We've been blessed with an intelligent new poster here at Le Sabot -- Gyemant. A few threads down from here we're discussing Church/State and American and Ukrainian elections. Here are a couple of thoughts I had about that thing-that-goes-bump-in-the-night for liberals, Karl Rove:
"The whole omnipresence of Rove thing is a liberal talisman to ward off an uncomfortable truth -- the modern conservative movement has grown from its tiny beginnings among intellectuals in the 1950's until it's become a nationwide counter-establishment that can challenge the liberals even in the grassroots. Especially in the grassroots.Both the Left and Right wings are highly flexible and decentralized. Which is why I didn't blame Kerry for all the excesses of the Left (though I do blame him for not speaking more forthrightly against them.) Likewise, Rove isn't directly involved in everything that happens on the Right."
I wonder if the liberal perception of Rove doesn't stem from an underlying presupposition about human nature. If one buys into bureaucratization, centralization and collectivism, it makes sense to believe that the whole spectrum of conservative activism is centrally planned. It fits with a particular vision of human nature and the Good Society.
Which is another reason I'm a conservative -- I believe that human initiative and liberty are key to ordering society and bringing about peace and prosperity.
NOTE: I certainly don't dispute Rove's influence or the impact of his work. And a political campaign does lend itself more to central planning than do the affairs of an entire nation. I'm speaking here of Rove as an omnipotent, omnipresent Liberal Icon, not as a political operative.
Posted by Discoshaman at décembre 26, 2004 02:29 PM | TrackBack
..a very interesting perspective..which in my opinion lies the core of the liberal failure..its always someone else`s fault for my failures... the personal responsibility lapse in the liberal mindset is so glaring its blinding..and they blame Carl Rove,go figure..to quote one of this countries founding fathers..
"Democracy, by its nature, may be spiritually empty, BUT a functioning democracy which intends to survive and pass worthy things on to posterity, must be populated by citizens who are “physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.”*
"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." Benjamin Franklin
"People with no faith or code are unpredictable. The increasingly atheist or secular Europe cheats , lies, conspires, and it is obvious that they lack centrally published codes of conduct."Howard
http://www.marksquotes.com/Founding-Fathers/
I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history and naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.
..MAY THIS DAY GIVE YOU THIS...
John Adams, letter to Abigail Adams, 1780
I think this would be a good argument if liberals actually thought that Karl Rove was the source of All That Is Bad in the GOP, but I don't think that's the case. What we DO think is that many of the White House's decisions seem to be brazenly political and/or at odds with what the President has said he's going to do (the steel tariffs, the bra quotas, the use of government funds for politicking--detailed in the following posts: http://markschmitt.typepad.com/decembrist/2004/02/the_budget_ads_.html and http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_12_19.php#004276). And when ideology does seem to be the motivator of WH-pushed policies the bills are titled "Clear Skies" or "Healthy Forests" or "PATRIOT"--names that are hard to vote against. Of course, this has gone on forever, but Karl Rove (as the WH's chief political strategist) and the Congressional leaders are super-savvy in exploiting them.
It's not that Karl Rove is some maniac puppeteer, making the grassroots groups do exactly what he wants (that's Grover Norquist! Come on, get your bugaboos correct!), but that he understands what the conservative grassroots, as well as the "swing voter, want, and helps steer policies and language accordingly.
He and his Hill counterparts understand how to play the press so that both swing voters and grassroots people are usually content.
That's not to say that the Democrats don't have some ideological problems, but Rove Norquist et al have them completely hogtied with the media. Rove is the one everyone knows because he's the President's guy--everyone knows the president! Delay and Hastert probably have people just as bright as Rove, but writing stories about them would be more difficult because first you;d have to establish who Delay and Hastert ARE.
Posted by: neil at décembre 26, 2004 05:16 PMEchoing Neil: "Rove as talisman" is a straw man. Liberals hate Rove because he is amoral and very good at destroying liberals. They harbor no illusions that Rove is the policy guy. As Diullio, O'Neill, and Clark have pointed out, there is no policy guy in the White House these days -- just half-understood dogmas imported from a variety of self-interested sources plus Bush's gut instincts.
Posted by: grebberg at décembre 28, 2004 01:16 AM