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 OVERVALUED KARL ROVE

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Posted on 06-28-07 9:48 AM     Reply [Subscribe]
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[Down with a tore muscle, while flipping between C-SPAN and what not, this guy in dark brown suit reminds me for the umpteenth time that Karl Rove is a genius. That makes me angry. Here is why.]

An Overdue Downgrading of Rove


One of the most gratifying outcomes of the 2006 midterm election was the much-awaited demotion of Karl Rove from a ‘genius’ to a ‘failed republican strategist’. To be fair, his place in American politics is somewhere in between. Yet, on a national scale, if judged chastely against the long-term republican census capitalization, he is more of the latter. History will almost certainly tag Rove as the extremist patron who did most damage to the Republican Party in the early 21st century by voluntarily moving the party to the farthest right.

There are four reasons that justify why Rove was not a genius to begin with. These reasons are: 2000 election, 2002 midterm election, 2004 election, and 2006 midterm election.

An arithmetical analysis below should simplify this hypothesis.

1. 2000 election – In spite of much hype about Republican triumph, in the 2000 election democrats gained four seats in the Senate and two seats in the House. Also, the Democratic presidential candidate amassed 540,000 more votes nationwide than the Republican candidate.

While Karl Rove has been unduly attributed to this un-measurable victory, three people deserve the most credit: i) Sandra Day O’Connor, another American icon fallaciously credited for her overrated neutrality, ii) Catherine Harris, the unsightly thug and the 2006 republican senatorial candidate from Florida, and iii) the egomaniacal Ralph Nader who seems to get gratification from his ego detour even when his heart seems to be in the right place.

In the 2000 election, Democrats won eight of the ten Senate races that Cook Political Report rated as "Toss Up." A statistician will have trouble classifying this election to be a Republican victory. Nonetheless, when it was all said and done, Rove indeed won where it mattered the most. Sometimes being lucky makes you look smarter than you are. By the time he retires, Roger Federer may keep ‘the greatest ever’ title, but we would never know how he would have fared against the likes of Agassi and Sampras in their prime. It is just a game of luck that Karl Rove’s draw had such self-destructing opponents like Gore and Kerry. The 2000 election proved that a win could be both abstract and subjective.

2. 2002 election – Until 2002, only twice (in 1934 and in 1998) the incumbent president’s party had won the midterm election in both Houses. Though Rove’s success in this election is evident, the Republican triumph has a lot do with the sentimental nation still nursing the wounds of Nine Eleven. The overblown outcome of this election, however, does not even remotely resemble 1998 poll in which Clinton’s party won because of their performance on economic and social issues.

Even then the republican gains in 2002 were quite marginal.

Despite much hoopla, in 2002, democrats lost only two seats in the Senate and six in the House, while the Republicans lost three governors. Of the two Democrats who lost in the Senate, Jean Carnahan, the widow of Missouri governor Mel Carnahan, was defeated because she was not much of a campaigner, or a politician, for that matter. The second Senate seat of Max Cleland was lost via the most vicious campaigning, arguably in the history of American politics. Rove indeed warrants glory for Saxby Chambliss’ conquest over Max Cleland. Rovian smear tactics in this particular race was obscene to the point of being scandalous.

Little did Rove know, just four years shortly, 2002 election would become the stroke of luck for the Democrats and the noninterventionist Independents. More than any other plausible factor, the slim victory in this election turned Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld into the bullying gangsters who suddenly started uttering catchphrases like: “You're either with us or against us.” Bush’s arrogance in late 2002 and the first half of 2003, has tainted the Republican image for at least 15 years to come. Sometimes it takes more than a generation for people to forgive; the genuine haters of the 80s still hate Reagan passionately.

The victory in the 2002 midterm election led to the Iraq war and many other misadventures. If he were a true genius, Karl Rove should have envisioned the consequences of such imperial overstretch. How could Rove not recognize that a cosmopolitan society like this cannot be governed for long by sanctioning global bigotry? Who would have thunk six years ago that America would one day become a global joke?

3. 2004 election – The republican president won the 2004 election by more than three million votes. Republicans also gained four seats in the Senate and four in the House.

Ok, Rove won this one even-handed. But should he be credited entirely for this Republican exploit?

Until November 2004, a large chunk of the population was still undergoing either authentic, or simulated, emotional aftershocks of Nine Eleven. Another chunk was not keen on risking a leadership change in the middle of two wars. Only a hawkish democrat, or an eccentric liberal like Dean, could have put a good fight with Bush in 2004. Alas, Kerry was neither. Hence, the day after the election, the press was too quick to equate Kerry’s limitations to Rove’s wizardry—escalating him to the status of a genius.

But, were the numbers that significantly distinct?

In the 2004 election, 78 percent of white evangelical Christians who made up 23 percent of the total votes cast, voted for Bush—up 10 percent from 2000. But it was not Karl Rove’s genius that made these self-righteous fanatics reinforce Bush. Between the Born-Again Texan, and the most liberal catholic from Massachusetts, what else was to be expected of these stick-in-the-mud Protestants?

Another myth about 2004 election is that a large number of evangelical Christians went to the poll to support social and moral issues like gay marriage ban and stem cell research. The poll data shows the same percentage of evangelical Christians (23%) voted in 2000. Voter mobilization among the republican base might have worked to some degree, but there is no concrete data to support this. Traditionally, these people vote in a greater number than the metropolitan Volvo Democrats. When a Southern Democrat runs for the president, they siphon some of the votes away from this bloc. Otherwise, this bloc has been essentially faithful to the republicans since Reagan started courting them more than a quarter century ago.

4. 2006 election – Notwithstanding Rove’s pre-election claim of keeping both
Houses, Republicans lost six Senate seats and at least 29 House seats in this year’s election. Democrats won 24 out of 33 Senate seats that were contested. All the advantages that Republicans had built through gerrymandering, voter mobilization and donor mobilization were simply crushed by one fact: their inability to govern.

This election did not have much to do with Democrats; it had everything to do with voters rejecting Republicans. Centrists looked beyond phrases and idealistic assurances, and the tone-deaf president and his administration were graded on policies and their executions.

If Rove were a genius and if he really wanted a neo-conservative legacy he should have known better that winning should pursue inclusive and effective governing.

Concluding ...

In a nutshell, what Karl Rove failed to comprehend is, America is assorted after all. He miscalculated and swung his party to the wrong side of socio-political equilibrium. He did not grasp the simplest reality, which is, these Theocons don’t have a choice. They have seen and heard the likes of Howard Dean and Dennis Kucinich; they know aligning with the Republicans is the only choice their god offers them. Rove did not need to push that hard for this coalition. Even in this era of egocasting, his pursuit was too narrow and needless.

White evangelical Christians made up 24 percent of 2006 voters. In spite of many stories of Republican disgraces, failures and corruptions, 71 percent of this bloc voted for the republican Congressional candidates—down one point from 72 percent in 2004. This is where Rove fails miserably. He is disillusioned that elections can be won eternally by preaching to the choir.

If the Republican Party intends to accommodate the disproportionately increasing minority population such as Hispanics, Asians, non-believers and occasional-believers, it needs to shift slightly to the center without more ado. According to the most recent Rasmussen reports, Americans who call themselves democrats has remained constant at 38.5 percent, while those who call themselves Republicans has dropped to 31 percent—a decline of 6 percent in two years. Considering how diehard republicans usually are, this is an astounding number. In addition, more young Americans are identifying themselves as liberals or democrats.

With blacks, the Republican Party is still trying to wash away Goldwater stain from the mid 60s—and since Katrina this relationship has only deteriorated. The recent glimpses of small-mindedness that the conservatives have exhibited with the issues like immigration, gay marriage, and stem cell research has helped create an offsetting base on the other end of the spectrum. Blogs like Daily Kos, TalkingPointsMemo, and Huffington Post are slowly but indisputably neutralizing the spin-and-spit journalism of the Limbaughs, the O’Reillys and the Hannities.

A part of being a political genius involves occasionally steering the party to the reverse side of what the core base ennobles. Bill Clinton was a political genius. He stole the ideas like crime fighting, fiscal management, and welfare reform from the Republicans and labored on those issues more productively than any other president since the Second World War.

There is no doubt Karl Rove is a clever man. After Nine Eleven, for a couple of years leading up to the 2004 election, he was able to market fear through panic merchants. But Rove would have been more successful as a real estate agent or a luxury car salesman. He is not mega in scope. He is a bottom feeder who triumphs only in a myopic setting. His numbers don’t match that of a strategy genius. He lost two congressional elections and won two. Regardless of who ended up governing, he lost one presidential election and won one. A person who has 50% success rate cannot be classified a genius.

Before Rove started in 2000, the Congress had 46 democrats in the Senate, 210 in the House, and 18 served as governors. By January of 2007, that number has changed to 51 democrats in the Senate, 232 in the House, and 28 governors. Democrats also have the majority of State Legislatures for the first time in two decades.

Karl Rove’s dream of building a conservative legacy in Washington will remain a pipe dream. According to polls, among the republican candidates who are already in the presidential race, the leading man, Giuliani, is a social democrat in its most true sense. Until recently, McCain was known in his own party as a rebel disguised as a Republican. And Romney used to be a governor of one of the most liberal states in the US. As for Fred Thompson, when he officially joins the race, his poll number will slip by no less than 10 points within weeks.
 
Posted on 06-28-07 10:20 AM     Reply [Subscribe]
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Good Article. I think Rove and his cronies totally exploited the vulnurable public still nursing from its 9/11 wound. And passed laws which took the US society back to the McCarthy era. The ways and means they took to get there is just coming into public light now. THUS Bush's popurality is in the 20's now.

He is trying to revive it with the whole immigration thing... but that goes against the very core of his Republican party's belief. he he He is like na yeta ko na utako now.
 
Posted on 06-28-07 10:31 AM     Reply [Subscribe]
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Nice write-up, Sum off.

Rove is no genius - I agree. He is just an astute party apparatchik who was able to avail of the opportunity presented by history to his party. That's what poltical success is ultimately about.

Just a thought.

Didn't know you had a political streak in you - hadn't seen it before :) Glad to see it come out.

Best wishes.
 
Posted on 06-28-07 11:27 AM     Reply [Subscribe]
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Bush thinks he is above the Law... hehe reminds me of another President who thought the same.... Richard Nixon. Most of bush's inner circle are left over from that McCarthy and Nixon era.... who thought that Executive Power of White House was eroding because of that Clinton Monica thing. he he :-)

After reading that CIA bible couple days ago... its scary out there.

- http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/28/politics/printable2992122.shtml
 
Posted on 06-28-07 11:45 AM     Reply [Subscribe]
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Forgot who said this, but they say if you are 20 and a republican, something is wrong with your heart and if you are 50 and a democrat, something is wrong with your head.

I guess it's a simplistic way of saying people become less caring about the concerns of the world as they age.

As for Bush, with Iraq pretty much a mess, at least in the short to medium term, and no major domestic achievements under his belt (NCLF and medicare reform excluded), what kind of legacy will he be leaving behind I wonder.
 
Posted on 06-28-07 11:50 AM     Reply [Subscribe]
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None. With both the house and the Senate under Democrats... he he They are not going to give him an inch. Esp if Democratic Activists had his way he'd impeach him. ha ha ha I would love to see DUBYA under oath like Slick Willy answering questions. he he
 
Posted on 06-28-07 11:55 AM     Reply [Subscribe]
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Yeah, I guess his legacy will be Iraq. Which for all intents and purposes is a disaster. I guess he is pinning his hopes on something good coming out in the long run or the regime in Iran toppling in which case he can claim it as an example of the "domino effect" of democracy he used to talk about.
 
Posted on 06-28-07 4:26 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
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Rove legacy: two-term presidency of Dubya.

Dumbocrats would love to have someone like Rove. In the words of JaRule "They hate me cuase they aint me".
 
Posted on 08-13-07 11:43 AM     Reply [Subscribe]
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The curtain falls on this act. Now onto his next one I suppose :) Wonder what that might be Saving McCains sinking campaign or perhaps cobbling up a winning formula for Fred Thompson?
 
Posted on 08-13-07 2:09 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
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I am so happy that finally one of the Bush brain is gone. Without him, Dick Cheny and Rumsfield, Bush is nothing. Bush is a toy without them. Only Cheny left. Cheny needs to bring into justies too. Actually Cheny is the president and Bush does whatever his staff members decides.Cheney got away with haliburton and oil big corporations. Common Dems now go after Cheny and Gonzales.
 
Posted on 08-13-07 2:26 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
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can anyone please enligthen me and name few politicians who hasnt used any opportunity or circumstances to their won benifit.

give the man some credit.

and by the way, just coz he left his position as "senior political advisor" donest mean, bush wont be consulting him , and take his advice. so how does it make any better or any worst than it already is.
 
Posted on 08-13-07 2:51 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
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Mansion,
Give the man the credit for transforming President George Dubya Bush to Emperor Bush ? He he Why is US one of the most hated countries in the world ? You should ask that question to the Credited man. he he Yaaaahhh !!! he he
 
Posted on 08-13-07 3:07 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
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Hey BC!

How's it going?

Sum Off, BC - At the risk of inviting your ire, my own thoughts on this are closer to Mansions than either of yours. Karl Rove was what James Carville was to Bill Clinton: a place to bounce political ideas off (at a minimum in the case of Clinton) or a place, seemingly, to be guided from (in the case of Rove and Bush). In either of the cases, I feel we can only judge the ramifications of their advice in the long run. Most of the signs in Iraq seem to point to failure - at least in the short run - but we will not know for another 10 -15 years, IMO, whether invading Iraq will turn out to be beneficial or not. Also, Karl Rove was certainly the architect of Bush domestic policy but not necessarily of his Iraq one.

Dont get me wrong - I've never cared much for Rove. But I think it would be premature to dismiss his contributions to politics altogether. As a domestic political advisor, many would argue he was quite successful on the front that he was supposed to advise about.

Am I glad to see him go? I guess at this stage I could care less. Bush is a lame duck and my interest on this subject doesn't go beyond guessing of the name of Rove's TV show and which channel it might appear on - Fox or MSNBC?
Last edited: 13-Aug-07 03:15 PM
Last edited: 13-Aug-07 04:01 PM

 
Posted on 08-13-07 3:44 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
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Capn'
Rove to Bush = Carville to Clinton ?
I would vehemently disgree with you. Carville did not enjoy the coveted executive priviledge like Rove did. Neither did Dick Morris. I mean the accountability for failed policies is noexistant in the current administration. Just imagine if Clinton had pulled something like this when the Republican controlled both the house and senate.

WAHT WAS BILL CLINTON IMPEACHED FOR ? NOT FOR HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH AN INTERN BUT LYING ABOUT IT UNDER OATH ? NOW THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS MISLED LIED AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN TO THE PUBLIC BUT WHERE IS THE ACCOUNTABILITY ? HE HE Right there comes that executive priviledge. Whether it is right or wrong. THATS WHERE I DRAW THE LINE CAPN'
 
Posted on 08-13-07 4:21 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
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Sum Off -

Yeah, Bill Clinton was a class of his own in many ways. I give him credit for a lot of good but sometimes wish he had been more aggressive on the issues of climate change and alternative energy. I think he could turn out to be one of the cleverest politicians of his generation (the stupidity of the Monika aftermath aside) - especially if he can get his wife elected. Talking about Rove and Carville, Bill could be both to a future President Clinton I suppose :)

Hope all is well with you.

###############

Bathroom Coffee -

I see where you might be coming from, but I perceive a little bit of whining in your comments. Which is unusual for someone, who as per my observations,  normally does anything but that.

"WAHT WAS BILL CLINTON IMPEACHED FOR ? NOT FOR HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH AN INTERN BUT LYING ABOUT IT UNDER OATH ? NOW THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS MISLED LIED AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN TO THE PUBLIC BUT WHERE IS THE ACCOUNTABILITY ? HE HE Right there comes that executive priviledge. Whether it is right or wrong. THATS WHERE I DRAW THE LINE CAPN' "

That's quite a glowing tribute you are paid there to the Republicans! Why hasn't the democratic leadership gone after Bush with the same zeal? I don't condone Karl Rove's high-handedness, but weakness on the part of the democratic congressional leadership needs to be condemned with the same zeal (capslock inlcuded I'd say!) I guess too many democrats were too busy with their presidential and other political ambitions to speak their minds and take on Bush and Rove.

###########

Also why hate Rove if you dont fear him? Many people who hated him clearly did fear him as well (but might not have admitted to it).

Just my thoughts.

Have a good one all.
 
Last edited: 13-Aug-07 04:28 PM

 
Posted on 08-13-07 4:48 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
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Sorry guys for deviating from the subject..Sum_off, why did you delete your last thread re? Didn't know where to ask this question.
 
Posted on 08-13-07 5:08 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
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regardless of anything, Carl Rove will always be admired, and remembered by both democrats and republicans, and politically aware citizens, as the architech, who helped bush win this first term, and , helped republican gain the white house for 2nd term.

as far as the bush rating goes, lets not also forget that at one time, he did enjoy , one of the highest rating in US presidential rating, even when the war in iraq started, his rating was well above 60 %, even at the end of his 1st term, his rating was still around 50 %, it was only, when we got hit by, katrina n rita, and the aftermath of recovery and events that followed after that, he really sunk.

and by the way, talking about ratings, demorcrats controlled congress enjoys an approval rating of 24 %.



My point being, its easy to critisize, everyone does that, anyeays, may US n Nepal Prosper more :)



On a lil humours note, SNDY, U'RE FORGIVEN :)


Last edited: 13-Aug-07 05:11 PM
Last edited: 13-Aug-07 05:27 PM

 
Posted on 08-13-07 5:26 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
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Dems will remember Rove as a successful strategiest for making the dummest president of the US history whereas Right wings will remember him reelecting Bush for the 2nd time even though the war in Iraq was not going well.
 
Posted on 08-13-07 8:26 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
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SNDY,

First, as Mansion did, I forgive you too.

As to why I deleted my thread, Sajha is not always about the product, most of the time it is about who manufactured it. I wish the venue was more neutral. Alas, this place is irreparably factionalized. So at times, it can be frustrating. As long as I have friends like you, however, I sure will keep on writing.
Last edited: 13-Aug-07 10:01 PM

 
Posted on 08-13-07 10:28 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
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Karl rove will be remembered and go down in the history as a Nationalist leaders. I think america is now moving towards protectionism , Nationalism and world dominance. America has changed forever and the public has been sold to these architects. Although democrats control the congress the next generation of protectiniosm has been sold to the public. It is just matter of time. It is the peak for america there is no higher ground left. It's downhill from here.
 



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