Why Karl Rove Is Smiling

A reader writes:

I don't like what the Clintons are doing to Obama either. It goes beyond just "hardball politics." You were right to mention in an earlier post that they are stealing a page out of Rove's playbook. I think Rove's idea is not just to go right at a candidate's strength head on (not to mention going for their jugular) and in the process bloody them bad. More importantly, it's designed to deliberately muddy the waters in a nihilistic way. 

The former you can understand, that is hardball, the later is far more troubling and it is the height of cynicism.

Why?  Because, first it bets on the idea that if you throw enough mud and lies you will confuse the voter so that they will not be able to tell the difference between a candidate who has something to say and one who doesn't but just attacks. Second, it takes the idealistic voter out of the picture by deflating them - the old "all those bums are the same! What's the point of voting?  I can't change anything"  So, it becomes a form of voter suppression and undermines our democracy.  Hey!  Two negatives for the price of one.  Then it's just a question of picking up on those "microtrends" to pander to enough segments to eke out a tiny, partisan victory.  Rove's legacy is the mastering and mainstreaming of the technique.  After 7 years of this we really don't need the Democrats to do the same - even if they are angry at what has been done to them.  But then there are many genies the Bushies have let out of the bottle that I hope others in the future can refrain from partaking in.

(Photo: WIn McNamee/Getty.)