Top Romney stategist: The media’s not in the tank for Obama
Stevens replied, “It’s not a yes or a no question. In the tank, I would say no. So, yes or no question, I would say no.”
Kurtz pressed the line of questioning several times. “Too sympathetic to the President? How would you put it?” he asked.
“I think after the election, you’ll have a lot tougher questions that will be asked because you’re out of an election environment,” Stevens replied. “I think you’re seeing that this past weekend with this whole golf outing. I think they will be more critical now.”
A surprised Kurtz asked, “You’re saying the press should be finally more critical about the fact that President Obama went golfing with Tiger Woods?”
“The degree to which there is not a choice between him and a Republican candidate makes it easier for them to be tougher on the President,” Stevens replied. “That’s natural.”
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Is that what happened when the Whigs were ousted in favor of the Republican party?
astonerii on February 25, 2013 at 10:48 AM
People will say anything to stay relevant…
right2bright on February 25, 2013 at 10:53 AM
2012 was basically our last chance at salvaging the country and the party basically blew it for us. We’re going to be bankrupt and collapse, it’s just a matter of time.
At this point our goal should be to create a viable opposition movement.
“We” didn’t nominate him. What happened was Romney and the GOP got all the big money people behind him immediately after McCain was defeated, and scared off any serious potential challengers, leaving us stuck with longshots like Gingrich or joke/crazy candidates.
Doomberg on February 25, 2013 at 10:53 AM
It seems like the article is saying the exact opposite – he said they aren’t entirely in the tank now, implicitly suggesting that they were in the tank during the election – which is certainly true.
Which doesn’t change the fact that he’s wrong about them now – but then I suppose after you go from 24/7 attacks on your boss to not very much discussion whatsoever, it’s not so surprising that you could feel like the media bias is largely gone, since its direct impact on you has drastically decreased.
RINO in Name Only on February 25, 2013 at 10:54 AM
This dude is probably already on Rove’s payroll trying to weasel in during the primaries. It makes you want to scream.
Youngs98 on February 25, 2013 at 10:56 AM
Puhleeeeeaaassssse. The only time the MSM aren’t entirely in the tank for Barky are when he has them locked up in closets, which they love for, BTW. They finally get out of the closet and still can’t have enough great things to say about the nastiest, mind-numbingly dumbest, biggest criminal (all by leaps and bounds) who has ever occupied the White House – and the only one at Pennsylvania Avenue who has actually ever hated everything about America. In fact, I would venture to say that no other society has ever elected someone who hates them and everything they stand for – since any society that does so is merely committing suicide, Suicide by Indonesian Imbecile, in this case.
The press’ enthusiastic propagandizing and lying for Barky is nothing new and nothing that started or ended with Romney’s pathetic campaign. It’s been going on over 5 years, now, without a breather.
As to Romney and his team, they are idiots who actually lost to this 84 IQ, inept, incompetent, transparently lying sack of sh!t.
ThePrimordialOrderedPair on February 25, 2013 at 11:04 AM
And Romney is still trying to figure out how he lost, huh?
ButterflyDragon on February 25, 2013 at 11:04 AM
Money question. And we know the answer.
conservative pilgrim on February 25, 2013 at 11:04 AM
Clearly this goober is trying to kiss the media’s butt in the hope that someone will hire him to be a commentator. If he starts attacking the tea party, he may officially qualify for one of MSNBC’s coveted “Enlightened Conservative Who Wishes Republicans Were Exactly Like Democrats” roles right next to Joe Scarborough and Meggie Mac.
What’s really ridiculous here is why Romney didn’t seriously engage and leverage social media and blogs. It was a perfect avenue to “evade” the bias of the MSM, and he didn’t use it. I guess there weren’t any Republican consultants willing to charge him tens of millions of dollars to resurrect Michael Steele’s famous “What Up?” blog.
Outlander on February 25, 2013 at 11:06 AM
This isn’t the 1850s. If the GOP goes the way of the Whigs, it’s all Democrat all the time for a very long time no matter how badly they screw things up.
Doughboy on February 25, 2013 at 11:11 AM
Doh!…
Again.
Fallon on February 25, 2013 at 11:16 AM
Crack is wack!
DethMetalCookieMonst on February 25, 2013 at 11:17 AM
1) Say something as fact
2) ???
3) Restate it as fact making it unassailably true?
Serious? Is this what informed debate should look like?
Use something to back up your claim? I used an existing occurrence of the same thing as the basis of my argument, something that has credibility.
astonerii on February 25, 2013 at 11:20 AM
Are you obscenely stupid or are you just being stubborn?
Take a look at the political field: there is NO PARTY in any position to replace the Republicans. Not your precious Tea(bag) Party, not the Libertarian Party, not the Consitution party which is the butt of jokes among the previous two.
The Democrats are already at the 50% point in voting population if not past it. If that amnesty passes, there will be no way to unseat them politically simply because we’ll all be outnumbered.
MelonCollie on February 25, 2013 at 11:24 AM
You’re correct. It’s the 1770s.
Time for a national divorce.
ThePrimordialOrderedPair on February 25, 2013 at 11:29 AM
Even Kurtz is taken aback; Stevens is borderline incoherent.
How is it being more “natural” to question him outside an “election environment” not evidence for the very thing he’s denying?
Lord a mercy…no wonder we saw the absolutely pathetic ad strategy we saw…
EastofEden on February 25, 2013 at 11:38 AM
Well that’s no longer a political solution as I was advocating earlier in the thread. That sounds more like one that involves bloodshed and violence. I’d much prefer continuing the fight to reform the Republican Party(did anyone really think it would happen in only 2 election cycles?) in order to defeat more and more Democrats. Otherwise we may as well just sit back and Let It Burn.
Doughboy on February 25, 2013 at 11:47 AM
Translation: These are not the droids you’re looking for.
Pity someone didn’t tell him that Jedi mind control tricks work ON the weak-minded, not when performed BY the weak-minded.
Physics Geek on February 25, 2013 at 11:56 AM
IDIOT….
ExpressoBold on February 25, 2013 at 11:56 AM
God Romney’s people were stupid.
Should have gone with Newt. Despite all his faults he at least would have gone down in a blaze of ego, called Obama a bunch of bad names, and at least understands what the media is.
He would not have lost due to a lack of shooting back. Something both McCain and Romney did.
William Eaton on February 25, 2013 at 12:02 PM
0_o
If this is the planet his advisers were on, no wonder he lost.
Great job, folks.
RedNewEnglander on February 25, 2013 at 12:02 PM
Let it burn makes no sense. France has been burning forever, yet it’s still standing. A socialist state can probably keep on going unlike a Communist police state.
IR-MN on February 25, 2013 at 12:05 PM
Wasn’t this the guy everyone said should be fired, but Mitt Romney personally vouched for him?
sauldalinsky on February 25, 2013 at 12:05 PM
If your STRATEGIST cannot recognize the real world he lives in, he is worthless…and those who follow his advice are doomed!!
landlines on February 25, 2013 at 12:06 PM
Seems to me you are the one that is obscenely stupid.
TEA(BAG) party? You really called them TEA (bag)? Seems you find people like you everywhere hiding in the shadows.
Well, I was going to flay you more, but I think you pretty much proved the point I was going to make any ways. You have no value.
astonerii on February 25, 2013 at 12:07 PM
Yep. The Democrats consist of an alliance of urban progressives, unionized workers, government dependents, and racial minority groups. While those groups do clash on occasion (e.g., school choice or gay rights), none of them–save, perhaps, hispanics–have any natural affinity toward policies that are conservative or economic-libertarian. And those groups are largely united in terms of the economic policies they favor: having the government be heavily involved in the economy and achieving “social justice” through large redistributions of wealth.
That’s not an atmosphere in which the corrupt GOP dies and then resurrects, like a Phoenix, in the form of a new, more vibrant party.
Outlander on February 25, 2013 at 12:15 PM
Exactly. Exactly.
ramesees on February 25, 2013 at 12:24 PM
Hi.
I’m Stuart Stevens.
I smoke crack.
thirteen28 on February 25, 2013 at 12:35 PM
Lets get this clear as to what you and MelonCollie are saying…
The battle is already lost. We are a permanent minority. That we just need to ride this pony as far and as slow as we can possibly ride it. That we must limit the suffering we go through now so we can pass onto the next generation heavier burdens than we would carry if we just took the consequences now.
Is that the argument you two are engaged in? We lost, so we might as well stick with the status quo of continued progression to the end at a slow pace… Seems to be what I am reading.
Certainly does not sound like the words of patriots. I have read the words of patriots. They were willing to break from the semi comfortable status quo and work towards something better.
astonerii on February 25, 2013 at 12:42 PM
Candy Crowley is proof this guy is lying. Can’t even call out the media for betraying their own craft? Complete wussy.
Christien on February 25, 2013 at 12:45 PM
Romney lost for a thousand reasons…most of them his own fault.
albill on February 25, 2013 at 12:53 PM
Nope. I think MelonCollie’s point was that the political stars are not aligned to pull off killing off the GOP and replacing it with a true conservative party. This isn’t 1850 where you had a single defining issue (slavery) that cut across party lines.
If significant numbers of GOP officeholders suddenly resigned their GOP membership and joined the New Glorious Heritage Party (my made-up name for a new GOP), the likely result would be a Democratic supermajority in both Houses of Congress, after which, Katie bar the door!
Our fight must be within the GOP. We have to make our case to the big GOP donors and voters to return to an ideology based on economic liberty, and we must hold GOP officeholders and party leaders accountable when they violate, without just cause, conservative principles.
Outlander on February 25, 2013 at 12:59 PM
Ummm, that would be because they were in the tank for Dear Leader during the election year.
Why in the world wouldn’t they ask tough questions of the president during a re-election bid. Isn’t that exactly what the media/press is supposed to do? Isn’t that essentially their function and role in a democracy?
farsighted on February 25, 2013 at 1:04 PM
Gee, with keen insight like that from the man in charge, I can’t imagine why Romney lost.
DrAllecon on February 25, 2013 at 1:07 PM
Yeah, that was what was meant by teabag party.
That was what was meant when said the Democrats already had a 50% lock on voters.
I guess a person would have to be Are you obscenely stupid or are you just being stubborn? to think that most voters are LOCKED into a party and 100% immune to arguments. If that was the case, we would not have elections at all. One election determines the entire thing.
astonerii on February 25, 2013 at 1:09 PM
Well, Willard had the most HEEELARIOUSLY DIM staff of campaign advisors I’ve ever seen and … they gave me a chuckle during the campaign on a regular basis!
I was wondering what I’d be doing for a laugh after the election if Willard lost …
Good to see I can count on these staffers to peak their head above the weeds from time to time to furnish me with fresh GUFFAWS of laughter!!
HondaV65 on February 25, 2013 at 1:09 PM
I didn’t accuse anyone of being “obscenely stupid.” What I did say was that the Democratic Party’s core constituent groups have pretty much gelled around the same core economic policies. By the way, substantially the same thing happened during the Great Depression with FDR’s policies. As those policies failed, the people demanded more of the same! (Just like today, there are demands for more tax increases, more stimulus, more spending, MORE, MORE, MORE!!)
It’s very depressing and alarming. I am not willing to give up just yet, but we have to present a united front–splintering the GOP into multiple political parties is not the right answer.
Outlander on February 25, 2013 at 1:22 PM
MelonCollie did accuse. The person you agree with and were supporting.
The problem with the GOP is part of what you say, we do not have a solid base from which to project power. But that is part and parcel to the problem that the GOP has self devolved itself into. The power elite want power for nothing more than powers sake, damn the consequences to America and the party as a whole, as they know that so long as power continues to gravitate to Washington and away from the people, they will get a dwindling share of an exponentially increasing pool.
But then again, look at the facts of the field. The Democrats have a Majority of the voting people. voting being the functional aspect here.
We expanded the voting ranks and even turned many of the enemy faithful to our side twice in the last 50 years. Reagan, who certainly was not some single issue politician and also was not moderate in what his issues were was the first. The second came a few years after Bush Sr pissed away the Reagan coalition. With the contract with America, here again, it was not moderate mealy mouth single issue trash that got us the support of old school Democrats and newly minted voters. It was clear cut wide reaching, even to the social issues, government reform.
Can the GOP do it again? It looks like it cannot and will not do it again. The people in power are happy to go along with the Democrats just as soon as they have the cover of having “tried” to do what is right. McCain chose to lose on purpose, it is the only explanation for Palin and the TARP fiasco. He did not want to stand in the way of the first black president, if it was Hillary, I think he would have at least tried to win. Romney does not appear as though he wanted to win either. Largest to date election war chest, and he squandered it on over priced media, pathetic media and a campaign of he is a nice guy but in over his head.
If you imagine we can retake the party,
Pournelle’s Iron Law of Bureaucracy states that in any bureaucratic organization there will be two kinds of people”:
First, there will be those who are devoted to the goals of the organization. Examples are dedicated classroom teachers in an educational bureaucracy, many of the engineers and launch technicians and scientists at NASA, even some agricultural scientists and advisors in the former Soviet Union collective farming administration.
Secondly, there will be those dedicated to the organization itself. Examples are many of the administrators in the education system, many professors of education, many teachers union officials, much of the NASA headquarters staff, etc.
The Iron Law states that in every case the second group will gain and keep control of the organization. It will write the rules, and control promotions within the organization.
We are past the point where the people who care are the people who matter. Like our education system, it is NEVER COMING BACK! The only way to have those who care be the ones in charge is to replace the entity entirely. If you remain part of the, but we have to keep the name GOP bunch, have fun being part of the WHIG history books.
astonerii on February 25, 2013 at 1:46 PM
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