Rove Blasts Journalists' Role in Politics

I'm surprised that I haven't heard much whining from the media elites after Karl Rove took a jab at them in a recent speech. Frankly, I would've thought that the media would've gone into a full-fledged tizzy over these comments:
"Some argue political professionals are ruining American politics, trapping candidates in daily competition for the news cycle instead of long-term strategic thinking in the best interest of the country." But Rove turned that criticism on journalists. "It's odd to me that most of these critics are journalists and columnists," he said. "Perhaps they don't like sharing the field of play. Perhaps they want to draw attention away from the corrosive role their coverage has played focusing attention on process and not substance. "
If there's anything that most Washington political reporters focus on, it's the horse race aspect of campaigns. The truth of the matter is, that's why people are flocking to blogs and conservative talk radio for their daily dose of serious policy conversation.
"There are some in politics who hold that voters are dumb, ill informed and easily misled, that voters can be manipulated by a clever ad or a smart line," said Rove, who is credited with President Bush's victories in the 2000 and 2004 elections. "I've seen this cynicism over the years from political professionals and journalists. American people are not policy wonks, but they have great instincts and try to do the right thing. "
Rove is the master of his domain, the best political consultant I've ever seen. When Rove talks openly about politics, people of all political persuasions listen attentively. Dick Morris, hardly a conservative, talks glowingly of Rove's strategies and tactics.

Recently, Karl Rove sat down with several Minnesota bloggers & talked about politics. Here's the most fascinating observation of what he said:
Of late, many pundits have claimed that Rove wants to win elections by pandering to a narrow political slice of the spectrum. He counters this by noting that Bush received many more votes in 2004 than he did in 2000, even by percentage. People win elections, Rove said, by broadening their appeal, not by narrowing it.
The myth is out there but it isn't reality. The truth is that Republicans control the House, Senate & White House because they have broad appeal into almost all groups in America. Most of this is rightly attributed to the policies they advocate. That's why Pat Moynihan said that the Republican Party was the party of ideas in 1978. It was true then & it's more true now.



Posted Monday, July 31, 2006 3:48 AM

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