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The Spectacle Blog
Unlike other hit-and-run bloggers and journalists, I insist on giving credit where it’s due even to those I have criticized. After my post early in the weekend blasting Karl Rove for coming down so hard on Christine O’Donnell even after she won, but NOT blasting the living daylight out of Lisa Murkowski for her narcissistic, counterproductive write-in campaign, Rove DID get around to criticizing Murkowski. On Fox News Sunday, he called Murkowski’s new campaign “sad and sorry,” and “very sad,” and said flat-out that she can’t win. All credit to him.
Still, he spoke with far LESS vehemence about Murkowski’s knife in the back than he spoke about O’Donnell’s very up-front campaign as her party’s nominee. And he criticized Murkowski only while REPEATING and even elaborating on his attacks against O’Donnell. Therefore, he still has not even come close to making amends. He should be working behind the scenes to make sure that all money for Murkowski dries up, and he should STFU about O’Donnell’s problems.The fact is that Karl Rove is NOT just an “analyst,” but instead is actively involved in political strategizing and fund-raising. Therefore, for him to say that his above-it-all guise as an analyst requires that he say everything that is on his mind is as ludicrous as if James Carville pretended when on the air that he is just being a neutral analyst rather than an active participant giving a highly political point of view.
Because Rove wears two hats, he can be expected to pull some punches against fellow conservatives. This doesn’t mean he has to lie; it just means there are times when he should punt. After O’Donnell won, he should have punted — UNLESS he was bringing up her deficiencies in order to offer constructive advice about HOW to get around them. He SAID on Sunday that he was doing just that, but nobody who watched his angry rant last Tuesday night can believe that, and even on Sunday he spent far more time claiming to be doing it for O’Donnell’s own good than he did in actually saying anything of substance that was constructive. Meanwhile, his contempt for her still all but dripped from his mouth with every word.
I now give him credit for offering a few words, even if only slightly stronger than tepid, against Murkowski. He therefore answered, partly, my challenge from my previous post.
Considering how harsh he was on Tuesday night, that’s still not enough.
***
For what it’s worth, I just did a Skype interview with a San Diego TV station. Questioned about whether Demo attacks on O’Donnell would be a good tactic nationwide, I said something very like this:
“Not at all. I mean, bring it on. You know, people who look at
Christine O’Donnell for the first time just don’t believe she has
horns on her head. She comes across as a nice young lady,
well-motivated, with a bright smile and a cheerful attitude. It’s
hard to make her into some sort of wacko, extremist demon. Sure,
people can say it seems like she said some things 15 years ago that
were a little ‘out there,’ but they also are sick of the vicious
attacks against citizen-politicians who are just trying to get
involved because they care about their country. So attacks on
people like Christine O’Donnell, who come across as
non-threatening, just cause a backlash. It’s not effective at
all.”
Now THAT is the sort of thing King Karl ought to be
saying!
View all comments (11) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Quin Hillyer
http://spectator.org/blog/2010/09/20/re-rove
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Eric Cartman| 9.20.10 @ 11:30AM
I saw that fat, gas bag Pillsbury Dough Boy bastard on Chris Wallace, too. Made me want to punch him in the face even more. Coward.
SoCon| 9.21.10 @ 2:58AM
You make me laugh!
Siegfried X| 9.20.10 @ 11:37AM
Yes, and to me it seems that the Republican establishment is trying to overturn the election by replacing O'Donnell with Castle. Rove called for her to release a bunch of information. Castle and the state party chairman still haven't endorsed her. My understanding is that Rove was / is a paid consultant for Castle. So it seems the establishment hopes that enough dirt comes out about O'Connell that she drops out of the race, to be replaced with Castle.
Nolann Ryann| 9.20.10 @ 11:41AM
Quin,
Huge mistake in this post;
"Because Rove wears two hats, he can be expected to pull some punches against fellow conservatives."
He's not a conservative and his behavior in the last week has cemented his status as just another political hack with no governing philosophy other than power for the sake of power. He didn't advance much of a conservative agenda in his 8 years next to the POTUS.
Interested Conservative| 9.20.10 @ 12:53PM
Here's a purely tactical question.
Is it O'Donnell's interest to have a three-party race? I understand Castle cannot register and run as an independent, but could he, like Murkowski, mount a write-in campaign? If so, would he draw more support from nominal Coons voters such that O'Donnell would be better off?
Given Delaware's political make up, I wonder if O'Donnell's base is sufficiently solid to best a split up vote on the "moderate" to "liberal" side? Could she actually want this? Would it be to her benefit? Should Rove keep up the good work to solidify her base?
Jack Bauer| 9.20.10 @ 1:09PM
"This doesn't mean he has to lie; it just means there are times when he should punt."
It's too late now. Had Rove ONE ounce of loyalty (let's not even mention class) instead of launching an unguided missile rant the night she won, he should simply have said...
"Look, she wasn't my choice. That's no secret... and I think she has an unhill battle, but you know what, she's my party's official candidate and I support her all the way to election day. I'll be telling that to all my Republcian colleagues and I will do all I can to raise money for her campaign.."
How about THAT Karl.
james wilson| 9.20.10 @ 1:28PM
Don't be giving credit where credit is not due. Evil is generally successful in proportion to the degree of good it contains.
MachiaRovelli is being fired by his former voters, and he is not man enough to go away any more that Charlie Crist is.
martin j smith| 9.20.10 @ 2:00PM
Aware or not Rove had squandered a great deal of positive regard or created a far greater degree of hostility. What is going on in his head. Is he just one of the Belt Way boys who can't standing being crossed or is he worse than that. ? In my judgement the Ruling Class types have an agenda and motivation based on back door dealings. Watch Rove and his Roving pals. Is Colin Powell a part of this play ?
Angus Black| 9.20.10 @ 3:10PM
Rove showed what he really is by attacking O'Donell. He is part of the problem folks, not an answer. He has been entrenched in Washington politics way to long and needs to shut up and go away. When he was whining to Hannity, he might as well have been on the floor beating the floor with his fists and kicking. What a crybaby, his man lost. Get over Rove, Castle is a RINO and its good he lost. Maybe you should refund his money.
Charles Romer| 9.20.10 @ 4:22PM
Karl Rove et al:
I have a bad feeling about this. Certainly John McCain was a Soros Republican and now Rove seems to be one too. I wonder what other kinds of shenanigans they are planning to derail the Republican revolution in November.
I would hold back on big U.S. stock purchases for now.
Oldefarte| 9.21.10 @ 10:21AM
I agree wholeheartedly with the idea of, once they've been elected or nominated, of then supporting fellow Republicans or conservatives. I think that this principle applies to, not only neophytes such as O'Donnell, but to veterans such as David Vitter of Louisiana, who, after being cheap-shotted by a so-called Republican opponent [who was clearly supported by the Democratic Party operatives as a disenfranchising tool]. Vitter, although previously flawed characteristically, was/is a strong conservative Republican that has, like other previous Republican predecessor-candidates in that state [David Treen,etc], has had to constantly battle the entrenched Democratic Party machine [which considers New Orleans one of it Chocolate City priority/preferencial areas/strongholds] throughout his career. Now the nominated Republican candidate for US Senator, Vitter absolutely deserves the political support of all conservatives [even thoug some may disagree with him on certain political points], and I [as a former resident of that state] would certainly recommend same for all within the conservative population of this country!!!!!!!!!