NRO’s Robert Costa: Maureen Dowd Is Wrong

[DonViejo]

The Washington editor of the conservative National Review Online slapped down a critical article by Maureen Dowd this weekend, after the New York Times columnist said President Barack Obama's incompetence was to blame for the failure of gun background check legislation last week.

"It’s unbelievable that with 90 percent of Americans on his side, he could get only 54 votes in the Senate," she wrote. "It was a glaring example of his weakness in using leverage to get what he wants. No one on Capitol Hill is scared of him."

Robert Costa, who is deeply embedded in Republican politics, especially in Congress, agreed with MSNBC contributor Joan Walsh that Dowd's account of the realm of the possible on Capitol Hill was severely misguided.

“When you talk to Republicans, who supported Toomey/Manchin, they are glad the President was on the sidelines,” he said on MSNBC on Saturday. “The minute the President weighs into this debate, Republicans say ‘We can’t deal with this.’”

He added: “I don’t think the President could have done a lot to win Republican votes. They have only so much room to roam on the right. If you start to tiptoe towards the center, the grassroots really start to pay attention.”

full article
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/nros-robert-costa-maureen-dowd-is-wrong?ref=fpblg

[Ikonoklast]

1. Dowd is a turd that just won't flush.

Why anyone gives credence to her drunken ramblings astounds me.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

2. I happen to agree that Dowd's article is wrong in its assertions

I think that more people need to ask, not why President Obama isn't able to scare Congress into going along with what he wants (what exactly is he going to threaten to do BTW?), but why the Republicans aren't doing their jobs and representing their constituents- or at the very least, why they are not proposing their own solutions and letting votes be taken. President Obama IMHO has been way more than accommodating to Republicans and Blue Dogs for over 4 years but keeps getting disrespected and villified by the right over and over again.

[riqster]

4. Gerrymandering.

Reeps are pretty much safe from being de-elected, so they can focus on grabbing cash from the NRA et. al.

[jonthebru]

3. Two long shots

movetoamend.org

anticorruptionact.org

very long shots.

[Orrex]

5. Dowd is an asshole

In addition, she was very helpful to the Bush 2000 and Bush 2004 campaigns by gleefully mocking and diminishing W's Democratic opponents.

I've never seen her write anything that couldn't as readily have come from a high schooler with access to Google.

[geek tragedy]

6. Dowd's column was actually pretty naive.

It assumed that the Republicans were capable of serving as a negotiating partner.

They're not.

[JaneyVee]

7. I can't believe I have to agree with Costa on this.

[stevenleser]

8. I agree with Dowd somewhere around 2/3rds of the time. That other 1/3rd can be pretty off though

IMHO, this is one of the 'pretty off' columns.

I had a bit of an email fight with her a few years back about one of her columns where she attacked the President's appearance.

[One of the 99]

9. Dowd lied about Al Gore in 2000

And now she is lying about the President. The Daily Howler takes down this stupid column by her: http://dailyhowler.blogspot.com/2013/04/why-cant-barack-obama-be-more-like.html