ROVE Defending Social Security?- 'Perry’s Extreme Views On Social Security Are Toxic'

[kpete]

STEPHANPOLOUS: And a lot of questions about how how Rick Perry will handle this test. So much talk about his books and what he’s written in his books, “Fed Up!” Questioning the 16th Amendment, which imposed the income tax. The 17th Amendment, direct election of Senators. And I think he’s gotten the most attention for what he said about Social Security, calling it a Ponzi scheme. Compares it to a “bad disease” that’s been “imposed on us for 70 years.” You know how much trouble that can be for a Republican candidate in a general election. So how does he handle it and must he disavow some of these statements in the book.

ROVE: What they’ve done thus far is, I think, inadequate. Which is to basically say, “look, we didn’t write the book with the presidential campaign in mind.” Well, okay, fine. But they are going to have to find a way to deal with these things. Because, as you say, they are toxic in a general election environment and they are also toxic in a Republican primary. If you say Social Security is a failure and ought to be replaced by a state-level program, then people are going to say: “What do you mean by that?” And make a judgment based on your answer to it. Each candidate has strengths. Each candidate also has challenges. This, for Governor Perry is his challenge. Now he’s got formidable strengths. But this is his biggest challenge.

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/09/07/313082/karl-rove-rick-perrys-extreme-views-on-social-security-are-toxic/

[Champion Jack]

1. Ha! so it's gonna come down to Rove vs the Kochs?

[GreenPartyVoter]

9. Interesting. One might have thought they were on the same team.

[bemildred]

10. The Right is no more unified than the Left, it's worse if anything.

Bigger egos and smaller brains.

[GreenPartyVoter]

11. Well, I knew there was something of a divide between the corporatists and the religionists. Didn't

know there was more going on than that.

[bemildred]

14. It's not about policy, it's about power and who gets to be the big shot.

For the most part, politicians of any stripe have the principles of a mink in heat.

[MilesColtrane]

18. Bush and Perry hate each other.

Looks like the BFEE will be backing Romney.

[GreenPartyVoter]

19. ** must hate Perry for trying to copy him.

[bullwinkle428]

2. I didn't realize he was that deep in Romney's pocket!

[valerief]

3. But doesn't Rove want to privatize SS? How is he different than simpleton Perry? nt

[Ineeda]

4. Perry is showing his cards

rather than utilizing Rove's customary stealth tactics. :hi:

[hifiguy]

5. That, plus the fact that KKKarl hates

Perry and the people running his campaign. Rover and the BFEE are doing what the can to insure a Boosh re-coronation of Jebbie in '16. Perry's just a speed bump in that plan.

[peace frog]

6. So now Rove's opinions are mainstream, who'da thunk it

How far and how fast this country has fallen into the RW black hole.

[thereismore]

7. Toxic to the repig election prospects, not to the people. Rove doesn't think that way. nt

[bemildred]

8. If Rove's mouth is open, he is lying, or misleading, or spouting babble.

Or all three at once.

[Loki]

12. Warning shots across the bow of the USS Perry have been fired

When this all plays out, it ain't gonna be pretty. My betting money is on Rove, and Poppy Bush. They play for keeps.

[eilen]

13. Weasels fighting.

I don't know about you, but it seems to me that the Rove team is busy taking out Bachmann and Perry. Palin is a sideshow. They either want Obama to win, (why not, most of all their previous planks are continuing and no one is getting prosecuted) or plan to trot Huntsman out as the Reasonable Republican (tm).

Bachmann's establishment Repub campaign team just saw their leadership jump ship. Cue the media for more Bachmann is unstable and crazy shots.

Perry will appear as an inept governor who not only can't stop his state from burning down, but actually contributed to it-- he can't run anything right. Not only that, he wants to starve old people too.

[formercia]

15. Ed Rollins, Bachmann's, until recently, Campain manager.

He and Rove go way back:

http://www.newsfollowup.com/dirty_tricks.htm


Lee Atwater, Center, Ed Rollins, left, and Lyn Nofziger, smoke cigars during the final session of the GOP National Convention in 1984 in Dallas. And see SourceWatch on Harvey Leroy Atwater, known also as 'the Darth Vader of the Republican Party', "the happy hatchet man", search terms: push polling tactic on Tom Turnipseed, and use of Turnipseed's teenage depression as a campaign smear. And he orchestrated the 1980 Willie Horton / Dukakis

Ed Rollins was Atwater's Boss and Rove was working with them at the time.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/07/us/politics/07bachmann.html

[LynneSin]

16. Perry has alot of extreme views - like the importants of a strong volunteer fire department

for him 'Who needs them'

Now Texas Burns

:cry:

[subterranean]

17. I don't think Rove was defending Social Security.

He was just saying that speaking openly about wanting to eliminate Social Security isn't a winning election strategy.

[scheming daemons]

20. Rove agrees with Perry... just realizes that saying it out loud is politically toxic.