Clinton, The Rove Candidate?

[illinoisprogressive]

As he packs his desk just 15 steps from the Oval Office, Karl Rove says he will not join any 2008 presidential campaign. That's just as well, since none of the Republican candidates presumably could afford the association even if they wanted his strategic smarts. And besides, none of them is really running his style of campaign. The candidate who seems to be adopting his style and methods the most so far? Hillary Rodham Clinton.

At least that's what Nicolle Wallace thinks. "Hillary is running the most Rove-like campaign out of all of them," Wallace, a former Bush White House communications director who worked closely with Rove, said in an interview. "She has almost operationalized the whole idea of turning your weakness into strength, message discipline that is almost pathological -- she does not get off message for any reason -- and never skipping an opportunity to exploit her opponent's weaknesses."

Even Hillary Clinton's campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle, seems to agree, effectively vowing to run her operation much as Rove did his two successful national campaigns. "She expresses admiration for the way George W. Bush's campaign team controlled its message, and, given her druthers, would run this race no differently," Michelle Cottle writes in New York magazine. "'We are a very disciplined group, and I am very proud of it,' she says with a defiant edge."

Rove and the Clintons have circled each other warily these last eight years, exhibiting a mix of grudging respect and deep bitterness as the central if competing political strategists of their era. Rove singled out Hillary Clinton's campaign in his parting interviews in the last few days, predicting she will win the Democratic nomination and be a tough opponent in the fall of 2008. "Any rational observer would have to say that Hillary Clinton is a prohibitive favorite to win the nomination," he told reporters aboard Air Force One as he and President Bush headed to vacation in Texas yesterday. In his weekend interview with the Wall Street Journal's Paul A. Gigot published yesterday, Rove called Clinton "a tough, tenacious, fatally flawed candidate."

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2007/08/14/hillary_the_rove_candidate_of.html

[Enrique]

1. yeah, the MSM really is pushing Hillary

what better way to force Hillary down our throats than by linking her to Karl Rove, who is notoriously popular among democratic primary voters. :sarcasm:

[Gloria]

2. I've spotted Rovian tactics and have commented that 'her Rovian slip is showing'

It's one of the reasons I'm adamantly not for Hillary. Bill chummying up to Bushco hasn't inspired me either. Secrecy about her papers is the latest little bit that offers a tip on how she operates.
The last thing I want is a female Bush.

[pnwmom]

6. It's not up to her to release those papers.

And I don't see the connection between her campaigning and Bush's. When has she swiftboated someone?

[Triana]

3. Yep...

ADD it up - the below from Monday's news that he would resign:

"Rove said he expects Democrats to give the 2008 presidential nomination to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, whom he described as "a tough, tenacious, fatally flawed candidate."

+

He also said Republicans have "a very good chance" to hold onto the White House in next year's elections."


THAT is why the lamestream corprat media is ramrodding Hillary Rodham down our collective throats. I have less against Hillary herself, frankly, than I do this tactic and the obviously snake-like reasons behind it. Think about it.

I've seen it before - the Republicans only know a few dirty tricks and they play the same ones over and over and over every election season. I've watched them do it for years.

THIS is one of them. "The Inevitibility Factor" with media as mouthpiece and cheerleader whilst simulteneously denigrating, swiftboating, and/or ignoring all the other candidates.

[pnwmom]

5. When has she swiftboated the other Democratic candidates?

We need someone tough and tenacious to answer the Republican attacks. If she becomes the nominee, I'll be glad she has that quality.

[zeemike]

9. We had that same logic in play last time in 04

We need someone with military credentials to answer the military prowess of the re thugs was the meme. And we got a loss from it.
Why? because we need to attack not answer attacks against us and that seems to be lost on the democratic leadership. We need to have someone that will take the fight to them instead of hunkering down and defending our position.

[pnwmom]

10. It seems to me that most people here are criticizing HRC for the opposite

reason -- that she's too tough, and that she uses "Rovian" -- which to me, means unethical -- tactics.

[ronnykmarshall]

4. ahhhhh

[rodeodance]

7. anything for a laugh huh?

[Zenlitened]

8. Let's see... a Bushie/Rove operative wants to stir up trouble in the Dem family...

... so she says a Dem candidate is "running a Rove-like campaign."

Then, just to make it interesting... Rove himself paints a bullseye on same candidate, with a few words of what could be construed as praise, qualifiers notwithstanding.

And... although you'd think Dems would be tired of being punk'd by the opposition by now... some spring dutifully out of their chairs to declare, "Hillary and Rove are one and the same!"

How very... Rovian. And tiresome. :eyes: