How Karl Rove might help Hillary win the White House

[wyldwolf]

A fascinating piece in the LA Times speculates on the reasons why Karl Rove has been attacking Hillary Clinton.

In a nutshell, it suggests that Rove has identified her as the weaker nominee and is building her up, egging Dems on to defend her as the man their enemy Rove fears.

Let's say this is true - the simpler explanation is that Rove was saying what he thinks - will it work?

A common mistake made by political strategists is to believe that tactics that worked when they were doing well will work equally well when things are going badly...

I think that in so far as Mr Rove succeeds this time in influencing the Dems choice it won't work as in 2004.

The Dems may rally against Rove as they did in 2004. But so, this time, may the voters. Voters may react like Dem activists, concluding that there must be something good about a woman that Karl Rove dislikes so much. The master strategist may just end up helping Hillary become President.

http://timesonline.typepad.com/comment/2007/08/a-fascinating-p.html

[jobycom]

1. I think he's really afraid of her, but wants people to think he likes her, so he's

attacking her, knowing that people will think he's only attacking her to promote her, so they will turn against Clinton because they think Rove is supporting her. His mind is dizzying.

So are all these ideas. Rove is irrelevant to the majority of voters. Only us wonks are obsessed with what he thinks, the rest of America will take him at face value, as he knows. One of the number one rules of political strategy is to not outthink yourself. Which means he's attacking Clinton because he doesn't want her to win, and because he is trying to excite his own base, which also hates her. His base--whom he worries about for more than he worries about us--need to be excited so they will start donating to their loser squad of nominees, and that's all that's going on.

Rove isn't talking to us. He doesn't like us. We're nuancing this way too much. No respectable Dem will let Rove influence their decision one way or the other, I would hope.

[beachmom]

2. I think we should not pay attention to what Karl Rove says about Democrats.

And rely on doing our own research on the candidates, and who we think is best. For the record, I think it preposterous that Karl Rove affected who was chosen in '04.

[Clintonista2]

20. I disagree

I'm sure Rove swung it by at least the winning 1%

[Perry Logan]

3. I think we sometimes think too much.

[LaPera]

4. Think about it; Rove knows ALL Dems & most Independents despise him, so what does Rove have to

gain this early from his daily attacks on Hillary....This is classic Rove manipulation, Rove is not stupid....he wants the attacks on Hillary to galvanize the Dems and Idies behind Hillary, this is the candidate the republicans want to face, a lot of baggage and a lot to exploit and a woman....The republicans won't stand a chance in hell if Hillary is not the Dem nominee....

All Rove cares about now is getting the weakest Dem candidate nominated....He knows his attacks on Hillary can ONLY help her, because Dems despise him so....ONLY registered Democrats can & will be voting in the primary for the democratic nominee.

So why does Rove attack Hillary to only Dem voters? Well, it's quite obvious who Rove & the republicans want to face....but it also serves two other purposes for Rove....

It keeps attention only on Hillary each & every day in the media and not on other more stronger democratic candidates desperately needing more media exposure.

Finally, it endears Rove to the republicans for attacking their made up villain, who they so much, Rove is their hero, getting their frustration out for them... Rove also becomes enduring to them, and they will stand behind him in his up coming criminal charges.

This another well thought out Rove plan, and so few Dems and Indies as usual, are seeing through it...The Dems, always three steps behind Rove and then it's too late!

[wyldwolf]

8. "ONLY registered Democrats can & will be voting in the primary for the democratic nominee."

In what Bizarro world?

[LaPera]

10. Tell me can republicans vote for a dem in a democratic primary?

[wyldwolf]

12. Yes, there is no party registration required in many states.

[LaPera]

13. Not in California, Oregon or Washingtom....The Left Coast so Rove is ONLY playing to us Dems!

[wyldwolf]

14. in GA and many other states, you're not required to register for a party

[LaPera]

15. Seems a bit backwards....

A Democratic primary should be for democratic voters and vice versa as is in most states...as just witnessed in the Iowa straw poll.

And in the general election one can then vote for any candidate they choose.

What's the point of having a Democratic primary, if republicans can vote and chose in it?

[wyldwolf]

16. well, I don't know it it's in most states or not...but...

...I would never tell someone they couldn't vote for a Democrat just because they were registered as something else.

[LaPera]

17. But they already can, in the general election!

That's the whole point of a primary, for people of that party to elect their party's candidate, to face other candidates who won their party's nomination...

For the general election where THEN people can vote for any candidate of any party!

[wyldwolf]

18. not in all places

You're required to vote in the general the same way you voted in the primary.

[AtomicKitten]

5. Let 'em pile on.

The Clintons thrive on that sort of derision. And the more they thrive, them more it pisses off the Republicans. That nastiness turns off much of America and in the end will serve to benefit her as a candidate.

[LaPera]

6. Rove knows this so why do you think he's doing it...because he's stupid?

[AtomicKitten]

7. Rove's pathologic partisanship has long since trumped common sense.

I believe his inclination to destroy his targets has become instinctive.

[LaPera]

9. But only Dems voters can decide on the nominee NO ONE else!

So why is Rove playing to the Democrats who despise him? Why is he pushing Hillary, Rove KNOWS exactly what he's doing....Rove is methodical....your three steps behind if you believe Rove is doing this out emotion, that's NEVER been Karl Rove...its to manipulate....Again, only the Dems can nominate in the primaries who the Dem nominee will be....so he is obviously playing only to the Dems....this will long be forgotten in a long year plus in the general election...So he's playing to only the Dems...so who do you really think he wants to see the Dems nominate...again considering Rove is quite aware that every Dem hates him?

[AtomicKitten]

11. My advice: Ignore him.

Karl's vision of a Republican-dominated government is crumbling.

He ain't the boy genius he's cracked up to be.

[billyoc]

19. I think attacks on Clinton will backfire, no matter who's making them.

That goes for the general election only, I'm still hoping she won't get the nomination.