Blogging Tory co-founder and conservative brain trust Stephen Taylor thinks this is just a wicked pissah of an idea:
Conservative Party looks to Karl Rove playbook
In Ottawa this week, Conservatives hoping to sharpen their political skills looked south, to the United States of America to replicate the success of the back-to-back electoral victories of George W. Bush and the Republican machine.
That's right, Stephen, why don't you follow the advice of a man who almost single-handedly wiped out the Republican Party, probably for decades? I think that's a terrific idea, let me know what I can do to help.
Oh, wait ... Stephen's not done:
Pollsters agree that Rove's approach to mobilizing select groups of voters on highly motivating issues is the key to creating a permanent Conservative majority.
Hmmmmm ... that sounds suspiciously like Rove's plan for creating a permanent Republican majority. Refresh my memory -- how did that work out? Whoops, not so well:
Permanent Republican Majority? Think Again.
By Andrew Kohut and Carroll Doherty
Sunday, August 19, 2007; Page B01
Karl Rove dreamed of creating a "permanent Republican majority." But as President Bush's longtime adviser exits the Washington scene, the political landscape he helped chart is already shifting beneath his feet: The era of conservative values -- a tight-fisted approach toward government aid to the poor, traditional positions on social issues and a belief in a muscular foreign policy -- that emerged in the 1990s is coming to a close.
Disenchanted by the failures of the Bush administration, the public is moving away from its policies, values and ideology.
Join us next week when Stephen proposes a long-term military presence overseas because, hey, how could that possibly go wrong?
BY THE WAY, STEPHEN, when you refer to GWB's electoral "successes" of 2000 and 2004, do you mean the elections in which he 1) was awarded the victory in the first one, and 2) stole the second one? Are those the elections we're talking about here? Were you planning on replicating those features as well? I'm just curious.
WHOOPSIE. Yes, I fucked up. I was in a rush and failed to read the entire piece, whereupon Stephen makes it clear it was a satire. More on this later. For my progressive readers: Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.
For my right-wing readers: My bad.
6 comments:
Actually I think that Stephen is bitching about how the "Red Star" buries a story about how the Libs are looking at Obama's playbook, while they would put the Cons looking at Roves playbook on page one (where it would belong). As if there was any equivalence.
Obama didn't singlehandedly wreck the State's reputation AND economy with one fell swoop.
Stephen Taylor's alternate universe...OY.
The Rovian playbook has been in use here for a couple years already as all of us with a brain realized quite some time ago. And IMAGINE. No one told him.
Steve's copy is already all dog eared and cheeto-stained.
I hate to have to explain this to youse guys, but in Canada, Big Daddy doesn't need a majority. All he needs is more than the Libruls. The numbers are more favorable for Rove's playbook in Canada than they are in the US.
The Rovian playbook has been in use here for a couple years already
Baloney. It's been at least 4 years.
I think the Rovian "poisoning of the well of discourse" has been well established for some time. Funny though, I mentioned this at joanne(tb)'s in December and was a) jeered at and b) asked what US politics has to do with Canada?
Then there's the ever popular swiftboating that is also a direct import. "Unfit for command" became "not a leader".
Personalizing politics, all partisan all the time, endless slogans, making the very name of your party into a swear word? Yes, the BTs seem to be very well versed in Karl Rove tactics.
The numbers are more favorable for Rove's playbook in Canada than they are in the US.
True, but the Rove system relies on surprise. It relies on having a core group you can rely on and whip (whip a congregation and they give you money and show up to vote). It then tries to inflict maximum damage on opponents by coordinated simultaneous attacks from different sources. Kind of like terrorists prefer for maximum effect.
I think we're much more aware of this today. Enough people were asleep that 2000 was lost to the Rovians, and then enough people were traumatized with fear that 2004 was lost as well.
Now things are different. We're seeing the slow unraveling of the Harper interruption and despite the best efforts of their media manipulators, they are being opposed and countered at every turn.
Hmmm...
Rove's playbook?
Like this perhaps?
http://btsexposed.blogspot.com/2006/01/are-blogging-tories-arm-of.html
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