Rove Did It Better

The "Washington Post" article (How Rove Directed Federal Assets for GOP Gains) describes why the Democrats "Hate Karl Rove". He did his job better than anyone else in history has ever done. That Job was beating the Democrats at the Ballot Box.

The staging of official announcements, high-visibility trips and declarations of federal grants had to be carefully coordinated with the White House political affairs office to ensure the maximum promotion of Bush's reelection agenda and the Republicans in Congress who supported him, according to documents and some of those involved in the effort.

Simply put, Karl Rove did it better. So good in fact that the Democrats jealously envy and therefore vilify Mr. Rove. He beat the Democrats with a brilliantly co-ordinated, harmoniously orchestrated plan to maximize the Republican agenda.

Many administrations have sought to maximize their control of the machinery of government for political gain, dispatching Cabinet secretaries bearing government largess to battleground states in the days before elections. The Clinton White House routinely rewarded big donors with stays in the Lincoln Bedroom and private coffees with senior federal officials, and held some political briefings for top Cabinet officials during the 1996 election. [emphasis mine]

So what Karl did is not new, but the organization of and maximization of the effort to benefit Republicans was unprecedented.

But Rove, who announced last week that he is resigning from the White House at the end of August, pursued the goal far more systematically than his predecessors, according to interviews and documents reviewed by The Washington Post, enlisting political appointees at every level of government in a permanent campaign that was an integral part of his strategy to establish Republican electoral dominance.

As you read this article, it is clear that Mr. Rove did his job so well, so effectively, that Democrats don't just dislike Mr. Rove, they claim to truly "Hate" him. At least the Democrats say "Hate" when in fact the Democrats act closely resembles a spurned lovers jealousy toward a rival.

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel and the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee [Chairman: Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA)] are investigating whether any of the meetings violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits government employees from using federal resources for election activities. They also want to know whether any Bush appointees pressured government for favorable actions such as grants to help GOP electoral chances.

Congressman Waxman apparently is one of the most envious of Mr. Rove's successes on behalf of the Republican Party in general and specifically the success of President Bush.

Democrats are now questioning Mr. Rove's tactics for possible violations of the Hatch Act. As mentioned in the article, the Hatch Act prohibits government resources, personnel and time being used for political purposes. No serious violations have surfaced, but the Democrats are trying hard to "dig up the dirt". Since they have not been effective in getting Congressional Legislation passed, investigation becomes the political battlefield for partisan politics. Karl Rove was very much aware of the laws, and stressed the need to conduct the effort according to the Laws.

White House officials say Rove had two basic rules: the first was to avoid meddling with grant and contract decisions made by career government employees; the second was to make sure they complied with the Hatch Act. "What was surprising was how adamant Karl and his whole team was that we involve the lawyers in our discussions to make sure we didn't come up with things that ran afoul of the law," DeBerry said. In March 2002, then-White House lawyer Brett Kavanaugh gave such a briefing on the "do's and don'ts regarding your participation in politically related activities," according to the invitation. [emphasis mine]

Personally I have not found the extreme Liberal Democrats to be good losers. For that matter they aren't particularly good winners either, but that's just my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

Mr. Rove realized how important positive press is to an election. No event is too small to merit Mr. Rove's attention.

No federal generosity was too small to tout. A top official of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was on hand with Shays when the NOAA awarded a single severe-weather alert radio, valued at $23, to an elementary school in Norwalk, Conn., two months before Election Day. [emphasis mine]

As is apparent from even a cursory reading of this Blog, I am a Conservative. I generally favor Republicans over Democrats. But I always consider the Candidate before the party in my voter booth choices. I think the Democrats could more effectively use their energies to learn from Karl Rove, as opposed to attempts to smear him. Admit that ROVE DID IT BETTER and move on.