Karl Rove Jumps the Shark

[Ian_rd]

Karl Rove Jumps the Shark
We have finally seen the inevitable failure of the Rovian strategy

The words "attack, attack, attack" have been uttered by many to describe the central tenet of Karl Rove's campaign strategy. He never plays defense, no matter what comes his way. If his candidate is attacked, he responds with a stronger attack. If his opponent has an edge on the issues, he never attempts to bolster his candidate's positions, but instead attacks his opponent with personal smears and dirty tricks. This strategy has worked with tremendous success in the past, but has finally met its inevitable fate.

If the game of politics can be described with war metaphors, which it is by pretty much everybody, then a strategy built around "attack, attack, attack" can be equated with constantly moving the front line forward, never retreating or holding position. This "front line" of Rove's has been constantly moving forward for the past six years, and in the literal world means that the Republican Party's political rhetoric has gotten stronger and stronger to the point of finally jumping the shark into the realm of mind-blowingly ludicrous.

A few years ago, Republican politicians would never have gone so far as to suggest that Democrats want the terrorists to win. Such allusions would have been considered highly offensive and way beyond the pale. But Karl Rove and his lieutenants kept moving their front line forward until we finally saw what would eventually rear its ugly ass: Republicans openly and with a straight face practically accusing the Democrats of working in concert with the terrorists to achieve their shared agenda of attacking American values. Orrin Hatch said the terrorists were laying low and hoping for a Democratic victory in order to strike, Donald Rumsfeld said the terrorists in Iraq were increasing their violence in order to help the Democrats win elections, Dick Cheney equated the likely Democratic win to the terrorists successfully breaking the will of the American people, and every Republican from sea to shining sea clung desperately to their Rovian talking points designed to suggest that Democrats are cowards who want to surrender to Al Qaeda.

There is a depressingly large percentage of stupid, gullible voters in this country who will believe every talking point fed to them by Fox News and Clear Channel and obediently given the legitimacy of equal time by the rest of the mainstream media. Karl Rove knows this more than anybody. But his tactics unintentionally caused many of these otherwise stupid people to have moments of clarity. Can't you just picture it: The loyal Sean Hannity fan driving in his car and considering for a moment how ridiculous it is for someone to suggest that the majority of Americans who criticize the war rejoice at the deaths of U.S. soldiers and want nothing more than terrorists to come to the United States and kill innocent people. Maybe this moment of clarity opened up this guy's mind to different opinions, or maybe it simply caused him to skip the long lines on Election Day and go straight home.

The Democrats didn't so much win this election as allow the Republicans to lose. The Republican attack, attack, attack strategy finally became predictable for them, so they simply opened their ranks and allowed the Republican front line to march right on through and then jump over the cliff that always seems to be at the Democratic Party's feet.

Hopefully the Democrats will learn from this. They were smart enough not to defend themselves against the more ridiculous attacks by claiming that they do not in fact chuckle over their lattes whenever a U.S. soldier is killed by a terrorist. They did respond however, as they must no matter how baseless the charge - a lesson they should hold dear after the Great Swiftboating of 2004, but they were most effective when simply pointing out how insane the Republican political messages had become. With their latest national campaign ad, the Republican Party has become the largest distributor of Al Qaeda video propaganda in the United States hoping to accomplish with it what the terrorists do: scare the shit out of as many people as possible with the goal of inhibiting rational thought and bending them to their will. But just like Americans stood up fearless against the terrorists after 9-11, yesterday we stood up fearless against the Republican Party's fear campaign and said, "Fuck you, I am not afraid."

Sun Tzu taught that you should never allow your enemy safe ground, hit him where he is most unprepared and appear where you are least expected. Thanks to Howard Dean and his insistence on a fifty-state strategy, we not only know this to be effective politics, but we also know that there are millions of voters everywhere who are begging for an alternative to this garbage and who would cast their vote accordingly if only someone would politely ask for it.

[onehandle]

1. Karl Rove Screws the Pooch

I don't have any photos of him actually screwing the pooch, but someone must have them.

[reichstag911]

2. Poor pooch! :( {nt}

[DemoTex]

12. Naw, Bu$h screwed the pooch.

[IronLionZion]

21. poor Barney looks absolutely horrified!

I think former Senator pRick "man on dog" Santorum is next in line for that.

[dysfunctional press]

16. is the pooch's name guckert, by any chance?

[Ken Burch]

31. Santorum, probably,,,

He loves that man-on-dog action!

[bobbie]

3. Do you think there will be a "terra-ist"/neo-con attack to drive the point home?

I sorta wonder if the regime will call in the old 911 gang to show us unruly voters that we voted for terra-ism...

[Leopolds Ghost]

4. K/R n/t

[bleever]

5. Well said.

Much credit to the Dems for not defending themselves against ludicrous attacks, and also for not falling for the bait every time some GOP shill cried, "What's your plan?!?"

[ashling]

6. well said

This has always been an undercurrent in the Republican toolbox. However, I am afraid that we haven't seen the end of viscious baseless attacks.

[IWantAChange]

7. K&R - excellent synopsis of "Rovian logic' gone wrong - THANKS

[Beetwasher]

8. Karl Rove Is An Idiot

His "strategery" of "attack attack attack" can be effective only for so long. Yes, it's effective when used as part of an arsenal. However, essentially it's his ONLY trick and when used w/ no sense of moderation and no subtlety and it's used over and over and over again, it's quite stupid.

BTW, I love your journal title "Stuff I Wroted"

[irislake]

9. Please tell me what

Jump the Shark means. I have long wondered.

[eringer]

10. Jumping the Shark

The following is from Wikipedia:
Jumping the Shark
The most famous of these plots involved Fonzie performing a water ski jump over a shark on September 20, 1977 during the show's fifth season. In later years, this has often been cited by critics as the point where it became obvious that the series had already passed its peak of quality and popularity. The phrase jumping the shark was later coined to express such criticisms about popular culture phenomena in general. While the Fonz's literal shark jump gave rise to the phrase, many fans consider Happy Days to have endured multiple turning points, occurring both before and after the stunt in question. Of particular note are the fire that destroyed the original Arnold's Drive-In and the departure of leading man Ron Howard, both of which occurred long after the notorious stunt involving the shark.

[Rockstone]

28. the moment

http://www.transbuddha.com/mediaHolder.php?id=278

[newyawker99]

35. Hi eringer!!

Welcome to DU!!

[Ian_rd]

13. Hehe - Definition:

I think I have the history right:

There was a website a few years ago that got some internet fame called "Jump the Shark" or something like that. Its purpose was to, in a fun way, look back on television shows and decide if and when they ever had a moment where they crossed the line from being quirky and amusing into being completely ridiculous and hence losing credibility with viewers. There was a Happy Days episode after the show had been on for many years where The Fonz was surfing and saw a shark swimming in his path. As you guessed, he jumped over the shark. The website decided this was the point in which Happy Days crossed the line.

"Jumping the shark" started as a way to describe only TV shows, but quickly became a way to describe anyone or anything that after a progression finally becomes too ridiculous to be taken seriously.

[Doctor_J]

20. I think it was a fundraiser

Kinda like Evel Knievel jumping cars. Fonzie was wearing his jacket, boots, and tennis shorts, and ski-jumped over a shark tank.

go to jumptheshark.com and vote on your favorite shows.

[sleepingdog]

11. I've been saying....

....for quite some time that the terrorists that terrorize us most reside in the Blight House. Their incessant message of terror wasn't aimed at making us aware, but giving us a scare. Scared sheep go where directed without question.

[newyawker99]

36. Hi sleepingdog!!

Welcome to DU!!

[originalpckelly]

14. (AP) Rove jumps shark +Marianas Islands!!!!!!

"(AP) Saipan, CNMI -- While on a vacation in the Commonwealth of the North Marianas Islands, Karl Rove, the President's top political aide, engaged in homosexual relations with a shark. The shark, who for his own protection did not wish to identified, has come forward saying Mr. Rove has had two year affair with the shark.

In exchange for large amounts of red meat, the shark agreed to have sexual relations with Mr. Rove.

When asked how they first met, the shark had this to say:
'We were at The Cage, a local shark-man bar(s), where sharks go after men all the time. I was hanging out with my buddies and we saw this guy, at first we thought it was some chum, that someone had dropped a pig's head in the water, but it later turned out to be Mr. Rove.

At first he was little afraid of me, I kept making passes at him for an hour. Then it happened, he tried to jump me. It all happened so fast after that, all I remember is waking up the next morning with ten pounds of prime cut Angus beef on my dresser, and a card to call Mr. Rove at his office back in Washington, D.C.'

Mr. Rove was not immediately available for contact, as he was busy making contact with a horse."

Copyright 2006, Associated Perverts

[deutsey]

15. I wish we could see him jump INTO the shark

I'd pay to see that.

[bullwinkle428]

17. This thread is screaming out for a photoshop!

Unfortunately, I don't have the mad skillz!

[Nostradammit]

34. here you go -

[bbgrunt]

18. I think K. Olbermann deserves major credits for explicitly

making that last point (Repubs were largest distrib. of terrorist videos) available on the corporate media. Thanks to him and Stewart and Colbert, this message seeped through. Also thanks to AAR!!

[Viracocha]

22. I remember watching that episode in 1977

From someone who actually saw that Happy Days episode where "jumping the shark" got its origin:

Fonzie did NOT jump over a shark while surfing. He was challenged to water ski jump over a holding pen where a captured shark was. Being that he was The Fonz, it would've been "uncool" for him to back down. Bear in mind this episode was in 1977, on the heels of the Jaws phenomenon the year prior.

Jumping The Shark paints a very good analogy of a program which has run out of creative ideas and whose days are numbered. Happy Days was successful early on because it followed after George Lucas' 1973 nostalgia hit called American Graffitti, and faithfully recreated for TV the life of teenagers in the 1950's. The show evolved, and every year the plots got worse, until it reached its low-water mark with Arthur Fonzarelli jumping over a shark pen STILL WEARING HIS FREAKING LEATHER JACKET! LOL

[newyawker99]

37. Hi Viracocha!!

Welcome to DU!!

[madrchsod]

19. excellent post on what happened

the defeat of the republican contact for america is now complete..

[masshole]

23. Well done, Ian

You have written one of the best articles on the subject that I have read in some time.

[judaspriestess]

24. great read

it is so true and appalling, the minute you question the war, you are accused of being unpatriotic. It is despicable. I love this country.

[NanceGreggs]

25. An absolutely TERRIFIC read!!!

You have totally NAILED it!

[MGKrebs]

26. Kudos from me too.

Really nice analysis.
You got chops.

[Rockstone]

27. Rove's Jump

[casus belli]

29. Great read! K&R

[adamuu]

30. thanks for the very nice article

the front-line marching off the cliff was a good metaphor.
the layout of your journal is good, too.

[The Wizard]

32. Ku Klux Karl

jumped the shark when he ordered Bush to say on national TV that staying the course was never the Iraq strategy. He pushed too far, and thus became discredited. Anyone who believed that is a Kool-Aid drinker, nothing more or less.
With that the Bush cult hit the cold hard truth. They can't just make up shit and expect it to be accepted without question.
Going after Kerry with the same type swift boat attack was also more than the public could bear. Kerry wasn't even running. When John McCain decided to follow Rove's lead and attack his "friend" John Kerry he effectively removed himself from the 08 presidential race. Everything he says now can be discounted as political bullshit. McCain showed his weakness during the Rove choreographed 04 Republican convention by hugging the guy who smeared him without mercy, thus revealing McCain as an unprincipled political whore. The recent Kerry smear added to that perception. Rudy Giuliani followed Rove's orders when he thanked God Bush was president upon seeing people leap to certain death on 9-11. Yeah sure that's what everyone says when witnessing people dying.
Karl's bag of tricks is empty, and he's out of business. He got rich along the way, and maybe he'll still get indicted, convicted and rendered to Syria for torture.
Or maybe he'll get outed as Jeff Gannon's bottom. Somebody spent 40 overnights with Gannon in the White House.

[illinoisprogressive]

33. People are tired of smear and fear

at first it was unexpected and people listened. Especially when they were still looking up at the planes that flew over them thinking that might be one of the terrorists in there. Jittery.
People get jittery.
If we had someone who could have shown people that we were better and tougher than the terrorists and we never say die like other presidents did, they would have gotten over it and had resolve.
But, this one and his doublemint twin played on it so, people did not think rational. Then the talking heads piped in with the right talking points to re enforce. After 5 years, people began to wake up and wise up.
If you notice the good little republicans who go on talk shows are still mimicing the talking points Rove taught them even when they just got thier asses handed to them. Maybe the reason this congress was so bad is that they were so mind controlled they couldn't think without Rove telling them what to think, what to do and Delay to enforce it. They robotized thier minions so well they couldn't do thier jobs.