Karl der Grosse has left the White House for the last time. The man who “architected” a generation of Republican power (hah!) and handed Bush the huge political capital he claimed after 2004 just rode off into the sunset. Mission accomplished.
No doubt he’ll be back as Bush’s last nominee to the Supreme Court. Gotta finish stacking the deck to protect Duhbya and Dick from all the shit that’s coming down in the next decade.
It’s disheartening to hear that Rove’s departure may strengthen Cheney’s hand, as if that were actually possible. With luck, an emboldened Cheney will reel out just enough rope for his own hanging. (Note to the Fatherland Defenders: I’m being purely metaphorical. I wish Dick and Duhbya long lives full of regrets.) mjh
PS: If you think I hate Rove — well, you’re right, but see what conservative godfather Dick Viguerie has to say about Karl.
Richard Viguerie on Karl Rove’s Resignation:
Good News for Conservatives
(Manassas, Virginia) The following is a statement from Richard A. Viguerie, author of Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause (Bonus Books, 2006), on the resignation of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove:
“Karl Rove’s departure from the White House is good news for conservatives. We may—may—have a more conservative Bush presidency with Rove back in Texas. [mjh: Shudder. Be afraid, be very afraid.]
“As President Bush’s chief political advisor, Karl Rove was a master in the care and feeding of conservative leaders, keeping them mostly silent as the Republican Party moved Left during the Bush presidency. [mjh: ROFLOL.]
“He used the usual carrot and stick to do this. The carrot was access to the White House—and conservative leaders proved just as vulnerable as others to the lure of a photo op with the President, lunch in the West Wing, or a returned phone call from Karl Rove. The stick was fear—speak out, and not only will you lose any hope of access, you will be branded as an extremist, or someone who’s helping the Democrats by speaking out. [mjh: Fear? I thought that was the heart of the Republican worldview — live in fear at all times.]
“Using both carrot and stick, Karl Rove was able to silence or get the support of most conservative leaders as President Bush and congressional Republicans greatly expanded the size and reach of the federal government, including (but certainly not limited to)…
* No Child Left Behind
* McCain-Feingold
* Prescription drug benefits
* Nation-building on a scale never attempted before
* Farm subsidies
* Steel tariffs
* Massive federal deficits
“Yes, Karl Rove was a political genius—he was, after all, the successful architect of Bush’s election in 2000 and reelection in 2004. But as the President’s chief policy advisor, Rove was the architect of George W. Bush’s betrayal of the conservative cause.
“Karl Rove’s biggest failure was to leave the White House without achieving his stated goal of establishing the Republicans as America’s permanent governing party. To even mention that today—after the 2006 elections, President Bush’s plummeting poll numbers, and the GOP’s bleak prospects for 2008—brings embarrassment or laughter, depending on your political viewpoint. No wonder Karl Rove wants to forget about those boasts.
“Rove failed in that goal primarily because he attempted to advance the Republican Party by using raw, naked political power and bribing voters. He copied the Democrats and was more successful than them—for a while. But then conservatives and independents caught on to his game. We started rebelling, first over Harriet Miers and most recently over the amnesty bill. Meanwhile, the Republican Party had lost its “brand” as the party of small government.
How do we recover from the Rove Era? We have to reject the bribing of voters and instead build on President Reagan’s legacy. We must re-establish the conservative movement (and the Republican Party, if it wishes to survive) as the movement and party of ideas, empowering people instead of government, and with a strong national defense but no more nation-building.
“Bush’s brain” will soon be gone. Let’s hope that wiser counsel prevails in the White House in the future, but let’s not depend on that. We conservatives have work to do.” [mjh: Shudder. Be afraid, be very afraid.]
–30–
NOTE to EDITORS: Richard A. Viguerie pioneered ideological and political direct mail and has been called “the funding father of the conservative movement” for his role in helping build dozens of conservative organizations. He is the author of Conservatives Betrayed–How George W. Bush and Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause (Bonus Books, 2006).
I hope Dick Viguerie joins other conservatives in calling for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney. mjh
PPS: Please (re-)read my Left Undone, a series of four blog entries. If it seems over-the-top, consider the genre and the time — right after Karl declared a generation of Republican power was at hand.