DOCTORS TELL ME THAT.." It wasn't his opinion. He was sharing what a doctor told him.

There is a huge difference

What's the difference?