2009-03-12 The White House Misfires on Limbaugh

Specs

Date:	2009-03-12
Link:	http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123682426946303905.html
Author:	Karl Rove (writingscat)
Source:	Wall Street Journal (articlescat)
Topics:	Limbaugh vs. Obama Obama bipartisanship Obama/conservative criticism
Categories:	Limbaugh vs. Obama Obama bipartisanship Obama/conservative criticism

The White House Misfires on Limbaugh

longer text

Presidents throughout history have kept lists of political foes. But the Obama White House is the first I am aware of to pick targets based on polls. Even Richard Nixon didn't focus-group his enemies list.

Team Obama -- aided by Clintonistas Paul Begala, James Carville and Stanley Greenberg -- decided to attack Rush Limbaugh after poring over opinion research. White House senior adviser David Axelrod explicitly authorized the assault. Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel assigned a White House official to coordinate the push. And Press Secretary Robert Gibbs gleefully punched the launch button at his podium, suckering the White House press corps into dropping what they were doing to get Mr. Limbaugh.

Was it smart politics and good policy? No. For one thing, it gave the lie to Barack Obama's talk about ending "the political strategy that's been all about division" and "the score-keeping and the name-calling." The West Wing looked populated by petulant teenagers intent on taking down a popular rival. Such talk also shortens the president's honeymoon by making him look like a street-fighting Chicago pol instead of an inspirational, unifying figure. The upward spike in ratings for Rush and other conservative radio commentators shows how the White House's attempt at a smackdown instead energized the opposition.

Commentary:

• 2009-03-13 Karl Rove's funny numbers
  • 2009-03-16 ACW Knowledge Is Power Series: National Debt
• /Woozle: Rove the spinmeister at work again...

shorter text

“With stock markets down, unemployment growing, banks tottering, consumers anxious, business leaders nervous, and the economy shrinking, the Obama administration's attacks on a radio talk show host made it seem concerned with the trivial.” Now wait just a frickin' minute here...