Frankly ,,, Rove's comments - no worse than other GOP tripe... Interesting

[salin]

however, is the response... the media is covering it. Repeating his words and repeating democrats responding to it.

The GOP has been saying crap like this about us for years. And usualy they get away with it - it isn't covered much (just long enough to try to start a meme), and any objection to it isn't covered.

I don't think Rove expected the bruhaha that has followed it. And I find the fact that there is a bruhaha - and that it is being covered... pretty interesting. Esp since right now Rove wants public attention on jr with the PM of Iraq - you know good press for their successful ( :eyes: ) little war... and instead.. attention goes to Rove and the reaction.

I do not think that bushco/rove/cheney have as tight a hold on things as they used to - and I think in their desperation they are making misteps that make things even harder to control.

[Lerkfish]

1. oh, I think they've been making missteps all along, its just that the

media helps smooth over the rough edges.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

2. It was done in advance of the new Abu Ghraib pictures

due out next week. I just figured that out based on DemoTex's thread
There will be a shitstorm over it, so this was advance groundwork for 'why we have to be so tough on the prisoners'.

[salin]

3. of course the little fact

that we have gotten so little worthy intelligence -and that the tactics might be playing into the bad situation in the ground... that wouldnt be considered by the public... or would it - things are changing... I don't think that there spin will appeal to as many folks as it once did. They did the chicken little thing and crying wolf a little too loudly and a little too often.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

5. The bottom line is the harm and damage to America's reputation

That is the "priceless" cost of this war that nobody is talking about, but finally seem to be thinking about, and that Kerry had trouble communicating in his campaign- that America's reputation is staked on fighting just wars in a just fashion. It is what Kerry (and all the other Dems for that fact) meant by fighting a 'smart' war on terror.

Rove and company are going down with the "we must act tough for toughness' sake" arguement, and we may finally be seeing a more qualitative debate of how to fight this war.

[salin]

9. slow to wake out of the daze

but generally, americans have some common sense. Suddenly its as if wiping the sleep out of the eyes after a really horrendous fear induced hangover... that more folks are getting their common sense back and starting to ponder those very issues. I think part of the difficulty of communicating these issues before wasn't Kerry per se but a lack of ability of the public to "hear" -- folks were still in a post 911 daze. So while Dean spoke to many of those who never fell asleep or quickly woke up... the rest of the public wasn't ready for such bluntness. I think times have really changed in the past 9 months.

[senseandsensibility]

4. Is the corporate media covering this fairly?

I'm glad to hear it, but since I'm boycotting, could you gie a couple of examples? Thanks, and thanks for the ecouraging thread.

[salin]

6. fairly... well not really... but they are covering it more

than giving the comment repeated air time (as in ... gee, did he really say that) and showing one dem response then leaving it - and leaving the comment resonating/echoing in the air to be remembered...

this time there is coverage of rove, of multiple dems, of WH response, of more dems, or RNC response, or more dem response... so it is taking up more airplay than I thin was intended - and the reactions are also getting more play - and will also be part of the echoing that is left when the story runs out.

As to fairness? MSNBC poll "Are the Dems Over-reacting" or some biased wording such as that.

[gratuitous]

7. One other minor difference

Rove is not a political operative, he's on the staff at the White House. Ostensibly, he's supposed to be working on behalf of all the people: We don't have a "Republican" President and a "Democratic" President -- we just have the one, for better or worse.

And when one of the employees of that one White House comes out and calls 59% of the population a bunch of traitors, appeasers and terrorist lovers, it's a little different than some partisan political hack (paging Dr. Frist) running off at the mouth.

[salin]

8. like the media has been concerned about that *technicality*

over the past four years...

[gratuitous]

10. Well, I'm not above shoving that fact in their faces

I'll see if I lop of a teeny piece of that cake they're used to not just having but eating as well.

[woodsprite]

11. OK - I've been reading a long time, but what's a MEME? n/t

[salin]

12. a line/idea or "theme" that is repeated

enough times that the public hears it just enough to start to accept it - often on a very subtle (almost but not quite subliminal) level.