Four things I learned from Karl Rove

[Perry Logan]

The catastrophic and sublimely creepy career of Karl Rove has taught me four important lessons:

1. Republicans can win elections only by injecting huge amounts of DISINFORMATION into the equation. Far from a genius, Rove was a one-trick pony, who always relied on lying to people to get votes. This speaks volumes for the hollowness of right-wing ideas.

2. The most important activities of Republicans are the ones no one knows about. Karl Rove's true legacy is embodied in the five million lost e-mail messages. We may never know how much damage the neocons have done, much less how they did it.

3. Republicans must CHANGE THE RULES constantly. When you're playing with Republicans, he nature of the game morphs constantly, the latest example being the Republicans' desire to change the electoral voting system in California. One has to ask--if these guys are so great, why do they have to change the rules every nanosecond?

4. Republican techniques and policies have a mercifully short life span. From the illegal war in Iraq, to the neglect of the nation's infrastructure--all of the Republicans' favorite tricks eventually backfire on them, becoming fatal political liabilities. This would be funnier if people weren't getting killed.

So--as he sneaks off to confuse his family and perhaps do further mischief--Karl Rove has shown us that the worst fate for Republicans is to get into power.

[marions ghost]

1. MISCHIEF ????? !!!

So tell us how the dirty tricks have backfired on them exactly? :eyes:

Tell me how their policies have "a mercifully short life span?"

When abuse of power is complete is there any such thing as "fatal political liability?"

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Don't those of similar criminal mind become emboldened in the face of such ineffective controls as we have witnessed?

Don't Rethuglicans feel that no matter what happens in the short run, they still own the system?

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Rove has taught me that we should not have any fond illusions that the system is able to counter these types of criminals. :(

Where do you get your optimism????

[Perry Logan]

11. Iraq turned against them; their fearmongering has turned against them...

I think the word on election fraud has gotten round--and that is certainly no poltical asset. Their secrecy kept them going for a while, but has come to anger most Americans. I cite the 2006 election as proof of what I'm saying.

[marions ghost]

2. oh Perry Logan

yoo hoo --where R U ??????

[InsultComicDog]

3. Rove has only proved that

Machiavelli's approach still works today.

[Perry Logan]

12. ...but not indefinitely.

[Fly by night]

4. If #2-4 are correct, you need to re-write #1. (Edits are in caps.)

1. Republicans can win elections only by STEALING THEM. Far from a genius, Rove was a M*****-F******* ELECTION THIEF, who always relied on HIS CRONIES UP, DOWN AND INSIDE THE "VAPOR-TRAILS" ELECTRONIC VOTING SYSTEM to MANUFACTURE AND SWITCH votes.

[marions ghost]

6. Bingo

They're always going to do disinformation. But if people who see through that disinformation don't have a vote that counts...

:banghead:

[Perry Logan]

13. That is a most robust revision, my friend.

[Hydra]

5. Rove's Genius

is in his understanding that he and the others can break the law, steal money, kill people and cause world wars...and never have to worry about someone doing something effective about it.

We tolerate evil. Why should we be surprised when evil is done in our name?

[marions ghost]

7. yes

the Rethugs pride themselves on their masterful evasions. Life is just a video game to them.

Why DO we tolerate evil?

I guess because we are afraid of such evil geniuses. And we don't want our best fighters to be sacrificed.

[Hydra]

8. I think we misunderstand the concept of civilization

Civilized doesn't mean you never fight people- it can't function with the non-civilized in the system. There is always a statistical percentage of the population that can't handle being civilized, and those people have to be persuaded that following the rules is to their advantage or they have to be exiled from the rest of us(actual exile, prison, execution, etc)

Civilized is not passive.

[marions ghost]

9. OK so in the present situation

is the problem more that our methods for teaching the Uncivilized where they are wrong have become obsolete, or that there are just so many Uncivilized crawling around everywhere that we just can't deal with the sheer numbers and the way they act in collusion?

Or is the problem more that we don't do anything before it's too late? Slow-boiling frogs that we are...

It's hard to get a big picture of this from the trenches and I feel maybe there are few parallels in history that are really useful.

[Hydra]

10. Nazi Germany is an easy parallel

we have the uncivilized in charge. That is the core problem. How we got there is open to debate, but I feel it was a lack of enforcement of the rules during the last 150 or more years, and in fact idolizing the Robber Baron and his extravagant lifestyle.

For the uncivilized, equal share of the large pie is too little. They would rather have a larger share of the smaller pie that comes from squeezing the society for more wealth.

[Perry Logan]

14. Perhaps you're too hard on yourselves, and on America in general.

Don't underestimate to what extent the Republicans operated in secrecy. They betrayed the fundamental trust that underlies any political system. They're the ones who screwed up, and screwed things up--not us.

I acknowledge the points you are making about our possible mutual complicity in the current mess. It's perfectly reasonable to assess how we might have been better citizens, better Americans, better people. But my judgment is ultimately less harsh and my viewpoint less apocalyptic. I'm more inclined to say some jerks cheated while our backs were turned. That can happen to virtually anyone.

[Hydra]

15. That's well and good

but the reason I'm posting this, and so often around here, is the general thought of "I didn't do it, don't look at me!"

Silence is consent, and I'm seeing a lot of silence lately. That's a bad sign. That means if Nazi Germany and all its horrors play out again here, very few will do anything to stop it.

Maybe it will ultimately be good for Americans to be labeled "The Fascist Butchers." Perhaps then we won't have so many people willing to hold their tongues, or worse, secretly cheer TPTB on.