In the November 17, 2007 issue of Newsweek, Karl Rove wrote an opinionated column entitled, How to Beat Hillary (Next) November. Upon close review, I found the article contained the same old Republican strategy of negative attacks, distortions, and Swift Boating of your opponent. Below are some of the key points Mr. Rove advocated in his article along with my take on some things that remained unsaid.
All text listed below in quotations marks are taken directly from Mr. Rove's November 17, 2007 article in Newsweek.
First, Rove wants the GOP nominee to "introduce [himself] again right after winning the nomination". I don't really know how this will help the Republican nominee because for the most part the American people will already know a lot about the nominee. Does Mr. Rove want the GOP nominee to misrepresent who he really is in order to increase his electability?
Secondly, "Say in authentic terms what you believe..to set up a natural contrast with [Hillary] Clinton." Here, Mr. Rove assumes that the American people (at least the Democrats) after having nominated Hillary, will blot out all her favorable traits that will make her the best choice for President. Of course, here you can expect the GOP in a negative and distorted manner to try and redefine Hillary Clinton to the American people while trying to present their candidate in a more favorable light. Swift Boaters, please report front and center.
Thirdly, "Tackle issue families care about". Now there's a novel ideal. I guess what Mr. Rove is saying is that after months of campaigning and years of building a track record that show that you don't care about real family values, especially those of the American working class, say that you do. And we Americans being naive, will embrace this new you and expect your true stripes to change once you get in office.
Fourth, "campaign for the votes of minorities..emphasize how your message can provide hope." Hope. This one really takes the cake. Republicans have shown that they do not care about minorities, just their votes. In one instance, the Republicans will play the race card i.e. Willie Horton, and then insist to minorities that they will represent their best interests (of course, after the election). This is a big insult.
Expect Republicans to use some wedge issues like gay marriage and abortion to try and peel off a few minorities voters. Republicans are good at trying to protect the unborn, but show little compassion for the well-being of babies that actually are born. Also pay very close attention to the Republican National Convention. It will be one of the most lacking in diversity events that you will see in 2008. Yet, the Republicans will still say to minority voters, don't believe your lying eyes.
Lastly, Rove writes, "Be strong on Iraq." This will be a hard sell for the Republicans to make because none of their potential candidates will be able to convince the American people that they are any stronger on national security than Hillary would be. Of all the reasons that the Republicans really would rather have Barack Obama or John Edwards to contend with as the Democratic nominee, this is the one. Republicans have spent a lot of energy attempting to villainize Hillary for being a non-traditional woman. This is where the strategy backfires. Their efforts have helped to cast Hillary as a very strong person, regardless of gender. Strong enough in fact to serve as president of the United States.
Sorry Mr. Rove. If this is the best that the Republicans can muster, it's still going to be a lost cause for the GOP in 2008. Incidentally, the other well kept fear that Republicans have is that they don't relish facing another Clinton. Of all the words that can be used to describe the Clintons, (and you can bet that Rhodes Scholar Bill will be a key Hillary strategist) dumb and pushover, aren't included.
Sidebar: Fear the Clinton counter-punch. Stick and move.
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