Rove “Genius” Continues its Steady Decline …

When a party is out of ideas and runs purely as opposition, they must be in a constant search for ways to degrade their opponents and their ideas. In recent years, the former (ad hominem attacks, in rhetorical nomenclature – character assassination in its more common linguistic usage) has become the strategy of choice. Stretching back in this country to at least as far as Thomas Jefferson, who ran a successful smear-campaign against one-termer John Adams (and arguably even earlier in the run-up to the revolution), it’s more recent and virulent form was perfected under the acute tutelage of Lee Atwater with the infamous Willie Horton ads that sealed Dukakis’ fate and led the surprise turnaround victory for Bush I. Atwater led the charge, later followed by Karl Rove and Newt Gingrich, to make politics about personality, wedge issues, fear and center on incendiary attacks that resonated with an aging population fearful of the dying American mythology of their youth.

Karl Rove, of course, has fallen on hard times since his failed predictive powers caused him to disagree with his own network and call Ohio for Romney. But that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to raise boatfuls of money for the GOP cause. And it apparently hasn’t allayed his love affair with attacks that have little, if anything, to do with that cumbersome conservative problem called reality. His latest installation in the “I can’t believe he said that” circus is to claim Hillary Clinton had undisclosed brain surgery while in the hospital for 30 days in late 2012. Only two problems with the argument – 1. She was only in the hospital for four days, but that’s only a difference of 26 days, so no big deal in comparison to say claims that Gore said he invented the Internet or that Iraqi WMDs were moments away from being used in another terrorist attack and 2. His only proof is the sunglasses she was wearing on exiting the facility; which she has worn for years (as the article above points out, with rather compelling visual proof).

But as is generally the case when the right speaks, it is better not to let the facts get in the way of a good argument. And so it was of little surprise that Fox News was selling the story. Why not keep another nonstory going? It’s not like anything important is happening at the moment …