JONATHAN CHAIT APRIL 28, 2011
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Guess who wrote this today:
Since Mr. Obama can't make an affirmative case for his re-election, he has decided to try convincing voters that Republicans are monstrous. As a result, America is likely to see the most negative re-election campaign ever mounted by a sitting president.
Yes: Karl Rove! Architect of what has almost universally, and with virtually no dissent, been described as the most negative reelection campaign ever mounted by a sitting president. Now, I don't think negativity was the problem with Bush's reelection campaign, but Rove's vapors here are pretty comic. If ever there was a president who lacked popular support and had to disqualify his opponent through personal attacks in order to win, it was George W. Bush in 2004.
I've written before about Rove's pathological tendency to project his own traits onto the current administration. I don't think he'll reach inner peace until he's accused Obama of smearing an opponent who helps children as a pedophile.
9 comments
Fun with nefarious linguistic stretching: "Since Mr. Obama can't make an affirmative case for his re-election. . ." >>> It's such an easy leap from this phrasing to more Trumpian accusations of undue affirmative action assistance in POTUS's acceptance to Harvard, accusations that unfortunately will resound with post-birtherism birthers, or longformbirthers, or "Graders," as some are now calling them. But maybe I give Bush's Brain too much credit. He might be immoral and blindingly ideological, but he's probably not that clever.
- Konstantin
April 28, 2011 at 3:37pm
Ah this is all disgusting. I cannot imagine how stupid this looks to people around the world.
- Sophia
April 28, 2011 at 3:44pm
I think we would all feel a lot better if Rove would end his criticisms like the one above with the disclaimer: "Not that there is anything wrong with that!"
- Nusholtz
April 28, 2011 at 3:50pm
why does he keep crawling out from under his rock? And, given that the GOP is pretending that none of them supported or voted for Bush, the "not really a conservative at all", what's the reason he has a platform?
- miceelf
April 28, 2011 at 4:30pm
"Republicans Are Monstrous" Now there's a bumper sticker I could learn to love (in re other thread).
- ironyroad
April 28, 2011 at 4:48pm
I think Chait gives Rove too much credit by calling this "projection". After all, projection is an unconscious psychological process. I suspect Rove is quite conscious of what he's doing, and he's well aware that it's dishonest and hypocritical. If I'm wrong, and he's not, then Rove truly is mentally ill.
- santoast
April 28, 2011 at 7:03pm
Next editorial in WSJ from criminal and perjuror Rove: "Obama will try to campaign as the guy everyone wants to have a beer with."
- MikeB.
April 28, 2011 at 8:53pm
You have got to be kidding, mice. Karl Rove is the meanest hand in political life and he is still useful to the right. Many conservatives decided that George W. Bush wasn't one of them only after his administration started tanking in a major way, following the Katrina fiasco.
- liberalref
April 28, 2011 at 9:59pm
oh i agree, libref, it's just so transparent.
- miceelf
April 29, 2011 at 6:14am