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Handicapping Tonight’s Debate, Karl Rove Picks Mitt Romney

» 42 comments

Handicapping tonight’s debate for the Wall Street Journal, the sage Republican strategist Karl Rove suggests that the otherwise “competent and capable” Mitt Romney “needs to light a spark among GOP voters” if he hopes to be chosen as nominee. Rove also offered his assessment to current GOP front runner Rick Perry, and a few words of advice for Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum as well, but seemed most ready to heap praise on Romney. He’s just a little worried the former Massachusetts governor might be a little boring.

While he’s found Perry to be “okay-to-mediocre,” Rove writes that Romney’s debate showings have been “crisp, sharp, reassuring and in command.” He worries that Perry’s “support is based on what people believe him to be rather than what they know him to be,” and that he’s spent too much time arguing about Social Security — a weak point in his rhetoric where Romney has been able to hold sway. What Perry should be doing, he says, is pressing Romney for “explanation for his Massachusetts health-care law than the 10th Amendment,” and questioning his conservative credentials.

“All of which means the 2012 Republican sweepstakes is far from over,” Rove writes, handicapping himself. As he points out, at this point four years ago, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson held the lead, but in the end, neither were serious contenders. He does seem to believe, though, that Romney is a capable candidate, so long as he can find a way to get Republicans excited about him.

With rumors about bad blood between former Bush administration officials and Rick Perry’s camp, readers may wish to take Rove’s analysis with a Lot’s wife-sized grain of salt, but evaluating it on the merits, his prognosis looks solid.

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  • I May Be Retarded

    Tollbooth !! Mad Michelle !! Turd Blossom !!

  • Anonymous

    Rove picks Romney.
    What a surprise.
    A Romney supporter would actually pick Romney.
    Go figure.

  • Anonymous

    Rove picks Romney.
    What a surprise.
    A Romney supporter would actually pick Romney.
    Go figure.

  • RACE BAITING@6 RESIST WE MUCH!

    KRAPPY KAR !!

  • Anonymous

    I think the economy is going to be in such dire straights by the fall of 2012, it probably doesn’t matter who the Republicans nominate;  Even Palin will be able to beat Obama.

    Between Perry & Romney, I really don’t care.  Both would be fine.  I think Romney clearly understands the economic landscape a lot better than Perry, but I’m not sure Romney would be reliably conservative enough to make some of the tough decisions that need to be made if we’re going to right this listing American ship.  What’s probably more important is that the GOP pick-up the Senate, and keep the House – both of which look like foregone conclusions at this point.

      I do think that Perry hasn’t performed as well as he needs to in the debates if he wants to put away Romney.  Maybe he gets better, maybe he doesn’t,  But, it seems pretty clear that it is Perry’s race to lose.

  • http://mediamatters.org/ Leedog

    Rove is picking Romney because he knows Perry can’t win a general election!! Though, someone should remind Rove that Romney can’t win the Republicon nomination due to the fact that Romney is a Mormon and won’t get the Southern Christian vote needed to win!!
     
    Turd Blossom is stuck between a rock and a hard place!!

  • Anonymous

    Wishful thinking on your part there Karl……and would it kill you to please blow your nose once imn awhile.

  • TruDat

    Half-Baked Alaskan!!

  • Re-Elect Obama 2012

    The former president summed up his views on the GOP perspective as, “‘You guys [Israel] do whatever you want — keep the West Bank. We’re coming back, we’ll have the White House and Congress, and we’ll let you do whatever you want.’”

    Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/64134.html#ixzz1YhgxupTE

  • http://www.IndiaCurry.com Yogi Gupta

    Romney already lost the debate before it started. Karl declared Romney to be a bore, and a liberal ala ’10th amendment. I am a conservative independent, I agree.

  • Glutton

    Karl Rove makes it quite clear that Rick Parry isn’t ready for primetime.  The reason for that isn’t because he supports Romney but he knows that ROMNEY IS THE ONLY REPUBLICAN THAT COULD BEAT OBAMA IN A GENERAL ELECTION.

  • RACE BAITING@6 RESIST WE MUCH!

    Bleating !! Kvetching !! Amerikka !!

  • Anonymous

    Who cares what Humpty Dumpty thinks?

  • gordonbloyershow

    Anyone including Lady Gaga’s mother could beat Obama next year.

    Obama’s favorability numbers start to drop among African Americans
    By Krissah Thompson, Published: September 21
    New cracks have begun to show in President Obama’s support amongst African Americans, who have been his strongest supporters. Five months ago, 83 percent of African Americans held “strongly favorable” views of Obama, but in a new Washington Post-ABC news poll that number has dropped to 58 percent. That drop is similar to slipping support for Obama among all groups.
    “There is a certain amount of racial loyalty and party loyalty, but eventually that was going to have to weaken,” said Andra Gillespie, a political scientist at Emory University, who studies African Americans. “It’s understandable given the economy.”
    African Americans have historically correlated approval ratings of the president to the unemployment rate, she said. The slip in the strongly favorable rating continues the decline Obama has seen among all groups, but black voters have been his staunchest supporters. Overall, they still hold a generally favorable view of the president with 86 percent saying they view him at least somewhat favorably.
    Gillespie’s view that the decline is tied to the disproportionately high jobless rate faced by African Americans correlates with the drop in their view of Obama’s handling of the economy. In July, only 54 percent of blacks said they thought Obama’s policies were making the economy better compared with 77 percent the previous year.
    Similarly, the White House has been sharply criticized in recent months by black political leaders, who argue that he has not done enough to help blacks. The unemployment rate for African Americans hit 16 percent this summer, the highest rate since 1984, and the members of the Congressional Black Caucus launched a jobs tour focused on the problem.
    This week the caucus is holding its annual legislative caucus in Washington, and the focus of a series of morning panels Wednesday was the lack of progress on jobs. Rep. Maxine Waters, who has been pushing Obama and publicly chided an administration official during the jobs tour to say the word “black” and directly address the needs of the community, said she would “continue to push the president and the Congress to adopt targeted policies to address the need.”

  • gordonbloyershow

    Someone should remind you that you are a idiot.

  • http://mediamatters.org/ Leedog

    “Sticks and Stones!!”

  • Owl22

    I expect Romney to easily handle the ignorant Perry once again.

  • Anonymous

    What a surprise, a blue blood, country club establishment Republican talking up a blue blood, country club establishment Republican. Granted, the homeless guy hanging out under I-5 would make a better president than Obama, but until someone with some _real_ balls, willing to buck the establishment and actually _cut_ spending and government programs, rather than just spew bullshit about cutting projected spending increases, the country won’t get any better.

  • http://twitter.com/BusyDay2day Father Time

    Thankfully, the American people continue to elect moderates.  Rick Perry has no chance of winning and I’m happy to hear that even Bush’ites agree.  Mitt Romney isn’t my choice, but at the very least, he won’t lead countries to think our country is run by cowboy bumpkins.  

  • The Real Royal Emperor

    I should expect that the Godfather of Krappy Pizza will dominate this evening’s Death Watch 2011.

  • Anonymous

    The rancid masses actually watch this stuff??

  • The Real Royal Emperor

    Your idefinite article is incorrect, Blower.

  • Anonymous

    This should be something to see for all interested parties as the questioning will start to get more specific on policy. Differences on policy should become a lot clearer.

    One or two people may still may enter soon…

  • Anonymous

    Again with the liberals complaining that Romney is a Mormon. Only people I know have a problem with it is the liberals. Seems they want the Republicans to have a problem with it. Scared of him I guess. Does AZ fit the criteria for Southern Christians cause I sure don’t have a problem with a Mormon being President. Maybe its because I am an independent?

  • gordonbloyershow

    Are you just talking to yourself? Why are you here? You are a laughing stock and a known liar.

  • Anonymous

    And to think your brother made it to Harvard Medical School; unfortunately, in a bottle of formaldehyde!!!!!

  • Anonymous

    Why do you refer to yourself as a mass, libbyboy?

  • Anonymous

    He’s going to be the star of the night!!

  • Anonymous

    Karl is loading up those donors even as we speak.  

  • Anonymous

    The media is pushing Romney and Perry down your throats, neither one is going to change anything if the majority in the senate isn’t changed. These two candidates have gotten all the media coverage because they are flamboyant characters that sell the media. If elected neither one will do much for the poor or middle class, these politicians are old school  that put party ahead of the people, we have been through this many times. When will the voters wake up and elect someone with common sense, someone that can bring real change to America, someone that will end all our wars and bring the troops home and post them on our borders where they belong. This country hasn’t had a competent president since the 1950′s.  

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_U7T5LVIQK7AMIBM5WI765VDVDQ smald4lib

    Romney is hardly flamboyant……………..The Media is under control by the 5 corporations that  own them. If you were smart then you would have noticed the the Republicans are worse at running the country then the Democrats. If you want to change things then you need to change the party that is still changeable, the Democratic Party. The Republicons really don’t care about working people, only their vote. They will throw you some meat scraps but you won’t get any substance.

  • WardMD

    I KNOW this sort of thing is HIS JOB, but, frankly, I don’t give a Rat’s Rear End WHAT ANYONE has to say about the Candidates, except the Candidates THEMSELVES (and, preferably, in an INTERVIEW setting, where we get to hear them ACTUALLY EXPLAIN and ARTICULATE their positions, not try to get in the “Talking Points” for the evening news sound-bite)!

  • Anonymous

    Mr.Yogi, love your recipes, but….when one thinks ‘only’ along a Parties line, ummm, their not ‘INDEPENDENT’(suggests someone who is open-minded. We imagine that the independent voter goes into each election without preconceived ideas about which party to vote for, but instead considers the merits of each candidate with every new election.)…..every comment you’ve made, says otherwise!

  • http://www.IndiaCurry.com Yogi Gupta

    The participants at Mediaite are highly partisan including some of the staff specially Tommy C. Similarly, I am a partisan conservative, but I am party independent. I am Goldwater conservative who had said, ‘you don’t have to be straight to shoot straight’ on the issue of gays in the military. I don’t believe that Government has any role in telling you what to do in your bedroom, or when where or who should pray to which God. I am brown skin, I don’t hear the dog whistle of racism like Tommy does on every thing GOP or Teaparty does. I migrated to United States in 1963, and faced the racism personally while at University of Cincinnati. Beleieve me, the era of racism is over. Anymore, it lives only as a political ploy.
    I believe that federal government is basically responsible to defend this nation against foreign enemy, regulate intr-state commerce transportation and communication; and ensure drug safety. Federal employees have no right to join unions. The state goverments should make their own policies regarding education, health and social welfare, and state employee unions. Even the state governments have no right to regulate moral behavior based on religion.
    I am not a registered Republican or a Democrat. I supported Hillary Clinton in 2008. Today, Hillary is still the best candidate to lead this nation over any Democrat or current field of Republicans.
    I am a conservative independent. Thanks for visiting my webiste.

  • Yukon Jack

    You not “May Be Retarded’, you ARE.

  • Yukon Jack

    Half-Baked Alaskan is much better than a fully cooked Chicagonean (Chicagoer??)

  • Yukon Jack

    The fact that Romney is a Mormon is about as relevant as the fact that John Fitzgerald Kennedy was a Roman Catholic in 1960.

    Only idiots care then and only idiots care now.

  • Anonymous

    Big suprise. Romney will get the Nomination.The others are just a Freakshow at the circus.Romney himself is a joke. so good luck with that.-former Massachucetts resident.

  • Anonymous

    Here in Florida, I have not spoken to anyone who will vote for Obama in 2012; I think anyone with common sense views this guy as way in over his head, not to mention corrupt. Mitt Romney is the best in a General election to win, he will be acceptable to a great percentage of independents,(assuming Chris Christie stays out).  I also believe that this election is different from others, and the VP choice will be critical. It MUST be Marco Rubio (which should clinch Florida for the GOP -absolutely necessary), and with Gov Kascich in Ohio a likely win there)- couple all of that with a possible sweep in every southern state in 2012, victory!!
    So Romney-Rubio   -  (MR) ^2

  • Anonymous

    If you voted for Obama in 2008 to prove you weren’t racist, better vote for someone else in 2012 to prove you’re not an idiot.

  • Anonymous

    “If you voted for Obama in 2008 to prove you weren’t racist” ………..is one one the most stupidist reply I ever had!

  • Anonymous

    then you are an idiot

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