Posted on 10/27/2010 7:35:57 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
First came the criticism of O’Donnell on the night she won the primary, then came the knock on tea partiers for being unsophisticated, which earned him Rush’s ire. Now this.
Is he … trying to alienate grassroots conservatives? And if so, why?
“With all due candour, appearing on your own reality show on the Discovery Channel, I am not certain how that fits in the American calculus of ‘that helps me see you in the Oval Office’,” Mr Rove told The Daily Telegraph in an interview.
He added that the promotional clip for Sarah Palin’s Alaska could be especially detrimental to any political campaign. It features the mother of five in the great outdoors saying: “I would rather be doing this than in some stuffy old political office.”…
Mr Rove was asked if the 46-year-old Mrs Palin, who is among the front-runners for the next Republican nomination, would be a wise choice if the party wanted to seize the White House from President Barack Obama. He replied: “You can make a plausible case for any of them on paper, but it is not going to be paper in 2011. It’s going to be blood, it’s going to be sweat and tears and it’s going to be hard effort.”…
“There are high standards that the American people have for it [the presidency] and they require a certain level of gravitas, and they want to look at the candidate and say ‘that candidate is doing things that gives me confidence that they are up to the most demanding job in the world’.”
His excuse for this will be that he’s just being honest, as he’s duty bound to be when he has his commentator hat on, but no one on either side gives Karl Rove that little credit strategically. If he thought there was advantage to be had here in ducking the question, I’m sure he would have done so. Three theories, then: (1) This is pure payback for Palin needling him on the night of O’Donnell’s victory, calling him a “good old boy” who’s part of the GOP establishment “machine.” (2) This is him trying to run down a formidable presidential contender so that his own candidate of choice in the primary will benefit. Who that candidate might be, I don’t know, and maybe Rove doesn’t know yet either. But Daniels is, of course, a Bush alum, and Rove had some very nice things to say about him just a few weeks ago. (3) This is a ploy to try to reorient Republicans who are leery about Palin back towards the “establishment” and away from the tea-party grassroots. It’s one thing for the average conservative joe to harbor doubts about her, but if a guy who helped get George Bush elected twice is hint-hinting that she’s disqualifying herself by doing this, it may goose the perception among undecideds that she’s unelectable.
Exit question: Isn’t the response to this simply that Palin plays by her own rules and is playing … pretty darned well right now? The reality show is unorthodox, but being authentic and unpretentious and outdoorsy have always been key to her appeal, and the show feeds all of that. No doubt Rove would have said three months ago that appearing on Maher’s show in the 90s meant that O’Donnell could never beat Mike Castle, and yet here we are. Voters turned viciously on the GOP in 2006 and 2008 and now they’re about to turn viciously on Democrats; they’re utterly exasperated with what they’re getting from Washington, in which case if there’s ever a moment to try something out-of-the-box, now would be it. High risk, but high reward too.
Update: The AP’s seen the first eight episodes of the show and has nice things to say.
Rove, you magnificent a$$hole....STFU!
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This has got me chuckling something fierce! Funny! :)
I formerly liked him. Now, I am disgusted by him.
Sarah Palin is a great light and hope for Conservatism.
I have no idea if she is electable, but I pray she is.
Bad enough the Rangers are getting their ass kicked; now I have to love with that image in my mind tonight...
When it comes to guest hosts; Rush sure can pick them...Chris Matthews, Karl Rove...sharpen up, Mr. L!
This from a guy who makes the Pillsbury Dough Boy look like a bronzed steelworker.
Tokyo Rove, you are yesterday's news.
Especially when you get to address the new Senator from Delaware as Senator Christine O'Donnell.
Kind of like when PRESIDENT Ronald W. Reagan used to host “Death Valley Days”, right Karl? Geeeesh. What a maroon.
What is it with him always attacking strong female Repubicans? I’m starting to think those rumors of his sexuality are true.
Have you ever heard of the GE Theatre HOSTED by RONALD W REAGAN?
Why is anyone still listening to this man? He’s the quintessential country club Republican and political saboteur who has dedicated his life to conning conservatives into holding their noses and voting for RINOs. His comments about Gov. Palin sound like the impotent bleating of a man who is deeply nonplussed by the way actual conservatives have taken over “his” party.
I like Sean, but get sick of his catering to his RINO Buds!
Enough Sean!
Boy, you can say that again, again and again.
Sean is absolutely unwatchable with that parade of RINO losers.
Karl Rove? Isn’t he irrelevant? Just another RINO casualty?
FUKR.
ROTFLMAO...again!!
I don’t know what’s wrong with me tonight, but cannot stop laughing at your post and the earlier one i responded to!
I have to get a drink of water or something...I cannot stop laughing!
Rover you are irrelevant and a disgrace to dogs everywhere. Just eat shiite and die.
Rove is pushing to get hired by MSNBC (co-host with Rachel Madcow).
It’s as if Rove is on payroll secretly with the Obama administration.......
He’s definitely not doing conservatives or the GOP any good at all.
I remember that word.
“Gravitas” is what everyone said GWB lacked. Rush did a whole montage of the soundbites at the time. Isn’t that, as well as for his conservative credentials, the reason that you and GWB begged Cheney to be his running mate? Oh but I’m sure Rove has forgotton that.
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