Voices
He was blamed for vicious personal attacks in 2000 on John
McCain, but never directly tied
to them. In 2006, after a lengthy
investigation, he was cleared in
the Valerie Plame CIA leak case.
In 2009, a congressional committee invesigated — and blamed
— him for politicizing the firing
of U.S. attorneys, but he escaped
any legal consequences.
Now, in a way, a lifetime of
work is coming together. He’s
always pushed envelopes. Fundraising is one. With Sen. Mitch
McConnell, a close ally, he successfully spearheaded a decadeslong attack on campaign laws;
now “independent” Pacs, such as
Rove’s, can raise unlimited sums
from corporate treasuries and,
for long periods, keep wealthy
donors’ names under wraps. He
has taken cultural attack tactics
he learned as a boy in the Nixon
days and industrialized them. His
current enemy of convenience:
public employees.
Shrewdly, Rove has eschewed
attempting to make money as a political consultant. (Others handle
his original expertise, direct mail.)
Instead he can recommend other
“vendors” for them to use – yet another way for him to consolidate his
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06.17.12
power. He makes his money these
days from speeches and media.
Though Rove co-founded Crossroads, he has no title and isn’t on
the board. Crossroads’ twin entities
– American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS – hope to raise at least
$300 million, according to CEO
Steven Law – which is more than
the Obama and Romney campaigns
have managed to collect so far.
Expect the Rovean messaging
to be harsh. In 2005,
when a still largely
united country was
He was
debating what to do
blamed for
next in Bush’s “Global
vicious
War on Terror,” Rove
personal
came forth to define
the battle for his boss. attacks in
“Conservatives saw
2000 on
the savagery of the
John McCain,
9/11 attacks and prebut never
pared for war,” Rove
directly tied
declared. “Liberals
to them.”
saw the savagery of
the 9/11 attacks and
wanted to prepare indictments and
offer therapy and understanding
for the attackers.”
It was Rove at his best, or worst.
But it was a typical moment of our
time and we’re bound to see more of
it from a political discourse
that Rove now dominates.