Just a thought: Could Karl Rove win a race from the center...

[DeepModem Mom]

without the tactics that have served him so well his entire career? Could he run a campaign that was not based on division, fear, prejudice, and greed? Could he run a campaign within the norm of American politics, without "dirty tricks" and extralegal tactics? Could he run a campaign without the foot soldiers of the "religious" Right and the remnants of the Old Confederacy?

Is he a political genius for the ages, or just, in Bush's words, Turd Blossom?

[C_U_L8R]

1. They don't have a single positive issue

there is no center in republican party... only far right extremes.
It's tipping over.

[tblue]

2. The ONLY way they would even try to win, would be by cheating

They don't know how to do it any other way. They know their policies are hugely unpopular, which is why they always give them phony orwellian names.

If x% of people voted for * and not Kerry because of the Swifboat ads, does that mean * got those votes fairly?

[DeepModem Mom]

3. True. In national polls, their policies have never come up with a majority. nt

[billbuckhead]

4. Rove could but it misses the point

A small group of people control things and the only way they can keep power is to divide the majority.

[AndyTiedye]

5. No. But He Can MAKE The MSM SAY It's The Center

[DeepModem Mom]

6. Good point! nt

[AlCzervik]

7. imo no, he took a page from Lee Atwater--take their strengths and turn them

against them. Divisive politics is what Karl does.

[Doctor_J]

8. Center of what?

They have no ideology, except getting elected. With the media in his pocket, he's nearly invincible.

[Bjorn Against]

9. In 2000 he tried to make it appear as if Bush was a centrist

You were hearing the phrase "compassionate conservative" tossed around a lot and most of the extreme views were well hidden from the public. Of course we all know that in reality Bush lost that election, Rove managed to make it appear as if he had won to people who were not paying attention.

Even in 2004 when everyone should have known Bush was an extremist, Rove played the Republican National Committee as if it were a gathering of moderates with their most extreme leaders hidden from the public view. While even "moderate" Republicans are very extreme, Rove has gone to great lengths to try to make it appear to the casual observer that they are really just ordinary people who share the values of America.

We all know Rove runs his campaigns on deception, and that is how he has been able to push a far right agenda to a public which is actually quite progressive on many issues for so long before the people finally woke up over the past year or so.