Bamboozling the American electorate again

[BeatleBoot]

http://www.thecityedition.com/Pages/Archive/Winter08/2008Election.html

2008 Presidential Primaries:

Bamboozling the American electorate again

Bush-Cheney strategy involves G.O.P. crossover voting to take out Hillary, marketing newcomer Obama, an "independent" ticket, and maybe even martial law...

Updated February 21, 2008

Evidence of a covert campaign to undermine the presidential primaries is rife, so it's curious that the Democractic Party and even some within the G.O.P. have ignored the actual elephant in the room this year. That would be Karl Rove. After rigging two previous presidential elections, this master of deceit would have us believe that he's gone off to sit in a corner and write op-eds.

Not so. According to an article in Time Magazine, Republicans have organized to throw their weight behind Barack Obama, the democratic rival of frontrunner Hillary Clinton. Early in Obama's campaign, three former fundraisers for President Bush flushed his coffers with cash, something the deep pockets hadn't done for any candidate in their own party. With receipts topping $100 million in 2007, the first-term Illinois senator broke the record for contributions. It was a remarkable feat, considering that most Americans had not even heard of him before 2005.

The Time magazine article goes on to explain that rank and file Republicans in red states have switched parties for the Democratic primaries to vote for Obama. Some states, like Virginia and Texas, have open primaries, allowing citizens to vote for any candidate regardless of their party affiliation. In Nebraska, the mayor of Omaha publicly rallied Republicans to caucus for Obama on February 9th. Called crossover voting, the tactic is playing a crucial role in the Rove push to deprive Clinton of the Democratic nomination. Even with the help of his more familiar array of dirty tricks - swiftboating, phone bank sabotauge, bogus polling data, electronic voting equipment, Norman Hsu, etc. - Rove would be hard pressed to defeat Clinton in November, since she's generally popular nationwide and has promised an immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq. If the contest isn't close, the vote-rigging won't matter.

If, on the other hand, Obama wins the nomination (or even the VP spot), Rove's prospects brighten considerably. Largely unvetted by the media, the self-described agent of change carries considerable baggage from his stint as a state legislator, particularly his long-running relationship with a Chicago slumlord Tony Rezko, who's about to go on trial for defrauding taxpayer-funded social service programs. So far, the mainstream press has paid lip service to the connection and instead portrayed Obama as a fresh new face in American politics. The author of the Time magazine article, Jay Newton-Small, offered the following explanation to account for the bizarre love affair G.O.P. voters say they're having with an African American senator on the other side of the aisle. "It seems a lot of Republicans took to heart Obama's statement in his rousing speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention that 'there is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America.'"

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[TwilightGardener]

1. LOL! The very mention of Omaha's mayor as being in on a "Rove" plot

wrecks the credibility of this article. Mike Fahey, Omaha's mayor, is a Democrat.

[juajen]

15. You think all dems are pure as the driven snow? You're either naive or have an agenda.

NT

[xchrom]

2. two conservative elements within the democratic party

each getting their agenda on the table: the dlc and obama republicans.

[Renew Deal]

6. Errrr, the DLC supports Hillary

Sorry to break it to you.

[xchrom]

9. and if obama is the nominee -- then becomes prez -- the dlc

shuts up -- goes away -- doesn't keep trying to put it's agend some where on the long, long list of audacious hope and change?

take a look at barack's advisors.

[blm]

13. GaryHart, JohnKerry, TedKennedy, RichardClarke, Gen.Zinni, SusanRice, trouble you?

Yeah - that sounds like a real nightmare for progressives. And, as I recall, he calls Gore for advice every week, as well.

[xchrom]

39. you need to take another look. nt

[blm]

40. At what? Past DLC associations? Big deal. Still much further left of the DLC as it is today

and still more progressive than Hillary's advisors. Like her TOP advisor who was also Tony Blair's top American advisor from 2001-2007.

[xchrom]

43. most of barack's closest advisors -- like brezinski --

are right out of the clinton admin.

elect barack or elect clinton -- you are going to get some version of clintonism as a way of governing.

now barack introduces another conservative group who will have an agenda they want on the table.

the dlc, the new ''obamacans'', the blue dogs -- all pressuring obama to the right, their needs, their causes.

and barack seems very much to be -- ok -- with this -- ''drift'. especially with the new independants{who do vote republican sometimes},
admitted republicans voting now for obama, evangelicals -- who he seems to really enjoy courting.

at some point -- the piper is going to want to be paid.

[blm]

44. Nope. His strongest quiet backers are all VERY PROGRESSIVE both on foreign policy

and domestic issues.

Open government WILL make a greater difference than people realize because they can't FATHOM it.

[xchrom]

45. ...

:rofl: ok -- that was just funny -- both re: his advisors -- and that notion of who can fathom what.

[blm]

47. You seem to think Obama's organization appeared magically. I know it didn't.

.

[blogslut]

3. Hmmm

Karl who?

[blm]

4. Bush NEEDS another Clinton in WH to protect him the way Bill protected Poppy Bush.

http://consortiumnews.com/2006/111106.html


YOU want that protection to continue for Bushes? For Dubai and Saudi royals who line Clintons' bank accounts now? For The Stephens family and Marc Rich?

[juajen]

17. How would you feel if your candidate got in and immediately pardoned Rezco?

[blm]

24. A smalltime wannabe player in Chicago? Compared to international funding of global terrorism

through BCCI's illegal operations and the deep-sixing of which led directly to protection of BushInc, Jackson Stephens, Dubai and Saudi royals, AQ Khan, Bin Ladens, Marc Rich, James Bath and scores of others and the matters that led to Bush2's presidency and 9-11 and this Iraq war?????

Yeah - pardoning Rezko wouldn't be a smart thing to do at all IF Obama was inclined to do it - but Clinton was GROOMED by Jackson Stephens throughout the 80s to protect BushInc and deep-six all the outstanding matters he was being investigated for throughout the 90s.

How do YOU feel about all that using YOUR sense of proportion?

[ErnestoG]

50. Yep. Ask Hillary and her war vote. She is the inheritor of the Bush war policy....

[groovedaddy]

5. The driving issue of this campaign: How bad do voters want change?

The repubs can put up which ever candidate they want and it won't matter. Voters are more and more recognizing what's been going on the last 7 years and the g.o.p. will pay for it. Their only hope is a mass rigging of the election - but they wouldn't do that would they? ;->

[lame54]

7. And Rove was so successful in 2006

[cali]

8. more tinfoilery

posted by hillbots. This article is just absurd. As is building up kkkarl to super villain size. He's not a great mastermind. He got blown out of the water in 2006. He's had some luck to go with his chicanery, and it's long gone.

I know the hillbots are desperate, but you're not actually accomplishing anything by pushing this tripe. Anyone with a functional brain cell or two, can see what a pile it is.

[juajen]

14. Aren't you cute, as if Hillary supporters are beyond dumb!

What's wrong? Does the article hit too close to home, or did you know all of that to begin with?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

16. Hmm?

Isn't this OP arguing that the electorates are dumb?

People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

[juajen]

19. Huh?

[BenDavid]

10. the question if he does get the nomination is,could he deliver?

Obama's voting record in the Senate is one of the most left-wing of any Democrat. Even if he never voted for the Iraq war, his policy for dealing with that country now seems to amount to little more than pulling out quickly, convening a peace conference, inviting the Iranians and the Syrians along and hoping for the best.

There is a sense that he has had to jump over a lower bar than his main rivals have. For America's sake (and the world's), that bar should now be raised—or all kinds of brutal disappointment could follow.

Obama in my honest opinion will be as big a disappointment to democrats as bush is to republicans.

[scheming daemons]

11. What happened to the "Obama is a closet Republican" theme?

....you guys have been pushing that for weeks.


Now he's too liberal?


Make up your mind.

[juajen]

22. I never said Obama was liberal. He is just a blade of grass blowing in the wind.

He goes in whatever direction is promising to his pocketbook.

[juajen]

20. Or, as Patrick Deval is to the people of Massachusetts!

[juajen]

12. Well, my goodness. I could have written this article myself.

It's interesting to see my own thoughts written down in an editorial. I know, however, nothing about this paper.

It is so scary. It was amusing to watch everybody accept that Karl Rove was just leaving to lick his wounds. What f**ing wounds?

I hope a lot of people will read and consider that is being said in this article. Hillary looks better and better. Hope a lot more people come to this realization.

[cottonseed]

33. Find a big Yellow book. Open to the section on Psychiatrist.

Pick one out and call.

[Iceburg]

35. Are you too feeble to make your own call? Your gonna need one very soon.

[cottonseed]

36. If you believe Rove has engineered all of this, you've been bamboozled.

Unless you believe that Rove's true goal is to destroy the Republican party for a generation, and help elect the most progressive of the 2 remaining candidates, than you'll need to search for that same big yellow book.

[eleny]

18. But today, McCain becomes somewhat tainted

Makes me feel like so much is going on behind the scenes. A real snarl, tangle and battle among the various powers "behind the curtain".

[MadHound]

21. Ooo, yes, it must be big bad Karl Rove who's doing this

It can't be the fact that Obama is more popular than Clinton, that he's pulling down the youth vote in numbers never before seen. It can't be that people are sick and tired of the Clintons, or that people are holding Hillary accountable for her warmongering. It can't be that Hillary is running a piss poor campaign, or that she is failing to raise money. Noooo, it must be the big, bad Karl Rove behind it all.

Geez, and to think that people call me a conspiracy theorist:eyes: This just takes the cake, really. What is going to be the excuse trotted out when Obama wins the election, that Karl wanted him in the White House so that he could end the war and restore some sanity to this country?

Nuggin' futs:crazy:

[juajen]

23. I don think you even read the whole article.

Don't know what Karl will think, but he will certainly tell Obama, as he'll have a seat at that infamous united table. Do you doubt it?

[MadHound]

26. Put the pipe down, and back away slowly

You're essentially stating that Karl Rove is going to be in an Obama government? Geez, you Hillary folks get more delusional every single day that passes by.

[Tom Joad]

25. they must hate Hillary for her fiery opposition to the Iraq war from the very beginning!

who can forget the way she told bush NO!

[electropop]

27. Oops - if true, KKKarl really screwed up this time.

HRC is the only Dem they would have had a chance of defeating in the general election.

[gasperc]

28. this story is stupid and painful

Mark Penn is the worst

[COFoothills]

29. Bologna...

... The republicans are salivating at the thought of running against HRC. They've been plotting that strategy for years and have the playbook ready to go.

How to go about attacking Obama is much more complicated and difficult. He is much more difficult for them in the GE.

So, if anything, I would think that this would be the other way around. But there's ZERO chance they are trying to help knock her out in the primaries.

The republicans have a major problem is trying to unite their party FOR John McCain. They will be much better served to try to unite the party AGAINST Hillary Clinton to keep the White House. How do they do that with Obama as the candidate.

They would be thrilled to run against Hillary. Absolutely thrilled.

[guruoo]

31. No. They prefer Obama because they fear a President Hillary will

hand them their ass.

[COFoothills]

34. I can't see why they would feel that way.

When all evidence is completely to the contrary as to which candidate they would perform better against.

Poll after poll says Obama beats McCain at the same time McCain beats Clinton. All over the country.

They aren't afraid of Hillary. Nor should they be. They've got a clear plan to beat her and it should be effective given how strongly opinionated their base is about her. Obama doesn't cause the same reaction that turns out their considerably disenchanted base.

They don't just want Hillary. They NEED Hillary. Otherwise they are looking at getting blown out in November, including down ticket in the congressional and senate races. Hillary is their one chance to mitigate that because she'll turn out the base...THEIR base.

[guruoo]

38. i'm not talking about Hillary in the election, I'm

talking about their fear of having to deal with Hillary in the White House.
They generally view Obama as weak, a pushover.

[blm]

48. Bill protected Poppy Bush and his cronies throughout the 90s. Bush2 was hoping for the same.

http://consortiumnews.com/2006/111106.html

I'm surprised how little Dems remember from that time. Or how there should have never BEEN a Bush2 possible by 1993.

[guruoo]

49. We'll watch and see how many bush adm criminals Obama puts in jail.

[guruoo]

30. Easy to see why Republicans would prefer Obama over Clinton.

[Leopolds Ghost]

32. "Bamboozled" -- the name of a Spike Lee movie about blacksploitation and minstrel acts

I'm sure the author of the hit piece knew the connection. Subtle, subtle...

[ElsewheresDaughter]

37. I have been shouting this from the rooftop for over a year...thanks for the post

[izzybeans]

41. It's all a vast conspiracy.

:sarcasm: :rofl:

[ieoeja]

42. And I got a bridge to sell you.

"long-running relationship with a Chicago slumlord Tony Rezko, who's about to go on trial for defrauding taxpayer-funded social service programs."

So according to this author the Republican Party is going to make the theft of monies intended for low income, inner city, black people their general election strategy against Obama.

That should really motivate the GOP rank-and-file.

:rofl:

[Spider Jerusalem]

46. WHY ARE YOU POSTING THE SAME ARTICLE TWICE?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4708112

Alerted. There's no reason for you to spam the forum like this, especially with an article that makes demonstrably false claims.

[ErnestoG]

51. Because the Hillar feels that posting the same crap twice makes it more true.

Odd.

[Seabiscuit]

52. That goes a long way towards explaining two things:

1. It helps explain all the newbies on DU posting pro-Obama stuff and trashing anyone with juvenile freeptard bile who raises the slightest question about Obama.

2. It helps explain the primary and caucus voting patterns to date. There doesn't appear to be any other rational reason for Obama's miraculous surge at the voting booth.

Clearly, the Repukes think it would be a lot easier to take down Obama than Hillary in the GE. So they have to prevent Hillary from getting the Dem nomination.