Jim and Greg discuss a new report showing most Obamacare enrollees already had coverage; the states of Virginia and Washington announce premium increases; and Karl Rove speculates on Hillary Clinton's possible brain injury.
Establishment Fail: Karl Rove's Todd Akin Moment
After blasting, haranguing, and lambasting Republican candidates like Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin for rhetoric that he deemed counterproductive, Karl Rove did not take his own advice last week when he implied that Hillary Clinton may have brain damage.
According to the New York Post, Rove told conference attendees in Los Angeles last week, "Thirty days in the hospital? And when she reappears, she's wearing glasses that are only for people who have traumatic brain injury? We need to know what's up with that."
As has been widely reported, Rove has often "advised conservatives to refrain from incendiary rhetoric and character attacks" in meetings with candidates and donors.
After Akin's comments about "legitimate rape" in 2012, Rove even suggested that Akin should be offed, and his groups pulled their advertising and support from his campaign. It is unclear if Rove's donors will hold him to the same standard to which he held Akin.
"We should sink Todd Akin," Rove told fundraisers at the Republican National Convention in 2012. "If he's found mysteriously murdered, don’t look for my whereabouts!"
Hillary Clinton is most adept at playing the victim and the "war on women" card, and Rove's unforced error could be a gift that keeps on giving to Democrats who are intent on perpetually accusing Republicans of waging a "war on women."
Also read:
Liberals who mocked John McCain outraged that Karl Rove asked about Hillary Clinton's health
MSNBC Hypocrites Suggest Calls for Hillary's Medical Records Are 'Sexist', Birther-Like
Whatever you do, don't believe the triumphalist hype flowing like raw sewage out of the mouths of Kool-aid intoxicated, Left-wing concern trolls these days. Instead, Karl Rove makes some good points:
Republicans need not jettison their principles. But they must avoid
appearing judgmental and callous on social issues. Offensive comments
about rape by GOP Senate candidates in Missouri and Indiana gave the
media an excuse to put social issues at the election's center in a way
that badly hurt the entire party, as well as costing Republicans two
Senate seats.
The GOP must reduce the destructiveness
of the presidential primaries. In the first place, activists can
withhold support from candidates who make reckless assaults on
competitors, which happened too often this time. Also, the Republican
National Committee should limit the number of debates and, by showing
wisdom in picking debate moderators, limit the media's ability to depict
the party as a fringe group.
Another idea: Holding the convention in late August made sense when
candidates relied on public financing for the general election. That
will never happen again. The Romney campaign had tens of millions it
couldn't spend for months until he was officially nominated on Aug. 28.
Future conventions should be held as early as late June.
And I also have an idea, which is that the RNC should not only reduce the number of primary debates, insist on objective debate moderators and hold the convention two months earlier but should also go back to having winner-take-all primaries so that the process of winning delegates will be completed sooner. And if the GOP does win the White House in 2016 it would also be extremely helpful if the VP nominee is someone who will be willing and able to make his or her own run for the White House in 2024. This kind of continuity can help avoid the primary bloodletting of 2008 and 2012.
