Posts Tagged ‘rich lowry’

conservative elites smack down the Republican base—can they do so with impunity?

December 19, 2007 in 2008, analysis, argument, campaign communications, campaign communiques, campaign management, conservatism, election 2008, Evangelicals, GOP, incompetence, Iowa, media, mitt romney, republicans, rhetoric, romney, strategy, stupidity, the dark soul of Mitt Romney
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The formerly conservative NRO—apparently a subsidiary of Bain Capital and another proud Blog for Mitt—overreached when to curry favor with their imperious master, Romney, they savaged Gov. Huckabee. Perversely, the super-geniuses at NRO  slimed Gov. Huckabee on grounds of his religion, after arguing strenuously that Romney’s confession was somehow out of bounds.

Evidence?

Jonah Goldberg, Rich Lowry, Jonathan Adler, and Victor Davis Hanson—each issued their alibis, rationales and lame excuses for sliming Gov. Huckabee on grounds of his faith.

Yet the backlash continues apace.

“Thus far in the 2008 presidential campaign cycle, ‘religion’ has played a far bigger role than in any recent elections,” writes the estimable Christopher Adamo in a Reality Check post titled Conservative Elites to Christians: Remember Your Place

This does not necessarily translate to actual issues of importance to one religious constituency or another, but rather that the religion of individual candidates themselves is a major topic. And as this pattern continues, a glaring hypocrisy is emerging. In short, all religions are to be beyond criticism or question, with the sole exception of Biblical Christianity.

At the slightest suggestion that a candidate’s religion might call his or her judgment or fitness for office into question, the instant and universal response from across the political spectrum is a chorus of accusations of “religious bigotry” and intolerance. No less an icon of punditry than Robert Novak made essentially that case in his October 4, 2007 column. Unless, of course, the religion in question is Southern Baptist and the principal involved is Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, at which point the preacher becomes fair game … etc.

“Gee, lets think about this,” writes Paul Seale in an Arena of Ideas post titled Dear Rich Lowry … So ya think the Romney advertisements are having an effect, eh?

Romney’s campaign which already spent millions of dollars already in Iowa, dumps a few more million and blitzes the airwaves with negative advertisements against someone with next to no cash flow.

Compound the advertisements with the two plus weeks of intensely negative news in which even a simply Christmas advertisement is labeled as “using religion as a political weapon“ and what do you think the results will be?

Just be forewarned that there will be a backlash.

While I do not agree with much of Huckabee’s substance (looks to me as another “big government” conservative), the constant attacks on someone presenting a positive message a vision by Washington elites will be remembered.

I think Byron York today best put his finger on what is driving Huckabee. I dont mind writing that I agree fundamentally with darned near everything Mike Huckabee is saying with regards to what we should do as individuals to solve problems. The difference for me is that Christ asks for those things to be done on the personal level – not through the government.

Similarly I dont mind telling you that a lot of what Huckabee is saying with regards to how those in the media and Republican establishment ring true with me. I’ve seen the same treatmeant with Fred Thompson.

What do both of these men have in common? They refuse to kiss the rings of you guys in the Beltway. The continued implied labling of someone who is otherwise a good man as lazy or some sort of religious fruit loop by those in Washington and the Romney campaign has burned a mark in me so deep that I will remember it for a very long time.

I know you guys in Washington think that many of us can be brought back on board with just a hot button words, but I promise you that is not the case. We want someone authentic – not some synthetic poll driven individual. Remember, we rejected that in 2004. Or do you think we really are that stupid?

While you might be scorching earth on your way to a win in the primaries, remember those burns are going to last long afterward and leave a bad taste in many mouths come November … etc.

The emphases are ours, all ours.

yours &c.
dr. g.d.

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Lowry on the the Romney backlash, and more on Romney’s agony-in-Iowa

December 17, 2007 in 2008, analysis, campaign management, conservatism, election, election 2008, Evangelicals, GOP, incompetence, Iowa, media, mitt romney, polls, republicans, romney, strategy, stupidity, the dark soul of Mitt Romney, triumph of unreason
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“There is now obviously an evangelical backlash going on in Iowa and there will probably be a backlash against the evangelical backlash in New Hampshire,” writes Rich Lowry of the formerly conservative, and bought-and-paid-for-the-Romney-campaign’s NRO in a Corner post titled Friday Afternoon Speculative Horserace Thoughts

That means someone else besides Huckabee probably wins there. If it is Romney or McCain, he becomes the candidate of the Republican establishment … etc.

Remarks:

Romney already is the establishment candidate, and has been since last summer. The problem for the establishment: Romney has failed to develop traction despite his astronomical spending.

We concur with Lowry that Gov. Huckabee’s rise reflects an Evangelical reaction (backlash is Lowry’s term), a reaction to Romney, and not the first time. Elsewhere we described Gov. Huckabee’s rise as a breakout, as in breakout population.

Romney campaign a victim of the “sunk cost effect”—also: how Gov. Huckabee’s sudden ascendancy is an artifact of the Romney campaign’s misguided activities

But the slow, halting, and begrudging rally to Romney’s standard is but a counter-reaction Gov. Huckabee’s rise—an artifact of the general freak-out among the partisan commentariat at the prospect of a Huckabee candidacy.

S0: Reaction (Gov. Huckabee) that calls forth counter-reaction (Romney).

This is not the ordinary contrapuntal music of an ordinary primary season. Rather: This is the sound of an issues coalition breaking apart, with sudden breakouts at the extreme margins, and only emptiness in the middle. For Romney this is the sound of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing,” a track the Romneys played in an almost empty room at a country club in Carroll Iowa, as reported by Jonathan Stein of Mother Jones in an article titled Don’t Stop Believing: Romney’s Swan Song?

… After speaking for only over fifteen minutes, during which he garnered infrequent and tepid bursts of applause, Romney received three questions before the crowd fell still and he had to prompt further discussion with the line, “Well, this is quiet here” …

… [Stein] asked [a Romney partisan] about Huckabee’s support in Iowa. “The Evangelical people are Bible-toting people and they like him because he is a minister. But you can’t run your country on the Bible,” she said, sounding exasperated.

“Do you mean in a practical sense?” I asked. “Or because it violates the Constitution?”

“No,” she said. “Most people who are Bible-toting people want to be everything to everybody. You’re supposed to give to the poor, and you’re supposed to do this and that. And that’s fine. But when it comes to running a country, you can’t be that way.”

“They’re just too nice?” I clarified.

“Yes!” she said … etc.

Further evidence of Romney’s Agony-in-Iowa despite having spent US$7 million dollars in the state: the increasingly absurd grandiosity of Romney’s claims. Kernels From Iowa: Romney vows to eradicate illegal immigration, is Rick Montgomery’s headline, also reporting from Carroll, Iowa.

yours &c.
dr. g.d.

P.S. An apter theme song for Romney’s failing Iowa campaign would be Kanye West’s Stronger:

… N-n-now th-that that don’t kill me
Can only make me stronger
I need you to hurry up now
Cause I can’t wait much longer
I know I got to be right now
Cause I can’t get much wronger
Man I been waitin’ all night now
That’s how long I’ve been on ya …