The Real Reason Why Rove Went Into Denial on Election Night (Tried to save face with GOP donors)

Newsweek ^ | 1/21/14 | Pema Levy

[jimbo123]

On Election Night 2012, Democrats had more than the reelection of President Obama to celebrate. Karl Rove, the mastermind Republican strategist hated and feared by Democrats, had a meltdown live on Fox News.

A new documentary, "Mitt," Greg Whiteley's film of Mitt Romney and his family during his 2008 and 2012 presidential bids, released on Netflix on Friday, sheds more light on that bizarre incident.

Rove's famous hissy-fit took place when the network called the state of Ohio for Obama, putting the president over the 270 electoral votes needed to win reelection. Rove argued that Fox's analysts had acted prematurely.

[TomGuy]

but why are we supposed to trust Newsweek magazine?

For one thing, I was one of many thousands who watched Rove's hissy-fit LIVE on FoxNews.

I remember him huffing to the statistics room, which was located a distance from the news room. A cam followed him most of the way.

[TomGuy]

Exactly.

The pundits/commentators/polsters continued to get their paychecks, even as the GOP lost.

[TomGuy]

Im sick of the lets hate the republicans BS

Well, what do they stand for?

Used to be lower taxes and small government. Instead, they are more interested in legalizing millions of illegals and helping Obamacare, as more bailouts are given to their cronies. And they like the status quo -- they still get their turn at the money troughs, even as the minority.

When the 'republican' party starts acting like the opposition party, they might find more respect. Until then, they are little more than the Dem-lite party.

[SeminoleCounty]

Good point...its the glad handing of Kommie Karl by Hannity and VincenteFox News that is the problem...

Rove is a complete political disaster for the GOP...yet Faux Cons still give him a platform

[Artcore]

“...VincenteFox News...”

LOL! I have to remember that one...funny!

I haven’t watched Fox in a couple years. Get 99% of my news from FreeRepublic. If only we could get the low information voters to regularly come to this site for their news. I can dream!

[zeugma]

This is no longer Reagan’s Republican party. It is full of Vichy Republicans who work for the statists. Stop living in the 80’s.

Actually, it was never Reagan's Republican party. If you remember, the Vichy Republicans fought and undermined him every step of the way.

[WayneS]

The BIGGEST mistake made in 2012 was selecting Mitt Romney as the republican candidate for president.

[WayneS]

They overestimated the intelligence of the electorate?

[COBOL2Java]

Actually, it was never Reagan's Republican party. If you remember, the Vichy Republicans fought and undermined him every step of the way.

Excellent point. They were the reason "Poppy" was forced on his ticket.

[Jack Hydrazine]

[onyx]

Keeping Free Republic Alive with YOUR Donations!

PLEASE Make Yours Today, Monthly if you can!

[Darren McCarty]

Rove's behavior on Fox was widely interpreted as a way to save face with the Republican donors, who no doubt wanted to see at least a close race after having donated so much money.

Rove wasted their money because he's not nearly as good as he thinks he is. He needed to try and save some face for business.

I wouldn't hire him for dogcatcher. Neither would most of the GOP-E folks I know, let alone the tea party people I know.

[Darren McCarty]

I don't trust Newsweak. I've also followed this issue since I saw the concession speech live after being up since 6AM working the polls that day. A good friend of mine is also a relatively big shot in the GOP. He's a numbers guy as well, much better than Rove. He knew it was over as soon as he saw Virginia and Florida early numbers.

[Darren McCarty]

My friend saw two things that were different than normal.

1. Depressed rural turnout. Part of that might be population loss. Some areas in the midwest had counties flipping from Obama 08 to Romney, but had less actual votes for Romney than McCain.

2. Severe bluing in inner cities. Michigan's map was about a normal map for a 3% loss, not a 8% loss. Was it fraud? Probably some in the cities like normal. $20 says it's in the absentees.

[Darren McCarty]

The BIGGEST mistake made in 2012 was selecting Mitt Romney as the republican candidate for president.

The 2nd biggest mistake was a cabal of nutters trashing every conservative alternative to Romney because they knew that Palin was running despite no indication that she would do so.

Making the only alternative to Romney being Rick Santorum.

[yongin]

rove's latest excuse is that todd akin and richard murdock poisoned the well in 2Θ12.

[Darren McCarty]

He’s 4-15 or something ridiculous last election. He also ran his mouth before the election hurting the ground game here.

[Vigilanteman]

I don't doubt that GOP turnout could have been a lot better and was a big-time contributor to the margin of the loss.

However, it is myth that McCain garnered more votes than Romney as can be verified here.

Just three examples:

Nationwide: Romney 60,932,235 vs. McCain 59,950,323
Michigan: Romney 2,115,256 vs. McCain 2,048,639
Pennsylvania: Romney 2,680,433 vs. McCain 2,655,825

Pathetically small differences, for sure, given ObaMao's four years of misrule. Plus considering that BO dropped from 69.5 million voters in 2008 to 65.9 million in 2009, an opportunity lost partially due to poor turnout for sure. But also outright fraud of a magnitude even more sophisticated than 2008, when certain Philadelphia precincts did not produce 72K votes for BO versus 0 for McCain.

[Darren McCarty]

That's why I said counties. While overall Romney did marginally better, part of the problem is the dropoff in those counties from what should have been considered rock bottom - especially considered to Bush 04. I'm no fan of most of that campaign, but Dowd, Gillespie and McKinnon got the votes out of those areas that year. Frankly, I think Michigan in reality went for Bush that year outside of fraud (not in 2012).

In Michigan, Wayne, Ingham, Genesee, Isabella, Shiawassee, Monroe, Calhoun, Gratiot, Mecosta, Roscommon, and Oscoda counties all had dropoff from McCain votes. Obama had a bigger dropoff in some of those, like Roscommon.

The net gain statewide were due to places like Livingston County which is one of the growing areas in the state, has a lot of ex-Oakland residents, and liked Romney because he was a businessman.

The problem is that while we needed those new votes, we also needed the ones we lost to people staying home.

As for fraud, with the way Detroit, its inner suburbs, Flint, and the like have cratered population, I have no doubt there's a lot of that going on. AV most likely.