September 10, 2008 08:25 PM UTC

How Long Has Rove Been Working With McCain? Change?

• 2 Comments
• by: gouko787

John McCain has adopted Barack Obama’s message of Change and is now running against the image of the party that nominated him.  McCain was cheered during acceptance speech while he challenged the economic platform that was ratified four years ago by the very same people applauding.  McCain is working very hard to distance himself from the record of George Bush in the public eye; while behind the scenes he is taking advice from the man behind the Bush Administration.

This bring about the questions, how long has Karl Rove been working with McCain and how much of McCain’s recent tactical shift is part of Rove’s plan?  This article from May 20th references meetings between Rove and McCain began as early as Aril 22nd.  

Rove has also admitted to meeting with Sen. McCain recently. On April 22, while doing on-air coverage of the Pennsylvania primary for Fox News, Rove let slip that he “saw Senator McCain recently at a private gathering” where the general election campaign was discussed.

I would guess that Rove was advising McCain from this meeting on, but I also suspect a deal was arranged 4 years ago when McCain was convinced not to accept John Kerry’s offer to nominate him as his running mate.

Meanwhile, the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign announced the release of the campaign’s newest television advertisement, which features Kerry’s first choice for vice president, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. In the ad entitled “First Choice,” which will air on national cable and in selected local markets, McCain discusses his support for Bush.

This after Rove destroyed McCain’s chances in 2000 through less than savory tactics.  Bush went on to win the nomination and the rest is history.  Does John McCain have no shame?  This shows his message of change is political ploy, not a heartfelt demand for real change as expressed by Barack Obama.

McCain has gone the usual process of pandering to the right during Republican nomination process then immediately shifting to the center.  But in this case he didn’t just shift, he adopted his opponent mantra.  A very odd tactic, but not necessarily Rove.  I think the fingerprints of Rove are all over the Sarah Palin pick.  I would guess the “leak” about Rove calling McCain to suggest against Lieberman   might have been true.

In my humble opinion Rove had two plan; If Hillary Clinton was Obama’s pick, roll out Mitt Romney, if not call up Sarah Palin. I will never know, but I think the choice of Palin is all Rove.  

Sarah Palin offers a lot to help the McCain campaign, but not much to help the average American.  She allows McCain to stay “positive”.  He can commend Obama and state he does not want to be negative, his attack dog is able to smear Obama, and look better than McCain doing it.  

The Palin pick also allows for a “reason” for a pole shift.  It brings the question will women change their mind because of the opportunity to elect a female VP.  Gender or race or religion is no reason to choose a candidate, and I believe most American see it that way.  In fact, for every sexist woman that would vote for a woman based on gender, I believe there is a sexist man who would not vote for a woman.  I condemn both, but they pretty much cancel each other out.  What this really does is puts a theory in place as to why the polls shifted other than a post convention bounce.  

The Rovian tactic has long been to accuse everyone else of everything before you are accused yourself.  Palin was chosen in part because of her gender, but the Democrats and media are sexist.  We were kidding about Michelle Obama but you are attacking Palin’s family.  (Though it is the media actually posing the “hypothetical” questions and attributing them to the public.)  Hillary needs to toughen up, but we need to back off on Sarah.  

Palin also makes the election about cultural issues, not political stances.  Another Rove classic.  Though the American majority supports the political stances promoted by Democrats, we are divided just about evenly when it comes to cultural issues.  If the GOP can take the focus away from the real matters and shift it to cultural differences then the voters are split.  Rove and the GOP thrives on wedge issues like abortion, flag burning, and homosexual marriage because the distract voters from the real issues while making them passionate enough to vote against their own best interests.

Based on my state elections and what I am seeing in the Presidential race, it appears as though the GOP is going for the sympathy vote this year.  Marilyn Musgrave, an incumbent Republican Congresswoman and Rove devotee, is running an ad describing her childhood being abused and raised by an alcoholic.  It’s sad, but no reason to vote for her.  Poor Sarah Palin is being attacked by everyone, rally around her.  And poor John McCain was taken captive after dropping bombs on local Vietnamese villages.  I admire his strength and resolve, but that is no reason to vote for him.  Poor Republicans were misled by George Bush, but we can trust them this time.  It is all a ploy.  

Lastly, how can American’s actually believe what comes out of Rove’s mouth on FOX News.  He is called an analyst, but analysts are supposed to be objective.  Sounds fishy to me, and no, I am not calling Rove a fish so please don’t sue me.  He is more of a turd blossom.

Elect:

M.C.  POW

Scaracuda

Turd Blossum

“They bring the same kind of change we got in 2000”