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Karl Rove's Strategy for Beating Clinton and Obama

Karl Rove has a preview of attacks we can expect Republicans to make against Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, once either gets the Democratic nomination for President. On Obama:

“He got elected three years ago, and he [has] spent almost the entire time running for president,” Rove said.

Rove added that Obama has only passed one piece of legislation during his time in the U.S. Senate, and during his time in Illinois state Senate, Obama had “an unusual habit” of voting “present” instead of yes or no.

On Hillary:

On Clinton, Rove said the senator talks about fiscal responsibility but has introduced “$800 billion in new spending and the campaign is less than half over.”

Rove said that “the woman” wants to repeal all of Bush’s tax cuts, and that she can be targeted for voting against “troop funding” in the form of her votes against the Iraq war supplementals.

More...

Additional attacks: Obama is "too liberal," Hillary flip-flopped on drivers' licenses for the undocumented and neither will protect us from terrorists.

As to how the Republicans can win, Rove takes a page right out of the Democrats' play book:

He said the candidates had to first “create a sustaining narrative about themselves.” Then he said the candidate should “immediately engage” on the “kitchen table issues,” like healthcare, education, jobs and the economy.

Third, Rove said the GOP nominee has to show that he is serious about campaigning “aggressively in places where Republicans don’t usually campaign.” Rove said that includes among black, Latino, Asian and union voters.

My translation: Voters want a President with Democratic values and any Republican hoping to be President needs to be a Republican in name only. Unless our nominee shoots himself or herself in the foot during the campaign, Democrats are on track for winning the White House.

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  • Display: Sort:
    BTW (5.00 / 1) (#8)
    by chemoelectric on Thu Jan 17, 2008 at 03:57:01 PM EST
    The attacks we actually should expect against Obama are fantasies that he is an Islamic terrorist--which Rove knows, because it is a dirty trick and it already has started, so he would recognize it. The interesting thing is that Rove can't make up a convincing non-dirty-trick story to tell in trying to cover up what he knows.

    you speak (none / 0) (#9)
    by Jgarza on Thu Jan 17, 2008 at 04:56:22 PM EST
    works of wisdom,
    and yes i know i sound like a fortune cookie

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    words* (none / 0) (#10)
    by Jgarza on Thu Jan 17, 2008 at 04:56:46 PM EST
    sorry typo

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    Dirty Tricks?? (1.00 / 0) (#12)
    by jimakaPPJ on Fri Jan 18, 2008 at 11:29:08 PM EST
    Talking about the Hill and Obama show, eh??

    Funny (none / 0) (#1)
    by Jgarza on Thu Jan 17, 2008 at 10:21:39 AM EST
    The man is supposed to be brilliant but the best he can come up with on Obama, is taken straight from Hillary talking points.

    His lines against Hillary sounds yawn like tired republican attacks.

    you mean (none / 0) (#3)
    by Judith on Thu Jan 17, 2008 at 10:43:02 AM EST
    Rove is actually saying something factual for a change?  Maybe his new employer doesnt want to have to pay for lawyer bills every time he gets sued for libel.

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    Well (none / 0) (#4)
    by Jgarza on Thu Jan 17, 2008 at 11:05:38 AM EST
    actually i didn't want to say this, but i think the fact that her talking points are so easily adopted by the right wing shows that she is, in this for her self and doesn't care what happens in Nov. if she looses.

    This was even pointed out at the debate. Scorch the earth campaign tactics don't appeal to me.

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    I knew you were thinking it (none / 0) (#5)
    by Judith on Thu Jan 17, 2008 at 11:26:33 AM EST
    anyway.

    Parent
    lol (none / 0) (#6)
    by Jgarza on Thu Jan 17, 2008 at 01:02:27 PM EST
    I'm going to stop my self from ranting. Hard bite of tongue!

    Parent
    "The woman": exceedingly clever (none / 0) (#2)
    by oculus on Thu Jan 17, 2008 at 10:28:12 AM EST
    on Karl's part.  As opposed to, say "That woman."

    Wow (none / 0) (#7)
    by chemoelectric on Thu Jan 17, 2008 at 03:52:13 PM EST
    I knew it already but Karl Rove has nothing atop his spinal cord except a menu of dirty tricks.

    what chutzpah (none / 0) (#11)
    by Joe Bob on Thu Jan 17, 2008 at 05:12:34 PM EST
    Rove is a jackass, but you have to admire his chutzpah. He criticizes Hillary for proposing to spend $800billion, yet he carried water for a guy who is financing an entire war off budget. Who ever would have thought that 'emergency supplementals' could last over five years...and all for the same emergency!

    The "wants to repeal all of Bush's tax cuts" is especially cute. The next President can do precisely nothing with Bush's tax cuts and they'll expire all on their own in 2010. Of course, in 2010 I fully expect to hear Rove telling us that not renewing a sunsetted tax provision is actually a tax increase.

    What tax cut? (none / 0) (#13)
    by kdog on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 09:39:53 AM EST
    After doing my 1040 this week and looking through the last few years of 1040's, I paid more in federal taxes every year under Bush. Unless you're a millionaire, or maybe married with kids, I think the "tax cuts" are a myth.  To the irs website!

    2005
    $29,700-$71,950 $4,090.00 plus 25% of the amount over 29,700

    2006
    $30,650-$74,200 $4,220.00 plus 25% of the amount over 30,650

    2007
    $31,850-$77,100 $4,386.25 plus 25% of the amount over 31,850

    I'm no math wiz, but that looks like 3 straight increases. Is anything they say true...ever?

     

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