TNR BLOGS

January 07, 2009 | 3:20 PM
January 07, 2009 | 3:12 PM
January 07, 2009 | 2:37 PM

January 07, 2009 | 12:20 PM
January 07, 2009 | 12:13 PM
January 07, 2009 | 9:41 AM

January 07, 2009 | 12:40 PM
January 04, 2009 | 8:54 PM
January 01, 2009 | 8:57 PM

July 26, 2008 | 2:24 PM
July 23, 2008 | 1:55 PM
July 17, 2008 | 3:56 PM

January 07, 2009 | 3:00 PM
January 07, 2009 | 1:51 PM
January 06, 2009 | 4:07 PM
COLUMNISTS
TODAY'S STORIES
04.12.2008
MC Rove Insists It's All About the Benjamins

 I know this has been addressed may times, but why is it that, when Republicans wildly outspend Dems and win a race, it's always considered a Victory of Ideas, but when Dems manage to do the same, it's all about the money? Here's the lead of Karl Rove's WSJ column:

“If money talks, we'll likely soon hear the real reason why Barack Obama beat John McCain. Both men and the national parties will report to the Federal Election Commission today how much money they raised in October and November. And what the numbers will probably show is that Mr. Obama outspent Mr. McCain by the biggest margin in history, perhaps a quarter of a billion dollars.” 

And his conclusion:

“Rather than showing the success of a new style of post-partisan politics, Mr. Obama's victory may show the enduring truth of the old Chicago Golden Rule: He who has the gold rules.”

Maybe. But it sure didn't hurt that the GOP fielded a weak ticket, ran a piss-poor campaign, and had zero constructive ideas. 

And now, just because I can't resist:

 

 

--Michelle Cottle

 

Posted: Thursday, December 04, 2008 10:02 AM with 10 comment(s)

Comments

You must be logged-in to comment.

Not a subscriber? Click here to get a digital or print and digital subscription to The New Republic!

GSpinks said:

Specious rationalizations constructed daily to preserve their delicate egos; they've never met a lie they wouldn't tell, and they never will so long as the lie makes them look better, or at least not as bad.

December 4, 2008 10:30 AM

drdannyu said:

I wonder...could it be that the reason the Democrats had more money to spend is that a whole bunch of people supported them, both at the polls and financially?  Could it possibly be that Mr. Rove has a chicken/egg problem?  Or is it just that he's an intellectually bankrupt shill that should probably be ignored until he dies, and becomes the footnote to history appended to a disgraced and repudiated president that he deserves to be?

December 4, 2008 10:43 AM

liberal reformer said:

Go with the latter, drdannyu.

December 4, 2008 11:32 AM

tec619 said:

aspinks:

Truer words. . . Does the Rove's rationale apply to Bush's election victory? (He didn't win the poular vote count.) And Dubya won the 2004 election by 2.5 percentage points. The "narrowest for a victorious incumbent President up for re-election since Woodrow Wilson's 3.1% margin of victory against Charles Evans Hughes in 1916."

Hmm. Bush lost the popular vote in 2000 and barely won reelection despite breaking previous presidential primary and campaign fundraising records. But, according to Rove, money is everything?

Obama, breaks Bush's record, and (actually) wins the popular vote by six percentage points (more than double Bush's post 9/11 scare victory), despite his race and inconvenient middle and surnames (a double whammy).

Obvisiously, Obama gave contributors value for there money. Bush, as usual, failed.  he is a fucking W.A.S.P. affirmative action failure from beginning to end.

December 4, 2008 11:47 AM

Wandreycer1 said:

Must be nice to be an insider - he should be in jail and here he is pontificating on CNN et all. I can't decide who is worse, him or the media that legitimizes him.

December 4, 2008 11:50 AM

WoodyBombay said:

You're right twice, dr. dan. They're not mutually exclusive.

December 4, 2008 11:51 AM

icarusr said:

Isn't "turd blossom" now merely a wilted shit?  Why does anyone care what comes out of his anus - either of them?

December 4, 2008 12:54 PM

tec619 said:

iccy:

A rectum has an anus on each end? Will wonders never cease?

December 4, 2008 3:52 PM

jhildner said:

p.s.  I've never heard of this so-called "Chicago Golden Rule."  I think Rove just made it up.  Googling "Chicago Golden Rule" yields zero relevant hits.  It doesn't even make sense as applied to patronage politics or machine politics or whatever the Chicago connection is supposed to suggest.

December 4, 2008 4:36 PM

dubyadoubte said:

Well, he should know since George W. Bush's 2000 road to the White House was paved with the gold of Daddy's friends.  Oh excuse me.  Patriots and Rangers.  

Aside from the victory speech, and the concession speech, Karl Rove supplied the best moment election night.  Rove, standing at Fox' big board, pontificating on different electoral scenarios and concluding that if McCain doesn't take Ohio, there's no way he can win.  At that very moment, Brit Hume sidles up and says in his Brit Hume Sad Sack Eeyore baritone "Uhm, we just received word that Obama has taken Ohio."

Actually that did provide the best moment.  

Turd Blossom is the most overrated asshole in U.S political history.  In 2006 NY times ran at story (I slightly paraphrase) "Rove - strategy is to mobilze the conservative base".  Genius!  A lesser mortal would have thought that the Republicans' path to victory was to mobilize the Trotsykite wing of the Bolshevik Party.  Thanks for the link Michelle, but I just couldn't bring myself to watching that offensive fat old white men doing bad rap routine.   Again

December 5, 2008 1:10 PM