Why is Karl Rove trying to help Bernie Sanders win the Democratic nomination?
Four years after Karl Rove wasted over $300 million from establishment GOP donors in his unsuccessful attempt to use his Super PAC American Crossroads to elect Mitt Romney president, he’s started running ads in the Democratic primary race against Hillary Clinton in Iowa. Why?
Back in 2012, Rove raised all that money to run anti-Obama and pro-Romney ads. This year Crossroads is probably finding it hard to make an argument for investing in its efforts, because donors are still smarting from 2012’s failed campaign, and they are feeling fleeced again after giving to Jeb Bush’s lackluster 2016 presidential campaign and Super PAC.
In a year when advertising dollars have done little to move voters, that won’t stop Rove from trying. So how is a GOP establishment Super PAC manager supposed to survive in 2016? He just has to be more creative in his dog-and-pony show to donors. “It looks like the Brooklyn Bridge isn’t for sale, but look over here. Here’s the Manhattan Bridge. Let’s see if we can buy this one!” In other words, pivot away from helping establishment GOP candidates, and run ads in the Democratic primary.
Now, Rove is likely making the case to the big GOP donors, who are a little Super PAC shy, that he’s the only one who can stop Hillary from being elected president. More specifically, they have to stop her in the Democratic primary because the leading GOP candidates, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, can’t beat her in the general election. The old socialist from Vermont, Bernie Sanders, is an easier opponent for Trump or Cruz in November. So don’t waste your money with Bush, Rubio, Kasich, Christie. Send it to Crossroads. That’s the best investment. Rove will beat Clinton in the primary, so we will have a chance of winning in the general. That’s the pitch from Rove, and it’s just got to be the motivation behind the anti-Clinton ads.
Now we should start off by saying that Karl Rove has virtually NO credibility when it comes to predicting who will or will not win an election.
(Remember how convinced he was in 2012 that Romney had won Ohio.)
However he does have a point that Sanders will have a tough time in the general convincing folks, who are learning about him for the first time, that he is the best choice.
Like it or not, a lot of people vote based on name recognition, and if he is up against Donald "The Apprentice" Trump he is going to have a hard slog.
However with Clinton the name recognition is not a factor.
And of course the other problem is the term socialist, which, like it or not, is indeed a big deal in a general election where such a seemingly un-American label may possibly be an insurmountable obstacle.
WE may be okay with it, because we understand the distinction between a Socialist and a Democratic Socialist, but that does not mean the average voter is going to take the time to learn the difference, or even care once they do.
Well at least that is what Karl Rove is banking on.
Don't Bernie bash...
ReplyDeleteSigh. This isn't Bernie-bashing. This is straight-up recognition that someone who calls himself a socialist cannot get elected in 2016 America, regardless of the merit of his policies and the strength of his character.
DeleteWe're always (correctly) accusing the fringe right of being politically naive. No need for us to make the same mistake in mirror format.
"where such a seemingly un-American label possibly be an insurmountable obstacle." ...Like being a black man with the name Barack Hussein Obama?
ReplyDeleteIt could be some kind of sneaky counter-move... you know, Rove's supporting Bernie so let's vote Republican instead... but frankly, I think he's just afraid that Hilary will win, and I see Hilary's approach more reasonable than Bernie. Not that I disapprove with Bernie's ideas, and if he's the candidate I'll vote for him because I'll never vote republican, but I think the tattered remnants of the repugs would oppose Bernie more vehemently than Hilary. After all, he has to know his party's falling apart, he has to know that bringing the baggers on board was a bad move; all the demographic numbers are against the repugs: if he can find a way to get Bernie the candidacy, I think Bernie would be more easily opposable than Hilary, depending on who wins.
ReplyDeleteHis thinking is that if he can cause enough problems for Hillary she loses the nomination and Bernie becomes the nominee, then whoever the GOP nominee is can easily beat Bernie.
DeleteIt likely is a good strategy, but unfortunately now that Sarah Palin is part of the mix, his strategy will not work if Trump becomes the nominee.
On the extreme right fringe there is VIRULENT hatred of Hilary, so I think the fear really is that enough of the "pissed off" electorate might actually like what Sanders says, if they are given a chance to hear it. Rove and his buddies cannot afford that. I believe, however, that the Sanders campaign would publicly refuse any sum donated by any organization associated with Karl Rove.
ReplyDeleteHe won't be donating to Bernie. He'll just run attack ads against Hillary, that way he can spend all he wants.
DeleteHillary AND Bernie'16!
ReplyDeleteHillary And Bernie, my dream ticket.
DeleteClinton/Sanders2016!
DeleteMy dream ticket, too. Hillary can get things done and Bernie can keep her to the left.
Never going to happen, Sanders is running because Hillary is wrong for the American people.
DeleteBernie won't leave the Senate if Hillary wins.
DeleteBernie won't leave the Senate if Hillary wins.
DeleteA friend interviewed Rove recently about his new book on McKinley. Rove went on and on about how people loved McKinley for being himself.
ReplyDeleteAs the interview progressed, it became very clear that Rove envied the Democrats for having a candidate who speaks his mind. Rove knows his legacy, and that legacy is crumbling right now. This cycle will be about transparency and education, not spin and bullshit. Yes, Rove would love to try that but has no candidates who are able to pull it off
Hillary supporters are making sure that many of Bernie's supporters will not vote for her. This is silly.
ReplyDeleteRun on the issues. We know how much the Repugs hate the Clintons. That is why we should not nominate her. Nothing will increase Republican turnout like a Candidate named Clinton. They have spent decades hating them. Bernie does not generate that level of contempt.
you is whistling dixie
DeleteHere's why I switched back to Hillary: http://on.msnbc.com/1RUaf62
DeleteListen, what's really important is to vote for whichever Democrat becomes the nominee in November and to vote for Democrats running in every other race in your state. If this country is going to continue moving forward, the Democrats must win in November and win BIG. Karl Rove and the other GOP operatives do not want this.
DeleteBeaglemom
And having a socialist run will keep the repubs home?
DeleteIsn't nice that Hilary's campaign and supporters are using the same taking points against Bernie as the Repugnants. That's because besides the dirty wall street money they have something else in common. They are cowards. This country is drowning and Bernie is throwing us a life line of hope but some in this country would rather hold on to the anchor. We will never see another candidate with Bernie's honesty and integrity at least not in my lifetime. So if Bernie doesn't get the nomination then my first vote was for Jimmy Carter and my last will be for Bernie Sanders so I can at least have the satisfaction of knowing I started out voting for an honest and good man and I will end my voting for an honest and good man.
DeleteAdd to Labels: Turd Blossom
ReplyDeleteEasy answer - he's afraid of Hillary!!
ReplyDeleteIt's not a stretch of the imagination one iota that Rovian operatives exist in Sanders' campaign to keep Clinton out so therefore Karl is putting his money on Sanders who he is betting will not win the presidency. So far, I think that is a 50-50 bet. IMO Hillary has a much better chance of getting things done. If Karl is "for" something, you know there is an evil intent behind it.
Delete1:33
DeleteRemember the Sanders' campaign hacking of the DNC files for Hillary Clinton. No doubt this was a plant in the Sanders campaign.
Sounds pretty Rovian to me 2:51 !!!
DeleteYes 3:26
DeleteRove and Scarborough
You're being played by Rove. I've followed him very closely for over a quarter century now and he's attacking Hillary to strengthen her. The worst thing Rove could do for HRC would be to praise her. He knows exactly what he's doing. It's all a game to turdblossom.
DeleteListening to NPR yesterday and they were talking about "the angered electorate" (I just coined that phrase). Seems that the angry folks (mostly white males) like Trump because he speaks his mind and speaks to them... Well, I guess there is a poll out there that found if Trump doesn't win the primary they will vote for Bernie!! I guess he also speaks to the anger of the "white" working class. Angry young white males don't want Hillary.
ReplyDeleteAngry young white males think they are being neutered. It is time for a woman president.
DeleteThe old white men are a small percentage of the electorate. Women make up a larger percentage.
DeleteVote Democratic no matter who the candidate; do NOT stay home and pout.
The same asshole angry young white men who would vote for the likes of Donald Trump would never in a million years vote for a woman.
DeleteSo what are all the angry old women who support Bernie? Because there are more women my age at local Bernie meetings than there are men.
DeleteAngry people will be attracted to angry candidates. The only question I have is, WHY ISN'T EVERYONE ANGRY?!!!
I'll never forget watching Fox election night 2012 and seeing Megyn Kelly ask Rove, "IS that math you do as a republican to make yourself feel better?".
ReplyDeletePlay Stephen Colbert's imitation of Palin if copyright allows.
ReplyDeleteLaughs for a Thursday, and every day.
She will never, ever appear on a candidate's stage again. Even whacked-out Trump had no clue what she was saying. I doubt she did, either.
She was so revved up about whether she'd have to post bail for Trickster, from her PAC or from her own moth-eaten pocketbook.
Those kids -- she would have been wise to let them all go to their natural fathers, long, long ago.
Please! You know exactly why. He knows Sanders would be walloped by Trump, Cruz, Rubio. Rove knows Clinton is unbeatable. There. You're welcome.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cnn.com/2016/01/21/politics/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-foreign-policy/
"The former secretary of state used a Teleprompter to deliver her remarks to hundreds of supporters on the campus of Simpson College. The speech, one adviser said, was designed to "shake some sense into Iowans" and escalate the experience argument she has been making against Sanders with limited success."
Really.
The speech, one adviser said, was designed to "shake some sense into Iowans"
Apparently not much has changed with Billary INC if her highly paid advisers are saying shit like they'll "shake some sense into" me and other primary voters.
I have a pretty good idea how that will go over, it will fail just like shit like that did in 2008.
Iowa will send Billary INC home with another loss in 2016.
I was at my caucus in 2008. The faces of the Billary INC supporters showed just how out of touch with reality they were.
Billary INC finished third with under a third of the votes in my county.
We haven't forgot 2008, we don't cooperate with polling, the same Billary backers are selling the same sh*t, and we will defeat them again.
Polling is showing Hillary will lose in both Iowa and New Hampshire. Once she moves on to South Carolina and beyond the electorate starts to look more diversified as to ethnicity. Don't know how she will fare with the different groups in the Super Tuesday states.
Delete2:43 you sound angry. You're fortunate because you live in the first state that gets to let the candidates know how you feel. Vote for your favorite candidate; don't let the campaigns tell you what to do. So how will you vote if Bernie is not the nominee come July or August? I'm voting for Hillary if I get a chance but if Bernie is the candidate I will enthusiastically vote for him in the general. I don't get the sense that the same will happen from ardent Bernie supporters. I hope I'm wrong.
Here are some of the letter signatories’ current employment positions that were not disclosed in the reporting of the letter:
DeleteFormer Assistant Defense Secretary Derek Chollet, former Pentagon and CIA Chief of Staff Jeremy Bash, and former Deputy National Security Adviser Julianne Smith are now employed by the consulting firm Beacon Global Strategies, a firm we profiled last year. Beacon Global Strategies’ staff advises both Clinton and Republican candidates for president, including Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. The firm makes money by providing advice to a clientele that is primarily military contractors. Beacon Global Strategies, however, has refused to disclose the identity of its clients.
Former Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns is a senior counselor at the Cohen Group, a consulting firm founded by former Defense Secretary William Cohen. The firm “assists aerospace and defense firms on policy, business development, and transactions,” including deals in the U.S., Turkey, Israel, and the Middle East.
Former Undersecretary of Defense Jim Miller is an advisory board member to Endgame Systems, a start-up that has been called the “Blackwater of Hacking.” Miller is also on the board of BEI Precision Systems & Space, a military contractor.
https://theintercept.com/2016/01/21/clinton-foreign-policy-experts/
Slime bucket of a "man"
ReplyDeleteI'd stay as far away from Karl Rove as possible if I were Bernie Sanders. Rove is betting on Sanders because he knows that Bernie Sanders cannot win a general election. Not with the media smearing that he and the rest of the GOP strategists will dump on him.
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
IF we had a fair media and didn't have promises of billions of dollars being dumped into the election by the Kochs that see Bernie as their worst nightmare of a candidate and/or President then Bernie would probably have all of the angry middle class voters voting for him. Bernie is trying to help the dying middle class but sometimes people just vote against their own interests. Why is that?
DeleteTurdblossom can whine like a stuck pig, whatever his intentions are, there's no way he'll get one progressive or progressive leading democrat to vote republican. Bernie kind of stepped in it on Rachel the other day, and it would be nice if he went back on to explain what he meant by his choice of "establisment" for the equal rights campaign and Planned Parenthood.
ReplyDeleteI hope he ends getting Bernie elected. Big gamble, Karl.
ReplyDeleteOR....He had already spent money to create ads against Hillary from the 2008 campaign so he just dusted off the old footage and added Bernie's name to the voice-overs.
ReplyDelete"(Remember how convinced he was in 2012 that Romney had won Ohio.)"
ReplyDeleteI am convinced it is because he knew that voting machines were rigged. I am also convinced that Obama should have won by a much wider margin.
Joe Scarborough flunkies lurk among us.
ReplyDeleteNow we should start off by saying that Karl Rove has virtually NO credibility when it comes to predicting who will or will not win an election.
ReplyDelete-----------------
I have to disagree on this one, something happened in 2012, Rove had it set up for Romney to win. He was totally caught off guard and I don't think that was due to his ability to "predict" elections.
DO NOT underestimate Karl Rove, I read an article on him years ago, I do not remember all the details but one thing stood out he is pure EVIL.
Before Sarah Palin arrived, Karl Rove was behind all the dirty tricks in politics-swift boating, personal attacks and smear campaigns.
The fact that he is still working his evil behind the scenes and manipulate elections is very disturbing and should concern all Democrats.
It sounds like his latest Machiavellian idea is to infuse money into Bernie's campaign to gain votes that will lead to his nomination.
He is convinced they can beat Bernie, why? Is it because Bernie is a socialist? maybe, but personally I think it is something else. Bernie is Jewish.
The Trump supporters, angry young white men and a lot of other racist republican or Democratic are not going to vote for a Jewish socialist.
Whereas, some "establish" republicans would cross over and vote for Hillary because they can't stomach Trump or Cruz like they did in 2008.
Why are so many of us so sure that Sanders can't win in the general?? are we getting this from the MSM, from our fears, from each other...?? things are shifting little by little, perhaps something new is possible. In 2007, who thought that Barack Obama would/could be our POTUS??? for two terms!!
ReplyDeletePart of me thinks that Bernie has a better chance than HRC. She's a very divisive figure and a lot of people who are really liberal won't vote for her in the general. Whereas with Bernie, I think that most of americans agree with his policy positions.
DeleteActually, I think more Americans agree with the Dem side than the Rep side. The question for them has always been GOTV and I actually think that Bernie might have the advantage there.
I wonder, though. If maybe Bernie is sick or there's some other secret.
Lotsa Sanders supporters here Woot!!!
ReplyDeleteGo Bernie!!!
Top donors to Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders respectively. Are they in the same party?
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/Robert___Harris/status/686321717472542721/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc^tfw
We get it, you're a Hillary guy. But you're not listening. Polls show TRump with HUGE negative popularity numbers. They show Bernie beating him by a larger margin than Hillary. They show him beating any of the occupants of the clown car. I'm fully aware that THEY won't let Bernie win. But to dismiss him as an old guy from Vermont, with no support, is wrong. Who do you think is sending him millions of bucks at $3 a pop? Go Bernie!
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be awesome if Karl Rove was responsible for putting Bernie Sanders in the White House?
ReplyDeleteWith Hillary Clinton as V.P. of course.
Or vice-versa. I'm fine either way.
My answer: both Karl Rove and Bernie's supporters are primarily motivated by an irrational hatred of Democrats in general and Hillary Clinton in particular, created by twenty-some years of right-wing and progressive lies. Together, Rove and the Bernie folks may well destroy what's left of the Democratic Party.
ReplyDeleteVoting for bernie senders would be a terrible mistake.
ReplyDeleteAn actor on stage selling magic...A mother of a film director, at the beginning of cinema films, agree with her son saying : "it is the best job for you because they pay you before they see what you are selling the". They know to sell!!!
I was borne in a communist country because "bernie" like this. Look at all communist philosophers and their origins. The only good is that now we can say the word socialism in US.
Ignorants are ready to be drumming that they are different just following a crowd that like what they cannot understand.
Hillary proved her capacity and all are less then her are hating her. The USA president will work with other countries presidents for keeping this Planet and all childrens safe.
Learn, do and prove.