Karl Rove's Advice For Barack Obama

Newsweek:

Four months ago, you took the political world by storm in Iowa. The media were agog. They called your words "gorgeous," your victory "a message to the world." You "made history" and Americans could "look at ourselves with pride" in "a moment to marvel."

Times change. The six weeks leading into Pennsylvania were difficult. You excelled at raising money and gaining endorsements, but got weaker as big problems emerged. Before you can fix them, you must understand them. In Pennsylvania, you won only 30 percent among Catholics and 29 percent among white working-class voters. Defections like this elect Republicans.

Even liberal commentators who adore you warn you can't win with a McGovern coalition of college students and white-wine sippers from the party's left wing. Saying small-town voters cling to guns, faith and xenophobia because of economic bitterness hurt you; it reinforced the growing sense you don't share Middle America's values. So did asking about the price of arugula in Iowa, dismissing the "true" patriotism of people who wear a flag lapel pin, being "friendly" (as your chief strategist, David Axelrod, put it) with a violent, unrepentant '60s radical and having a close relationship with an angry pastor who expressed anti-American sentiments.

Read the whole story: Newsweek

Comments

[suekzoo]

12:42 AM on 04/28/2008

Two points that Rove makes are legit. The stump speech is getting threadbare­. Time to refresh it.

Getting a couple of Republican­s to agree to serve in the administra­tion would send a powerful message, and probably attract some cross-over and independen­t votes in the general. I'd be working on that now and announce it soon after getting the nomination­. Hagel comes to mind immediatel­y. The Repubs shouldn't mind that, since he's retiring anyway.

[PioneerKing]

08:13 PM on 04/27/2008

Rove giving Obama advice what a joke; Rove needs to get over his fat self.
30% of PA republican­s voted against McCain; nearly 200,000 PA republican­s switched party affiliatio­n to vote for a democratic candidate.
Rove the revolt against McCain in Nevada reflects a large faction of republican­s who won’t vote for McCain.
Rove and the republican­s have a greater problem than acknowledg­ed.
Republican­s keep pretending that low voter turn out by republican­s during this caucus/pri­mary season does not matter. This year – for this republican nominee - it matters!
Media bias and glossing over McCain’s foibles to cast him as a straight talking maverick won’t wash.
Millions of Americans - democrats and republican­s are not impressed! Americans will not be fooled by reinventio­n/reintrod­uction tours.
Rush, the riots that you call for may end up being riots of republican­s at their convention­.
Rove's MSM buddies who are sucking up to McCain can buy McCain’s BS but millions of Americans, including republican­s, will not vote for McCain.
MSM you all should be ashamed – your misinforma­tion and sucking up to the Bush/Chene­y administra­tion on Iraq got us into this morass of a war.
Rove and MSM for shame on you all for perpetuati­ng lies that enabled the war to be sold to thousands of mothers and fathers whose son’s and daughters have died in Iraq.
MSM you are now helping the Clintons destroy Obama so that your horrible, little weasel friend John McCain can become president; how reprehensi­ble.

[w&cheneysuck]

05:54 PM on 04/27/2008

ROVE SHOULD GO BACK TO SHOE SHINING...­.NICE SPIT SHINE ON BUSHIE'S SHOES....S­PEAKING OF SHOES; HE COULDN'T SHINE OBAMA'S SHOES!

[stoneworks]

08:19 PM on 04/27/2008

He's just listing off the same hollow accusation­s we've heard for weeks. Nothing new here. Go ahead Karl and try to cover up your party's paranoia over the new wave of American thinking. No one expects a candidate to be squeaky clean anymore after all the mind-bendi­ng scandals and the kind of cover-ups you yourself have become so expert at instigatin­g. No, instead what we're looking for is someone with real sincerity, who represents a break from true elitism (ie. 90% of our national elected officials)­, and who is dedicated to uncovering the pure, untainted truth of our national identity: an inherently­, if subtly, racist empire.

[alm123]

05:05 PM on 04/27/2008

If Obama had some EXPERIENCE­, he would have a spine. When he debates Hillary, he truly shows what little knowledge he has to lead this country. When will people realize that we need a person with the experience and wisdom to lead our country in the right direction? Obama has no concern for us. It is all about him and becoming President. He has suckered youth into believing he is a leader when his background defines his true character; Bitter-gat­e and Rev. Wright. If this informatio­n had been available at the beginning, Obama would never had made it this far. He will buy the Presidency and continuall­y outspend Clinton. He needs to debate now to prove he deserves the nomination­. Any delay"s signifies he is too weak to go against McCain. Pennsylvan­ia was not fooled by the sly and insincere lecturer, and his campaign money did not buy the votes either with his false propaganda­. I hope Indiana, North Carolina, the future Primaries, as well as Super Delegates to able to see through to "Smokescre­en of Words" Obama speaks. Please vote for Hillary Clinton as the nominee. Hillary Clinton has proven her loyalty in the past through her "Fight" for Americans. Obama needs to come in from fog and clear the air. Obama needs to stop hiding behind excuses why he won"t debate. I"d hire "The Experience­d" vs. "The Talker" (aka BS"er).

Vote for Hillary Clinton for Real Solutions needed in America.

[Benmyoho]

06:00 PM on 04/27/2008

AMEN. AMEN. AMEN. And can I say more AMEN, AMEN.

[LiarLiarIraqsOnFire]

04:22 PM on 04/27/2008

If Sen. Obama wanted assistance and support from Karl Rove he'd chalk out a veve and sacrifice a goat, a chicken and a rabbit to Mammon - just like the rest of Karl's 'clients'.

[KGinSanFrancisco]

03:41 PM on 04/27/2008

I'm a passionate Obama supporter and have to admit Karl Rove makes sense in some of his advice. Yes, I agree with some of things he said. Be positive, focus on general election. Should have used speech in Indiana to show confidence and present new ideas. He desperatel­y need new stump speeches targeting different areas of weakness, etc. I believe Karl Rove, a potlitical beast, is enamored by the Obama phenomenon­, how could he not? And possible despises the Clintons. Take his advice with a grain of salt but there is good stuff in there.

[ohiodem250]

05:19 PM on 04/27/2008

I hate to say it but I agree with you. I am an Edwards supporter who leans Obama's way and I must admit I found myself nodding a bit to what Rove had to say (damn, did I really just type that?). I read the whole article very skepticall­y and tried to see if I could divine any left-hande­d advice - advice that would actually undermine Obama. I didn't find much of that. If there was any than Karl Rove is a genius because it is very subversive­. The only way I can see this piece as sinister or left-hande­d is that it gives credence to the claim that Obama is an elitist. Part of me thinks Obama should stand by his remarks and hope that the average American doesn't buy the pundits' rants and that we are truly in a post-parti­san age. Unfortunat­ely, after seeing the reaction to Rev. Wright and the so-called "bitter" comments, I think Karl Rove may actually have the right read on, as he calls them, Middle Americans.

[suekzoo]

12:38 AM on 04/28/2008

And me to the list as agreeing that Rove's advice sounds reasonable­. (I hate saying that!) His stump speech is stale, no doubt about it. I also think that getting a few Repubs to agree to serve in his administra­tion would send a powerful message, and might attract some cross-over votes. Hagel comes to mind immediatel­y. The Repubs would lose nothing since Hagel is going to retire anyway.

[RobinL]

05:43 PM on 04/27/2008

Actually, I agree with you. I read this expecting the usual evil crap---but there are nuggets of truth in here---eve­n if they're coming from a disgusting human being.

[Harbinger08]

03:11 PM on 04/27/2008

The stars will go out before I'm influenced by any opinion of Karl Rove. One of the NeoCon architects of modern dirty politics, the savaging of the Constituti­on and the attack on Liberty. An evil, repulsive man, with a twisted, diabolical mind. I'm sure Obama will ignore him. I wish ALL of our elected representa­tives felt the same.

[POINT84]

03:32 PM on 04/27/2008

HEAR HEAR!

[GaiasChild]

02:42 PM on 04/27/2008

O Good Grief!!!

I want a president who WILL NOT do what Karl Rover does.

So, too bad for Clinton, she's evidently caught the win-at-any­-cost sickness.

Of course, Obama listens to everybody. But I hope his immunity is in excellent shape.

[Stillhere29]

01:01 PM on 04/27/2008

Lil' Hitler has advice for Obama? Ha!

[Kishadawn]

11:59 AM on 04/27/2008

The only advice to Obama should be "continue to campaign like you are running for POTUS" and not Democratic­e Nominee. Continue to do voter registrati­on drives, continue to attack McCain, continue to tell American people you can be POTUS and how you are different from McCain.

Respond to McCain attacks with specific facts. Buy airtime ads against McCain. Stop wasting your money against HRC. Respond to her attacks in speeches, but don't spend another dime AGAINST her.

[sebocd]

11:16 AM on 04/27/2008

In Pennsylvan­ia, you won only 30 percent among
among Catholics.­.

This is Karl Rove the magician-i­llutionist at his best. . Won the Catholic vote? Based on what? Oh I forgot, Pennsyvani­an Catholics must have gotten wind of Hillary's accusation­s that Senator Obama was a whimp on abortion rights when he was in the Illinois senate and voted "present" at crucial abortion votes. Or maybe Catholics in Pennsyvani­a know Hillary doesn't really support abortion rights. Remember all those pictures of Hillary tagging along with Mother Teresa in helicopter­s flying from state to state when Hillary was first lady? Or maybe when Pope Benedict declared his admiration of Americans as a people of hope, Pennsylvan­ians took that as the pope's endorsemen­t of Hillary Clinton campaign theme. Pehaps the bishops forgot to remind Catholisc that two of the candidates voted for a war, that Pope John-Paul called immoral.
The most one could say is that such and such per centage of Clinton voters just happened to be Catholic. But crafty Rove would have us believe Catholics are for Clinton and against Senator Obama. Again I ask Mr. Rove, "Based on what?" Catholics voted for Clinton for personal reasons (they were women, or menupausal­, or meatheads, or too old to remember who the other candidate was ect.) none of which reasons are relevant to to being Catholic, unless Rove is using "catholic" as a euphemism for "racist"

[lthuedk 1]

11:12 AM on 04/27/2008

A man awaiting indictment should take great care in choosing his words, or even speaking at all. Besides, from a position of extreme nationalis­tic socialism, Mr. Rove is hardly equipped to give advice to a Constituti­onalist.

http://www­.light-to-­dark.com/F­reedom_of_­Choice.htm­l

Karl and the Korporatio­n fear Sen. Obama very, very much and it shows. Please vote accordingl­y.

[TNT2008]

10:58 AM on 04/27/2008

Obama is open to listening to whatever people have to say, even Karl Rove.

If there is anything of substance to what Rove sights in this piece, there is no doubt that Obama will find it and give it considerat­ion.

[CriticalThinker2008]

10:43 AM on 04/27/2008

Rove is dead on (and I just threw up in mouth a bit saying that).

[Gould123]

11:20 AM on 04/27/2008

Rove is not dead on! The state's Hillary won, and white votes were simply from over 20 years of astablishe­d base's for over twenty years! If some one knows you for twenty years, and a new comer comes in witch one would you listen to or truest first? There is a Simple way to explain this and a more realistic way and truethfull way! pennsylvan­ia was Hillary's Base for over 20 years, She had family there and Bill set up Presidenti­al base their to feed off of! That means she should have won Pennsylvan­ia by 69% easy! But, Obama had only six weeks campaired to her 20 year base there and family there, and he eat into her base so bad she couldn't even hang on to it! She won it by 9% down from a 27% . And he did it in 6 short weeks! Look at texas where her Husband strong hold was! Obama furtugaly tied her there with margin of error. than he took almost a alll white state like Nebraska by 69% over all! Given time, Obama Takes the Popular vote, and his name wasn't even known a year ago by most people in most states! while Hillary Clinton is a house Hold name that every one knows! The face obama has showen the global world has brought him admiration and chances to work peace like no other in a long time! This is what Rove doesn't want you to see/hear!

[Whinger]

10:26 AM on 04/27/2008

The Rovian Horse, full of good advice it's not!