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

[pfurlong56]

I have some advice for Karl Rove: ________________ (fill in the blank)

[w&cheneysuck]

1. Go crawl back under your rock.
2. Go F*CK yourself
3. Who cares about you...go conspire with Cheney...o­n how to defend yourselves from litigation.
4. Run & Hide...the­y will be coming for you.
5. Get a good attorney!
6. Wipe that smile off your face; you're face is cracking.
7. You can always go stay with Bushie boy on his ranch and clean up his shit there...
8. Why don't you go on a hunting trip with Cheney?...­...
9. It's time to get off of your knees....T­urd Blossom...­.come out of the closet!
10. McCain is too old too be President; why don't you go and help the Taliban...­.you've been conspiring for them all along.....

[Shannon2008]

He needs to get out on the stump with potential V.P running mates to fuel the debate as to who may be the next V.P. He also needs to send that person out to campaign on their own. No one considers Casey a real option, plus he was only campaigning in P.A.

I would bring in someone like Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius.

She would be able to fuel the debate. I think she's great. She's definitely a centrist who is able to work on both sides of the aisle. The issue is whether Barack has backed himself into a corner with the white male vote. Is he going to have to put someone like Jim Webb onto the ticket to try and get the white male vote back. I centainly think that's the coalition he's going to have to have in November.

I would love to see a woman on the ticket but it seems to me that the winning coalition will need to include white males aged 18 - 55 and I'm not sure Sebelius can carry them.

Still, get her out there on the trail, and let that narrative play out. Send her out on the stump by herself. Also, send Bill Richardson to N.C.

[TinaFreeman]

Yes, but Sebelius might help with women, who are 53% of the electorate­...and she is very well qualified as well.

[BlackmaninAmerica]

Sebelius has appeal. I think he is seriously considering her. And then he could put someone like Clark in his cabinet.

[Shannon2008]

And, before anyone starts the whole gender discussion, it should be noted that I am a 38 year old black male from Dallas, Texas.

I supported the candidacy of Senator Obama before he announced his presidential bid. I do find it troubling that women make up 52 - 53% of the electorate and we have yet to elect a woman to the office of the President.

I do not feel that Hilary Clinton is the best candidate for President. I feel that a number of women are qualified. But, given the mistakes made by Senator Obama and his weaknesses, a number of good women may have to be ruled out.

I also feel that Amy Gutmann the President of the University of Pennsylvania who happens to be a political theorist would be an excellent choice. The problem with Gutmann is that she would feed into the 'elitest' narrative. If the president of an ivy league school doesn't stand out as an elitest to most people in this country, then I don't know what will.

Sebelius is on the fence with me. She is a Catholic and could possibly lure them to the polls, but how will she do with white males? Do we just give up on them? Should we let them be swayed by the flag lapel arguments and the Rev. Wright statements? Or, do we fight for them with our anti-war arguments?

[Kalima]

Rove's advice to Obama?
Isn't Rove one of the things Obama hates the most about DC?
Yet I see some of you nodding your heads?
America, please wake up collectively. Nothing will change until you decide not to elect the
same weak leadership to the WH, the Senate or Congress. Just because someone reminds
you of an uncle you know, doesn't make them the best choice to represent your needs.
Will it take another 9/11 to finally wake you up?
Lord, I hope not.

[Kalima]

Believe it at your peril America. I'm about to throw my glove in to claims that you
are beyond redemption. Prove me wrong.

[Kalima]

at your own peril.... sorry , not that it makes much difference anyway.

[MiddleRoad1]

I started reading it with a smirk, but once I finished, I am thinking it is good advice.

[Joan15]

I agree. I started with the "oh no, not again" mentality and found everything he said to be excellent advice. Quick, run and check the temperature of hell. I've just agreed with Karl Rove.

[pfurlong56]

Plus: What the F is going on? Fox Snooze is practically gushing over Obama now that he's done the interview with Chris Wallace. I was skeptical when they were promoting Hillary and I'm skeptical now. Or did Obama do something brilliant by demonstrating the positive results of "meeting with the enemy"? interesting.

[SonofKong]

Just thought I'd point out that Karl Rove is, you know, evil.

[seenitall]

and on his journey straight to hell, he gets to stop off at Newsweek..­.that won't last...tha­t's gotta be a really bad taste in your mouth, Newsweek.

[missjabez]

Karl Rove is a rat, but you have to admit he gave some good advice. He didn't say suggest using dirty tricks or fighting fire with fire. Despicable as his methods have been, he has shown he can run successful campaigns. Having said that, I don't know what his motives are in giving Obama such solid advice, and with a guy like Rove, there are always motives.

[vallon]

If you noticed, Rove brought up several Repub. talking points while giving Obama 'advice'. Rove, like the Clintons, are in love with the tired, old red state/blue state strategy. One of the reasons that guys like Rove are nervous is because Obama has a chance to do well in states like Indiana, Virginia and the Carolinas, as well as Nevada and yes, Arizona. They're scared sh*^less, in fact.

[batbird]

Rove is just reiterating the talking points going around the MSM. It is not original. This is just another smear tactic. Rove is trying to itemize Obama's negatives and label him. It won't work. You see, Rove is no genious, just devious. He's a hatchet man looking for a new crime boss.

[munkii]

why now? he sounds awfully nice (for a Bush adviser), i'd really like to know why? :)

[SaddieMcCall]

Haven't you heard that he is NOW the McCain campaign adviser

[naschkatze]

Then he is advising two presidential candidates now, Clinton and McCain? Or is Clinton just doing a poor imitation of Rove because, you know, she is really such a bad actress.

[SaddieMcCall]

http://www.slate.com/id/2181695/ Obama has been talking about having a bipartisan cabinet for quite some time - this article is from Jan 08. So Rove writes an op-ed piece, spends more than half of the time criticizing Obama, and then tosses out a few "pointers" which come from Obama's own campaign to pretend as if Rove is making an honest assessment. Why is Newsweek paying him to do his McCain campaigning?

[ObamaOhio08]

I'm really shocked at how good Rove's advice is. Earlier on he'd given Barack "advice" via Faux News and it was so dumb I'd come to the conclusion that he's only intelligent when overtly evil.

I've noticed that Barack has lost some of his luster. I also wonder if he isn't just disappointed at the kitchen sink tactics used, and that he--to a much lesser degree--became mired in it himself, that he so longs to overcome. He really does need to get back on message, bring back the hope and joy that captured America's imagination before Ohio & Texas.

By refocusing the narrative of his campaign on his bipartisan plans, he can accomplish two things: 1. strengthen his unifying credentials and 2. broaden his general election strategy.

Whenever Barack veers into details and micro campaigning, he dampens his message. I think if he can find a balance between connecting with voters on a practical level with his vision for a new American politics he can revive his own spirit and his campaign as well.

[StephenJK]

"Whenever Barack veers into details and micro campaigning, he dampens his message."

Boy, you said it. Because Barack's "details" are a lil too out of touch with main street. You can't win an American election by pandering to the highly educated and offending the demographics that elect US presidents. Just ask George McGovern how well it works.

[Cyndee1113]

I don't agree with Rove at all. It is not good advice. Obama has been doing most of this already. Do you see what is going on. You guys are writing the advice is good and Rove is belittling Obama. Obama is not a child and his campaign run better then Hillary. Rove is telling the Obama's weaknesses as he sees it and you guys are commending him. Give me a break!
Are you people crazy?

Who's campaign is going down the tube Hillary's or Obama? How just hired a powerhouse to help her get win Indiana? Hillary is that needs the help and you people are grinning over some stupid advice that Obama does not need.

[Cyndee1113]

Sorry for all the typos but you guys get what I am saying.

[StephenJK]

"Who's campaign is going down the tube Hillary's or Obama?"

You tell me. He's lost nearly every single primary since Wisconsin. I don't know. Again, you tell me whose campaign is going down the tubes.

[dhfsfc]

Arugula. . . white-wine. . . college students. It's all code. And since it's coming from Karl Rove, you have to wonder if the Repugs now want to fight Obama/Osama in November, since he's shown that he won't go into the gutter like Hillary.

Nevertheless, as an Obama supporter, I wish he would stop acting like he is running for Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Law Review. As Hillary has shown, this ain't the Ivy Leagues. His wife looks like she could fight a tough fight, and I wish she would tell him to start doing so. Although it is a tough balancing act, since some of the electorate will take any such reaction to Hillary as evidence that Obama is just another "angry black man."

[Flagal]

This is the first time I have ever read, much less agreed with anything having to do with Karl Rove.

[SaddieMcCall]

Karl Rove's not being comfortable about Obama talking about his roots, must bring up very painful truths about his own childhood. My suggestion for Karl is to stop running away from his own pain and to face it. It must have have him tremendously that he never knew his real father, and to find out that the man whom he loved and respected and admired and considered to be his father was not his father. Atlas, the man who raised him, finally left Karl and his mother when he came out as gay. Is that why Karl has a chip on his shoulder about gays? If he ever went to therapy he may have recognized that the only man who was there for him, who loved him and nurtured him was a gay man who stood up when the straight man abandoned his son.

[Jason357]

I didn't even read that crap. What does a man without a soul have to offer anyone? It's funny that the MSM response to internet competition is to hire political operatives as "objective" columnists.

I was trying to think of the person who accused bloggers and citizen journalists are being parasites feeding off of the work of what she thought were "real" journalists. It was Ann Compton. Apparently she misses how the exact same stories, for the most part, are covered by supposedly independent sources. Or, that she and others use The Drudge Report as a regular source. The insertion of Karl Rove into to world of journalism is just another sign of failure and decay, and how a natural order will eventually emerge.

[ourwinter]

He is uhh, right on most parts and the Obama camp should spend some time regrouping to win this thing.

[ObamaOhio08]

I totally agree.

He needs his freshness back.

[SaddieMcCall]

Why is the media hiring people like Karl Rove, Tony Snow, James Carvelle, and pretending that they don't have an biased agenda? Not only is MSM owned by corporations (who have their own political agendas), but now the analysts that they give to us, are nothing more than sales men.

[pertello]

WOW. I am floored. KR must really hate Hillary to do this! Why is KR helping BO? But then again this was a published piece and not a private conversation.

[MiddleRoad1]

I don't think he is helping Barack at all. He is writing a piece that he is being a lot for, and it is not like Barack is going to read and follow it word for word. He isn't Hillary!

[Cyndee1113]

MiddleRoad1

Ditto! He is also not helping Obama by trying to expose his weaknesses to the world. Obama does not need his help, Hillary does.