Pick a Meme, Any Meme
As a rule, Republicans appreciate the value in defining the Democratic presidential nominee, and the GOP is usually pretty good at it. In 2000, Al Gore, they said, was an "exaggerator." This was not only effective, thanks to a quick embrace by the media, it was also part of a narrative -- when Gore takes credit for some of the successes of the '90s, don't believe him because he exaggerates.
In 2004, John Kerry, they said was a "flip-flopper." This, too, was relatively effective, and was once again parroted by the media. The narrative here was equally clear -- in the first post-9/11 election, in a time of war, we don't want someone who's inconsistent.
Four years later, the effort to define Barack Obama is proving to be more difficult for Republican attack dogs. The GOP keeps experimenting with new memes, but not only are they not sticking, some even contradict each other.
For months, Karl Rove & Co. has sought to characterize Obama as a dangerous outsider who we don't really know and can't trust. Everything about him, the argument goes, is "foreign." The various far-right smears -- about Obama's religion, his family, his name, his patriotism -- were all part of the same conservative frame.
More recently, Rove and his cohorts reversed course, and went with the opposite message: Obama isn't a dangerous outsider anymore, now he's an elite insider, hanging out "at the country club with the beautiful date, holding a martini and a cigarette."
This week, Rove used his Wall Street Journal platform to push yet another meme: Obama the narcissist.
Such arrogance - even self-centeredness - have featured often in the Obama campaign. [...]The candidate's self-centeredness has been on display before.... Mr. McCain will be helped if he uses Mr. Obama's actions to paint his opponent as someone driven by an all-powerful instinct to look out only for himself.
Yes, we should reject Obama because the outsider/insider candidate is now concerned about his (cue scary music) ... self-interests.
If you're starting to get the impression that Obama's conservative detractors are just throwing every attack they can think of at a wall, hoping desperately that something will stick, we're on the same page.
The bad news for Republicans is that they're stuck with garbled message and an undefined opponent four months before Election Day. The worse news is, these memes are largely nonsensical and easy to disprove.
Keep searching, guys, you're bound to come up with something eventually.
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With arrogance being a hallmark of the Bush administration, can we be sure they're not looking in a mirror as they accuse Obama??? Isn't it human nature to attack in others that which is a problem in our own lives?
Oh, come on.
This is politics, not pussywillows.
The dems do the exact same thing - or at least they try to. This year, the big meme is that McCain is just a third term of Bush.
Don't get me wrong. I'm 100% for Barack. But I have little tolerance for self-righteous whining from lefty bloggers, pundits and peanut gallery members who do the exact same thing they decry in the opposition.
A little more honesty, please - and a little less hypocrisy.
And yes, let's meme McBush into oblivion, because we can.
OtayPanky
....wrong.
that is a reality
the memes for Obama are attempts to "swift boat" him
Couldn't disagree with you more, Mr. Benen. Lots of what has been thrown on Obama sticks and is in the public memory. And now that he is forced to behave like a Senator of the US there will be more that sticks, one notable charge that he is as big a flip-flopper as McCain, and this is the supposed "good guy". The lefties are so busy trying to make it seem like that is what a presidential candidate has to do, shove aside his values and the few ideas in line with justice and protection, just to get the presidency. It won't matter how many of his reversals are laying on the side of the road, the only goal is the presidency, AT ANY COST, and the empty suit will be the only thing gaining the presidency. Those reversals are on top of his lack of experience which McCain is pressing. Maybe Obama should have waited a few years and gotten some real ideas of his own and solutions to back them up.
Rove has met a candidate that he cant pin down that he can't find his achilles heel because just when he thinks thats it and he makes his jab he doesnt get the scream from Obama that he expects. Obama has done something that I've never seen any candidate do and he has done it effectively he has actually transcended partisan ideology and the way he does it is through common sense. You take his record and say look exhibit A he is the most liberal senator in congress. Obama's response wait a minute here wanting ethics in government is an ideological position no thats just common sense. Wanting to secure nuclear weapons is ideological? no thats common sense. Wanting to take care of our vetereans after they've risked their life to defend our freedoms is just common sense and who can argue with that. I remember once they accuse Obama of not being patriotic. Obama came back and said these people are the ones who refuse to give soldiers who are discharge the benefits they deserve they refuse to give those in combat the proper equipment they'd subert the constituion by engaging in warrantless wiretaps and they have the nerve to say I'm unpatrotic. After that comment I never heard the hes not patriotic argument again for a long time.
I think there is a part of Karl Rove that must be saying in reference to Obama damn he is good.
Carol
I heard a media commentator yesterday say the republicans are pretty shaken up and scared, they knew Obama was a politician but they didn't know he was such a good one. LOL.
I know allot of his supporters aren't that happy these days over FISA but I say just remember what happen to Kerry. I'll be allot more upset if the republicans once again manage to stick an "extreme liberal who can't protect the country" sign on Obama and win.
Carol, Rove doesn't have to do a thing to Obama or say anything questioning him. He is doing it to himself, from campaign financing to the FISA bill which he doesn't find any problem with. And now he is saying that perhaps 80,000 American troops should stay in Iraq. Where is the guy who had so much anger at Hillary Clinton for voting for a resolution to give the President (Bush) the ability to use force? One or two speeches on Iraq but then voting for Bush's funding, never exercising any leadership on that issue.
Everyone knows and can see that Obama is arrogant. It's true nothing sticks, but the right questions to Obama are not being asked. Why won't Obama go on Greta's show, "On the Record", because he's afraid of being asked the "right" questions. Why won't Obama go on town meetings with Mccain? Again, because he won't have the right answers to questions that might be asked. Obama can only pick and choose his audience so he can come out smelling like a rose. But roses do die eventually and hopefully the voters will find out what Obama is all about before the election in November.
Never fails when a person is successful and sure of themselves, people who resent that always use the label "arrogant".
Republicans are so peeved what they thought were they're tried and true strategies just aren't working this time around.
"The bad news for Republicans is that they're stuck with garbled message and an undefined opponent four months before Election Day. The worse news is, these memes are largely nonsensical and easy to disprove."
WHEN DID THAT EVER STOP THEM?
Um, never. Check out LIES MY TEACHER TOLD ME to see how the Confederates kept changing their reason for fighting the Union until their arguments also collapsed into nonsense.
'If you're starting to get the impression that Obama's conservative detractors are just throwing every attack they can think of at a wall, hoping desperately that something will stick, we're on the same page.'
Actually, I'm starting to get the impression that you distant left drones are just throwing every attack you can think of at anyone who mentions or even understands the obvious fact that the grandiloquent, done-nothing trainee senator from Illinois isn't the man for the Commander in Chief job. (No one who sat through nearly two decades of anti-America shrieking, lifting neither finger nor tongue in protest, can legitimately claim to be the man for that job--and yes, I know that he claims [snicker snicker] that he didn't know what his mentor Wright was saying.)
'Keep searching, guys, you're bound to come up with something eventually
No need...Bil
I am curious. Why do you persist in trying to sell your mindless bs on this site? Surely there are sites populated by the mindless who would worship your tripe. Anyone here who has read one of your postings knows your rant. Repeition will not make it sell.
Mr.hillbil
Oh my, you sound so dense.
Is this the best case you have to offer agianst Obama? What qualifies you to make such a judgement based solely on associations and unsubstantiated claims and portray him as as a “done-nothing trainee senator” ? I get the impression you have been devoting too much of your time devouring the daily hogwash being spewed up from the blabbermouth miscreants, Limbaugh and Hannity. This is the kind of nonsense FOX dwells upon repeatedly and as long as there are DittoHeads like you, willing to lap it up, they will continue to crank up your daily diet of unadulterated crap.
I love the smell of Republican fear, well, anytime of the day, preferably all day long.
SOT
It is beginning to look like our guy Obama has a pretty thick teflon skin. Nothing seems to be 'sticking', as the frat boys used to say (probably still do). If Jermiah Wright is the only thing the Repubs can hang on this guy, it ain't much and now, Karl, it's 'old, been-there
'sound and fury signifying nothing'
There is no doubt we, as a nation and planet, are facing tough times ahead but at least now we have the prospect of some semblance of intelligent and ethical leadership through these 'rapids'.
Forecast: Bush will sell the ranch in Crawford and move to Dubai before Obama is inaugurated. I don't think there is an extradition agreement between the USA and Dubai. Can someone check that? Dave (Addington)?, Al (Gonzales)? Oh! you are already packing your bags.....I see......
Not Dubai - Paraguay. The Bushes already own a slice of Paraguay bigger than San Francisco, right slap against the Bolivian border. (Bolivia is the source of the world's best cocaine ) .And I don't think we have an extradition treaty with Paraguay either.
ETHICAL? You did say ethical, right? referring to Obama, Right? O.M.G., What brand of ethical do you subscibe too? Not my kind obviously. Resko, Obama profited $625000.00 on this ethical deal! Wright, I can-not disown him, But wait, he is hurting my chances of being president, Oh yea, i can disown him, at least until after the elections! ETHICAL! Its alright to let babies that are viable,( meaning could live with medical attention ) lay there and die with no medical care! ETHICAL! I dont care if Ayers bombed the pentagon or even the White House if he wanted too, im still going to be his friend because he can help me politically! ETHICAL! Michelle went to college partly or fully funded by taxpayers money, yet she has never been proud of America until now! What is her Country, anyway? ETHICAL. Obama wants Hillarys supporters and their money, but he doesnt want her on the ticket, Why? Because she is smart and would put a kink in his agenda! ETHICAL! If you consider anti-American, terrorist associated, racist hate mongers ethical, then i guess you would think he,s ethical!
Take a few deep breaths, Charliesbabi.
The oxygen will clear your brain, somewhat.
You will feel better tomorrow.
If Obama is elected a lot of people will be packing their bags and leaving, the only ones left will be the ones who cant get out or the commie,s and terrorist who put him in office. And some Black people who think they will be safe because they are Black, but some smart Black people see thru him too, and refuse to vote for a color. To the ones who think they will be safe, terrorism and communism knows no colors. Have you not been watching what is going on in parts of Africa? Of course it is different tribes but the same color and they are killing each other left and right. You know,ethnic cleansing! Wake up people before its too late, obama will destroy this Country! Say what you want about Mccain and the Republican party, (I,m not Republican, I,m Independant) But they are older and have fought for this Country, put their very lives on the line, so who do you think cares more about the Country, them or someone who wasnt even raised here? Someone who did indeed attend a muslim school. And now they are saying his mother was a christian, she was not, she was an atheist and so was his father, after he quit being a Muslim. And we all know what muhammod,s teachings are, not christian at all. Stop and think about who or what it is you want to be president!
One can only hope that you are right...an
You really should be ashamed of yourself for even attempting to sell this tripe!
Maybe we should buy some of those old, Republican-used flip-flops and wear them ourselves. One could be labeled "torture" and the other could be labeled "Outer Shelf Drilling."
As for Obama's being at a country club with a "beautiful date" - why doesn't Michele Obama grab that line, play it for as many media as she can find, and then say "Thank you, Mr. Rove, for calling me beautiful!" ?
Obama is disliked by the Republican swift-boaters because he is a Democrat. Every other reason they give is to cover up their fear of a Democrat in power. They are starting to burn and tear and shred. They fear reprisals and possible jail time. Many willfess up and name names. They know McCain is beaten and probably will not confirm him at the convention.
Simply put, Obama is a pragmatist. One who without a doubt consistently and expectantly will disappoint both ultra-progressives and neocons alike -- which is how it should be by definition. While universal health care, 100% fossil-fuel-free energy and houses that cost an average of $150K are ideal, we don't live in that era anymore. Furthermore, everything -- EVERYTHING -- in this country is interrelated. The war is related to the price of housing just as much as oil prices are related to health-care issues, albeit much more tangential than oil is to gas prices; however, it's all intertwined. The reason this country continuously has been on the same path toward non-resolution is because its citizens have looked to and voted for "the guy" who promises to make everything better by going back to the way it was when things were good. The problem is, things still were becoming worse when they were good. We've never had a pragmatist in the White House -- not one with such profundity. He truly is post-partisan because although he carries the label "Democrat," he's very much looking at our socio-political problems through non-partisan eyes. And he's well aware progressives are going to accuse him of "straying to the center" as much as conservatives are going to call him a "bleeding heart." For anyone who wanted to know what someone who walks down the middle looks like, well, here's your man.
Very good post. I agree. Everyone should just keep their powder dry for now. Give the man time. He must get elected first. We need steeled determination among the rank and file voters. Are Americans good poker players anymore as a nation? We are going to find out.
People need to understand fractal micro to macro expansion in how the Universe works. So far my intuition is that Obama has the chops to play. Every thinking person on Earth knew GWB was so over his head it was really a criminal act to elect such a clueless man to such high office. It really was sentencing a soul to a direct highway to hell for all eternity.
I actually feel sorry for McCain. He is a man who has learned absolutely nothing spiritual in life either. Both GWB and McCain got the same lessons in life over and over from their youth onward and learned nothing. The path to enlightenment is to know at some point in life everything you know is wrong, everything you have been taught is wrong, everything you think, believe, feel, comprehend , and understand from your formal indoctrination into the existing order is wrong. You have to end mindless ideology and become a clear thinking pragmatist. You have to think for yourself. You have to take responsibility and develop common sense. Few in American politics have that in my lifetime. I hope this man Barack Obama does.
Karl Rove can go to hell.
Yeah, sure, the media is giving Obama a "free pass." In which parallel Universe? It is McCain the press seems to feel is untouchable.
Ooooo - he was a POW. He is a "maverick".
NOT ANY MORE. He is NOT the maverick he was in 2000 and he is selling his soul to whomever will pay for it on the Right.
The fact that he has "flip-flopped" in public, on tape, on just about every issue possible is not being seen enough by the public at large. I see videos of McCain contracdicting himself on you tube, on Olbermann, on CNN - but nothing in the MSM. It is time to OUT McCain on his inconsistancy and show him to be the desperate candidate he is..."my friends."
Yup, it's called throw it out there and see what sticks to the wall. Pathetic.
I'm pleased to read this piece on the Republican propaganda dispensary's need for reductionist simplicity. I remember well film clips from the last Republican Convention, of people wearing flip-flops around their heads like rabbit ears, and their mindless, brainwashed parroting "because Kerry flip-flops
The problem is, of course, that staunch Republicans don't really care about facts. Give them an easy meme to glom on to, and that's all that matters.
Recently, a Conservative neighbor said, "Obama, he's just too young."
I replied, "But Kennedy was 42 when he became President.
That stunned the neighbor momentarily. "But Kennedy had experience, he was a Senator."
So, you see, Conservative Republicans aren't especially interested in facts, they just want a repertoire of angry slogans. You'll also start to hear about Obama's blackness, more off the record stuff, because of course Obama is only interesting to us Democrats because he's African American, they will have us believe. Which again shows that Republicans, when given a chance, won't even listen to the man, his good ideas are basically pearls and they are the swine.
"If you're starting to get the impression that Obama's conservative detractors are just throwing every attack they can think of at a wall, hoping desperately that something will stick, we're on the same page."
Indeed, Mr. Benen. Thank yo for a very insightful article.
The neighbor story would be funny if it wasn't so scary that there are people out who are really that stupid!. One of my wife's cousins was visiting from Kentucky and we had a similar discussion. She asked "doesn't it bother you that Obama is a Muslim?" "He's not a Muslim, don't you remember the whole Reverend Wright story?" we replied. "Oh, well, he used to be a Muslim but he converted.
Ask your conservative neighbor if he believes the GOP can still claim the title of "party of family values." Then direct him to the following website, and ask him to get back to you:
http://www
IMHO GOP no longer stands for the "Grand Old Party," but the "Gang of Pedophiles" or (at best) "Greedy Old Perverts."
"Family values" worthy of David Koresh or Roman Emperor Caligula, but that's about it.
Leland R. Erickson
Citizen
Gas and Oil Party
I wish I could claim that as my own... but I saw it elsewhere.
"Keep searching, guys, you're bound to come up with something eventually
Yeah, how about this:
Obama is just another establishment politician who will sell out the public to special interest groups and Israel. An Obama presidency means nothing significant will improve for the public. He is NOT a progressive and is much further to the right than many of his supporters believe, or admit.
elmysterio has made a quick arguement to bring Republicans over to Obama! He is saying, Obama is the real Republican candidate particularly, since like a Republican, he is pretending to be something else.
Even if this was true, wouldn't that actually appeal to the very people the Republicans want to win themselves?
Too long, you can't expect people to remember all that...
I think they try all these handles because the one they REALLY want to use,"HE'S BLACK",would "seem" too racist,though it's what they mean.
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